Story

Hi there,

I want to start off by saying thank you so much for taking the time to read my page. I am asking for help to pay off my debt, which has been a source of great anxiety for me, over the last few months in particular.

My story is that when I was 18, I moved from Australia to the UK on my own. I had been through a traumatic experience in high-school and wanted to get away and start fresh. I applied for a 2-year visa and found a job in a pub on the outskirts of London (as many Aussie expats do) and I absolutely loved it! My experience made me feel that I had lost a lot of the freedom you’re supposed to have in your teenage years, so it was honestly life changing to have the ability to rediscover myself and define myself without any constraints or reminders of my past.

I decided after 2 years that I would stay in the UK, and applied for another visa which allowed me to stay another 5 years. I decided to change careers and ended up working on reception at a corporate office in the City of London. Again, I absolutely loved it. It was a totally different experience to working in a pub, but I thrived off being able to meet new people and work in such an incredible city as London. I really began to do well at my job and managed to move from reception into one of the teams I had gotten to know within the actual business. In the last 5 years, I have worked really hard to develop in my career and managed to get another promotion within the team.

Towards the end of my second visa, I fell in love with an amazing man and decided to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK. We have now been together for 4 years, we’ve had our ups and downs but we have fought hard for what we have. He has 3 kids from previous relationships who are his absolute world and I am lucky enough to have amazing relationships with them too. I feel like my life is finally starting to become what I want it to be. I have a great job, a great family, and I have had so many experiences, both good and bad, that have helped me become the person I am today.

Unfortunately, there is one thing hovering over me that I feel is stopping me from truly being free to have this beautiful life that is actually in reach, and that is my debt. Of course, moving to London alone at 18, applying for multiple visas, helping to look after a family and even just living in a city like London costs a lot of money. There have been some times, particularly during my early years in London, where I had to borrow money to make it through to the next month. Trying to catch up with the debt has created more debt and it has sort of snowballed. I have a job and a life now that, if I’m honest, should allow me to live comfortably, but I am chasing debt that was built, quite significantly, before I was able to create these opportunities for myself.

Over the last few months, I’ve really been struggling. I’m behind on some payments and I am crippled by anxiety at how I will manage to get the situation back under control on my own. My partner is amazing, but obviously with 3 kids there is limited scope for him to be able to help financially and I would also never want him to be in a situation where he isn’t able to prioritise the kids. My parents are so supportive and caring, but they don’t have a lot of money themselves.

I have struggled with my mental health over the years, mainly related to what happened to me in high-school, but I can see that there is potential there for me to truly become the best person I can be, to leave the past behind, and actually enjoy and get the most out of life. I don’t like asking for help, which is definitely a symptom of some of my experiences. As you can probably determine from my story above, I have tried to be independent and get by on my own for much of the last 10 years. But truly, I need help.

My debt total is over £10k, but I am asking for £3k, to help me make it to the end of the year, pay off some of my more pressing debts that are costing me so much in interest, and hopefully start the beginning of next year in a totally different position where I can get my financial situation fully under control and eventually be free of this burden.

One day my partner and I would love to get married, have a child of our own to add to the crew and own our own house. With a little leg-up and if I keep working hard, I know that one day I could also be in a position where I can do the same for someone else and help to change their life! For some people, it might be quite a simple dream but to me that would be more than I ever thought would be possible.

Finally, thank you so much again for reading my story. While it might be embarrassing and a bit awkward to ask for money and honestly, maybe I don’t deserve it – I know there are plenty of people who are in worse situations than me – I guess I would say that I have fought so hard to get through some difficult situations in my life and I don’t want to be in a worse position if there is any way at all that I can avoid it. I don’t want to lose the future that is so close to my grasp. Also, I figure that if you don’t ask, you don’t get. This type of help would seriously change my life and I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I would be.

Thank you so much,

Maddie