A Derbyshire woman has received a national award nomination for her support in helping social housing customers save more than £40,000.

Sam Allsopp from Futures Housing Group, which manages around 10,000 properties across the East Midlands, is a finalist for the Money Adviser of the Year awards at the National Money Advice Awards, which celebrates people and organisations which demonstrate excellence in helping customers with their finances.

Sam was nominated after several customers praised her for her “down to earth, human and friendly support” to 380 customers in the last 12 months, with savings totalling around £40,500.

Sam said: “The award nomination is a real surprise, I had no idea about it.

“My approach to my work has always been to think about how I would feel in my clients shoes, and to help them as best as I can. Lots of people can get extremely stressed when it comes to their finances and things can spiral out of control. I just try to work with them to get that control back.”

Futures customer Susan, from Heanor, Derbyshire, was struggling to manage her finances before she met Sam. 

Susan said: “I don’t know where I’d be without her. It’s not just about the money, it’s about the support and everything else she’s done for me. I wasn’t coping at all.

“I was down in the dumps, I’d got nothing. I had no washer, no heating or anything, she helped me get that and I can get my life back on track. 

“I don’t think I’d be here without her, I was so down.” 

Suki Jandu, Group Director of Customer Experience and Assets, said: “It’s no surprise that Sam has been recognised for the Money Advice awards, her approach is excellent and shows genuine compassion and empathy for her customers.

“We have a highly performing Money Advice service which focuses on early intervention and personal support to people who are struggling with their finances. The teams achievements supporting many customers is testimony to our focus on helping them to manage and stay out of debt.”

Sam will find out if she has won the award at Money Advice Awards ceremony in Manchester on 10 June.