246 - New glasses and a chest freezer - April 2026

Our friends at Shelter asked if we could support a client who fled domestic abuse and was placed in a refuge. She was housed in her first sole tenancy in December 2025. She only receives single person Universal Credit which amounts to £400 per month after rent is deducted. She must manage her household on this small amount. Unfortunately, recently her glasses were broken and when she approached her opticians to get a replacement, she was told that she is not entitled to another free pair via UC until October 2027. Due to her limited income, she has been unable to afford to replace the glasses and she has been having headaches as a consequence of this. We were asked if we could send £80 to help her purchase a decent pair of glasses. Of course, we were happy to do this, and asked her support worker if there was anything else she might need, and agreed we would also send an additional £120 to allow her to buy a small freestanding chest freezer. Two very modest donations to help someone who has clearly been through a lot.

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