Member Stories
“I applied for a grant from the Foresters Support Fund because I had a very high dental bill. The grant has kept me out of debt. I have been a forester from birth and love the society.”
Become a Foresters Plus member
£30 per year
Individual Membership subscription
For just £30 per year, you can enjoy all the benefits of being a Foresters Plus member, including access to discretionary financial grants, practical help, social events, new shopping and lifestyle discounts, and more!
£55 per year
Household Membership subscription
For just £55 per year, you can enjoy all the benefits of being a Foresters Plus member.
Household Membership includes up to a maximum of 2 adults and 1 child up to the age of 16. Additional children thereafter £5.00 each per year, until 16 years of age.
Benefits include access to discretionary financial grants, practical help, social events, new shopping and lifestyle discounts, and more!
See what our members are saying…
I have been a forester from birth and love the society
“I applied for a grant from the Foresters Support Fund because I had a very high dental bill. The grant has kept me out of debt. I have been a forester from birth and love the society.”
This has greatly improved my quality of life
“My hearing has progressively deteriorated with age. I arranged a hearing test with audiologist, who diagnosed that the higher pitched tones especially were missing and that hearing aids were required. The grant has been a massive help in funding the purchase of the recommended Hearing Aids… I completed the Foresters Support Fund Claim form, and I was very happy to receive a substantial grant towards my Hearing Aids. This has greatly improved my quality of life, as I can now hear all the things that I was missing without the Hearing Aids. Thank you very much to all the team involved in approving the grant.”
I am incredibly grateful to the Society
“In previous years at university, my parents had helped me to cover the cost of rent. However, he was unfortunately out of work for six months, and this made supporting me much more difficult for them. I therefore applied for a grant of £300 from Foresters, to go towards the cost of rent. The grant has helped to alleviate some of the stress that comes with renting. My university accommodation is very expensive, and I am not allowed to work during term under university policy. The grant took away some of the financial burden of rent and allowed me to pay my rent without having to worry about my bank balance. I am incredibly grateful to the Society for it.”
Thanks for helping me out
“I recently developed a molar issue and required emergency dental work because of the intense pain. I required 2 sessions of root canal treatment and a crown to be fitted. I didn’t realise that the cost of root canal treatment was so expensive, and I was tempted to get the tooth pulled out instead.
The grant from Foresters Friendly Society has certainly helped to ease the pain and costs of the dental work. I had never made an application for a grant in the many years I have been a member. I recently received a reminder about the member services and decided to find out about the grant. It was simple process, and I got a response within a short time period. Thanks for helping me out.”
“I applied for an Educational grant to help with my educational resources. The grant has helped me to pay for my new laptop to help with my IT course. Foresters have been very kind to me and my family.”
“I applied for the Foresters Support Fund due to hardship caused after a cycle crash which caused loss of earnings and damaged equipment. it has been a buffer to help while I wasn’t able to work and to help replace important items e.g. bike and helmet. Really happy with how easy, helpful and quickly Foresters responded, and the extra guidance provided.”
“I applied for the Educational Award to help with sixth form. I have been able to purchase clothes for sixth form so that I can be less concerned about my clothing and focus on my studies more. Thank you so much for your help, it means more than just money to have support.”
I’m extremely grateful! Thank you Foresters!
“I applied for the Educational Award which has helped immensely with university. The grant from Foresters has helped me with my university studies, supporting me with travel to university, textbooks and helping with the difficulties of everyday life being a student. My Court Secretary was extremely efficient in processing my grant and I’m extremely grateful! Thank you Foresters!”
“I applied for a Forester Support grant due to extensive damage following Storm Darragh. The grant has helped towards the cost of cutting down dangerous trees that would cause damage to my house.”
“I broke my ankle in May and was off work for two months. I had to hire a wheelchair for a couple of months, and I had to buy a special stool to go into the bath, and a stool for the kitchen so I could sit and prepare food.
The grants received have helped enormously towards this unexpected cost. I am extremely grateful for the support I received from the Foresters.”
“I applied for the Foresters Support Fund grant to help with financial pressures from travelling to and from Hospital with our daughter. The grant will ease our financial worries and will allow us to maintain the hospital visits. I will be making my other family members aware of Foresters benefits available.”
The help has been beyond belief…
“My son is a semi pro snooker player and wishes to progress to be a professional snooker player, therefore I needed to help his career by building him his own snooker shed so he can practice 7 days a week. He has been given permission by his college to do 3 days school and 2 days snooker, so this shed is of upmost importance. The help has been beyond belief. I struggled to raise the funds to do this project, and Foresters helped massively. I would just like to say thank you, especially to Oliver who answered my countless emails so politely and to the Committee for my grant.”
“I applied for the Foresters Support Fund as I fell on hard times through the breakup of my marriage and loss of my job. The support grant has helped me to pay my essential bills.”
