Salute to the unsung heroes
Evening Standard|December 15, 2023
William Hosie talks to a carer forced to feed her family on just £11 a day and discovers a charity that's become a lifeline
Salute to the unsung heroes

AMELDA, a mother of three, spends sleepless nights on a chair in her kitchen. She has given over her bed to her 16-year-old daughter, Amelia, while her sons Kevin and David, 24 and 19, sleep by a gaping hole in the ceiling of their council flat. It has been months since her local council promised to fix it.

As winter begins and temperatures plummet, the ceiling remains damaged and their home freezing cold. Amelda, 56, said her utility bills are already “humungous”.

“You don’t want to think about it,” she added and began to cry. “It’s very emotional. Really bad. I don’t want my children to get ill.”

Amelda cares full-time for both her sons but is herself in poor health, with a spine disorder and diabetes.

Her overcrowded housing situation has only made things worse. “My back hurts, my feet ache, sometimes I sit up at night with panic attacks and I can’t breathe,” she said.

“I have to punch my knees out to stretch them and go to the bathroom. Sometimes I have an accident because I can’t get there in time.”

Esta historia es de la edición December 15, 2023 de Evening Standard.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición December 15, 2023 de Evening Standard.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE EVENING STANDARDVer todo
The era of longevity is almost upon us. But can our minds really keep up?
The London Standard

The era of longevity is almost upon us. But can our minds really keep up?

A post-ageing world is just around the corner, says longevity scientist AUBREY DE GREY, and it’s going to change the way we live

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 07, 2024
Hidden London
The London Standard

Hidden London

SECRET SPOTS YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO DISCOVER

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 07, 2024
How Christian Louboutin fell in love with Melides in Portugal
The London Standard

How Christian Louboutin fell in love with Melides in Portugal

The wild beauty of this seaside village charmed the French fashion designer so much that he made it his home

time-read
5 minutos  |
November 07, 2024
Actor Millie Bobby Brown romances in Hyde Park, feasts at Sheesh and buys thelot at Harrods
The London Standard

Actor Millie Bobby Brown romances in Hyde Park, feasts at Sheesh and buys thelot at Harrods

Interview with Actor Millie Bobby Brown

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 07, 2024
How will Arteta manage without influential Edu?
The London Standard

How will Arteta manage without influential Edu?

Arsenal need smooth transition between eras just like Man City

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 07, 2024
"I had no one in Manchester apart from my PlayStation"
The London Standard

"I had no one in Manchester apart from my PlayStation"

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a young man rated among the country's most promising footballers when Manchester United came calling in the summer of 2019.

time-read
6 minutos  |
November 07, 2024
The battle for the soul of Soho
The London Standard

The battle for the soul of Soho

Inside the war between London's porn baron family and the council they say is killing the vibe

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 07, 2024
At the table: Sad steaks seasoned with despair
The London Standard

At the table: Sad steaks seasoned with despair

Fetch the smelling salts, you're in for a shock: A Restaurant Critic Hates a Famously Terrible Restaurant. Low-hanging fruit? Perhaps.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 07, 2024
Class portrait Nobody else writes about middle England so acutely
The London Standard

Class portrait Nobody else writes about middle England so acutely

Tessa Hadley's first novella depicts women in refreshing ways

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 07, 2024
How a tiny cult radio station in Hackney took over the world
The London Standard

How a tiny cult radio station in Hackney took over the world

I think the most obscure place I've had a listener email from so far was probably a guy in the Yukon,\" laughs Flo Dill, the host of NTS Radio's flagship morning show.

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 07, 2024