A MUM whose three children all have special needs has told how she’s had to “beg” family and friends for cash to pay her energy bills during the cost-of-living crisis.
Corinne Bryan, 28, who lives in Grimsby with her partner Luke Finch, a former recruitment officer, and their children, Caleb, five, Roman, four, and two-year-old Hugo, is in “tears daily” trying to make ends meet.
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“I’m terrified about rising energy bills. I’ve had to beg friends and family for help,” she says.
“For the past four months I’ve had to borrow £200-£300 a month. I feel ashamed, I feel angry. The debt is rising monthly, and I don’t see a way out.”
Corinne and Luke are full-time carers to their children: Caleb has autism, global development delay and sensory processing disorder, while Roman and Hugo both have autism.
The family receives £1,750 a month in Universal Credit. The rent on their three-bedroom house is £510 a month and food bills total £140 a week, while their energy bill rocketed from £80 to £350 a month over the winter.
“Bills are crippling us. We have tried to reduce our heating use and we turn electrical appliances off before bed,” she says. “But Caleb needs the lights on at night or he suffers debilitating meltdowns.
The debt is rising monthly, and I don’t see a way out
Corinne Bryan
“It’s taken us three years to understand his autism and to make the environment as ‘Caleb-friendly’ as possible. We can’t just turn the lights off and leave him in distress to save cash.”
Corinne says all three of her children require special lighting, music and TV channels.
“We can’t just use less electricity because it will destroy the calming environment our boys need,” she says.
“They also have specialist food requirements because of their autism. I can’t just swap out things for cheaper alternatives – it’s taken years to figure out these meals. Luke and I often skip meals ourselves so the kids can eat.”
Corinne and Luke aren’t the only ones: an exclusive study of 2,000 mums for Fabulous’ Baby, Bank On Us campaign has found that 39% have missed meals in order to feed their children.
How YOU can support Fabulous’ Baby, Bank On Us campaign
– Give money by donating here or by scanning the QR code.
– Give clothing, toys and essentials to a baby bank, wherever you are in the UK.
– Give your time volunteering. To find your nearest baby bank, visit Littlevillagehq.org/uk-baby-banks.
37% have asked family and friends for financial help during the cost-of-living crisis and 87% are worried about being able to pay their bills.
Corinne, who is an autism campaigner and shares her family’s story with her 24,000 Instagram and 16,000 TikTok followers, says autism is not recognised as a disability and therefore she does not get additional financial support.
Families of SEN children are being hit the hardest by energy poverty
Corinne Bryan
“I don’t know what other option there is. We have to work as the children’s carers and that means surviving on Universal Credit,” she says.
“The reality is the inflation increase being passed on to Universal Credit recipients in May this year is so minimal it doesn’t cover the ‘real life’ rises in costs we live with.
What are baby banks?
– Baby banks provide essential items for babies and young children whose parents are living in poverty – including nappies, wipes, clothing, bedding, Moses baskets, cots, blankets, toys and books.
– There are over 200 baby banks in the UK, and they run out of shops, community centres, warehouse units and even people’s living rooms and garages.
– Last year 4.2 million children in the UK were living in poverty and 800,000 children lived in a household that used a food or baby bank.
“We are hard-working, we are dedicated to our children. Other carers know just how hard it is – we are working 24 hours a day.
“Families of SEN children are being hit the hardest by energy poverty and by the rising inflation rate.”
For the past four months I’ve had to borrow £200-£300 a month
Corinne Bryan
Corinne believes energy vouchers for SEN families may help.
She adds: “We are in huge debt to family and friends – around £1,000 – with no way currently to pay it back.
“Now, many of those are also being hit by rising costs too and can’t give us anymore help. We are in a real crisis.”
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