After the challenging and disruptive year the industry has experienced, it is definitely worth reminding of the help available from The Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust (FTCT), the charity that supports the children of UK fashion and textile workers, including those employed in the laundry sector.

This Christmas, many families will be financially affected by the ongoing effects of the pandemic and reduced income. Money that a parent may have set aside for winter clothing for their children, or fixing a broken appliance will now be put on hold so that food and bills are paid. This is where grants from the charity can really help to fill the gap.

If you are an employer and haven’t yet accessed the grants service for your employees, please contact Anna Pangbourne, director at the FTCT on anna@ftct.org.uk to find out how you can start. All materials are prepared by the charity for you to send out, making it as easy as possible to get started. There is no cost to your company to use their service and it is free for employees to access grants too. Receiving a grant from the charity can really help to relieve the financial worry for industry families at this time. As one parent told FTCT: “This time of year is usually very stressful as we try to gather the funds to get all the uniform needed. Thanks to FTCT this year it has been one less stress and worry.”

As a quick re-cap: Their grants help to buy essential and specialist items for children (aged 0-18yrs), where parents are experiencing financial difficulty, due to loss of income or change in personal circumstances.

If you already know employees who the charity may be able to help, please forward this link www.ftct.org.uk  to them, where they can make an enquiry. If you would like to promote the charity across your workforce, please contact the FTCT.