The school summer holidays are fast approaching but with the cost of living going up, it can be an anxiety-inducing time for many parents. On Thursday, June 22, the Government announced a hike in interest rates from 4.5% to 5%.
This comes as a hit to homeowners, with mortgage rates set to increase off the back of the rise. And with the inflation rate at 8.7% the price of goods and services has remained high and the cost of living crisis remains at the forefront of many people's minds.
With school children set to be home every day, parents in Stapleford have opened up about their worries and fears ahead of the school holidays, and how they plan to cope over the summer break.
Carol Lucas, who works as a market trader, has 11-year-old twins who are about to go to secondary school. Speaking on how she's feeling ahead of the summer holidays, she said: "There are extra worries because we have to spend more on food and we have to keep them [the children] entertained.
"It has been harder these last few years. The pandemic was hard emotionally but the last few years have been hard financially.
"Days out will be a concern, we haven't been on holiday for three years but we do have a camper van so we can go places - but I know some people don't even have that.
"Our mortgage is set to go up later this year. The cost of everything is going up now. We are quite lucky because their grandma helps out but if we [Carol and the children's dad] did it on our own we would be struggling - but it can be embarrassing to talk about."
The 47-year-old added her children are getting to an age where they ask more questions about why she has to say no to certain purchases. Paul Stevens, 51, who has three children aged 13, 19 and 21 said: "For us, I think the main is that we've had to book early to take the kids on their summer holiday.
"So our daughter breaks up on a Friday and then we're going straight away on the Monday - that saved over £300 - it's our big summer purchase.
"We're not going in peak summertime. I think generally we will have to be sensible as we are every year." Speaking on whether this year will be harder than others, the trader added: "Not particularly no, because we never really recovered from the pandemic."
To help struggling families in Stapleford, Independent Councillor Richard MacRae has organised a number of initiatives over the summer holidays. These include a school shoe collection, a fun day and a hamper handout.
Cllr MacRae, who runs the Stapleford Community Group, said: "We know holiday hunger is a big issue. We're working with the church at Montrose Court for people to donate school shoes, as these can be really expensive.
"About two weeks into the summer holidays in August we're doing a free family fun day. Then our third event is handing out hampers at the end of the school holidays including basic necessities."
A food bank is also held every Monday and Wednesday morning, between 9am and 11.30am at Montrose Court Church, Montrose Court, in Stapleford, which operates a voucher referral system. Those in need can get a voucher here.
Other food banks in the area include The Haven Church in Stapleford, St Marthas Church in Broxtowe and St Barnabas Church in Chilwell. Stephen Richardson, 73, a retired volunteer who helps out Stapleford Community Group said: "There are a lot of people struggling.
"People feel embarrassed to even come in the queues. The food we get we give away freely, but it's first come first serve. The people we get can vary, sometimes we have lots of people turning up.
"But the ages can be from 18 all the way to retirement age. We get donations from businesses, so we get donations from Lidl in Sandiacre but we couldn't survive without these donations.
"The more donations we get the better." There is also help available from the local authority.
Nottinghamshire County Council's project Community Friendly Nottinghamshire is working with local district and borough councils to deliver cost of living events across the county. Here, residents can access help and support from a range of council services and local organisations at these events.
The upcoming events are as follows. These events are free to attend and no booking is required:
- Sunday, June 25 - Southwell Community Garden Party 12pm until 4pm Memorial Park, Bishop’s Drive Southwell, NG25 0JP
- Thursday, June 29 - 1:30pm to 3:30pm Eastwood Library, Wellington Place, Nottinghamshire, NG16 3GB
- Tuesday, July 4 - 11:00am to 2pm at Carnarvon Close (located on communal grass area), Bingham, Nottingham, NG13 8RR
Nottingham City Council obtained £7.1m of funding to support vulnerable households in Nottingham until March 31, 2024. The household support fund is used to help vulnerable families with free school meal vouchers, supermarket vouchers, energy vouchers and food bank support as well as a number of other initiatives - members of the public can see if they're eligible here.
