reasons, even a food bank is shut off from Bessie. Her mental health problems mean she can’t eat solid foods – she has a fear of being sick – and she lives off specialist protein and nutrition drinks. Besides, even if a food bank gave her soup as a last resort, there’s no cooker or microwave in the house to heat it. I speak to Bessie after she’s gone two days without a single meal. With her benefit appeal coming up, she’s saving her last few pounds to afford the medical certificate and postage she needs to send to the tribunal panel.
She’s just called the GP to see if she can get her specialist food on prescription – ‘even if they could give me half a week’s worth’ – but they refused; budget cuts mean they could only give it to someone if their weight had already fallen below a certain level, not as a way to prevent malnutrition. ‘I suppose that’s some good news. That I’m still a healthy weight,’ she says. Her utility company has let her have a pre-paid card for gas but not electricity, so she’s started to ration the light. In the end, with her benefits stopped and no crisis help available, a friend bought Bessie some packets of food. When that runs out, she tells me she’ll drink loads of tea and water to stave off any hunger pangs. ‘Basically people have to freeze and starve these days,’ she says. ‘There’s nothing to fall back on any more, is there? It’s all been taken away.’
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
