When the children break up for the holidays how will they cope?

One nursery provides a foodbank for those in need and our Christmas appeal will help ensure it gets extra resources.

- Josh Salisbury

YOU can’t bleed a stone, I can’t give you what I haven’t got,” said Kayleigh. The single mother of two, who owes over £500 to her energy provider and faces the debt being handed over to a collection agency, was trying to put a brave face on how she is coping with the escalating cost of living.

“Everything is going up, even staples,” she said. “Pasta has risen eight pence in the past week alone. Even though it’s just 8p, it adds up and after rent and basic bills, you’re left with nothing.” The 27-year-old from south London added that she has lost weight recently because of skipping meals.

In the midst of this rising hardship, the one place Kayleigh can count on for respite is the London Early Years Foundation, a social enterprise that provides affordable early years education, especially to children in need. The foundation runs 39 nurseries across the capital of which five offer food banks as well, including their centre in Burgess Park in Peckham where Kayleigh sends her four-year-old daughter.