5 Quid for Life is a small charitable trust which provides financial support to people with mental health problems who have lost their benefits as a result of the UK government's welfare reforms. The project started in 2011 as an idea to save one life, that of a friend, Ali Quant (not her real name), who announced that she was going to take her own life rather than face the trauma of revisiting her past in a Work Capability Assessment.

I came up with an alternative plan: if I could find 200 people who would commit to giving £5 per month, that would provide a safety net for Ali worth £12,000 per year. She might find herself kicked out by the benefits system but, if my plan came together, she’d have somewhere to land. It worked, but not in the way I'd expected: rather than immediately jump for the safety net herself, Ali said, "Make it bigger: I'm not the only one."

So we did, and 5 Quid for Life was born. Our aim: to encourage people to give, ideally to commit to regular giving of £5 per month, to enable us to offer a life-saving safety net beneath the benefits system. 5 Quid for Life, because we think life is worth far more than five quid, but if enough of us stand together with our fivers ready, a network of friends standing in solidarity with those battling mental illness, then lives can and will be saved: A Mental Health Safety Net.

We never reached my target of 200 supporters but we do have a small, core group who give on a regular basis. Thanks to them we now have over £5,000 in the bank and have given away more than £1,000 to people whose benefits have been stopped when the DWP has declared them fit for work despite their mental health difficulties and despite evidence supplied by health professionals. Maybe you've seen the film I, Daniel Blake? It's all too true and at 5 Quid for Life we're helping to pick up the pieces of people's lives that the current welfare system is wrecking.

The challenge we face now isn't fundraising but publicity: getting the word out to those who need our support. We don't have a publicity or advertising budget but are wholly dependent on word-of-mouth and social media. If you'd like to help, you can find us at facebook.com/5QuidForLife and @5QuidForLife: all shares and shout outs appreciated, please; and if you know anyone who meets our eligibility criteria, please send them our way.

Thank you.