This week, we’d like to help a family from Wales - Paula, Danny and their two teenage daughters, who are young carers.

Paula and the girls left the family home to live in a refuge recently, as Danny was having a severe mental health crisis. He was sectioned, but has been released. 

Danny has struggled with his mental health for many years. He had cancer and had to have part of his face removed. The abuse he often gets when walking down the street is terrible, and the whole experience has deeply affected him. Sadly, his cancer has now returned and it is terminal.

Paula has bipolar disorder and one of the girls has additional needs.The three of them are now out of the refuge and in a housing association flat, but they are all struggling. The girls are regularly seeing their dad again, but the whole situation has been devastating for them.

They are living in a sparse flat. The living room has one armchair and one dining chair, and their bedrooms have just beds and nothing else - they keep their clothes in bags. Their social worker said: “It is a difficult and heartbreaking situation. I would love for them to have a home again, a living room they can spend time in together, and some hope.”

We’d like to help them to make it into a proper home, and also do something kind for their dad. The social worker also mentioned that one of the girl's birthdays is coming up next week. We offered to provide vouchers so they could have a meal out, but she said they get quite anxious about going out in public with their dad, as they know it upsets him. So instead we've added some takeaway vouchers, cinema vouchers and birthday gifts to the wishlist so they can celebrate together.