Crosslight’s Autumn 2023 Newsletter

As the nights grow darker, we wanted to share some (Cross)light with our supporters.

For our Autumn Newsletter we share the story of Geoffrey, who explains how his life was turned around after he received debt advice and attended our Money Course. We also celebrate two recent fundraising events, introduce a number of brilliant new team members, and even though it’s only October (sorry!), give you a Christmas campaign teaser.

We would also like to take the opportunity to thank you for your continued support of our work. If you would like to find out more about supporting Crosslight, becoming a regular donor or even a volunteer, please get in touch.

Client story

Geoffrey was facing difficult choices every day in order to survive, and his situation pushed him to try to take his own life.

I was referred to Crosslight by my doctor as my debts were taking a major mental health toll on my life. I had nothing to live for, except my dog and cat, with nothing left after paying the interest, and I ended up having to use the food bank to survive. I kept borrowing more money just to be able to live. I had companies calling me up and harassing me, even on Christmas day. One company came to my home at 7am, banging on my door - I hid behind my sofa. This was another stress put on me.
I was struggling really bad. Physically and mentally, I couldn’t cope. It all got too much, and I attempted to take my own life. My doctor was the one who raised the alarm and the police found me. I was severely underweight as I couldn’t afford food and suffering with a number of health issues as I am disabled. It was after this that my doctor referred me to Crosslight.
The following day I was able to talk to Crosslight and be paired with my debt adviser. He told me that it could be sorted and to try not to worry, but you do worry. For the first month of working with Crosslight, my debt adviser spoke with me daily via phone or email. He put me into Breathing Space, and once things had calmed down slightly, my debt adviser gave me some options, including a Debt Relief Order. I am now in control of my finances because of the DRO.

I also went on one of the Money Courses. I learnt so much. I was able to speak and open up about my situation to the people on the course, which was great. I learnt how to balance my finances, put my money into different pots and how to spend my money. Because of the advice, I was able to reduce my household bills dramatically. And I am now able to save something each month, which I’ve never been able to do before.
I honestly would not be here today if it wasn’t for everyone who helped me. I now look forward to the next day, the next month with my animals. Crosslight really helped me to achieve all of this. I have never had that sort of help before in my life and I cannot thank them enough.

Moving and Quizzing in support of Crosslight!

In September, our supporters in London and Swindon raised vital funds and awareness for Crosslight Advice.

On 16th September, 80 supporters and team members took to the Thames Path between Hammersmith and Chiswick to tackle the 10km Move4Change route, with a handful of brave souls choosing to undertake a 40km cycle in Richmond Park. The event raised almost £12,000 and everyone had a fabulous time!

Our Chief Exec Bruce joined the walkers: “It was the perfect day to be out beside the Thames - a small sliver of Crosslight yellow making our way in the sunshine. It was just wonderful to walk shoulder to shoulder with others who care so much for the work we do.”

Just one week later, one of our newest branches hosted their first ever fundraising event. The team in Swindon ran a quiz night which saw nearly 70 people people attend raising a wonderful £1,300 for our work in the area. The team were supported by our partner, Pattern Church,

Laura, our Fundraising and Engagement Lead, attended, “There was such a buzz at the quiz. It was full to the brim of people having a brilliant time whilst raising money for our work there. Even though my team came 8th out of 11, we would take part again in a heartbeat. A huge congratulations and well done to the Swindon team for planning and running such a brilliant event. I’m looking forward to the events they do in the future!”

The Crosslight team has grown!

I’m Nikki, I live in “sunny” Eastbourne with my partner and 3 children. We are avid football fans and on weekends you can find me cheering on my son, partner or Brighton and Hove Albion from the sidelines. When I do get some rare time to myself, I enjoy long walks on the Downs with a book!

In 2015 my youngest child at the time had just started school and I had some free time on my hands, I had always worked but never a job where I really felt I belonged. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to be try to better people’s lives in some way. I started to volunteer at my local Citizens’ Advice Bureau to try and gain some skills, and from here I was offered a job at a Debt Advice agency. I started working part time as a Financial Capability Assistant and within 2 years I was a full time, fully trained Debt Advisor. Since then, I have never looked back. I love being able to change a client’s outlook in the space of one meeting. We really are changing lives daily. Crosslight is the perfect place to be able to do that, you can take your time and really go above and beyond. I have really enjoyed my first few weeks here; everyone is so kind and we are all working towards the same goal.

My name is Sunny and I will be a Case Manager at the Hammersmith branch. Doing some of the most rewarding work available in this sector, I feel that I make a real difference to the lives of our clients whilst empowering them in actioning and understanding their money matters.

