My kids are the focus of every decision I make. This has helped me through some difficult times. A few years ago I was living with a controlling partner who was in trouble with the police and created an unsafe home for my children. I chose to leave but in doing so lost my job and our home. My children were taken into care and I struggled to see how I could go on.
A huge turning point for me was winning the case to get my kids back. But I still have challenges to overcome. I can't go back to my previous job and have few qualifications. Training options for a single mum are limited so I've become stuck in low paid work. This means relying on benefits and living in temporary accommodation.
Now, through Beam, my goal is to retrain as a carpenter. There's such huge range of what you can do with it. I’ve always been a hands-on person and am already getting creative with a wood carving course at college. That's one of my creations above. With your support I can move forward - learn a trade, find better paid work and provide for my family. I feel like a child at Christmas. I'm so excited!
Due to the member's personal history, we've kept this profile anonymous by using a pseudonym.