John's story

John* had worked tirelessly and invested heavily to carve out a successful career for himself in property. He became a fellow of the RICS at a relatively young age and worked for one of the UK's top firms.

It looked like he had the world at his feet.

Instead, he found himself suddenly unemployed and single after his marriage broke down, and ended up having a serious mental breakdown.

"It is certainly not how I saw my life panning out," he says. "Probably the worst factor for me has been living on my own and the past 18 months have been a real struggle."

LionHeart was able to offer John financial support in the form of a grant to help him through the tough times. He was assigned a support officer, who made regular phone calls to offer emotional support and practical help to get things back on track. 

He was also offered free weekly telephone counselling sessions with one of the LionHeart British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) trained counsellors and specialist employment support aimed at getting him back to work.

"Without a doubt my situation would be a lot worse without the support from LionHeart," he says. "I feel very fortunate that such an organisation exists for surveyors, and the staff I have met and spoken to have been extremely understanding and supportive."

*Names changed to protect identities. Photo posed by model.