South Wales
Daily living costs, Education for children and young people, Support for Freemasons and families
Christopher and Jessica’s story
Jessica and Christopher Berry
Christopher and Jessica’s father, Adrian, was made redundant four times, whilst Christopher was studying BSc Sport and Exercise Science at Cardiff Met University, and Jessica was in full time education.
“Coming from the area where I’m from, when the big financial crash happened in 2008, it was hard,” says Chris. “There was a time where my father would have a job then be made redundant, have a job then be made redundant – it went on like that really. That was when I was just starting university at Cardiff Met, so my dad felt a massive responsibility to support me – but he was struggling so much, he couldn’t.”
“He went to university himself so knew the financial responsibilities that came with it. It was a pleasant experience for me, as we’ve always been such an upbeat and positive family. So to see that disappear was tough. I also felt at the time that if he’s been through university and is still facing these problems, then what hope is there for me?”
Adrian has been an active Freemason since 1987, but he was never aware of the support he was able to receive. Just after being made redundant, he contacted the MCF to apply for small grants for families, and heard back from his Grants Officer who suggested a range of areas in which Christopher could be supported.
“He arranged for someone to come and visit me at the house, and we chatted for about three hours,” says Adrian. “He went through the application forms with me and we did a proper and thorough application together. I went from knowing basically nothing to being an expert on the support in a few hours!”
The MCF was able to offer vital support through both Christopher and Jessica’s education, from important technology devices to grants to help with daily living costs.
“I was given a laptop and printer for my studies as there was a lot of coursework involved. This actually meant I could work independently from home a few days a week, which saved me an hour commute in to uni and back each day. I was also given financial support, so I received an annual scholarship which saw me through my degree then a post grad fee bursary and another scholarship. But I also received a lot of guidance through uni which is something you don’t really think of; I remember taking my support report forms to my personal tutor so they knew exactly what was going on and could report back to the charity. Uni flies by but these check points kept me on track, and helped me to stay focussed on the end goal of getting my degree.” – Christopher
Christopher went on to graduate with a First Class honours in Sports Science and a merit in his masters for Performance Analysing. During his masters he was also doing an internship with the Welsh Rugby Union. By chance, a lecturer at Cardiff University was also employed by the Welsh Rugby Union, so he offered him his PhD, which looks at coach and player feedback relationships.
I felt a little shy and embarrassed that I needed funding at the start of all this, but when the process started and it all went through, you realise that there is genuine help and support for you. My advice to others who are thinking about applying for support but may be too embarrassed, is to embrace it; see the benefits and ask for help.
“My support began actually because I am a Trombonist and Pianist,” says Jessica.
“I was given funding to pay for professional Trombone and Piano lessons and I am now grade 8 – I passed my last grade 8 exams with distinction. Music has always been a hobby of mine, but when I reached A Levels it had to take a backburner as I had to focus on getting the grades I needed to study Medicine – which has always been my dream job. So I transferred the money for music lessons into private tutoring for biology and chemistry. I received my A Levels back which I’m really pleased with! The musical help has been invaluable to me and my dream of becoming a doctor, because they don’t just look for intelligence – the look for an all-rounder with different skills, so playing music to the level I do has really helped.”
Jessica was later accepted into Bradford University to study Clinical Sciences for one year, to then be transferred to Leeds University to study Medicine. She was chosen to be part of a scheme that gives wider access for opportunity to children that come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
I really couldn’t have done any of this without the help from the MCF – I know my brother will say the same thing too, but my parents were in no position to afford any of the things we’ve done. So we really are truly grateful beyond words.
Everyone at the charity is fantastic and brilliant. They’ve always been courteous and careful with our support. I think some people feel almost like it’s claiming benefits, but it couldn’t be more different. We would encourage people to apply for support, definitely. If they’ve had any inkling that they should apply then just speak to someone. The process is done so tastefully and is not intrusive at all.
