At my lowest point, Little Village gave me strength to carry on

David Cohen talks to the families benefiting from charities in our Christmas appeal

- David Cohen

SUSAN'S fall from affluent middle class parent to penniless single mother was steep and fast. The 38-year-old graduate was living with her wealthy partner in his six-bedroom home outside London, but when the relationship turned abusive, she swept up her two young children and left with just the clothes on their backs.

Susan had a small, unfurnished flat in north London she could move to, but she had no job and no money. "I felt extremely low," she said. "We had no beds and we slept on a sofa. I would lie there at night sick with worry. I was trying to carry on as normal for my children while everything crumbled around me. My youngest daughter was desperate to watch TV but I didn't have one, so watched on my phone. There was a lot of crying and disappointment. I thought: should I go back?" 

It was Christmas 2021 and Susan wanted to buy her children presents to offer a sense of normality, but with nothing in the bank she approached a health professional who referred her to the Little Village "baby bank". Two weeks later, a large package arrived from Little Village containing clothing, jackets, books, toys, colouring-in books, as well as practical items like wet wipes, sanitary towels and shower gel.