Families in Leicester will get help to cope with the cost of living crisis after an award from the Money Saving Expert charity.
The Goldhill Adventure Playground, off Saffron Lane, Leicester, was awarded £6k in response to the cost of living crisis by the MSE charity fund founded by money advice expert Martin Lewis.
It will provide urgent money guidance and debt support to 125 families, working alongside a team from De Montfort University Leicester Castle Business School, and Melton and District Money Advice Centre (MADMAC).
The award is aimed at ‘developing resilience’ and supporting groups which, like Goldhill, provide support to families and residents which live in and around Saffron Lane. Goldhill runs food banks, daily meals for children, markets and workshops, working alongside other organisations such as the Saffron Lane money advice team.
Dr Nurdilek Dalziel, Dr Eghosa Igudia and Professor Edward Cartwright from DMU worked with the charity on the application process and will lead the research. The project aims to support disadvantaged families in Leicester through urgent money guidance and emergency debt help in the short term.
In the long term, their resilience to financial shocks will be developed by empowering the families to take control of their finances. Mirroring the short and long terms goals the project is titled “My Family, My Money, My Future”.
Dr. Dalziel said: “We are delighted to be involved in this project as it touches in many ways what we want to achieve through our research: supporting families, creating community engagement and contributing to a financially capable society.”
Goldhill was founded in 1976 to be a safe place for children on the estate to play, make friends and develop.
Amanda Heath, the Centre Manager of MACMAC, said: “MADMAC runs various money management courses and is excited to be able to increase local financial capability skills especially during these hard times we face in our society. We are excited to be supporting Goldhill Playground and Saffron Lane Resource Centre at this time.”
Dee Dixon of Goldhill Adventure Playground said: “The plan is to try and help people to put together a plan to help their money and supporting them to work through the estates. It will also include going into schools to help children learn more about managing money.
“We were delighted to be awarded funding from the Money Saving Expert fund to help carry out this work, which will help families on the estate.”
All eight projects are detailed on the
MSE Charity website
Posted on Thursday 5 January 2023