Walking her children to school should have been a joyful experience for Sarah — five minutes out of her busy day as a student midwife and mother-of-three to enjoy some family time, but arrears of more than £400 for after-school clubs left her dreading the daily journey.
The 27-year-old from east London, who left her relationship because of domestic violence, could not afford to pay the bill and was considering leaving her training because of the demands of childcare.
She said: “If I couldn’t pay, the kids would no longer be able to do after-school clubs and if I didn’t have that option and no one to pick them up from school earlier, then I can’t be on placement and I can’t be at lectures.”
Sarah (not her real name) had previously been helped by a social worker and the last thing they did before closing her case was ask for help from a charity set up 70 years ago by a far-sighted East End clergyman. Frank Buttle raised just short of £1 million before his death in 1953 and that fund, which has now grown to more than £50 million, continues to support the work of the charity that bears his name and still follows his idea of giving grants to improve the lives of some of our most vulnerable children.
Buttle UK, which is one of the charities being funded by a £50,000 grant from our Winter Survival Appeal in partnership with Comic Relief, spent £4 million last year to help about 4,400 children — and Sarah’s family was one of the beneficiaries. It settled her debt of £435 and also helped pay for school uniforms and beds and bedding for her children, all aged under 10, and which helped lift the financial burden on the family. Sarah, who was able to keep studying and is now in her final year before qualifying as a midwife, said: “It was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I can’t explain the feeling of when I went to the school and she said, ‘that’s been paid’. Even her face lit up and I remember sending a text message to the social worker telling her how grateful I was because I didn’t realise there was that kind of help out there.”
Sarah said clearing the debt had allowed her to get her family “in a better place financially” and will make this Christmas one to remember. “Last year I could hardly afford to get them anything, I was relying on family to get gifts but that makes you feel guilty as a parent,” she said. “This year there are no arrears and I’ve been able to sort things out with student finance to help with payments, sort things with other family members to help with childcare, honestly it’s so good.” Sarah added: “The kids can tell there’s been a shift in energy. It was like there was a dark cloud when we walked to school because I knew they were going to address the money situation, so the journey was not fun, but now it’s a lovely little walk to school.”
The charity’s director of fundraising and marketing, Richard Barron, said the idea of giving grants, typically up to £2,400, is “incredibly simple”. He said: “We provide holistic support and that’s not just about helping with a crisis situation, it’s about the longer term and overcoming barriers that the family faces in being able to get on with life.”
He added: “We believe that the more stable and comfortable the home environment, that’s the basis on which other things are built, such as engagement in education and children’s development.”
Demand for grants, which are paid to a social worker or support service to spend on behalf of the grantee, has risen since the pandemic with typical claims including money for school equipment, beds for children and toys, books and games.
Richard said: “In the first year of Covid, we saw application rates jump by about 70 per cent to what they were previously. There are lots of challenges families face anyway, but Covid and now the cost-of living-crisis have exacerbated all of that and made everything they were facing harder.”
In a nutshell
We have partnered with Comic Relief to launch our Winter Survival Appeal Christmas Campaign, with Comic Relief pledging £500,000 to kick off our fund. The money we raise will help fund charities in London and across the country helping people who are struggling with the cost of living crisis
To make a donation, visit comicrelief.com/wintersurvival
