
Simon’s story of support during the coronavirus pandemic

Find out how we supported Simon and his family when their income disappeared overnight during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’ve been a self-employed electrical contractor for the best part of 20 years. This year started quite well for the business and then the coronavirus came out of nowhere. As soon as lockdown was announced, all work stopped. And things suddenly went from ‘we’re doing quite well’ to ‘there’s no money coming in – what’s going to happen?’
It’s had a big impact on the family – we’d never been in a situation where there’s no money coming in. My wife is my only employee, so her income was gone overnight too.
Our savings kept us going for a few weeks, and I managed to pause payments on the big things like the mortgage. But with three kids at home, elderly parents to look after and no immediate help from the government, the money disappeared very quickly.
The only next logical step seemed to be getting into credit card debt. But then, out of the blue, I got an e-mail from Foothold.
Finding support in a pandemic
I’d heard of Foothold before but never thought they could offer financial help, so I got in touch. Everyone I spoke to was so friendly and positive – they genuinely cared and wanted to help. The application process was really easy and stress-free which made a huge difference to us.
After a few days, Foothold offered us a £1000 grant which was fantastic to hear – I was over the moon!
This money will cover all our everyday expenses until the government funding kicks in or we can start working again. I think it’s just brilliant that there is somebody giving this kind of support during the coronavirus pandemic.
If you’re struggling to make ends meet for any reason and could use some support, you’re not alone. Our team is ready to listen and help. Get in touch with us now.

How our Engineering Neurodiverse Futures programme can support students and apprentices to achieve their career goals
In this blog, we explore how we can support engineering students and apprentices through our Engineering Neurodiverse Futures programme.
View post
My story of improving neurodiversity awareness in engineering
Laura Norton of the IET joins us to discuss why our Engineering Neurodiverse Futures programme is vital for the whole engineering community.
View post
My journey as a neurodivergent engineer
Our Trustee Wolf shares his experience of being a neurodiverse engineer with dyslexia, as well as his advice for neurodiverse students.
View post