“Due to lack of oxygen and arthritis in my knees, I cannot walk more than a few yards. The grant from the Foresters Support Fund has enabled me to become fully mobile again. I can now do most of the activities that other people enjoy.”
“I applied for a grant to enable me to fund the needed childcare for me to undertake my Doctoral studies. Since becoming a full-time student lots of financial support has been reduced for me and I find myself in a financially precarious situation. I am trying to build a future which is much more secure for myself and 2 children and the money I have received from the grant has helped to make that more possible. Thank you so much for helping to lift some of the heavy burden I am carrying alone and enable my little family to carry on moving forwards to better things.”
Receiving the grant from the Foresters has meant that I can go on my school trips
“We applied for the Foresters educational grant as I have school trips coming up – one is to Barcelona for our Spanish GCSE options, and I was also offered a place to join the County Music Ensemble.
Unfortunately, they were too expensive, but receiving the grant from the Foresters has meant that I can go on my school trips and join the County Wind Band music ensemble. I’m really excited to learn new skills and improve my learning and GCSE’s. We are very grateful for the opportunities the funding has given me.”
“We suffered flooding as a result of Storm Henk, and our family room was rendered unusable. This was our favourite room, the one in which our grandchildren love to play. Whilst we have been able to have the room restored, insurance funds did not fully cover the costs, so the grant from Foresters has enabled us to refurbish including carpets to a higher degree than we may otherwise have been able. Special thanks to Court secretary Helen for suggesting an application.”
“My daughter has a diagnosis of SEN and the funds from the Child Support Fund grant would come in very useful for all the extra support she requires to help access education.
It’s been such a relief knowing these funds are available so we’re able to provide Esme with the support she needs, such as tinted lenses on her prescription glasses that aren’t available on the NHS and are very costly, but these make the difference of her being able to read or not. The funds will also give us access to the correct professionals that will enable her to learn.”
“I applied for the Foresters Child Support Fund grant as my daughter was identified as SEN. Getting confirmation that my daughter was eligible for this grant has made life a little easier in a difficult situation. I cannot express how much this fund will help our daughter and enable her to access things without worrying about money. It will really make a positive impact and we’re so grateful to Foresters.”
Receiving the grant has given me a sense of being supported
“I applied for the Help at Home grant as I have ME and vision problems. Receiving the grant has given me a sense of being supported and has meant that I can afford a little help at home.”
“I applied for a grant from the Child Support Fund to support my son’s conditions. We can start planning how to support my son and his needs to improve his symptoms.
Thank you so much to the help desk staff, in particular Rebekah who listened to my concerns and found suitable solutions to apply for the appropriate grants; excellent communication!”
“My Child received a Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD)/Dyspraxia, so I applied for the Foresters Child Support Fund to assist us with the ongoing support our son will need. We really appreciate the support and service that we have received from Foresters. We always enjoy receiving the book vouchers after Christmas from our local branch, and it has become a great trip every year to spend the voucher.”
“I applied for the Foresters Support Fund to help with hardship that was work related. The grant has benefited me very much and I really appreciated the help. It’s great to see firsthand the kind help applied towards members.”
It feels like Foresters ‘has my back’ at this time of need
“I applied to the Foresters Support Fund for mobility issues with muscular/tendon injuries and lack of NHS available support. I’m able to have some private physiotherapy sessions which are helping lots now. It feels like Foresters ‘has my back’ at this time of need. Thank you!”
“I have an upcoming SEND tribunal hearing scheduled for April 2025. I successfully applied to Foresters Support fund to obtain a grant to cover the cost of an Occupational Therapist (OT) assessment for my young daughter.
I am very grateful to Foresters who always put the needs of their members first. Their focus on community support and cooperation deeply resonates with me.”
“The grant from the Foresters Educational Award will mainly go towards paying for my sport society memberships, as I am in my second year at university and everything is so expensive!! I have only just received confirmation that I will receive it, but it will allow me to pay for my 2 football team memberships.”
“I had a fall off my bike and broke my arm and was trying to survive on SSP whilst supporting a family which is really hard. The grant I received from the Foresters Support Fund means we have been able to pay some bills and keep our heads above water again.
I can’t thank Foresters enough for helping us out in our hour of need – we as a family are so grateful.”
I cannot thank Foresters enough for their help
“I applied for a grant for new hearing aids. I am profoundly deaf and the NHS has reached its limits in terms of the support it can offer me now. I have been able to buy a private hearing aid with the support of Foresters and this has been simply life changing for me.
I can talk to my family again on the telephone and chat to my carer. It has opened up my world for me and I cannot thank Foresters enough for their help. I have been with the Foresters for many years and the support they have offered me over the years has been simply wonderful. I am 96 years of age and when I have needed help most, they have been there for me.”
“My wife had a serious incident that required my home attendance in a caring capacity for a month. Loss of earnings amounted to £2,000 and bills don’t stop arriving. The support grant certainly took some pressure away from everyday living. I recommend Foresters to everyone, and I have been a member from the age of seven.”
