Money A+E Co-Founders Gregory Ashby and Jerry During have been awarded Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Disadvantaged People and Social Enterprise.

Since 2011 their Stratford-based social enterprise has grown the financial resilience of Diverse Ethnic Communities (DECs), disadvantaged groups and young people. Money A+E provides a free expert one-to-one debt, benefits and money advice service; and money management workshops for young people and adults to build long-term financial resilience.

In 2021 Money A+E’s service reached 1,629 people, supporting individuals to manage £2.7 million of debt. They also put £526,000 back into the pockets of those struggling financially.

Greg and Jerry were inspired to set up Money A+E by their experiences of debt and exclusion when growing up in Newham. Both felt first-hand the stress that money issues and social barriers can place on families and individuals.
When Jerry was 16, his father amassed large amounts of credit card debt to maintain household bills after being made redundant.

Greg’s first serious experience of financial crisis was when his small business failed and he was left with thousands of pounds of personal debt.

These experiences were the motivation for the pair to become money advisers in East London, where high levels of debt are linked to poverty and poor mental health. Greg and Jerry observed that these communities were also underserved by money advice and education provision.

The Money A+E Money Mentors School programme aims to close these gaps by upskilling thousands of young people with essential money management skills.

The programme is also tackling the youth unemployment crisis, by aiming to connect young people from Diverse Ethnic Communities and disadvantaged backgrounds with employers who can offer the interview skills and career mentoring that they need to get ahead.

For adults, Money Mentors Community provides income-boosting money management skills, and trains people to pass their new skills on to others. In this way, the financial resilience of entire communities is boosted.

Greg Ashby, Money A+E Co-founder and Director of Operations, said:

“I am truly honoured and humbled to be awarded the MBE. I thank God, my wife, family and congratulate the whole Money A+E team and community, whose hard work and collective effort this award represents.

“We were inspired to create Money A+E by the strength that we see in our communities every day. When we have access to expert advice, and this is combined with support from our peers, we can overcome even the most challenging money problems. We thank everyone involved in this honour.”

Jerry During, Money A+E Co-founder and CEO, said:

“I am beyond words to express how honoured and happy I am to receive an MBE. We are delighted that the importance of money advice and education has been recognised in this
way, and its ability to tackle poverty, mental health and inclusion and create confident, empowered individuals and communities.

“We plan to build on this amazing recognition, especially in building the financial resilience and employment opportunities of young people from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds. We thank everyone who has been a part of this honour and our journey.”

For more information on Money A&E, please visit https://www.moneyaande.co.uk/