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Martin Lewis donates £50k to Northern debt charity at ‘breaking point’ amid the cost of living crisis
The MoneySavingExpert founder gave an impromptu donation to the struggling charity
Martin Lewis has donated £50k of his own money to a debt charity as he warns he is ‘nearly out of tools’ to help with the looming cost of living crisis.
Following a ‘depressing’ call-in session on ITV’s This Morning last week, the MoneySavingExpert founder took to Twitter to issue another call for the government to intervene as energy and fuel prices reach record highs.
Lewis wrote: “Bloody depressing @thismorning phone-in again. So many people at crisis point regarding energy bills – including those with v high usage due to disabilities (home ventilators, oxygen concentrators, elec [sic] wheel chairs etc).
“I am nearly OUT OF TOOLS to help… Govt must intervene.”
Among the thousands of people replying to Lewis’s tweet was Leeds-based debt charity Money Buddies, which offers free debt and money advice across West Yorkshire.
The charity said it is at breaking point, writing: “We are in the same boat Martin. We saw twice as many people than [sic] we expected to see in February, same again in March, and we have a huge waiting list of people desperate to see us who are vulnerable.
“We are at breaking point… the state must intervene now…”.
In response, Lewis swiftly replied with a generous offer of £50,000, asking: “If I were to donate £50,000 today would you be able to get things in place to relieve pressure at speed?”
And when told that the donation would help with increasing advisor’s hours enormously, Martin replied: “Done. Money is ready to go.”
He then joked: “I’m normally against impulse spending – but I’ll let myself off this one.”
Speaking to the BBC, Money Buddies’ CEO Sylvia Simpson said she had to ‘look twice’ at Lewis’s impromptu gesture, saying: “We’re absolutely delighted and very, very grateful.
“It’s only a sticking plaster, but it can help us deal with the crisis we are facing, so it’s the biggest thank you ever.
“With the cost-of-living increase, it’s not just people on benefits, I might add. It’s people living in affluent areas with decent jobs. We’re all in this together.”