This morning I am guilty of having a slight meltdown myself on my twitter feed. I checked my bank account and it said zero balance. Not good, but I could manage and I’m not asking for sympathy. But it was a shock and I woke with a start at 4am. 

Today can only get better I said to myself and it did. 

Anyway I digress. On Tuesday I met a lovely lady whom we had been helping at the demo.

 She was in the process of sorting her claim out, and had been relying on food parcels and various places where she could get a free hot meal. She had access to local facilities but holds a great deal of trust with us. People go to whom they trust sometimes. 

She had ran out of food, and because she’s particularly vulnerable I arranged to buy her some basic essentials to keep her going. It felt good being able to do that. She’s amazing. 

She told me that she was due her first benefit payment on Thursday, which is today. Today she found me at the Jobcentre and said that she had received her payment and she was going to buy myself and my daughter a cuppa. She’s over the moon, so happy and I’m happy for her. That’s a big weight lifted from my shoulders. I was very worried about her. 

I bumped into  another lady I have been helping for a long while now. She had become empowered and was fighting the system. 

She rightfully wanted the money that she is entitled to that has been denied for so long. They had given her a proper run around. They like to do this. 

They eventually agreed to pay her her money but had said that she wasn’t going to get all of the backpay that they owed her. 

She had done her homework and managed to get all her backpay.  She’s become totally empowered and I’m very proud of her. This is what it’s all about and the government hates it. 

I arrived at the Jobcentre at 10am and already there were three people waiting for the food parcels. Two new faces. 

I had a chat with them and signposted them for the help that they need. I also advised them myself. 

It wasn’t long before more people waiting for food parcels arrived. By the time that the food parcels had arrived they had all been spoken for. These are all people in need. No one asks for a food parcel unless they are needed. It’s a last resort. 

A lovely lady whom I had been speaking to on Twitter arrived with three food parcels. They went as soon as they arrived. She had seen my call out for help via Twitter. She also gave us £4 towards cuppas for everyone. 

She couldn’t believe how hard it is standing outside helping people. It really is cold. The atmosphere can be frosty from within the Jobcentre also. 

I spoke to a man that I hadn’t seen for a while. He said the system has made him really ill. The DWP staff are being awful to him and he thinks that he’s facing a sanction. I advised him, gave him a food parcel and reassured him that we will ensure that we will do everything that we can to help him. 

Chatted  to another man. I have spoken to him previously and he trusts me. He also said that the system has made him ill. Admittedly he doesn’t look well. 

I advised him to go and see his doctor and chatted to him to ensure that he is receiving everything that he should be. He is, but I advised him to go on ESA because he clearly isn’t well. I advised him on how to do this etc. 

Today, we also held our demo in solidarity with International Women’s Day and the International Women’s Strike. 

So many women in our country are being affected by decisions made by those in power. Supporting this moment in my eyes is very important. We had a fantastic new banner which was made by Pat one of our members. 

I was so happy to have a local councillor join us today. What a lovely surprise. Thanks to all the local councillors that cant be  with us but do send their support to us, also my local MPs. I’m lucky to have some really good ones. A message of solidarity means so much! 

Some say that I shouldn’t complian about my issues. Some  say they aren’t important and I shouldn’t be looking for sympathy. Maybe they aren’t but I do this to enable people to see what life is like for a skint single parent campaigner. We don’t get paid, despite what Donald Trump says. I shan’t apologise for doing this. Life is tough. 

Many thanks to Pauline and we shall overcome for the food parcels, and the lovely lady from Twitter that also donated three. 

Massive shout out to the amazing anti fracking campaigners down at Preston New Road near Blackpool. They are getting beaten daily by the police in the quest to keep our water clean. Solidarity! If you can go and join them all are welcome. I love them all. 

My daughter symbolically sweeping austerity and poverty away. Replacing it with love. She was sent home from school yesterday due to a virus but is feeling much better now. She’s been involved in peaceful activism since approximately the age of six. She’s very good at it, and is very wise and caring. I hope that she does great things when she’s older. 

Please donate if you possibly can. It’s not easy campaigning and we are making a difference. We feed, empower and enable people to survive the awful DWP system. We have save life’s, and this is not an understatement. We are a person’s first port of call when they are feeling awful, stressed and sometimes suicidal. We are hands on, and deal with issues as and when they happen. I’m also struggling also, but you all know that.  Many thanks to those that have already. Thank you!

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