Issue 11: Autumn/Winter 2022
Support for Freemasons and families
A helping hand
With the cost of living crisis weighing on many peoples’ minds, the MCF is here to help with the challenges that many Freemasons and their families are facing.
Rising costs means that people are having to cut back on their spending or using their savings to pay the bills, leaving them vulnerable to any unexpected situations.
We have spoken with some of the people we support to understand how the crisis has affected them so far and how our support helped them overcome a challenging situation.
John’s Story
The financial and emotional strain of the current economic situation has disproportionately impacted vulnerable people. This was the case for John and Barbara, a retired couple, who found themselves struggling with the increasing cost of living.
John has been a Freemason for over 20 years and always thought he would be able to live a comfortable life after retiring. It was hard for him to approach the MCF for support as he always considered himself to be an independent person who would never need help from others.
Things changed in 2019, when he had a stroke resulting in many health complications caused by the injury in the brain.
“The MCF has been fantastic in their support for me and really lifted the strain on both of us. They helped me book an appointment with an occupational therapist, who provided recommendations to make our home easier for me to walk around”, said John.
Along with the health challenges that John and Barbara going through, the increase in food and energy prices have made it even more difficult for them, putting a strain on their mental wellbeing.
Our pensions are not enough to cover our costs and, because we are not eligible for Pension Credit, we were anxious about what could happen. However, the MCF has really put us at ease by providing us with a grant to cover some of our daily living costs.
Without the fear of not making ends meet every month, John can now focus on his health and enjoy his retirement with Barbara.
Louise’s story
Jason, a Freemason, was only 49 years old when he was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. This was devastating news to Louise, his wife, and their three children. Together with having to deal with the emotional stress after the diagnosis, Jason, who worked his whole life as a carpenter by trade, was left unable to work.
The family suddenly went from a two- income household to relying solely on Louise’s earnings to support the whole family. That was when Jason and Louise decided to get in touch with us to check if there was any help available for their family.
“The MCF really looked after my family, they organised all the medical equipment that Jason needed, including a hospital bed, electric scooter and a mobility chair. I didn’t need to worry about getting these, which took a lot of stress away from me. They also paid for a holiday to Jason’s favourite place, Dorset – it was great to make some memories as a family.” – Louise
Sadly, Jason passed away in November. As well as the emotional strain of losing a loved one, Louise also had to deal with the financial pressure of relying on her income to support her three children. As the prices of basic goods and bills continue to rise, this became even more difficult to manage.
“MCF advisers helped us so much through it all… they provided bereavement counselling for me and my eldest children and continue to be great to us. We are now receiving financial support to help us out with bills during this period. The help from the MCF has meant that we have kept our home – without them I don’t know where we would be.” – Louise.
Matthew’s story
Matthew found himself in a challenging situation after separating from his partner, forcing him and his daughter into rented accommodation. He was struggling to keep on top of the rent and to make matters worse, his car’s engine stopped working, leaving him without transportation. After being encouraged by a member of his lodge, he got in contact with us to ask if we could help.
“If you have been following recently, the rental market is very inflated, so I am having to pay a lot to keep a roof over our heads. It was already difficult for me to stay on top of our expenses, but the situation got worse when my car broke down and I lost a week’s worth of pay because I was unable to get to work”, explained Matthew.
As a Freemason, Matthew knew about the MCF and the work we do to help people, but he was not aware of the range of support available. After speaking with an MCF adviser, he was able to understand what state benefits he could claim and received support throughout the whole application process. However, whilst waiting for his benefits, he was falling behind on bills and spiralling into debt.
The MCF were lifesavers to my daughter and myself, as the grant provided me with enough money to help me cover the rent for the next month. This lifted a lot of stress off my shoulders and gave me some breathing room. Also, they prevented an emergency situation from getting out of hand as I was able to pay for the repairs to my car, allowing me to get to work and provide for my daughter.
Now, Matthew is in a far better financial situation, as his state benefits are now being paid and he is no longer worrying about providing for his daughter.
If there has been a change in your circumstances and you are struggling to manage financially, we are here to help.
