Case Histories
Here are some of the stories of the people who The National Benevolent Charity has been able to help. They all have to live on basic state benefits and are too elderly or disabled to work. The National Benevolent Charity makes regular weekly payments to top up these state benefits and single payments to cover unexpected costs, such as a broken down boiler or refrigerator, or a leaking roof.
The help that The National Benevolent Charity is able to give makes life a little easier and a little better for people who, through no fault of their own, have suffered inescapable hardship and misfortune.
To respect confidentiality all names have been changed, but otherwise the stories are genuine accounts of the lives of people currently being helped by The National Benevolent Charity .
George, aged 74
George had a career in the army with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Leicester Regiment, before returning to civvy street as a chauffer and then an HGV driver.
However, at the age of just 50 disaster struck.
Whilst at work beneath a lorry carrying out repairs an axle collapsed and crushed George's back. The accident left him paraplegic. He has to wear a steel corset and a cervical collar and he is, to all intents and purposes, wheelchair bound. He has suffered constant discomfort now for a quarter of a century.
George had a good case for compensation, but the company he worked for went bankrupt.
George now lives in sheltered accommodation that has been specially adapted for his needs. He never married, and he has no close living relatives. Nevertheless, George lives an active a life as possible, and is well known in his community. He helps out at a day centre twice a week, sits on committees and arranges holidays for other disabled people. He is also a lay preacher.
Extraordinarily, George's flat was broken into whilst he was out, and thieves stole many of his few possessions.
The National Benevolent Charity helps George with regular weekly payment and has made single payments to purchase a refrigerator, a bed and to replace items stolen.
Gladys, aged 86
Gladys was born in Canada, but moved to England with her mother at the age of two. During the war years, she helped her family to run a shelter for Jewish refugees. Later she worked as a secretary in Fleet Street, and became an elected councillor in her home town.
Gladys has known much family tragedy. She had three children, but she lost a son in a tragic playground accident when he was a young boy, and a daughter died suddenly of a heart attack in 2002.Her husband died 26 years ago, and she looked after a disabled and housebound sister until her death. She has only the smallest of personal pensions.
Despite problems of her own, Gladys is well known a source of help and support for others, and as a volunteer for a national charity. Remarkably, she is still in involved in amateur dramatics and has won prizes for her paintings.
The National Benevolent Charity helps Gladys with a regular weekly payment.
Connie, aged 90
Connie has been a widow for 39 years. Her late husband was a local builder until the business collapsed in bad economic times, leaving her without any savings for the future. She now lives in a small terraced house that is in much need of internal and external repairs.
Connie is a gentle lady. Her mother was from a family of composers and her father, a gentleman farmer, but her life has been marred by ill health. Tuberculosis of the spine, at the age of 17, left her disabled and, a few years later, Rheumatic Fever weakened her heart. She was unable to have children. More recently, she has undergone mastectomy for breast cancer, and her sight is rapidly failing.
With no living relatives, and few surviving friends. Connie is sometimes very lonely. She has two small dogs for company. She lives some distance from the nearest shops in an area with no public transport, so she has to hire a taxi to take her shopping for the weekly groceries.
Connie's strong Catholic faith keeps her going, together with the support she gets from us.
The National Benevolent Charity helps Connie with a regular weekly payment and has made single payments to assist house decorating and a trip to Lourdes.
Ruth and Don, aged 64 & 61
Don ran a successful shoe repairs business until he was involved in a catastrophic car accident. He suffered brain damage which left him disabled and unable to work. He now has depression and has attempted suicide on two occasions. He cannot be left alone.
Ruth was a teacher, but had to give up this job to be at home with Don. Although she tries to earn a little extra money from cleaning, Ruth and Don have to survive on the bare minimum.
The National Benevolent Charity helps Ruth and Don with regular weekly payments.
Helen, aged 51
Helen worked as a secretary before getting married in her thirties. She and her husband, a chef, had a daughter who is now 15 years old.
Helen was shattered, and left almost penniless when her husband deserted her for another woman. Since then she has been bringing up her daughter alone with no income other than basic state benefits.
When her daughter turns 16, Helen wants to return to work. As a volunteer, she has been teaching basic literacy at a local skills centre. With NBI support she is now studying for a qualification that will enable her take a paid teaching post.
The National Benevolent Charity helps Helen with a regular weekly payment.
Peter, aged 58
Peter was a successful builder until he was hit by a series of life threatening illnesses. At just over the age of 50 Peter was diagnosed with a tumour of the pituitary gland. The treatment was surgery and radiotherapy, but followed by lifelong medication. Tragically, the surgery led to Peter suffering a series of debilitating strokes that have left him partially paralysed. He will never work again. Most recently, Peter was given the news that he has cancer of the prostate.
