Connie’s Story

Aberlour has changed our lives. Without Aberlour’s support our children might have gone into care.

Sam and I first met Wendy from Aberlour as we were struggling with family life and maintaining our house.

We were nervous about Wendy coming into our home. But after she reassured us, we knew Aberlour was different, we knew Aberlour was here to help.

Wendy could see we weren’t coping. Our life was already hectic with two children, and Skylar was on her way.

My anxiety was awful, and my confidence was so low. Sam was also struggling with his mental health.

We built a strong bond with Wendy. Sam and I were able to discuss the many challenges we were facing.

Our house was damp and freezing. We had storage heaters costing £200 per month to run, so we only used them when we had to.

Eva and Ethan constantly suffered from chest infections, colds and coughs. We were worried sick and didn’t know what to do.

But Wendy helped us.

She got the council to replace the storage heaters with proper heating. Now we could afford to keep our house cosy and warm for our children.

We had bare concrete floor in the hall and the children were sleeping in broken beds when Wendy first arrived. She applied to Aberlour’s Urgent Assistance Fund. The fund gave us a grant to buy the items we so desperately needed. We were so grateful.

Wendy also helped build our confidence as parents. She has helped us put routines in place for the children especially at bedtime. This really helped once Skylar arrived.

She has helped us put activities in place with the children, allowing us to have fun together.

Our house was hectic before. Having routine and structure has helped make our lives easier. We’re a much happier household for it.

I am so proud of how far we’ve come. We’re more confident now. Calling the doctor to make an appointment for one of the children seemed impossible.

Now I know I can call and if one of the children is ill and must see a doctor in person, I’ll push for it.

Sam is also taking Eva and Ethan to nursery every day and picking them back up. Before Sam’s anxiety would stop him doing that. Wendy gave him top tips like to play music when he’s on the bus by himself or call a friend. Now he does the trip with no hesitation.

I’m so glad we took the leap and accepted Wendy’s help. Without her support we wouldn’t be where we are today.

I love seeing how much Eva, Ethan and Skylar are growing and developing with our support.

I love seeing Ethan getting his toy hoover out to help me while I am cleaning the house. I know that we are teaching our children important life skills.

Sam and I are so proud of our wee family, and we have only been able to do this because of Aberlour.

Connie