Thanks for everyone's support in 2024

The closing submissions to the Inquiry brought the curtain down on what has been an extraordinary year so it seems the right time to thank everyone who has supported the Fund in whatever way they can this year.

With our donors' help, we have been able to distribute grants totalling over £120,000 since we started. This year, to cite a few, hardship grants have helped pay off onerous fuel bills, enabled a daughter to visit her ex-SPM mother who lives abroad but who can no longer travel due to illness, and cleared rent arrears so another victim can remain in their house while awaiting some interim compensation.

Alongside those grants we fund longer term counselling and psychiatric help for dozens of SPMs and their family members who are still struggling with the aftermath of the scandal.

All this could not have been possible without the generosity of our donors, which continues to exceed anything we could have imagined.

We would also like to thank those volunteers who stepped up with offers to help after being outraged by watching Mr Bates vs The Post Office, whether that be through singing, running or social media posting. Particular thanks go to Hilary Strong who has been working as first point of contact with applicants, a role she excels at, while Jamie Price designed our brilliant logo for free.

Looking ahead, the delays in the redress schemes stretch out before us so we will remain active in 2025, continuing to fund mental health care and supporting those awaiting their rightful compensation. Another goal is to provide opportunities for SPMs and families to meet in person. This year we have hosted events in London and Belfast which, we have been told, were enormously helpful in reducing the isolation still felt by many. Now the regular gatherings at the Inquiry have come to a close, we will look to fill the gap where we can, either by arranging events ourselves or funding ones arranged by a local group.

So have the best festive break you can and perhaps, just perhaps, 2025 will be the year when this scandal can become past tense for all those trampled on by the Post Office.

David, Helen, Nick, Nic, Sandra, Varchas, El and Helen 
Trustees of the Horizon Scandal Fund 

If you would like to donate you can do so online here.