‘We have gone back to survival of the fittest’: The centre helping parents through the cost of living crisis

On The Breadline: ‘It makes you wonder - are we actually going to be living through apocalyptic times,’ mother tells Thomas Kingsley

They call it “mum guilt” – the feeling that comes with constantly having to tell your children to turn off the lights, turn off the heating and that, no, they can’t have any treats.

Charlene Richardson, a mother of two, said she was constantly watching her electricity and switching off items at the plugs. “We have gone back to survival of the fittest,” she said.

“It makes you wonder - are we actually going to be living through apocalyptic times where people who have electricity are going to be higher up in society?

Charlene was speaking to The Independent at Loughborough Community Centre (LCC) in south London where low-income parents come from meal support and childcare - and an opportunity to open up about the harsh realities besieging them of the cost of living crisis. 

The charity is one that will be eligible to benefit from our On the Breadline Christmas campaign partnership with The Childhood Trust.

Click here to donate to our campaign via The Childhood Trust

Mother of two Charlene Richardson (Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures Ltd)

“The biggest thing for me is how much food is costing,” mother-of-two Kenosha Smith said. “My shopping bill is going up every month. Food is never something I’ve had to worry about before but now it’s the big worry for me.”

LCC director Candice James BEM said that the group had weathered Covid but had never seen anything like the current crisis.

Candice James, director at the Loughborough Community Centre (Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures Ltd)

“Everything has been exhausted,” she said. “This hardship doesn’t seem to have any expiry. There is nothing to look forward to in the near future that’s going to help these families. Part of our role is to give hope to families that things will get better, but we’re not seeing from where support will come. I see few solutions.”

Ms James said the difficulty of the cost of living crisis has extended to her staff who are also struggling, with some in need of the LCC’s services to get by. “My staff is not paid enough to survive the rising prices,” she said. “Even giving them a pay rise barely makes a difference.”

In the borough of Lambeth, 39 per cent of children are living in child poverty in 2020/21 - above the London average. Meanwhile, more than one in four adults in Lambeth are in poverty, with the borough among the 20 poorest areas in the UK.

The pain of the crisis isn’t reserved to single parent households or families on income support - couples are also feeling the squeeze. Husband and wife Raymond and Tola Scott, who have two children aged 8 and 10, say they have been forced to consider moving out of London in an attempt to cool the pressures of rising costs.

Raymond Scott at the Loughborough Community Centre (Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures Ltd)

“It happens around food - my children get upset and I get frustrated,” early-years support worker Tola said. “I have to raise my voice and it shouldn’t be like this. They’re children, they should enjoy food. They should have all they need.”

The families we spoke to said that government support was hardly putting a dent in soaring bills, but there was consensus that LCC was helping them with their emotional and physical needs, while connecting them to a community of people who could help and support each other. They said that any additional support from our fund was desperately needed.

Tola Scott at the centre in Brixton (Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures Ltd)

Ms James said: “We’re on the frontline, yet again. It’s easy to forget that community groups are those anchor spaces that connect those most vulnerable to services and what they need. If we want children to thrive and do well, we have to work with their families too.”

Click here to donate to our campaign via Comic Relief

(Independent)

Our Christmas appeal in a nutshell

Our Cost of Living Christmas appeal, On the Breadline, has partnered with Comic Relief and The Childhood Trust, a charity that helps children in poverty in London. 

Donations made into our partnership with The Childhood Trust will be given out in grants to organisations that help children in poverty in London. Donations made into our partnership with Comic Relief will go to organisations across the UK (including London) helping people on the breadline of all ages cope with the cost of living.

How you can help

To help children affected by the cost of living crisis who live in London, donate here.

To help children and communities affected by the cost of living crisis wherever they live in the UK, donate here.