At Teacher Support Network – the charity for teachers - we are always here for teachers facing hardship. But this year, the demand for our services has been unprecedented – and we have already given £40,000 more in grants than last year.

The financial crisis has hit everyone hard – and, as we are experiencing at the charity, many teachers are struggling to cope. Teachers like Simon….

Simon recently called our Teacher Support Line, suffering from anxiety and depression. Unable to work because of his condition, he had begun to struggle financially, as well as emotionally and was finding it tough to hold things together for his family.

Until now, he had been the main bread winner, so the sense of failure he felt was overwhelming and was making his anxiety and depression even worse.

He told our counsellor that money had become so tight that he was unable to replace their broken fridge. However, things came to a real head for Simon when he discovered that his daughter was too embarrassed to invite her friends over because they didn’t have the money to buy a carpet for her bedroom.

Fortunately, we were able to help him by putting him in touch with our money advisor, who gave him some practical advice for sorting out his money worries. We also gave him a grant of £600 so that he could carpet his daughter’s bedroom and buy a new fridge.

Once the immediate financial issues were addressed, he also had the opportunity to speak to one of our qualified counsellors, who helped him explore some of the reasons for his depression – and gave him the confidence to begin to address it. As Simon told us “I really had hit rock bottom – but Teacher Support Network were there when I needed them. I can’t thank you enough – and I’m so thrilled that my daughter will now be able to have friends over during the Christmas holidays, without feeling embarrassed!”

Here at Teacher Support Network, we help thousands of teachers like Simon each year. We are there for them when they really need us the most. But we rely almost entirely on voluntary donations to fund our vital work.

Please consider sending a donation today so that we can continue to be here for our colleagues, now and in the future.

Click here to donate, or send your donation to: Teacher Support Network, Freepost RRZY-HEJU-EGJA, 40a Drayton Park, London, N5 1EW. Thank you.