Supporting those in distress

THE British Benevolent Fund was founded over a century ago to provide assistance to Britons in Spain facing extreme financial hardship.

Financial difficulties is some‐thing most people face in their lives and whilst challenging can be overcome with thought and planning. Both of these are al‐most impossible when the per‐son has mental illness where making the right decision is diffi‐cult and where holding down a job is even more so.

In the case of John, a 34‐year‐old single British man who lived in Spain, having moved with his parents from the UK when they retired. His condition was such that social interaction caused distress and he lived in his room and his parents looked after him ‐ he had never worked and re‐lied on his parents for food, lodging and all life’s necessities.

Except that they could not cope ‐ they lived modestly off a small pension and had little to spare for their grown forever at home child who required con‐stant attention ‐ and medica‐tion. Then came Brexit and the realisation that the social service support, medical cover and local help was at risk as they had nev‐er registered as residents ‐ and were no longer eligible.

They got in touch with a local charity for support to apply be‐latedly which would take some time to process ‐ however they were confident that having been settled here before the deadline date they were still in with a chance.

But in the meantime, the medicine costs were now high and beyond their small means.

The charity ‐ one of many at the Support in Spain website contacted the BBF to see if we could help.

The BBF mission is to support those in distress and with a child with needs we wanted to help.

The issue for the BBF is that wherever possible we seek that any funds are used to overcome stresses that are already present when mov‐ing overseas: “The reality is that at Watson European, we can take care of all customs formalities from permanent house moves, second home/holiday home movements and vehicle movements.

“We were especially pleased to launch our new service for ‘HMRC Transfer Of Resi‐dence Relief’ applications. Our team will few days, a few months, or a few years, Watson European have got you covered with secure, modern storage solutions at competitive rates.

For clients moving between the UK and the EU, Watson European offer up to 60 days complimentary storage as part of a re‐location package. This sought‐after storage solution is designed to relieve some of the time‐sensitive pressures of moving interna‐tionally. This allows you to travel at your own leisure, take some time to find the per‐fect new home, finalise completion dates with solicitors or you may simply want to do some renovations to your new home prior to the arrival of your belongings, all safe in the knowledge that your possessions are be‐ing safely and securely looked after at their main operating base in Lincoln, UK or our newly acquired facility in Gandia, Spain.

Finally, we asked for Andrea’s ‘top tip’ when considering to move home, the reply was quite simple: “Take a little bit of time to call our team and have a chat, they will be able to assess your individual needs and get things moving in a positive manner.”