Help Maureen keep her independence and stability

My mum, Maureen Brum, is nearly 80 years old. Every day she opens her little shop, Not Just Nets, like she always has. She’s been doing it for decades, through grief, illness, and hardship. She doesn’t own it. She rents the space, pays every bill herself, and has never claimed benefits. She has always been proud to stand on her own two feet.

But now, she can’t.

Her health has declined badly. She suffers from memory loss, tremors, high blood pressure, and overwhelming anxiety. She’s become confused and forgetful, and most days she’s exhausted. She has lost a shocking amount of weight and now weighs just 5 stone 5 pounds. That’s the size of a small child.

She’s still trying to work because she has no other option. Her housing association changed her tenancy to something called a use and occupation agreement. It means she still has to pay over £169 a week, but because it’s not classed as rent, she can’t get housing benefit. So even though her body is failing her, she’s still trying to earn just to survive.

And as if that wasn’t enough, they are now trying to force her out of the home she’s lived in for more than 30 years.

When my brother died, she applied to take over the tenancy. She was ignored for almost three years, and then told to start the process all over again. She did everything they asked. But now they’ve said the only way she can stay is by moving to a smaller property.

But moving would break her.

She’s frail. She’s scared. She cries almost every day. Her GP has warned the housing association that moving her would put her at serious risk. Social services have backed this up and confirmed that forcing her out would be a safeguarding issue. But they are still pushing for it.

I’ve stepped in to do everything I can. I run the shop. I care for her full time. I try to keep her head above water while holding everything else together. But the truth is, I can’t do it all alone.

We are struggling to pay the bills. We are running out of options. This fundraiser is the only safety net we have. It is not for me. Every penny goes toward her housing, her bills, and keeping her life from falling apart. If, by some miracle, we raise more than we need, it will go towards getting her the private care and neurology assessment she needs. But right now, we are just trying to keep her warm and safe.

If this was your mum, I know you’d fight too.

If you can donate anything at all — no matter how small — it would mean the world to us. If you can’t donate, please share. Every single act of kindness matters.

Thank you for reading. And thank you for seeing her.

Lisa.