Peter has no family and few friends. He lives in a small terraced house which he had started to refurbish before his first illness, and which still requires work to keep it weatherproof. He can just about make it to the shops to buy his food and household goods.
The National Benevolent Charity helps Peter with a regular weekly payment and has made single payments to assist with roof repairs and window replacement.
Edna, aged 75
Edna once ran a business with her husband, Bill. However, after 40 years of marriage her Bill left her to live with a younger woman and the business went bankrupt. Bill actually suffered from mental illness and returned to Edna on several occasions when she tried to nurse him back to health. Then in 2000, suddenly, Bill died of a heart attack, leaving Edna to pay off all his debts. She had to sell the family home and move to rented accommodation, and was truly left with nothing.
Not surprisingly, all this took its toll on Edna's health. She had a breakdown needing admission to hospital, and she now suffers from depression.
Edna is though making the most of things. She is a volunteer at a local museum and has become involved with the University of the Third Age.
The National Benevolent Charity helps Edna with a regular weekly payment.
Annie, aged 61
Annie was devastated when her husband was killed in an accident. The couple did not have children, nor any close relatives. Faced with her terrible loss and the loneliness she soon became ill and depressed. Although trained as a nurse and working as a medical secretary, Annie could no longer hold down a job and she became unemployed.
The loss of her husband's income and that of her own meant that she could not pay the rent and she was evicted from her home. With her furniture put in storage, Annie fell to her lowest ebb and had to go into bed & breakfast accommodation provided by the local council.
Annie now lives in one of our apartments and is beginning to get her life back.
The National Benevolent Charity helped Annie with single payments to get her furniture out of storage and for her removal costs.
Eileen, aged 75
Eileen was married to a wealthy man who operated an export business. They had two sons, but after a few years the marriage fell on stony ground and the couple were divorced in 1975. He left the country and now lives abroad.
Eileen is dyslexic and has a reading age of a 10 year old. As a result of this disability her husband was able to defraud her, and all of the family money was transferred overseas. Eileen was left with nothing.
Not able to take on more work that involved reading and writing, Eileen got a job as a carer and struggled to bring up her two sons. One of the sons is now an alcoholic and the other emigrated to Australia. Neither give their mother any financial support.
Eileen was born and brought up in the north of England and she wanted to spend her remaining years in the town of her happy childhood. With our help Eileen's wish has been fulfilled.
The National Benevolent Charity helps Eileen with regular weekly payments and has made a single payment for new interior furnishings.
Jennifer, aged 55
Jennifer has been partially disabled since childhood. She never married and looked after her mother and father until their deaths. Then, despite her own problems, she became the guardian of two nieces and a nephew who had been removed from their home because of child abuse. The children would otherwise have been put into care and fostered.
One niece, now in her twenties, still lives with Jennifer but has learning difficulties and suffers from mental illness.
Jennifer's disability is getting worse. A stair lift has been installed for her, and she finds it increasingly difficult to get out. But Jennifer is still very positive, and very proud of the children she brought up.
Jennifer has never been able to work, and so has to rely on state benefits for herself and her niece.
The National Benevolent Charity helps Jennifer with a regular weekly payment and has made a single payment to improve her kitchen facilities.
Leah and David, aged 58 & 63
Leah came to England in 1970 to train as a nurse. She married David, an artist, and they looked forward to a happy life together. However, Leah developed rheumatoid arthritis at an early age and she is now crippled with the disease and unable to walk without help. David is devoted to his wife and is decided to become her full time carer.
The loss of all earned income has been devastating, and Leah and David can barely make ends meet despite a very frugal life style.
The National Benevolent Charity helps Leah and David with regular weekly payments.
Gillian, aged 73
Gillian has spent much of her life looking after other. Her husband, Philip, was a book keeper and worked hard for a local firm. But whilst in his forties he discovered that he had Multiple Sclerosis. As the disease progressed he had to give up work, and he was an invalid confined to a wheelchair for nearly 16 years until his death in 1995. Shortly after, her mother became paralysed with a stroke and Gillian had to continue in her role as full time carer.
Gillian's devotion to her family meant that her working life was cut short and she could never contribute to a pension scheme. Now she is reduced to a very low income.
Gillian does not feel sorry for herself though. She is a regular volunteer for the charity Age Concern, and she regularly visits and supports a neighbour who is also trying to live with Multiple Sclerosis.
The National Benevolent Charity helps Gillian with a regular weekly payment.
