In 2018, Perennial
helped people in horticulture access nearly £4 million in financial assistance
– more than any other year in its 180 year history.
A recent financial
wellbeing survey of working-age people found that 94% worry about money
and of this group over three quarters say it impacts their work.
Less than half of
employees surveyed had a financial plan and debt was cited as an issue for 58%
of people. Perennial is combating some of these money worries for people
working in horticulture, including those who are self-employed, looking for
work or retired, with its easy-to-use online budgeting tool and is encouraging
everyone to check their financial wellbeing, regardless of their financial
status, to understand their financial situation and proactively manage their
money.
Wendy Tozer, Debt
Advice Manager at Perennial, says: “Most of the people we help require
financial support of some kind and we know it is a huge contributing factor to
stress and other mental health issues. But financial wellbeing is so much more
than managing debt and we want everyone working in horticulture to have the
confidence to take control of their money. Our online budgeting tool can help
you understand your financial situation and suggest changes for successfully
managing monthly budgets.”
According to the Close Brothers Financial Wellbeing Index 2019, money worries are more prevalent among younger
people. Over half of people aged 18-34 say they worry about money, with women
twice as likely to worry than men. The top three concerns are funding
retirement (31%), paying off debts (27%) and coping financially with losing
their job (23%). Taking control of your finances, particularly when
earning a low wage, can be challenging but Perennial’s budgeting tool could be
the first step for many people in horticulture.
Wendy continues: “Creating a realistic budget is
really important because it helps you understand how you are using your money
and where your biggest expenditures are. Seeing this written down can really
help and the great thing about our tool is that it suggests changes you can
make to achieve a good balance between your income and expenditure. The tool
also offers lots of tips for increasing your income and reducing your spending
and points you in the right direction for further help if you need it.”
Speaking about his
experience of using the Perennial budgeting tool, one person said: “I used
the Perennial budgeting tool on my phone and it was very easy to use. It has
helped me understand my finances better and encouraged me to contact Perennial
for additional help and advice. I’d certainly recommend it to others who might
be worrying about money.”
In 2019 Perennial wants to reach more people than ever
before with information about its services, including preventing the need for
Perennial’s help in the first place.
Julia Hayne, Director of Services at Perennial,
says: “We know that unplanned expenditure remains a challenge for families
managing a stretched monthly budge; in the last few years we have seen a 22%
increase in the number of people needing crisis and emergency
support. We can often make a positive change to people’s
circumstances and we find that when people seek our help early we can often
prevent their situation worsening. If you would like help, information or are
worried about money please use our online tool and speak to us as soon as
possible.”
Perennial’s online budgeting tool is available via
the Perennial website and can be used on a desktop computer, tablet or smart
phone. It is very easy to use and does not require any technical or
financial expertise. All information provided is completely confidential and
will not be shared with anyone else. People can use it anonymously if they wish
or they can register to allow them to revisit their budget at any time and see
how their planned changes are working.
If you have urgent debt issues you can contact
Perennial’s qualified debt advisers who can help by negotiating with creditors,
preparing financial statements, advising on bankruptcy, helping with court
paperwork and offering representation at hearings. In addition, Perennial
offers direct financial help in some circumstances, including help for
spouses/partners and dependent children.
If you need one to one help, call Perennial free of
charge and in complete confidence on 0800 093 8546.