I wanted to join Crosslight to open myself up to new challenges and a client base in a location away from my own comfort zone of Birmingham. It was great to visit the new head office in Kensington during my first month and to meet the team in person. Despite working remotely I feel a part of the team and I am keen to start supporting our clients.

Chrissy was a Case Manager at our Hammersmith branch but has recently joined another team.

I am writing this following my transfer to our Chiswick branch. I came to Crosslight as a trained Life Coach after years in teaching and I found that Crosslight opened up the opportunity to make a real change for the better in people’s lives; building relationships along the way and enabling people to make good choices with their money. This in turn frees people to become the best version of themselves for them and their families. Hope restored and lives re-storied.

Just last week we were part of the Hounslow Hub at Feltham, which is where this photo with Michele and I was taken. Crosslight is taking part along with the other agencies in the borough. The hubs will also be expanding into Brentford and Hounslow. I am having a great time meeting the branch volunteers and clients in Chiswick.

Hey there, I'm Megan, from Bath in Somerset. My weekends are mostly filled hiking, cycling or climbing with my outdoorsy husband and son. Personally, I'm more of a glamper than a camper.

My professional journey has been quite the adventure, from social work, to running operations for a bustling church in Cape Town, and then diving into the world of website design. I'm naturally curious and love solving problems.

Amongst the Crosslight staff team, there is a saying: "Everyone eventually comes back to the team." That's my story. I worked at Crosslight over seven years ago, when it was just Bruce and I as staff. Today, as I rejoin, there are over 33 staff members, bolstered by over 200 incredible volunteers. Rejoining Crosslight as part of Lorelei's team on The Money Course is fantastic. She's incredibly passionate about financial literacy, caring deeply for each person we interact with. The team has been so welcoming, and while somethings feel familiar, there's also so much that's new and that has changed over the years.

I've had the privilege of joining Money Course sessions and witnessing our volunteers in action. They bring heart and connection, which is exactly what people need when facing financial challenges. Society can be quick to judge, yet few are equipped with the skills to navigate finances effectively. The Money Course isn't just about money skills; it's about the personal connections our volunteers provide. Guests feel seen, heard, and free from judgment. This team culture is what brought me back, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it once again. We still have a few volunteer spots open, so if you'd like to be a part of this incredible team, I'd love to hear from you.

Hi, I’m Omjeet. I grew up in Reading in Berkshire and studied Modern History and Politics there too. When I got married, I moved to live in London and my husband and I have a wonderful daughter. In terms of my professional life, I have spent most of it working within Financial services and Banking in particular.

As a Sikh, I believe that we should live life with compassion for others and fighting to support the most vulnerable in society. My work within financial services however did not really allow me to achieve this as making a tangible difference to someone’s life was often a happy side affect of our work rather than the goal. Even in the short time I have been working at Crosslight, however, it is heartening to see that the entire purpose of everything that we do is to make people’s lives better. One of my favourite quotes is, “happiness stems from doing good and helping others”, and I think that I am exceptionally blessed to have the opportunity to work in a place where everyone is busy doing just that.

A Crosslight Christmas

We know it may be a little too early to be speaking (or even thinking!) about Christmas, but we wanted to give everyone a heads up about our Christmas Campaign for 2023. Later this year, we will be launching Crosslight’s Christmas Catalogue to raise vital funds for our work during what is a very difficult time of year for our clients.

You will be able to choose gifts such as time with a debt adviser or support via our Money Course for our clients. These donations will help our clients in a number of ways, like becoming debt-free, heating their homes or being able to buy winter clothes for their children. You could gift these to a loved one or purchase them for yourself.

Keep an eye on our social media platforms in the coming weeks to find out more!

This Christmas, please consider giving a gift from Crosslight’s Christmas Catalogue to help those in need.

If you don’t want to wait until Christmas to support Crosslight Advice, or would just like to see how you could help us raise both funds and awareness for our work, then you can find out more by clicking on the images below. Does a holiday in a European city to run a half marathon sound like fun? Or how about donning a Santa suit while you take on a 5k through the streets of London? These, and hundreds more events, are open to our wonderful supporters, and we would love to see you join #TeamCrosslight by taking part in a challenge event. You will even receive a Crosslight Advice cotton t-shirt when you raise £50, or a charity technical running t-shirt if you raise £100; what’s not to love?

If challenges aren’t your sort of thing, fear not as there are a number of other ways that you can support Crosslight Advice. Find information on Payroll Giving, Legacies and Community Fundraising by clicking on ‘Other Ways to Support’, or get in touch if you would like to share your ideas with, or have any questions for, us.