This story is by Ruth Taylor, a volunteer for Hampshire Search and Rescue. Ruth’s story “A Misunderstanding?” is about a pensioner who has fallen victim to a loan shark in her community. It is easy to fall into the grip of a loan shark as they are often very friendly at first. They may offer to shop for you, post parcels or call in regularly for a chat but will quickly turn nasty if you fall behind on repayments.   To report a loan shark call the Stop Loan Sharks 24 hour helpline on 0300 555 2222 or visit www.stoploansharks.co.uk.

The England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) is a national team that investigates and prosecutes loan sharks. A loan shark is someone who lends money without the correct authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The IMLT provides emotional and practical support to victims and survivors of illegal money lending. The Team recently held a national short story competition to raise awareness of the dangers of loan sharks. The winning entries have been turned into audio short stories and you can read all about them at www.stoploansharks.co.uk.