Helping over 30,000 ICE members, former members and their families

My husband, Peter, was a highly qualified Civil Engineer. He worked in Highways and Traffic Engineering and Town and Regional planning. We enjoyed a good life together, living in our home that we built in Harare, Zimbabwe, until Peter unfortunately became ill with cancer and passed away at the much too early age of 60.

I have suffered quite seriously with mental health issues in the past and I know how crippling they can be if left to get out of hand. I am sure that this referral, and the sessions, ensured that I did not spiral into a dark place and allowed me the opportunity to go through what was a difficult time and to come out the other side.

*The image used in this case is a representation of our beneficiary to retain his privacy (photo by Alex Blăjan on Unsplash)

I separated from my wife two years ago, which ultimately led to a divorce a year later. Due to financial difficulties and the fact that I did not have family around, I was forced to live in the same house as my ex-wife and my 9 year old son for nearly two years. Those were not pleasant times and the atmosphere became increasingly unbearable, particularly for my son.

“I remember my parents taking my children to stay with them for a couple of days, as I needed some time to focus on our situation and space to work out what we might do.”

This seemed to be a turning point for Jennifer, who had suffered a stroke whilst giving birth to twins. Having spent nine months with her parents, recovering from the stroke, she was now living independently once again. The financial strain that affected her when she returned to work on a part-time basis, however, meant that Jennifer was really beginning to struggle with life’s basics and the mortgage payments were her biggest concern.

*The image used in this case is a representation of our beneficiary to retain the privacy of her and her family (photo by Donnie Ray Jones on flickr)

Jon and his family came to the ICE Benevolent Fund when the company he worked for went into administration suddenly.

He has since served as Chair of the Benevolent Fund and we look forward to welcoming him back onto the Board of Trustees in 2020.

I was feeling the financial pinch of setting up home for the first time and it suddenly hit me that I was experiencing anxiety over money worries and I didn’t know where to turn.

I called the Ben Fund office to see what sort of support they could offer. I was referred to Anxiety UK and was contacted within a couple of days. The initial telephone introduction led to 6 face to face counselling sessions.

The Ben Fund offered just the right amount of support, tailored to my individual needs.

*The image used in this case is a representation of our beneficiary to retain her privacy (photo by Pablo Merchan on Unsplash)

Izzy had two children to support single-handedly. The financial and emotional impact of having to set up home away from her partner, who had become manipulative and abusive, impacted on her personal and professional life. She was struggling to complete her ICE professional review and confided in her ICE mentor, Peter Glass, that she was in financial difficulty and needed to put the professional development on hold until things settled down. Peter immediately recommended the Ben Fund to her and encouraged her to apply.

Norma's husband, John, tragically died after suffering from a brain tumour. Deeply traumatised, Norma struggled to get on with life and soon found it hard to make ends meet.

We were able to help by providing housing and financial support.