Sellisha Lockyer 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donna Anne Pace

TW: Suicide

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a moment in my life when I truly just wanted to give up – to stop reliving the traumatic experiences of my abusive marriage, alongside trying to come to terms with the tragic passing of one of my children to cancer. That moment was when I realised my beloved children were the reason to keep living. I was not about to give up on my children or my passion for helping other women who have experienced domestic abuse.

Daniella Jenkins

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Few subjects get more yawns than pensions, yet they have a profound impact on our quality of life in old age. My passion for pensions was sparked by seeing my mother’s struggles in later life - it really seemed as if pensions were the last kick in the teeth from the patriarchy, a trend I became determined to do something about!

Rebecca Manson Jones

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The £1.5 billion Government bailout for theatre is great, but it can't be 'showbusiness as usual' for the industry post Covid-19.

A lot of people might be expecting me to feel £1.57 billion richer this week. I should be breathing easier and, like many of my colleagues, I should be saying thank you for the package announced by the Government to bail out theatre industry, which has been haemorrhaging cash since it was forced to cease production back in March. And to some extent, I am.

Bethany Power

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My husband and I are first time parents to our baby boy. It took us two-and-a-half years to conceive our first child, so when I was pregnant we had every vision and dream for my maternity leave. I knew as soon as the Government announced the lockdown because of Covid-19 that instead of the joyful time we had planned to spend with our new baby there was a long and lonely road ahead for us. However, a quick straw poll of other new mums I'd met at my NCT antenatal group indicated I was far from alone in how I was feeling.

Rosie Roksoph

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As someone who's lived without a smartphone or wifi for years, I've always been happy just using the internet at the library when needed. That's because I'm lucky enough to have credit on my phone and a strong support network of friends, who can do a little googling on my behalf. For many others, however, who lack the stability of a home and were just about managing to keep a structure in their lives through knowing the locations, opening hours and numbers of local food banks, soup kitchens and other key services, the coronavirus crisis has made even the simplest of molehills into mountains.

Laurie*

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since lockdown began, our nursery in the East Midlands has remained open at the request of the government, providing childcare for vulnerable children and to those of key workers. It has been a struggle, but we were determined to remain open for the families that needed us. This week, we opened to more of our children under new guidance from the government. But this guidance, like the rest of the government’s strategy for Early Years providers, has been sorely lacking.

Freya Papworth

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a confession to make. I know that lockdown is really hard for a lot of people, but for me it’s been rather easy, even surprisingly pleasant at times. It’s not that I’m special or particularly privileged, it’s down to the sad fact that over the past decade, at least once a year I’ve had to go into involuntary lockdown thanks to my health. And I am not alone in this experience, which is why I am protesting today for those who need care and for those who provide care to be recognised. 

Anonymous, Care Home Assistant

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed huge flaws within the care sector that predated the transmission of the deadly virus to the UK population. Flaws in the way that social care is run and funded and the  government’s lack of consideration for the vital work care homes do have now been brought into sharp focus. 

by Celine Thomas

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Among the self-employed, a virtual sigh of relief was audible on Twitter when the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced after weeks of uncertainty that they would receive a job retention package on broadly equal terms with that offered to furloughed employees. But even before the first wave of applause had hushed, some were already sounding the alarm. The Chancellor had left substantial swathes of the self-employed out of his plan and short-changed others; not least women who recently took maternity leave.