Poor Kids

[NearlySpring]

Documentary on BBC1 now.

Sat here in tears watching this show following children living in poverty.

One woman, with 3 young girls all under 8. Her partner left her alone and she is struggling with money. The girls were given a sausage roll each for dinner. They are let out to play on a building site and derelict houses- where the he'll is the mother? Mother comes on saying how she can't cope financially- kids saying they have to miss meals as mummy can't always afford food. Next scene, mother has acrylic nails and a massive dog!

AIBU to ask if she can't afford to feed her kids basic cheap meals how the he'll does she feed a massive dog that is bigger than her 3 kids put together!

It must be terrible to be in that situation but surely you get your priorities straight. Who has a pet if they have no money?!!

Some of the posters on here wouldn't dare venture onto to of those estates yet are happy to criticise a single woman living on one for having a dog FFS

I couldn't tell from the film if the lady had done those nails herself tbh. Funny people pick up on minor shit like this but don't get enraged at the energy companies who rip off the poor. Was pointed out in the documentary that poorer people pay 2K extra a year for goods and services.

for people who can;t manage to send gifts to the charitiesd mentioned (after all times are hard) the local food banks in many places are running perilously low at the moment, and charities such as homestart always need volunteers who can give a few hours to help struggling famillies.

The bloody nails, again. Much more important than a million people living in homes not fit for habitation?

Where can we find info on foodbanks peachy? Are they church run?

Varies who runs them Mumbling, but the local Salvation Army will always know where the local one is based.

Something very very wrong when food banks run low isn't there?

The energy company issue really enrages me. They don't need to do it, they make enough money as it is, the utter bastards, without having to penalise the poorest families. I wrote a letter of complaint about those pre paid meters a few years ago - they completely shafted people with the charges on those grrr.

It also made me wish we had centres like youth clubs where they could get free hot meals in the holidays (like their free school lunches). I would happily contribute to a scheme like that

some foodbanks listed here

I cant find the link for the place to give donations and help? Can anyone tell me please?

Thanks Peachy and thingumy....is there another charity too? Somehwere to maybe donate toys/clothes/baby equipment.

Salvation Army can often take clothes toys etc off people, or will know where to take them.

re: the dog that everyone seems so concerned about (as, to be honest, I was at first). If you read the producer's blog, he says he asked the woman why she had a dog when she was so poor, and she responded that they were living next to drug dealers and needed him for security. I couldn't comment on the nails, but please check out the facts from the programme makers before judging so horribly

Sometimes there are local charities that give deprived kids christmas presents. Worth a google.

foxinsocks years ago the surestart that I was funded by tried to raise awareness that one of the big issues for very low income famillies was the school holidays; kids get free school melas in term time but in the hols nothing. And parents can't always cope- far too many young carers about etc caring for parents. I;d support an equivalent to the maount of a FSm being added to benefits in the summer stretch though people jusat say we can;t afford it- we can far less afford the long term social and health costs of poverty and malnutrition! Mind you FSMs are a joke anyway: you can;t get them if you get a penny in WTC, even if you are still in the very poor, needing council tax benefit range. It's a silly anomally.

about food banks www.trusselltrust.org/ here though others run lcoally and differently of course. There's a Church near here for example feeds elderly locals once a week. Bloody amazing thing.

I know how to live very cheaply. I know about a billion different recipes I can make with a packet of dried beans, which are dirt cheap. I know how to buy overripe fruit for very little money and make good breakfast bread out of it for my son. I know how to grow fresh veggies in pots with very little space.

The thing is, I know these things because my mother taught me . If she'd fecked off or been useless I'd have had no clue! I have lots of friends who don't know how to do the things I do, but luckily they have money so it doesn't matter. If they didn't who knows how they'd live?

Also I'm very lucky to have a good friend who sews well. She's always helping me make over clothes or make something nice for my house.

I was lucky that my mother had some skills to pass on. I'm lucky to be in a solid marriage so that I have someone to share bills and whatnot with. I'm lucky to have a support system of friends and family. I'm lucky that our library and church are within walking distance and put on all sorts of free programs for children.

It's luck of the draw, and I'm not going to judge someone who hasn't had the great fortune I've had.

