Lifeline in a crisis

When ill health forced Doug Gordon’s wife Clair to give up work the couple quickly found themselves in financial difficulty.

Clair has anxiety disorder, Coeliac disease and ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease.

The sudden deterioration in her condition left the couple, who have two children, struggling to get by on one wage.

Doug, a postman at Yeovil delivery office, said: ‘It all happened so quickly and left us in a very tight spot. It was a very stressful time for us.’

He turned to the Rowland Hill Fund (RHF), our in-house charity.

‘I had read about the charity in Courier. I felt very awkward asking for help, but I didn’t know where else to turn,’ he said.

‘Thankfully they were non-judgemental and understanding and covered our rent and council tax. Since then, we’ve been able to make some changes to our arrangements and get back on our feet.’

As a way of showing his appreciation, Doug recently spoke about his experience as an RHF beneficiary at a fundraising dinner.

‘I was happy to give something back, I can’t thank them enough,’ he said. If you are struggling financially, please call the RHF confidential helpline on 0345 600 4586.