Michael's story
As told by Sir David Jason in Home-Start's 2011 BBC Radio 4 appeal
‘I want to tell you about Michael. Michael is a 56 year old grandfather who is raising his three granddaughters on his own because of their mum’s heroin and alcohol dependency. Michael didn’t want to see his granddaughters end up in the care system. He wanted them to have a better life. He stepped in to help, and family support charity Home-Start stepped in to help him.
Home-Start is a national charity whose volunteers help struggling families cope. Families like Michael’s.
Although an ex-forces man, nothing prepared Michael for raising a teenager and two children under five on his own. He needed a lifeline.
For over a year, Fay, a Home-Start volunteer, has visited Michael, Ellie, Kaitlin and Millie, at home. Just a couple of hours a week, it makes all the difference. A trusted confidante for Michael’s teenage granddaughter, she also helps with writing, reading and social skills for his younger granddaughters, helping them to achieve well at school.
Witnessing a parent’s chaotic drug and alcohol use can have a devastating impact on a child’s life, and Ellie had seen her mum use heroin for years. Michael wanted his eldest granddaughter to have a positive female role model, someone who could show Ellie that life can be very different. Fay does this. She provides hands on support for Michael with Kaitlin and Millie too, doing all the things their mum would do… if she could. Plaiting their hair… being ‘girly’… It’s the subtle things…. Home-Start has helped fill the gulf that Michael’s daughter left.
Home-Start is special, because it is there for any family who needs it, whatever the reason. Not all families are like Michael’s; families need help because of isolation, poverty, homelessness, domestic abuse, the list is endless.
The charity’s volunteers have been working in communities across the UK for almost 40 years, helping parents struggling to cope, often in the most awful circumstances. For many families, Home-Start is their last chance. By giving generously today you will be helping more families like Michael’s get the help they so desperately need to improve the life chances of their children.'
Please help us to continue supporting families like Michael's. Find out how you can help here.