OPinionated MN often runs a scheme doing that at Christmas- we have benefited (we're low income for sure but the boys are far from deprived- however we have 2 with asd, 1 being assessed for it and another being looked at for ADD, we've also had a redundancy). The difference those gifts meant to us- just the feeling that someone cared and didn't want to judge us or anything- was astounding. We would never let the kids go without gifts, but the extras are appreciated and DH and I both received some this year- and MNHQ arranged for a most wonderful hamper for us. Unusually I can't find the words but magical is definitely close, and actually more, it gave us the feeling that others believed in us and helped us keep fighting if that makes sense?

Make sure we all know about it this Xmas mumsnet! That's lovely.

I don;t know if theya re doing it this year (used to be run by volunteers but the volunteers got threats (WTF?) so MNHQ took it in house.

I hope they do run it; people in real need more than ever this year. I would certainly give.

My gas supplier has hiked the cost by a breathtaking 39%. I cried when it was announced. If next winter is anything like last people will die.

havent read all but had to add

yes the kids did live in what i would call squalor,like some have said there is no need for this,you may be poor but daily tidying cleaning would sought the problem out,i think maybe some of the parents had "given" up and probably with their circumstances lack much enthusiasum,which is such a shame but i can see how this happens

secondly on the flip side if you live on benefit you cant win in my experience,dont bother to much about your living enviroment and your lazy,bad parent etc,if you do take a pride and keep a nice home,kids well dressed,trips etc,decorate,have a holiday in a caravan people winge and say "peoples taxs are paying for your lifestyle" "thats not fair when she dosent work" etc i could go on and this is what i have found

as ive said in other threads im single with 3dc on benefit,manage well,but i budget,and was bought up this way which im so thankful for,some have never been tought this

i truly believe some people would rather see a benefit claimant living in squalor as they expect that because if you do spend wisley you get a kick for that to

Well said thekidsrule

The feckless poor can't bloody win can they

i just knew there would be a thread on this.

I just knew there would be negative comments too.

At a guess, those people blamming the parents [of whom nobody knows anything about-their finaces, debt, past lives/history, other circumstances etc], like those talking about the mums nails [which could have been done by her sister/friend/aunt...what ever and for free], are maybe looking for excuses.

They are maybe looking for excuses so as to avoid any responsibility for the state some poor children have to live in right under their noses. Maybe it is a unconscious way to stop themselves feeling any empathy at all for how some real people live in this country and therefore it disolves any responsibility for doing anything about it. Maybe its because people think if these poor peolpe are helped out more, then they might get less in someway and be less well off themselves. who knows.

Just take the film for what it was, it is real and they were a handful/example of children and a handful of parents-there are thousands more that exist. For whatever reasons, they were poor, living in poverty, and their lives were sad and very hard and clearly there was little way out of it.

There will be more and more families thrown into situations like this in the coming years, it could be anyone of us on here and any of our kids. We cannot always prepare for what is ahead of us or around the corner.

You're right kidsrule !

Yes i also think that kidsrule

But i also hate it that people who have never lived on a council estate think they are go no areas. Mine is great. Our council (Gateshead) have done a lot to improve the estates. You get a years introdutory tenancy, one false move and your out. We have wardens and the houses have all been modernised (much to the disgust of some of the people who used their right to buy) There are hardly any council owned houses on my estate. This is where most of the problems have stemmed. Thatchers right to buy scheme.

I also think some people think all people on benefits living on a council estate live in squalor eating sausage rolls. Some do here but mainly they have drink and drugs problems.

Havent read all of this but how very judgey some of you lot are!

Has it occured to you that the dog might be a much loved family pet? One of the only bits of happiness those girls have? Would you get rid of your beloved animals at the drop of a hat? Plus the mother says it makes her feel safer.

Secondly, the damp etc of houses is the fault of the council, who dont give a shit about people in these situations, "beggers cant be choosers" and all that.

Some people managed their money beeter, true. I manage better (only one DC). But alot of the people you see doing ok on benefits do so because of extra support, maintence money or parents money etc. If you have none of that it is extremely difficult to manage on benefits.

The house being messy - classic sign of someone who is struggling and depressed. How nice of you to judge thos with mental health issues.

Some people use their benefit money for the wrong things, true. Some dont put their kids first, true. But the vast majority of all this poverty is because living on benefits is extremely hard and there just isnt enough. Sorry but thats poverty, right here, right now in Britain. It exists, its real, so stop being so judgey or give up your jobs, kick out your husbands and see how you manage!

Usual and I have both commented positively on the same subject fifi.

There is practically no crime on our estate.

People comment when they have no experience of such places.