Who we’ve helped
We have given support to people who have been victims and witnesses to gun and knife crime, physical and mental abuse, and financial difficulty as well as other unforeseen circumstances that life can throw at you. Retail Trust continues to offer all services completely free of charge to those working in, and retired from, retail and associated businesses. Here are just a few examples of people who Retail Trust has helped...
Store manager Mark confronted a man who was shoplifting during his shift. He was followed home and kicked and punched repeatedly by the man’s gang before being stabbed several times. He was rushed to hospital and lost a lot of blood. After his recovery, he was diagnosed with depression and post traumatic stress disorder. He still suffers from insomnia and severe memory relapses. Retail Trust helped Mark get free counselling after his ordeal.
Tony was suffering from bullying at work. He was popular and his boss didn’t like it. Tony enjoyed his job but his boss was making life difficult. With no family or anyone to support him, he didn’t know who to turn to, so we signposted Tony to relevant organisations that made his work life easier. We also organised six free counselling sessions in his local area.
“Thanks guys. I just didn’t know who to turn to but Richard really helped with various different places I could call. And the counselling was fantastic.”
When Hayley’s mother died when she was just 22, she had to go through the trauma of organising her mother’s funeral while caring for her brothers. She couldn’t afford the £700 for the service so searched for another company who did not demand money up front. However, after the funeral she was shocked to receive a bill for over £2,000 which was beyond her means. A colleague suggested calling the Retail Trust Helpline and we gave her advice and provided her with a grant to cover the cost of the funeral.
“I just wanted to say thank you for the donation for my mother’s funeral. I don’t know what we would have done without your support.”
Edie is 103 years old and was shocked when she heard that the care home’s fees were increasing for a second time. With no other means of paying the increase other than benefits, she had to face the possibility of moving out, away from everything she knew. Retail Trust agreed to meet the shortfall in the fees.
“I’m so happy I don’t have to leave my friends and move away from my family. Thank you Retail Trust, for saving me a second time.”
Jayne has a child with autism who would find mainstream school very difficult and potentially harmful to her confidence. Retail Trust provided funding for her daughter to attend a specialist school that would allow her to improve her skills at a significant time.
“I can’t tell you how grateful I am to Retail Trust. It was a very difficult time for my daughter and sending her to a standard school would have been traumatic. With the grant I was given, we sent her to a school that has specialist teachers and activities designed to help with her development. And she made some great friends!”
Bill was travelling to work when another car went through a red light directly into his car, causing damage. Although the driver left him his insurance details, Bill soon found out they were false but Bill hadn’t written down his registration. After calling Retail Trust to ask for advice, Bill was happy to find out that his retail background entitled him to free legal advice with an affiliated company.
“I didn’t know if I was wasting police time, so I held off on calling them and I was angry at myself that I had trusted the other driver. Retail Trust granted me access to a trained solicitor who gave me excellent advice. It helped me realise where I was legally so I knew which action to take, and saved me a great deal of money too.”
