Neither parent works, partly because of the additional responsibilities of caring for a large family, and partly because Hull is such a deprived area with a huge unemployment problem. So they are dependent on universal credit.
There is no food bank within walking distance, and they can’t afford the bus fare to get to one. They are also a long distance from the hospital, which they frequently have to attend due to the family’s health issues.
There is only so much that my husband and I can do to help them now that we are both retired, but they frequently have to beg us, or his parents, for financial help. We all do what we can.
Our foster-daughter was badly let down by social services as a child, when they failed to identify her abuser and sent her back to live with him, and she is even now receiving counselling. Now the “authorities” are letting her down again and forcing her to live in hardship.
She is an intelligent and talented young woman, and I have suggested that she and her partner seek help for getting employment from Big Issue in Hull, now that all the children are in school. That would make a big difference to them if this evil benefit cap is not lifted.
Jenny Rayner
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For the ages
“You’ve got to make a real effort to evolve when you’re 50,” says Bridget Christie in her Letter to My Younger Self. So true. Many get stuck in the “in my day” way of thinking and don’t give the younger generations any credit. You should try to continue to evolve and embrace the good things that come along.
Paul Sutcliffe Boardman, Facebook
Choice words
I fully agree with the new Big Issue ambassador Rotimi Merriman-Johnson. The fact that people have to choose between heat and food in this day and age is unforgivable.
How can we have the brain capacity to think long-term about our finances when people are too busy being hungry and worrying about paying for their basic needs?
@smartmoneymumlondon, Instagram
Earth Day
Social media reactions to a report finding that clean energy powered 40% of the world’s electricity needs in 2024.
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We have a smallish rooftop array of 3kWp, with 12kWh of battery storage. That runs our house for free 24:7 for around nice months of the year.
The other three months, we charge the batteries very cheaply overnight on the EV tariff at 8p/kWh and run the house all day on that, even the heating (air source heat pump)
My direct debit is £70 a month to run a three-bed semi and a van to travel 70-100 miles a day. Anyone still arguing against solar must like paying huge energy bills, I guess.
Jane Ripley Neale, Facebook
For the naysayers, I’m glad you haven’t put panels on your roof, because you’re paying my bill. I hardly pay anything over a year in a four-bed house with a family of four in it. We export so much to the grid that we hardly pay a bill, ever.
David Underwood, Facebook
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Agriculture and farming coexist. Sheep and other livestock graze in solar farms. The farmer also receives generous rents for the land which gets them through tough times. Try that with a coal mine.
John C Marshall, Facebook
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