Member Stories
“I applied for a grant from the Foresters Support Fund because I had a very high dental bill. The grant has kept me out of debt. I have been a forester from birth and love the society.”
Become a member with access to our member benefits package. We are a part of Foresters Friendly Society, so you’ll also get access to discretionary financial support, practical assistance, new shopping and lifestyle discounts, and social events.
“I applied for the Help at Home grant from Foresters Friendly Society to help with care costs for my husband. The grant has taken a bit of pressure off finding nearly £1500 a month. Foresters are a very friendly company and a great help”.
“The grant from the Foresters Support Fund will allow me to install a low level shower. This will be so much easier for me with arthritis in my knee. I’m so grateful to this fund as it has really helped me.”
“The Educational Award will help me to cover the cost of a sports society. With the award, I can fully participate in the activity without worrying about the financial burden.”
The grant took away some of the financial burden of rent and allowed me to pay my rent without having to worry about my bank balance. I am incredibly grateful to the Society for it.
“In previous years at university, my parents had helped me to cover the cost of rent. However, he was unfortunately out of work for six months, and this made supporting me much more difficult for them. I therefore applied for a grant of £300 from Foresters, to go towards the cost of rent. The grant has helped to alleviate some of the stress that comes with renting. My university accommodation is very expensive, and I am not allowed to work during term under university policy. The grant took away some of the financial burden of rent and allowed me to pay my rent without having to worry about my bank balance. I am incredibly grateful to the Society for it.”
“My student loan at university is not enough to cover all of my expenses, especially given the ever-increasing cost of train tickets. After receiving an Educational Award, I now don’t have to worry about buying the things I need for my course and can afford to enjoy the university experience a little more. Thank you very much for the grant, I’m really grateful that the Society offers these grants to its members!”
“I’m studying A Levels at school and wanted to buy a laptop. I will put the money from the Foresters Educational Award towards a laptop to help with schoolwork, homework, revision, internet access and saving work to the cloud. I thought the service from Foresters was fantastic. They were very quick at processing my application for support and were quick to let me know that I have received the grant. I am very happy!”
We applied for the Foresters educational grant as I have school trips coming up – one is to Barcelona for our Spanish GCSE options, and I was also offered a place to join the County Music Ensemble.
Unfortunately, they were too expensive, but receiving the grant from the Foresters has meant that I can go on my school trips and join the County Wind Band music ensemble. I’m really excited to learn new skills and improve my learning and GCSE’s. We are very grateful for the opportunities the funding has given me.”
The financial support has reduced my anxieties during the cost-of-living crisis
“I applied for the Educational Award to help with travel costs and educational costs. The financial support has reduced my anxieties during the cost-of-living crisis and has enabled me to be financially independent, resulting in less of a burden on my parents.”
“I applied for the Educational Award to help with transport costs to return home during term time for support (as I am autistic). The grant covers bus and train tickets, so that I can go back to my parents for support with my physical well-being – it makes a lot of difference and allows me to focus on my degree. I’m very grateful to receive this grant for the second year in a row – thank you also to the people who helped with the administration of this.”
“We were affected by storm Henk on 2 January, causing damage to our family room and garden, both of which we had invested significant time, effort, and money in. The Foresters Support grant has helped us get back on our feet after the effects of the flood.
It took three months, but we are now back in our favourite room and the garden is starting to look like springtime! Special thanks to our Branch Secretary Helen who brought the Fund to our attention. We hope our experience will help other Foresters members to feel comfortable about coming forward when they are similarly affected.”
“I applied for a grant from the Foresters Support Fund because I had a very high dental bill. The grant has kept me out of debt. I have been a forester from birth and love the society.”
I found Foresters to be very helpful and I’m very appreciative
“I applied for the Child Support Fund as my child has autism, and the discretionary grant will help with clubs etc. I found Foresters to be very helpful and I’m very appreciative.”
“My daughter has a diagnosis of inattentive ADHD & a motor stereo tik which both impact her everyday life. Receiving the Foresters Child Support Fund grant will improve Sienna’s ability to take part in clubs and provide more help with her education/ learning. We are very grateful for the grant and feel it will help Sienna with more opportunity to try new things. Thank you so much.”
“I wasn’t aware of the Foresters Support Fund grants, but customer services informed me about having the chance to apply. The grant has helped a lot towards daily things, and I received magical service from all that helped me.”
“My 12 year old child had concerning symptoms of fainting & hypotension, so I applied for a grant from the Child Support Fund to try and help her manage her symptoms. We will use the money that was awarded to buy her suitable aids to manage her condition.
I would like to thank the staff members Oliver & Rebekah, who gave me good advice. They are always genuinely courteous when listening to parents’ concerns and always called back when I made enquiries. I really appreciate this.”