There’s a look of desperation in Angela Speak’s eyes. Sat on a bench in Bolton town centre, the single mother-of-two starts to cry. “There have been days where we’ve had no electric and we’ve had to use candles,” she says.
“A support worker gave us a Tesco voucher and we managed to get a trolley full of shopping – it was the biggest shop we’ve had in a long time. It was lovely putting things in the trolley that the kids asked to have. It was nice not having to worry.”
Before energy prices increased, one in five people were unable to afford their energy bills in Bolton , even if they cut back on other essentials. That figure is now expected to rise to one in three.
The Citizens Advice Bury and Bolton helped 706 people between January 1 and March 20 this year – an increase of 31 per cent compared to 2021. Crisis support included emergency foodbank supplies and fuel vouchers.
Angela is one of thousands of mothers across Greater Manchester struggling with the rising cost of living. The 45-year-old, who lives in Horwich, was left to care for her sons alone following the death of her partner five years ago.
She doesn’t know how much longer her family can survive. "My bills are horrendous. My son is autistic and we're struggling – we're having to ask people for help,” she told the Manchester Evening News.
"It's embarrassing ringing the council and asking for help. There have been days where we have no electric and we've had to use candles because we couldn't get any help and there's nothing we could do. That's happened five times.
"It's horrible because you're just scraping by as it is. We've been getting bread, beans and pasta to last and making cheap meals out of that. I shop around trying to compare prices so I can get stuff in that will last us. We do a lot of pasta bakes.
"The Government are not listening. It's okay for them - they have big pay checks. We're becoming poorer and no one's listening. My other son is in the armed forces and broadband is the only way I can contact him."
Angela currently claims Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit. But despite the financial help, her autistic son still has to use his benefit cash to help pay for bills.
"We lost my partner five years ago, we have no one we can turn to,” she continues. “I never imagined we would be struggling as badly as things have gone. I remember when you could put £20 on your gas and electric and it would last a fortnight. It never went off.
"That was in a four-bed house and now I'm in a two-bed flat. What's going to happen is we're not going to be able to afford to eat or having electric. What's your choice?"
Joan Lythgoe lives with her husband and disabled son in Bolton town centre. The 59-year-old told the M.E.N she suffered a breakdown two months ago because of rising costs.
"It's made my husband worse. He hasn't been out. I've just not been wanting to go out,” she says. "It's a struggle to go out and get food. We've had to cancel our holiday this year and it was the only thing we were looking forward to.
"I'm scared of dying and leaving my son with special needs on his own. We can't really afford food at the moment; we struggle.
“It’s very difficult – especially with my health. We’ve had to get rid of our car to afford other things. When you go out to places, it’s all expensive. Petrol is just ridiculous.
“I have a breakdown two months ago because of the stress of things going up and down. When you go out to places, it’s all expensive. Petrol is just ridiculous.
“You can’t explain to people how you feel. I’m glad I’m at this end and not the younger end. I’m really sad about how things are going in Bolton.
“People are sitting at home suffering and not letting anyone know. It’s very hard. My husband has breathing problems and they dropped his benefit from high to low.
“We’ve been working all our lives and I can’t work now because of all my illnesses. What can we do next? It's really scary thinking what's going to happen next.”
Michelle Kelly sits beside her six-year-old daughter April Mayoh, who clutches a McDonald’s bag. The mum-of-five wants to treat her children to days out, but a visit to the fast-food restaurant is all she can afford at the moment.
"It's very hard with the petrol prices and things going up. Wages aren't going up – it's very hard,” the 52-year-old, from Farnworth, says. “When you do go shopping you watch how much you're spending and you think, 'I shouldn't get that'. I've started getting the cheaper options.
"You also watch how much gas and electricity you use. We are struggling, but not to the liking where we're really struggling. It's definitely had an impact – you're just watching your pennies and what you're using every day and every month.
"We usually go on holiday but we can't even afford a holiday. It can be depressing when you're working six days a week and even then you're not seeing that much coming in.
"We have the little one and we want to give her days out and take her places. Today we've come to McDonalds, I don't have that much money but I want to give her memories."
Alicia Carr lives in Chorley but is visiting Bolton for the day. The 39-year-old currently claims Universal Credit allowance due to struggling with mental health issues – but says she’s “only just” scraping by.
"I'm on Universal Credit, it's difficult. I only have money for the first week,” she told the M.E.N. "I do have a bit left over after food and bills but it can be tough. I’m only just scraping by. The reason I'm on UC is because I have depression and anxiety. [The cost of living] is definitely not making it better."
