My mum works as a supply teacher, through agencies. Work was in short supply so recently, for the first time in over ten years, she had to ‘sign on’ and start claiming benefits. Around the same time as I heard this news I also met a friend of my own age who was having to sign on.
This all came as quite a shock to me. Firstly, it made me very grateful for my own job (I normally complain about being overworked). Secondly, I was surprised at how little was provided to live on. Just £64.30 a week for a single person, excluding rent and council tax.
It made me feel very out of touch and unaware of what so many people are going through.
Fortunately both my mum and my friend have now found work. But when I started to think about Lent, giving up my income seemed to be the natural choice. Hopefully doing this will help me to think and pray more deeply about poverty and inequality. I look forward to talking about it with you and sharing my thoughts on this blog!
Cain Ormondroyd
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