Cost of living: 'Christmas is going to be a struggle on our street'

People living along one street say they are gearing up to face their most difficult Christmas in decades.

The village of Stanton Hill, in Nottinghamshire, lies in the former coal belt of the county - an area that has struggled to recover since the closure of the collieries.

The cost-of-living crisis has exacerbated people's feelings of anxiety in the face of rising costs.

Three households on the street spoke to the BBC about the challenges they are facing.

Roy and Joan Herring say they have told their family they cannot afford Christmas this year.

"It's upsetting," says 75-year-old Roy, a veteran who served in Northern Ireland and Germany.

The couple have been married for 54 years and have lived in their rented home since 1990.

"Sometimes, I'll sit down here when I'm on my own and Joan's in bed, and I'll just sit there and cry," he says.

"We've actually told the family 'I'm sorry, this year we can't afford it'.

"I cannot afford to buy anything extra this Christmas because we only get our pension; we don't get no more.

"At the moment, I'm putting between £40 and £50 on my gas alone.

"That's just to keep my heating on. So this Christmas for us is going to be a struggle."

Joan, who is 73 and disabled, says: "We don't get no help at all and I think it's wrong.

"Roy served his country and served the Queen, as well.

"Could you live on £228 a week? Then you've got your bills, your rent, your electric, your gas and your water rates.

"It's so hard to live. [I feel] really down in the dumps."

The couple have three children and six grandchildren.

Last year, they bought Lego for one grandson, who loves the toy building blocks.

"This year, all we can afford to buy him is a pair of pyjamas," Roy says.

They usually decorate their windows and put lights up outside but, this year, say they will not be able to afford to do so.

They plan to spend Christmas with their daughter in nearby Kirkby-in-Ashfield.

Usually, they say, they would take food or drink. This year, she has asked them just to bring themselves.

"A normal Christmas for us is enjoying yourself, having time with the family, buying presents, having a drink with them, everything like that," says Roy.

"That's last Christmas. This Christmas, it's a different matter because we've got to cut down on the food because we can't afford to buy food apart from the bare essentials.

"We won't be going out partying."

"Our daughter's getting everything in for us," adds Joan.

"We'll go down to their house, have dinner, have a laugh or a little cry over Christmas. It's just heartbreaking, really."

Francine Garbett only moved into her home in September. The 30-year-old is a critical care nurse at King's Mill Hospital.

"A lot of nurses are concerned about just being able to afford this Christmas at all," she says. "It's just tough on everyone at the moment."

Francine has still not decided how she'll spend Christmas, although she would like to visit friends in Sussex. She does not have a car so needs to consider the cost of public transport.

"I'm constantly looking at my bank account. If I've not looked at it every day, it will at least be three times a week," she says.

"It's just really taking a hard look at what I can afford."

Francine knows she is more fortunate than some of her neighbours.

"I don't have a car so there's not that extra expense," she says.

"To be fair, I'm probably much better off because I don't have kids and kids are very expensive."

If she stays in Ashfield, Francine will spend Christmas with her parents. She says lower bills and prices next year would help her to keep improving her new house.

"I wouldn't anticipate it getting worse. It'll probably stay this terrible for a while. I'm just hoping it'll get better," she says.

Shannon Brandon says rising prices keep her up at night.

She lies awake, agonising over gas, electricity and food for her two sons.

"If they don't have everything that they need, what does that make me as a parent?" Shannon asks.

"I can't live with the fact that my boys would go without things for the sake of the cost of living."

The 27-year-old lives with her partner Tom and their two sons.

Isaac is two and Toby is five months old.

Shannon is on maternity leave until next year, while Tom works full-time as a machine operator.

They have been renting their house for the last year.

"We get by every month but there's nothing left. We don't have things like savings," Shannon says.

"There are no extras in our life. If we manage to get extra things, that's a massive bonus for us."

Shannon and Tom saved throughout the year to buy presents for Isaac and Toby.

They say they cannot afford to treat themselves to gifts too.

"All our money is going to be going towards the boys," Shannon says.

"We're just trying to dial back on everything really just to make sure that we stay afloat."

Shannon says she and her family spent last Christmas in bed with Covid.

Despite her financial fears, she says she feels hopeful they will get to celebrate properly this year.

"We're happy and we have everything here that we need," she says.

"We've got family that help us. We've got our healthy, happy boys and that is the biggest gift that we could have."

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