Aberlour’s Urgent Assistance Fund has made a real impact on Maggie* from Dundee. She lives with her 8-year-old twins Abbie* and Maya*. Maggie has health issues and is struggling with her finances, mental health and relationships although she has recently trained as a paramedic.
The family has been affected hugely by the catastrophic rise in cost-of-living – food, clothing, and energy being of particular concern.
In order to feed her children Maggie often goes without, sometimes for up to three days per week. She says:
“Maya asked me at one point why I didn’t have dinner when I was sat at the table with them, and I had to just, lie and say that I’d had a big lunch. She’s at school. She doesn’t know that I don’t eat breakfast or lunch”.
The cost of school uniforms and shoes was also a concern and Maggie worried that her girls would feel embarrassed not having the same as everyone else but had nowhere to turn. “Even asking friends and family, they’re in the same situation, so there wasn’t anyone else I could have asked”.
Abbie has a lung condition and needs the heating on which is an added expense. Maggie says:
“Because of her lung condition, I’ve got to have the heating on constantly. Just to help her breathe. The house has quite a lot of damp. I’ve got a dehumidifier and run that constantly to try and keep the damp levels down. I can’t think about the cost. It’s either the house is damp and she’s ill, or I spend more money on electric”.
Aberlour stepped in with the Urgent Assistance Fund and were able to give Maggie the support she needed. She said: “Being awarded the grant got me back on track. I was able to buy the things that were needed for school and food as well as gas and electric. It helped because I was getting really depressed.
“Aberlour can literally change your whole lifestyle. All it took was for that little bit of help and it affected everything – my mood, it helped me financially and it helped my relationships with my kids. It’s more than just money”.
*names changed to protect identities