“I came into this country on refugee status with two young kids and limited English language skills. I found a property to rent in Islington and I wanted to know what benefits I could claim.

“My best friend suggested to ask for support from a local Greek Cypriot Centre in Islington in order to find out what benefits I might get and how much money I could get in benefits. She put me in touch with Arachne Greek Cypriot Women’s Group, and they informed me that I would have to make an appointment and I could use the computers there to apply for Universal Credit. The following day, I visited Arachne. I was a little uneasy and worried what people might think of me and the assumptions that would be made.

“The atmosphere wasn’t as hectic as I thought it would be. A friendly member of staff asked me how she could help and I explained why I was there. As I was not confident using the computers she offered me one to one help and support and explained the whole process to me.

“It was good to know that someone was there to help me. I didn’t realise you could go to Arachne for support in applying for Universal Credit and any advice you needed regarding benefits. I got advice about other benefits e.g. Child benefit, DLA for my kids and to apply to put my name down on my local housing register. They also signposted me to a local college (City and Islington) to attend ESOL classes in order to be able to improve my language skills and start communicating better with my friends and relatives,” Alda aged 36, from Islington