I am never able to save for anything with the little money I have, so if things go wrong I can’t afford to replace it, I would have to use the likes of bright house or maybe sell something to cash converters to try and raise the money

I was living in poverty while I was working, I had to access food banks, I was actually worse off working

“I often have to choose between eating and putting gas/electric on”

“After I have paid all my bills I have to borrow money from family for daily living expenses, I’m not talking about luxury items”

I think zero-hours contracts should be banned. It is not giving people the stability to be able to contribute to the economy, because you can’t say “I’m going to buy this or do this”. Everyone I talk to say they should be banned

My Dad was murdered (in the street that I live on) – I can’t move house as I have rent arrears

My younger sister was killed in a car crash on the way home from the army

I guess this is where my depression has stemmed from, I’m struggling at the moment with any sort of participation in life, I don’t go out alone, I often don’t get dressed and can stay in bed most of the day, people can often assume I’m lazy, but this is part of my mental health issues.

I’m now in receipt of PIP after fighting for it for a year, the whole process has added to my anxiety because I was also fearing that I could be sanctioned if I missed an appointment or I was late.

I have 3 children all of school age and a very supportive family, I rely on them a lot for everyday things, such as shopping, taking my little girl to school, I feel guilty a lot as a mother not participating in some of the things they do through school and social activities.

“It really annoys me when people moan about single parents who are claiming benefits, they don’t realize in the slightest how hard it can be, I would love to be able to go to work, I’ve done the checks and its not as easy as people say, by the time I pay my bills and childcare costs I would be a lot worse off, I want to make the most of my time bringing up my kids, I should not be judged for that”