“The grant from Foresters has been fantastic, as it had paid for a laptop for my son to do his homework on, and at the minute his school is closed from storm damage. He is being taught online, so the laptop has been extremely useful.”
“I applied for the Educational Award from Foresters for funding towards a plastering course I attended. It greatly helped towards covering the cost of materials and tuition. It has been a great experience to receive this special funding from a society that is definitely friendly towards its customers.”
Foresters have been amazing start to finish. We are so pleased with everything that they offer.
“Our son has severe learning difficulties and ASD, so we are pleased for any support. The grant from the Child Support Fund means that we will be able to pay for specialist days out and speech therapy. Unfortunately, as the NHS are so busy, we have to like many families pay for private support. Foresters have been amazing start to finish. We are so pleased with everything that they offer.”
“The Educational Award will help me to cover the cost of a sports society. With the award, I can fully participate in the activity without worrying about the financial burden.”
“I applied for a grant for college stationery. Books for college, pens, paper are so expensive. I am so appreciative of this grant. Thank you so much.”
“The Foresters Support Fund will help with the cost of extensive dental work. I feel as if a financial weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I can now afford to plan a break I didn’t think I’d be able to have. Thank you so much for the support fund grant, it was more than I expected.”
I’m honestly so thankful to receive the grant
“I applied for a Foresters Child Support grant after a recent diagnosis of ADHD and autism leading to additional costs (therapy sessions, lessons and aids). I’m honestly so thankful to receive the grant – we had been considering whether we could continue all the support we’d put in place as it all has a cost, and this grant means we won’t need to pick between the educational support and the psychological support. It’s a huge relief for us as parents. I just wanted to express our appreciation and gratitude for the consideration and award.”
“We applied for the Child Support Fund to support my son’s needs. We will be using the funds to create a safe space for my son who is autistic. The help desk staff are incredible and are very professional and extremely helpful, in particular Rebekah who is an angel. She really made the whole process for applying for the support funds relaxing for us parents as it’s crucial to get the right support to create a safe environment for my son. Well done foresters friendly team for making us happy”
“I am in my second year of university and need a new laptop for my dissertation. I have had my existing one since secondary school and it was struggling! With the Educational Award grant from Foresters, I have enough money to buy the laptop which has helped my studies. Thank you again for your help – I still have my original foresters bear and my mum has loved your organisation ever since you sent an additional mini bear for my little brother who only used to sleep sucking the bear’s leg.”
“I applied from a grant from the Foresters Support Fund to go towards the cost of hiring equipment after I had an eye operation. It has been a big help in going towards an unexpected cost. The Forester’s is an organisation which really does look after its members.”
The help has been so very much appreciated, thank you so much
“I applied for the Educational Award to help me buy some important and necessary equipment to support my refereeing career and study, as my family has faced financial hardship last year. The grant has enabled me to buy necessary refereeing equipment so I can remain on a promotion pathway next season. Thank you. The help has been so very much appreciated, thank you so much.”
“I applied for the Foresters Child Support Fund after the passing of my husband to help with my daughter’s upbringing as a single parent. The first 6 months of my husband passing was utter chaos as you can imagine. Not only the emotional turmoil but also the amount of things I had to handle and sort out.
One day I received the annual report from foresters and was just looking through the leaflet, when I found out about the child support fund and discovered that I would be able to receive it. Something which is going to be unbelievably helpful for us after I suddenly became a single parent to my daughters. To be honest, I didn’t realise the extent of which Foresters support their members before and I am so grateful!”
The Foresters Support Fund grant has helped to purchase a mobility scooter
“The Foresters Support Fund grant has helped to purchase a mobility scooter, which has given me flexibility to enjoy outdoor activities with my husband. It was great to be able to revisit our old walking trails, which we both enjoyed (e.g. Monsal Trail)”
“I just wanted to say how grateful I am that members of Foresters are able to access the benefits of RedArc – I was having a great deal of pain in my knee, and I saw my GP after numerous x-rays and examinations and he said he would refer me to see a consultant, but didn’t know how long it would be….
From the first phone call to RedArc, the whole team were absolutely brilliant. They said that a nurse would call me back within a few days and I actually received a call back later that day from Pat, RGN. She took my history and asked what it was that I needed. I asked if it could be possible to arrange a private consultation with the Orthopedic Consultant, so he could assess my knee as the NHS waiting list was over 9 months. She asked me questions which I replied and she said she might be able to arrange for this to happen. I mentioned who the Consultant was that I wanted to see and where he was based and within a few days my appointment had been arranged.
I saw the specialist who agreed for me to have an MRI through the NHS, as I was not able to afford to pay for it privately. In October 2024 I was able to have the surgery that was needed for my damaged knee. I just wanted to express my thanks to Pat at RedArc for her fantastic assistance, because without this I would probably have still been waiting to have my operation if I hadn’t contacted them in January 2024. Thank you very much.”