Stories

Our Stories

o One of our charity’s main objectives is to support families living within the Plymouth Diocese (which covers Devon, Cornwall and parts of Dorset) by providing items through our Essential Grants programme, which they can not afford to purchase themselves. ‘Family Life’ is not always easy and can change considerably within a very short time frame, emotionally and financially. Many families put in place ways to cope and provide for their children and pay all the bills, but unfortunately there can be times when there is no money to replace broken items such as a new cooker or washing machine, so many families go without the ability to cook healthy meals, or the ability to keep their clothes clean. And many children are bullied because of the clothes they wear to school as their parents/carers can not afford to purchase the right school uniform or buy suitable school shoes that fit.

We received a referral through one of our Catholic schools, where the family were really struggling financially following the death of one of the parents the previous year, who was the main income earner. The landlord then asked them to leave their family home as he wanted to sell the house and so the mother and her two young children were forced to move into temporary accommodation with little facilities to cook. We supplied a slow cooker and some clothing and school uniform for both children totalling £144.75.

We received a referral from a local hospital who were providing 24-hour support for a family at home as one of the parents has end stage Motor Neurone Disease. Their washing machine was not washing clothes properly and they were struggling to provide clean clothes for all the family which included three very young children. We supplied the family with a washer/dryer for just over £350, which made a huge difference to family life.

Recent feedback we received from the families we support also shows what a massive difference our grant makes to their family life, which we can only continue to provide with the support of all our loyal parishes and schools –  

“A huge thank you to the Catholic Children’s Society for your kind help, the washing machine arrived today, and everyone is delighted. It is such a huge relief to be able to do our own washing at home again. I’m just so thankful to you.
One day when we are in a better position, we will pay the kindness forward and help someone else in a situation similar to mine. Again, thank you.”

“Hi to the entire wonderful CCS team.
We (I and my wife and obviously my son too) would like express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for your kind support in this difficult time. It really means a lot as my baby and his mother have been struggling without a proper travel system.
We hope to meet you all from close someday soon. And we really appreciate that you put babies first as they really should be, for they are the upcoming generation. Thank you again and whoever who has somehow contributed in this.”

Laura’s story

Left on her own with two small boys, one of whom suffers from behavioural difficulties which put stress on home life, Laura attempted to improve their lot by enrolling on a nursing course and despite all the pressures was doing well and producing all her coursework. Finances were already stretched to their limit and it was a struggle for Laura to keep everything on an even keel and to make things worse they then lost most of their possessions when they were burgled. Her boys ended up having to share a mattress on a concrete floor. She didn’t know where to turn to. That is when she applied to the Society for help and we were able to give her beds for her boys. All she wanted was to give her boys a happy home and the Society was able to help her.

*names and some details have been altered to protect anonymity

Sam’s story

Sam had bravely made the decision to turn her life around, as she had been the victim of emotional and physical abuse, which had led her to drink heavily. Her mental health was also extremely low. Sam started receiving some mental health support, and worked with supporting agencies to make decisions about the life she wanted to lead. Her daughter was then reunited with her, having lived with her maternal grandmother for a short while.

Sam and her daughter had been registered homeless for a whole year. With professional support, the family were given a one bedroom temporary property during the first lockdown. Towards the end of 2020, Sam was offered a two bedroom property with a secure tenancy by the local council. The house was completely unfurnished and Sam only had a few essential items, as the temporary property they had previously lived in was part furnished and so no items could be removed.

With the help of her Support Worker, who is extremely proud of what she has achieved, Sam received the help and support she needed to rebuild her life. An application form and reference form were submitted to our Essential Grants Programme, as she had no washing machine or cooker. This application was approved by the Board of Trustees at the Catholic Children’s Society (Plymouth) and the items were purchased and delivered to Sam’s new home.