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Share your story

   

Sharing your experience can help other single parents feel less alone. We feature real-life stories so that single mums and dads can support, inspire and encourage each other. Personal stories also help Gingerbread to fundraise and campaign, challenge negative stereotypes and make sure single parents have their say.

Is now a good time for you?

Before you get in touch, make sure you feel ok about sharing your story with us and other single parents. If you’re in the middle of a difficult situation, or need immediate advice or support, you might find it better to take a look at our information pages, speak to an advisor via our helpline or webchat, or chat to other single parents on our forum first.

What’s involved in sharing my story?

For most people, sharing their story will mean arranging a video or telephone interview with a member of Gingerbread’s communications team. This usually takes around 30-45 minutes. In some cases, with your agreement, we’ll arrange for a longer face-to-face filmed interview. After the interview, we’ll write a draft of your story, and/or produce a short video, and email it to you for your approval. You can suggest any changes you’d like – it’s your story and you’re in control. When we’ve agreed on a final version, we’ll publish your story on our website and share it on social media.

Writing my own blog for the Gingerbread website

If you’re a keen writer or blogger, you might like to see your own words in print on Gingerbread’s website. We welcome guest contributions of between 700-900 words on any aspect of single parenting and will publish as many as we can.

Right now, we’d particularly like to hear from single parents who can share their experiences of:

Using the CMS (Child Maintenance Service)

Working/ studying as a single parent

Memories of growing up in a single parent family

Relying on Universal Credit during the cost-of-living crisis

Being the parent of a child with additional needs

The support you’ve received from the Gingerbread community

Get in touch using the form below if you’re interested in writing for Gingerbread’s website.

Ready to get in touch?

If you’d like to share your story, tell us about yourself using this form. Alternatively you can email us at web@gingerbread.org.uk or call 07939 564130.  We’ll get back in touch with you within the next two weeks to tell you more about what’s involved, and answer any questions you might have.

Share your story

Frequently asked questions

Can I remain anonymous?

Yes, of course. We don’t usually share people’s surnames as part of their story, and we will change first names if you ask us to. If you’re concerned about your – or your children’s – privacy, we can leave out any other details which could identify you.

How much time will this take?

We usually find that a telephone or Zoom interview with the Gingerbread team takes between 30-45 minutes. Face to face interviews can take longer. After the interview, we will aim to write up your story and publish it on our website in the next month. Howevever, we’re a small team and at busy times of year, this may take a little longer.

How long will you keep my story online?

We’d like to keep your story online for at least a year. After this time, we’ll contact you and ask if you’re happy for it to remain online, or if you’d like us to remove or update it.  We recognise that people’s situations can change, so if you feel that your story is out of date, inaccurate or just not appropriate to be shared, you can contact us at any time, and ask us to remove it from our website.

Will I get paid for sharing my story?

Unfortunately, as a charity with limited funds, we can’t offer any payment for your story. In some circumstances, we can share a link to your personal blog, website or single parent business, if this is appropriate and doesn’t conflict with Gingerbread’s aims and values. Links to external sites are for the convenience of our readers and are not an endorsement. Please let us know if this is something you’d like to discuss.

What kind of stories are you looking for?

We know there’s no such thing as a ‘typical single parent’ so we welcome all stories – at the moment we’d particularly like to hear about the following:

  • Using the CMS (Child Maintenance Service)
  • Working/ studying as a single parent
  • Memories of growing up in a single parent family
  • Relying on Universal Credit during the cost-of-living crisis
  • Being the parent of a child with additional needs
  • The support you’ve received from the Gingerbread community

From time to time we may put out a request on social media for single parents who are willing to talk about a different subject.

Is there anything you won’t publish?

We reserve the right to not publish anything which isn’t in keeping with Gingerbread’s aims and values, or which is offensive/ discriminatory/ inaccurate. We also reserve the right to edit for length/ clarity anything which you submit to our website, but we’ll discuss any suggested amendments with you before publishing.

Where will my story be shared?

We’ll share your story on the Gingerbread website and will also link to it from our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter/ X, Instagram, LinkedIn) unless you ask us not to. We may also use some or all of your story as case studies for fundraising appeals and grant applications, to help us raise more funds to support single parents in future, or in our policy and campaigning work to help policy makers understand the needs of single parents.

Do I need to provide a photograph?

This is entirely up to you. We’re very grateful if you do decide to share a photo of yourself and your children, but you may want to preserve your family’s privacy and anonymity. If you choose not to share a photo, we may use a ‘stock image’ to illustrate your story.

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