Move into Resilience: Money savvy for Marginalised

Aim

To help 200 vulnerable Staffordshire residents build financial independence through tools, confidence-building and support

Cherishers 811 CIC is a trusted, Staffordshire-based not-for-profit working at the grassroots level to support individuals facing complex challenges — from poverty and debt to unpaid caring, poor mental health, and social isolation. What makes our approach unique is that many of our team have walked this path themselves. Our lived experience of financial hardship, caring responsibilities, and emotional strain allows us to deliver support that’s not just practical but deeply human, relatable, and empowering.

We are proud to serve people across Lichfield, Rugeley and surrounding rural areas who are often left out of mainstream services — those who feel overwhelmed by digital systems, excluded by inaccessible support, or simply don’t know where to turn.

Our vision is to build lasting financial resilience and independence for those who are most at risk of being left behind. That means more than just sharing information — it’s about walking alongside people as they regain confidence, reduce stress, and take control of their money and lives.

Through our Move into Resilience: Mind & Money for Marginalised programme, we will provide a clear, practical, and inclusive pathway to financial wellbeing. This 6-month initiative will support 200 individuals — especially carers, older adults, and people facing long-term health or social barriers — with:

• Financial skills workshops: Interactive, plain-language sessions covering budgeting, Universal Credit, cost-of-living planning, debt options, and digital banking. Each workshop will be tailored to different needs and literacy levels.

• One-to-one guidance: Hands-on support for those who need it most — including help filling in forms, managing online accounts, understanding letters from creditors or DWP, and accessing local grants or benefits.

• Peer-led sessions: Group support designed to build confidence through shared experience, mutual encouragement, and problem-solving. These sessions help people realise they are not alone, and offer practical, emotional support from others with lived experience.

• Creative and confidence-building tools: To reduce the fear often associated with money, we’ll integrate gentle wellbeing elements like group discussion, simple art journaling, and safe community gatherings. These approaches help participants open up, stay engaged, and reduce the anxiety that can block financial progress.

• Financial signposting: Where appropriate, we’ll refer individuals to trusted partner organisations such as Access Social Care, local Citizens Advice, and welfare rights teams — helping people get specialist support they can trust.

The money raised through the Aviva Community Fund will directly fund the delivery of these services and remove the practical barriers that prevent people from attending. That includes:

• Paying skilled facilitators to run workshops and support sessions
• Covering venue hire in safe, warm, accessible community spaces
• Funding transport support, including drivers for those who are isolated or housebound
• Purchasing inclusive learning materials (budget planners, benefits guides, printed resources for people with limited digital skills)
• Training and supporting peer volunteers with lived experience to help lead sessions
• Providing refreshments and warm spaces that make learning feel safe and welcoming
• Delivering outreach and promotional work to reach hidden or excluded communities

Everything we do is designed to meet people where they are — making financial knowledge feel doable, empowering, and even hopeful. Many of our participants begin our programmes feeling overwhelmed and ashamed. They leave with a renewed sense of dignity, practical tools, and the confidence to face the future.

This is about more than numbers on a page. It’s about unlocking potential, rebuilding trust, and helping people make informed, confident financial decisions in their daily lives — whether that’s checking a benefit claim, applying for support, managing bills, or planning for the future.

Your support will help create lasting, ripple-effect change for individuals, families, and the wider community.

This project successfully funded on 1st October 2025