1/
We had suspected that we have a number of families who were not on our usual radar who are really struggling, who are soldiering on and not claiming anything or asking for support through the usual channels... including not claiming FSM.

2/
We decided to phone every family today, just to check in.
15 calls in so far.. 8 families who need help. Who DESPERATELY need help. Food, mortgages, rent, petrol... many in fear of losing their house... jobs... marriages...

3/
Families telling their children that Santa is in quarantine because they can't afford presents...

4/
Parents in tears as they tell us that they haven't told anyone because they are desperately trying to keep it together, to manage... because they know that there are others who are 'so much more worse off than us'...

5/
We are taking immediate action... food parcels, gifts for the kids, signposting to financial support, getting them to sign up for FSM, giving them the 'free data' cards we got from Vodaphone, giving them the details (again) to the county council Winter Grant hub...