Gail Porter hails campaign to help people struggling to buy essential goods

A charity-owned lender backed by TV presenter Gail Porter has launched a campaign in Scotland to help people struggling to buy household items such as freezers and beds.

A recent pilot project by Fair for You helped around 1,000 Glasgow residents purchase essential goods which they might have otherwise had to survive without.

The social enterprise has announced it is expanding its affordable lending scheme across the whole of Scotland to help more people needing appliances or furniture.

The announcement comes after figures released by non-profit organisation Fair4All Finance suggested as many as 1.6 million Scots are living in financially vulnerable circumstances.

The charity End Furniture Poverty also said there are around 130,000 people living in Scotland without a freezer, 74,000 with no sofa and 120,000 lacking a bed for each of their children.

Porter, who had to fight back from bankruptcy and homelessness herself, has teamed up with Fair for You to help more people spread the cost of essential purchases with responsible lenders.

“A helping hand from a responsible, not for profit lender like Fair for You can help people avoid furniture or appliance poverty, supporting them to make their house a home,” she said.

“The alternative is living in deep deprivation, which I have experienced, or being burned by high-cost credit, or the exploitative tactics of illegal lenders.

“The cost-of-living crisis has hit people hard, and I know that many people would be in serious hot water if they had to find a way to buy a new washing machine or replace a key appliance.

“I remember the horror of not being able to get a new washer when my young daughter was going to school, and I know how hopeless things can feel when bills are piling up, but also how much of a boost it can give you – practically and mentally – when you find a helping hand.

“I wish I’d known about this when I was struggling.”

Alastair Davis, chief executive of Social Investment Scotland, which funds Fair for You, said: “Fair for You provides a much-needed lifeline for families in Scotland struggling to make ends meet, providing access to finance and advice to help them secure essential household items.

“The ethical lender understands the pressures facing low-income households and the impact financial exclusion can have on their wellbeing, and we’re pleased to support its activities as it seeks to support even more households across Scotland.”

Simon Dukes, chief executive of Fair for You, said: “The latest data from Fair4All Finance shows that more than a third of Scots are in financially vulnerable circumstances, and data earlier this year showed that 29% of Scottish households have no savings.

“When people have no financial safety net, they may feel they have no option in a moment of financial stress but to turn to high-cost credit or illegal lenders.

“We’re proud of the support we do provide, and we are helping more and more customers all the time thanks to Social Investment Scotland – and also now thanks to Gail, who is destigmatising the issue of financial exclusion by being so honest about her experiences of appliance poverty and just how hopeless it can feel without the right support.”