As the charity for the furnishing industry, The Furniture Maker’s Company has been supporting the welfare of people working in the trade since 1903 – and its support, arguably, has been more important than ever in recent years …
“Every day, people are having to cope with financial hardship due to the impact of bereavement, relationship or family breakdown, illness, reduced work hours, an unexpected loss of income or redundancy – but they don’t have to deal with this alone,” says The Furniture Maker’s Company, sharing an example of how it helped one couple in their time of need:
“Andrew and his wife Caroline were drowning in an insurmountable amount of debt when we were first alerted to their circumstance. Andrew had enjoyed a long career in the trade as a wood machinist at a furnituremaking business, but health issues had left both him and Caroline unable to work, and debts soon began piling up.
“After seeking help from debt advice provider PayPlan, the couple explored getting a Debt Relief Order, as there was no way they could ever repay what they owed ( a Debt Relief Order is a financial agreement underwritten by the courts to clear all outstanding debts).
“The couple discovered our charity after searching on Turn2Us, a national charity that helps people in financial hardship to gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and support services. An application was made to our charity to cover the costs, which was successful, and within one week two Debt Relief Orders were agreed for Andrew and Caroline.
“With the help of PayPlan and our charity, Andrew and Caroline can look forward to a clearer future. Although dependent on Universal Credit, they can now sleep easy, being debt free and with a chance to meet their basic outgoings comfortably without making repayments to outstanding loans.”
The Furniture Maker’s Company helps furnishing industry people who are dealing with financial hardship, by providing grants and useful advice. Its team can be called on 020 7256 5558 or 07366 568458, or via email at [email protected].
