A stable solution
When Bedford postman Mark Wilson found himself with mounting debt arrears, he needed to find a way to manage his payments and clear his existing debt.
He contacted our in-house charity the Rowland Hill Fund (RHF) in February after debts accrued through council tax, and gas and electric arrears began to overwhelm him. To compound this, Mark took in a lodger and his fridge-freezer broke down just before Christmas.
‘Alongside mounting debt, my stepson moved in, which changed my council tax status,’ said Mark. ‘I wanted to give him a stable place to stay, but he wasn’t working at the time, and with the fridge breaking it became a domino effect.’
Mark had been proactive and arranged a payment plan for his council tax but applied to RHF so he could start the new financial year on a level footing. The issues with his gas and electric bills were ongoing after he changed to smart meters, meaning his estimates had been miscalculated by around £500.
He originally contacted RHF in June 2018 and was advised to seek debt advice from debt charity StepChange. Mark also has car finance and a large credit card debt to which he now makes a nominal payment after the advice, alongside changing his mobile phone package, saving him £30 each month. He then reapplied to RHF and was successful.
‘When you are in debt, you can bury your head in the sand, but I understood people were there to help me, so it became less daunting,’ said Mark. ‘StepChange were absolutely brilliant and now with help from RHF, it’s taken a lot of the pressure and stress off me and made a real difference.’
The Fund helped Mark with £1,267 towards his arrears and to purchase a fridge-freezer.
The RHF offers financial assistance to Royal Mail colleagues, pensioners and their families in times of need. If you think you or a colleague may need help, call the RHF confidential helpline on 0345 600 4586 to start the process. If necessary, you can also call on a colleague’s behalf to help them take the first step.
To find out more about the fund, visit the RHF website. You can also contact them directly at rowland.hill.fund@royalmail.com or follow the fund on Facebook or Twitter.
