READ: Professional couple forced to rely on hand outs write open letter to PM over rising food costs

Hard-working couple Dean and Hannah Chadwick have written an open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron after they were forced to rely on food banks thanks to the rising cost of living. (stock picture)

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by Fiona Day |
Published on

NHS PA Hannah, 31, and 27-year-old husband Dean, an engineer, were forced to rely on food banks after £700 of repairs on their car left them struggling for cash.

In the letter, the couple wrote: ‘We are a hard-working family and never buy anything on credit. We are proud of being able to provide for ourselves and didn’t want to beg off someone else. So going to the food bank was our only option. We were a bit embarrassed but in August we turned up at our local centre.’

‘There was a real mix of people there. We expected to see homeless people or those fighting addiction. But there were also professional workers, older people and families.’

A million people now rely on food banks (stock image)
A million people now rely on food banks (stock image)

‘They gave us three days of food but it lasted a week. It tided us over to payday. Without it we’d have gone hungry. We don’t think the answer is more food banks. Cheaper childcare would have helped us. We are a wealthy country and it is shocking that so many don’t have enough.’

‘We want the Government to come up with ways that people can help themselves. And if you are struggling our message to you is, ‘Don’t be too proud to ask for help’. We wanted to give back so we donate food ourselves.’

The couple are parents to 16-month-old son Hunter and struggle to cover the costs of childcare alongside rising bills.

The candid letter comes following a report that revealed over 1 million people in the country rely on food banks, despite the UK having the sixth richest economy in the world.

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