Mum sells belongings 'every month' to buy food

Mother-of-three Emily says she has found herself in debt attempting to buy enough food for her family

Selling her family’s belongings online every month to pay for her food shop has become the norm for a mother-of-three who lives in one of North Yorkshire’s most affluent towns.

"I’ll sell anything, really. I’ll go round the house and if there’s a toy they haven’t played with in so long, that’ll go up," says Emily, who is worried about increased living costs during the school summer holidays.

Scrolling down her phone at home in Harrogate, she shows listings on Facebook Marketplace of a vacuum cleaner, slippers, toys and clothes.

Emily says she is also in debt after using a buy-now-pay-later scheme for groceries and regularly misses meals to make sure her children, aged one, five and 15, have enough to eat.

"I have one meal a day, if that, just so they’ve got enough food for three meals a day," she says.

"My family noticed because I was a size 14 to 16 - and now I’m an eight."

With a six-week school break stretching ahead, summer is a particularly hard time.

Emily is on benefits and received a food voucher for £140 from North Yorkshire Council earlier this month, but she says she will still struggle.

"I used to be able to do a monthly food shop for £100 and I’d make it last," she says.

"Now it’s £150 and you’re topping-up every week. You’ve got nothing to show for it."

'Just impossible'

The government provides free holiday clubs and lunches for children who receive free school meals through local councils, but Emily says she does not drive.

"I can’t get to half of these places and there’s a waiting list," she says.

"There’s that many kids, spaces go so quick. Unless you’ve got money to go and pay for all this public transport, it’s just impossible."

Emily says the only way out for her financially is to get a full-time job.

Her youngest daughter starts nursery in September and will be entitled to 15 free hours.

But Emily says that by the time she has dropped her daughter off, she would only have about an hour to work before returning to collect her.

"If they were all at school full-time it would be easier, but until then I’m a bit strapped for choices," she says.

Headteacher Nicola Thornber says her school tries to help struggling families

It is not just Emily feeling the pinch this summer.

Just 20 minutes down the road is Pateley Bridge, where the primary school of just 59 pupils has a higher than average number of children on free school meals.

The school's executive headteacher, Nicola Thornber, says others are also slipping through the net.

"Pateley Bridge is a beautiful setting, but actually we have a huge number of working families who have been hit really hard with the cost-of-living crisis," Ms Thornber says.

The school has been stepping in to support parents, including applying for funding to buy food vouchers for families in need.

The vouchers are then handed out discreetly in white envelopes and can be used at the local shop.

"Families don’t want to speak out and be highlighted that they can’t afford breakfast or toys or holidays for their children," Ms Thornber says.

"It is such a close-knit community where everybody knows everybody.”

About 19,000 children receive free school meals in North Yorkshire, government figures show

During term time, all children receive free toast and a wellbeing check-in every morning.

The bread for the toast is donated by the parents of a pupil.

Ms Thornber adds: "Even within the holidays, there are people on call – me as the headteacher, our family support worker and the deputy head – delivering food to families, making sure they are provided for, even through the holidays.

"Now, that’s the school doing that, not the government."

Meanwhile, Reverend Darryl Hall, of St Cuthbert’s Church in Pateley Bridge, is stocking up the church's foodbank for summer.

He says: "We need to make sure our stocks are kept up fairly high because the demand is increased in the summer holidays – obviously there are no free school meals."

Reverend Darryl Hall says he is stocking up his church's food bank for the summer

About 19,000 children receive free school meals in North Yorkshire, according to the latest goverment figures.

North Yorkshire Council says it runs free holiday clubs with lunch included for children who receive free school meals.

The council is also distributing shopping vouchers worth £140 to about 21,500 eligible households, according to a spokesperson.

Councillor Janet Sanderson, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for children and families, says: “To support families in planning, [holiday childcare scheme] FEAST released details of all summer activities a week before bookings opened.

"It collaborates with various council teams to assist families who face barriers to booking, ensuring broad accessibility.”

Max May, strategic director of North Yorkshire Together, says: “North Yorkshire has a vast geography, so not all families will have FEAST activities in their immediate vicinity. However, FEAST offers free transport to ensure everyone can participate."

Mr May adds: “FEAST still has more than 2,000 spaces available for families to book onto activities this summer, with families encouraged to join waiting lists for fully-booked activities.”

'Ambitious strategy'

In a statement, the Department for Education (DfE) says: “Too often, childcare is unavailable or unaffordable, particularly for disadvantaged children or those with additional needs.

“Local authorities are expected to offer the equivalent of six weeks of holiday activities and food programme provision, which provides meals, activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families."

The DfE spokesperson adds: “We are determined to break down barriers to opportunity for every child. That’s why our new cross-government taskforce is wasting no time in developing an ambitious strategy to tackle the child poverty crisis.”

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