This week we’d like to help four children from Shropshire who are growing up in a home that feels very empty, with broken beds, no carpet on the living room floor, and only a couple of toys between them.

The children are aged 12, 10, 7 and 6. They live with their mum, who has been trying to rebuild their lives after years of domestic abuse from the children’s father. Sadly, the abuse still spills over during the limited contact he has with the children. In a recent incident, after shouting at her, he drove his car over her foot while the children were there.

The abuse has had a deep impact on the children. The social worker supporting the family told us that the 10-year-old has been particularly affected. They also shared that the 7-year-old “craves adult attention and will sometimes make things up because she just wants to be noticed.”

She said money is incredibly tight for the family and they often need food parcels from school just to get through the week.

Their home is also in disrepair, and the children’s bedrooms are almost completely bare. The boys’ bunk beds were cheap and have now broken. There are no drawers for clothes, so everything gets stored in the boiler cupboard.

When the youngest was recently asked what he has to play with at home, he said quietly that he has “a box of Lego and a hockey game.”

Their mum is doing her very best under really difficult circumstances, but she needs help. And these four children deserve a home that feels warm, safe and cared for. 

We’d like to help properly furnish their home, and provide anything else the children need. One of the children is going on a residential trip soon, paid for by the school, and needs some kit for it. We’d like to provide that too. With a little bit of kindness, we can help make life better for these four children.