August anxieties
Sian’s story
I was listening to a debate about summer childcare on the radio yesterday. It was all about how families across the nation are breaking out in cold sweats at the prospect of long summer holidays....
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Stories
We hear hundreds of stories from single parents each year. Read some of these stories here, using our topic filter to help you find stories that are relevant to you.
Have you got a story to share? We’re always looking for single parents to share their views and experiences with other community members, so we can support and encourage each other.
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Are you using your right to vote?
Chris is one of our single-parent campaigners. We’re delighted she’s shared this guest blog about what the General Election means to her and her family. Our household is full of hope and excitement for the General...
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‘Together, we are a strong and unified voice’ – Rachel’s story
Thank you to Rachel, one of our single-parent campaigners, who has contributed this blog about the launch of Single parents, equal families – Gingerbread’s general election manifesto. My name is Rachel and I’m an active campaigner...
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‘It has an effect on every single person in the house’
Preston’s story
Preston has grown up watching her mother’s long-running battle for child maintenance. Now aged 18, she’s been trying to lighten the load for her mother – and other families in the same situation. ‘Mum opened a...
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‘You’re not a single parent, you’re a double parent’
Carly’s story
Two years ago, single mum Carly spoke at Gingerbread’s Single Parents Day event at the Houses of Parliament. Today, she looks back at what’s changed for her and the wider single-parent community since then. Two...
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‘This is our family – just you and me’
Noemie’s story
The 1.8 million single-parent families in the UK come in all shapes and sizes. Noemie, Mum of 5-year-old Jack, describes how she chose to become a lone parent: ‘I was approaching my 40s. I hadn’t met...
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‘Let me tell my story so I can help other people’
Tayyaba’s story
Tayyaba is a Gingerbread group lead, connecting and supporting single parents in north London. This Single Parents Day she shares what motivates her: ‘I started this group in 2019. I cover Camden and Islington, mainly Camden...
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‘A force of nature – with a two puddings rule’
Paul’s Mum Noreen was widowed when he was 11 years old. This Christmas, two years since she passed away, Paul reflects on how she rose to the challenge of raising her family alone in the...
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‘When you see a brown envelope come through the door, your heart fills with dread’
‘FireLeo77’ reached out to the Gingerbread single parents forum over a year ago. Worries about making ends meet, and long phone calls to the CMS were taking their toll. She soon found out she wasn’t...
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From £800 a month to £3 a month – Kate’s story
Kate has been dealing with the CMS since she broke up with her son’s father. She explains some of the challenges she’s faced and why reform is urgently needed. ‘My relationship with my son’s father finished...
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