{"id":9273,"date":"2021-10-27T23:55:51","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T22:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=9273"},"modified":"2021-11-03T16:07:07","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T16:07:07","slug":"welsh-microfinance-gave-us-hope-when-no-one-else-could","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/welsh-microfinance-gave-us-hope-when-no-one-else-could\/","title":{"rendered":"Welsh microfinance: \u2018Gave us hope when no one else could\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Purple Shoots is the only microfinance charity that loans in the UK. How have they operated in one of the countries worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Holding back her tears, Nicky Stephenson reached over the counter to touch the hand of Purple Shoots founder Karen Davies. The smell of peppermint candles filled the room and the music of Rat Pack from the vintage Blaupunkt radiogram played softly in the background. Looking around her shop she told Karen that she gave her hope when no one else could. Sat in her candle shop in Newbridge, South Wales she explained how the loan from the charity changed her life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicky needed money to give her shop a more professional look and to settle some supplier invoices and overdue rent. She had applied for a credit card, reached out to everyone, even her local MP but no one had been able to help. She eventually put her predicament on Facebook and was referred to Karen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPurple Shoots helped us when no one else would, … if it wasn\u2019t for Purple Shoots we would never have been able to celebrate our first birthday of the business,\u201d said Nicky. \u201cWe are managing to survive and cover all the overheads at the moment. The next step is to hopefully pay myself the first salary at Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n