A mum of two has described how her family was discriminated against by government policy after she was told she wasn’t entitled Bereavement Support payments when her partner of 20 years died, because they weren't married.
Kathy Ford first met Keith Hepplewhite on a dancefloor in Newcastle in 1999. She married the “kind and funny man” and they spent nearly 20 years together. The couple had two sons Elliott and Oliver and decided not to marry due to the cost.
Kathy said: "Once you have children they're just little finance gobblers, aren't they? There's always something better to spend your money on than going and getting that piece of paper, which I think in this day and age is a little bit outdated anyway."
