At the start of this year, Natasha Hayes started putting aside what little money she could spare in a tin ready for Christmas.
The mum of four hoped what was not spent on the weekly food shop would enable her to afford treats for her sons. However, the pandemic came along and upended Natasha’s usual thrifty control of tight family finances.
Now the Christmas tin is empty. As is the case for so many families around the country, this festive season will be tough. Were it not for the supermarket vouchers she received from Save the Children, there would be no stocking treats for her little boy Joseph, three. “Without those vouchers I don’t think I would be able to afford any Christmas treats at all,” concedes Natasha, 38. “My mum is affected