Poor Kids

[expatinscotland]

Anyone watching?

SORRY I didnt mean on this thread particularly - I mean generally. I have heard it and seen it on so many forums.

Sorry didnt mean to accuse everyone here

I felt so much for Steve in Leicester. yes, his house was a mess, but he had worked so hard to keep the children together and was doing his best. I understand he's recently had a heart attack from stress? Not surprised Particularly poignant too as little Sam reminded me so much of my ds11 and dh comes from leicestershire so knows the estate well

Surely there must be a charity who do sponsoring in the uk?

I just want to do SOMETHING about this. I know it's only a small thing but ... I work for M&S ... we already encourage people to recycle clothes to Oxfam but I don't see why we can't support some kind of national free school uniform scheme. Some way that people can take their old uniform and drop it off in store, we add our unsold and old designs to that and it gets sent to schools. They then have it available for the children on free school meals to get for free. If it is easily available via the school then the parents haven't got to go hunting for it. I'd be happy to donate my son's uniform to someone who really needs it. His school has a uniform sale every so often but I don't think it's going to the people who need it most. Sam going to school in his sister's blouse just broke my heart. :(

Would anyone consider taking uniform in if there was a scheme like this? I am going to run the idea past some people at M&S who may like it. Just wondering if there would be support for such a thing?

I am such a wuss.

I didnt watch it.

Reading the blurb about it in the paper made me cry

Bet DC and his cronies werent bloody watching

Do barnardos/nspcc et al do a UK child sponsorhsip scheme????

I would be glad to donate uniform. My dcs get new uniform every year, but their old stuff is still fine and I only get rid of it because they've grown out of it.

I hate this country sometimes. People shouldn't have to live like this. I agree with giving aid to countries overseas, but shouldn't we be trying to help our citizens first? I feel tormented by the thought of little Sam with his trousers. It was like something from The Road To Wigan Pier, only that was written 80 odd years ago. Nothing bloody changes does it? I bet all these rich footballers and celebs don't sponser children and there's people here with not much more than these families, perfectly willing to give what they have to help fellow human beings.

I'm up for helping,Roo.
Please let me know what I can do

mrsdevere, I agree with you.

Also so much easier to blame the parents and lay it all at their feet than accept that somehow in this country there are children living lives we thought had only been lived in the past. And that society, ie all of us, have failed them. Who advocates for them?

There was another thread on here recently that I read which was v interesting and a poster referred to the Swiss Cheese Theory. Swiss cheese is full of holes but because the holes are randomly spaced the structure remains stable. But if those holes were to all line up the structure would collapse.

I wonder if that's what's happened to some of these families.

I am still unsettled by that programme today. Another poster said they felt ashamed and I feel similarly too.

I just did a search for how to sponser a child in the UK, but the search just comes up for overseas sponsership. I didn't realise child poverty was so bad in this country. Who organises sponsership for kids in this country, which organisation does it?

I have recorded this to make sure my ridiculously pampered children sit and watch it and realise quite how lucky they are. It's a shame it was on so late, and I hope it gets re shown and an update given on the families at some point. It was all the more effective with little commentary - the children really said all there was to say. So moving and an eye opener

georgie22 - yes this is true - i went to private school but i worked in john lewis at the weekend 16 - 18. pretty much because i could and spend the money on whateveri wanted (it was extremely well paid but i didn't realise that until i was older. i was a confident and well spoken 16 year old with nice clothes for an interview etc - it was easy for me.

Roo55 that's a good idea, happy to support, fingers crossed that M&S will go for it

MNHQ - would you look into this as a next cause to support - sponsor a child in the UK?

PS I did sob away and still am when thinking about those beautiful kids :(

deux - it made me sick too - just glancing at the possesions we have that i can see just next to the tv made me squirm with shame. tbf though dh has donated long term to barnardos for years and refuses to deviate from his chosen charity (dead aid etc) which goes some way to offset my guilt about dh's massive income.

lovecorrie - i lived v close to that estate in leicester for years. it was pretty grim then before that lady tuened up and got all the residents motivated. maybe it didnt work long term?

on a leicester theme i remember the adrian mole books detailing how you oculd get vouchers from the social for school trousers etc. i take it this is no longer available and yet the poverty is no less than in the 80's.

It's as if some people never learned how to run a home properly . Just basics like cooking well on a budget, how to budget so your kids have adequate clothing (in a place like Liverpool there are bound to be ASDAs and Primarks that sell decent, cheap clothing), maintaining basic standards of cleanliness, etc.

It's as if some people need help to learn stuff like that, not necessarily money.

I don't know, it was horribly upsetting programming.

BrainSurgeon ... you are right ... MNHQ could look into this.

Thanks all for messages and support. I think this is worth looking into. Going to speak to some people at M&S head office and see what they say. The film was so good and Sam in his blouse just so low about it (although it's only a small part of it all) and those girls who just wanted uniform with details or nice buttons. They will do the a large part of the talking for me.

Will make appt to see head of son's school tomorrow. We live in a very deprived area of London and she is face to face with child poverty daily. She is an amazing head and would know just whether such a scheme would be viable from an inner city school's point of view.

Will keep you posted. Am determined to do something about this ... even though it needs something much much bigger than free uniform. The uniform grants in many councils are very very little, often paid only once and I think many councils are cutting them now. So sad ... and ashamed ... but something good must come of this. We have to try and believe that and help make it happen or we are lost.

why just those on free school meals....again..... why not those who earn less than the eligibility for fsm.

Once more it is suggested that free school meals be the yardstick. Plenty of children come from homes where a parent works and yet has less than £16,000 including tax credits.

How about compulsory planning, budgeting and cooking lessons so that income is spread a bit further. Tesco had 3 school shirts for £5. I'm sorry but that is affordable for anyone. I'm sure the dogs cost more to feed than that.

£5 is not affordable for everyone that is the point.

well it should be. How much does a family on benefits get?

We all have to cut back in this recessive climate. How about some parents cutting back on make up, highlights, cigarettes, tins of lager and large dogs.

The programme should have been called 'Feckless parents' rather than poor kids. The scandal is not poverty. The scandal is poor parenting in the main,

Sam's mum has posted several times on the poor kids Facebook page. There is info on there that links to the director's blog and you can make paypal donations to the families and send letters.

I am perplexed at Sam's uniform issue. His mum has taken him on holiday so Steve is having a break. I'm surprised a teacher if no one else hasn't stepped in and sorted him some decent uniform. Lost property stuff would do if it fitted.

I'm debating contacting the bradford family through the director. I don't know.

We were given school uniform grants at the start of a school year. It was £45 to cover everything and this was in the 1980's when clothes were actually dearer. Does this not still exist?

Interesting that everyone is thinking the dad is wonderful for keeping his family together eventhough the house is filthy because the mum left, but if the dad left there would be an expectation on the mother to feed and keep the house properly clean. Any parent who leaves is to blame equally, regardless of the gender.

I thought his mum left when he was 2 and he hadn't seen her since

I get a uniform grant of £50 a year, but I don't think it exists in all areas.

What Deux and Peeling said.
Cannot stop thinking about those kids today.
Go Roo55! Let us know how you get on.