I'm a proud man and worked all my life. I've paid my taxes and Nat Ins, & tried my best to be the best dad to my kids, showing them work pays & to always be there for them. On March 14th, I left my job at @harrogatebus ready for a new start with LNER, then Covid 19 happened.

When Covid 19 happened, I suddenly found myself out of work. My dream job, gone. @RishiSunak spoke about furlough, I thought I'd be okay. I wasn't. Not eligible for Furlough due to being a new starter, I was left without any support. I tried #rehirefurlough with my old employer

My old employer @harrogatebus refused to help, despite leaving on good terms and serving an extended notice. I was literally without a single penny to feed my family. I started to really worry. I had nothing. Despite rehire furlough costing my old employer not a single penny.

My old employer threatened legal action, I was blocked from contact. I really did feel helpless, alone, I started to feel my life was over, that my kids would be better off without me, I had dark thoughts and battled depression & anxiety. I was #ExcludedUK

My only hope was @RishiSunak and at first, he changed the cut off to 19th March. But the detail soon reveal it was a false dawn, again. Nothing. #newstarterjustice began to emerge. I was a new starter, excluded, alone. No support. I couldn't feed my family and I felt hopeless

Food was running out. I started to skip meals, hoping maybe my kids would leave some scraps on their plate. It got so bad I consider ending it all. But I didn't give up. I started to fight back, get angry, I wasn't going to let this Government exclude me.

I found some help with food parcels. It helped a little. Kept my family from starving. But not having a single penny hurt. Bills piled up, concerned that I couldn't cope. I started to take anti depressants. I was fighting on regardless. My kids needed me and I needed them.

I applied for Universal Credit & thus move immediately stopped my child tax credits, now I was literally with bit a single penny and was ntold not eligible for a advance, I had a 5 week wait without any support. I really felt like the Government did not care. #ExcludedUK

When my entitlement came, it was miscalculated, I had to fight again for help. I was grateful for the food parcels but hunger was still an issue, bills needed to be paid, the kids needed wifi for school work, I was going to be cut off.

My kids school dropped off a food parcel, I was now fighting for free school meals. It's a constant fight, struggle to survive. I am #excludeduk & #newstarterjustice I was fighting for my family survival. Abandoned by my old employer, the Government, heavily reliant on charity.

So here I am. Still fighting. Desperate, afraid. lonely. My kids are my anchor to life & my reason for living. I fight for them. But now I am asking strangers for help. You. Can you donate to https://www.paypal.me/GingerGeek  to help feed my family. #ExcludedUK #newstarterjustice

I hate asking for help. But I'm literally at a point of no return and my pride can no longer be an obstacle with kids to feed & bills to pay. I've never felt so afraid of the future. If you can help at all thank you so much https://www.paypal.me/GingerGeek  #ExcludedUK #UniversalDiscredit