:00:05. > :00:14.rural north Norfolk, has a reputation as a genteel place
:00:14. > :00:24.steeped in history. It's a magnet for well-heeled visitors who often
:00:24. > :00:28.
:00:28. > :00:38.own second homes here, and in the also poverty and deprivation hidden
:00:38. > :00:41.
:00:41. > :00:48.living below the poverty line, one of the highest figures in the
:00:48. > :00:51.region. On the old council estate, cut off from the town centre by a
:00:51. > :01:01.dual carriageway, local charity Holt Youth Project does what it can to
:01:01. > :01:04.
:01:04. > :01:07.help. This is where the magic happens. It supports vulnerable
:01:07. > :01:10.young people, and also provides a place they can get together,
:01:10. > :01:20.something that's really difficult for kids to find in rurally isolated
:01:20. > :01:26.
:01:26. > :01:35.places. Hello.It is run by Julie Alford. She grew up on the estate
:01:35. > :01:40.and still lives here. There's never been a high school in Holt. It's a
:01:40. > :01:45.bit unique really for the size. There is Gresham School. It is a
:01:45. > :01:54.public school. Because there is no high school, that meant Holt did not
:01:54. > :01:58.have other facilities for young people in the town. That must have
:01:58. > :02:04.taken years of practice! There is nowhere else for them to go in the
:02:04. > :02:07.evenings. It is about providing a safe environment for them to meet
:02:07. > :02:17.with supervision but within that structure, giving them activities
:02:17. > :02:28.
:02:28. > :02:35.to come in. Yes, about 30 minutes. Why have you come so early? At
:02:35. > :02:41.home, we have nothing to do. We go and get some Coke and bread every
:02:41. > :02:47.Thursday and come here. It is so good here you're prepared to stand
:02:47. > :02:57.in the cold for half an hour. Yes. A lot of children here are from
:02:57. > :02:57.
:02:57. > :03:03.families trying to get by on low incomes. Rob is full-time carer for
:03:03. > :03:13.his wife who has long-term health problems. And dad to 11-year-old
:03:13. > :03:22.
:03:22. > :03:29.Ben. Have a good Christmas. When did you stop working. I stopped
:03:29. > :03:33.working about three years ago. That was to help Mel when she became more
:03:33. > :03:37.ill. With buildings more spaced out and often less heat efficient than
:03:37. > :03:45.in urban areas, and gas on the mains unavailable, heating costs much more
:03:45. > :03:54.than the novel average -- national average.
:03:54. > :04:02.Central heating? No. The fire heats the radiators. Which is our only
:04:02. > :04:06.source of heating. We haven't got any gas or oil. Double glazing? On a
:04:06. > :04:10.couple of the rooms and that is it. A government report last year
:04:10. > :04:15.estimated that over 7 million people are living in fuel poverty in
:04:15. > :04:18.England and it will get worse in the coming years. But unlike state fuel
:04:18. > :04:25.provision for pensioners, there is no extra help for rural households
:04:25. > :04:32.on low incomes. How you building up for Christmas? I have a few bits and
:04:32. > :04:39.pieces for Ben. We ordered from the catalogue. We'll pay it off bit by
:04:39. > :04:49.bit over the course of next year. And then start again. How long does
:04:49. > :04:53.
:04:53. > :04:56.it take to pay off? It usually takes is just under a year to pay off.
:04:56. > :05:05.But its needs must nowadays. You can't just go and pick the money off
:05:05. > :05:08.the trees. What about the payday loan type schemes? With their
:05:09. > :05:15.interest rates, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. They are
:05:15. > :05:25.legalised loan sharks. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel for
:05:25. > :05:32.
:05:32. > :05:39.you financially? If you win the Nearly 20 years, Julie run the youth
:05:39. > :05:44.club with her husband David now entirely voluntary basis. We started
:05:44. > :05:50.off in our living room 27 years ago, I think. We did things there,
:05:50. > :06:00.silly games and videos and barbecues in the garden. Everything that
:06:00. > :06:05.didn't cost too much money really. How many people? About 45 teenagers.
:06:05. > :06:15.Standing room only. Yes, standing room only. Mind where you put your
:06:15. > :06:19.
:06:19. > :06:24.the help of some very lovely people. They just heard our cry really and
:06:24. > :06:28.wanted to support the community. Once support the work we were doing.
:06:28. > :06:32.The project is always struggling to raise money. It receives no public
:06:32. > :06:40.funding at all. But Norman Lamb Care Minister and North Norfolk MP is a
:06:40. > :06:43.patron. And Julie hopes he can find some public money. You can turn
:06:43. > :06:48.these young people 's lives around. Instead of being a burden within
:06:48. > :06:51.society, they can be an asset for the community. They can work and pay
:06:51. > :06:57.taxes and have a good life excavation mark the problem that I
:06:57. > :07:01.see as just someone who is down the line from the powers that be, is the
:07:01. > :07:11.fact that what we are doing with young people is recognised by the
:07:11. > :07:12.
:07:12. > :07:22.government but they won't fund it. I have in mind dictating a letter.
:07:22. > :07:22.
:07:22. > :07:26.Thank you. One last point, do you think this
:07:26. > :07:31.sort of service should be funded by the state rather than being a
:07:31. > :07:35.charity? I think it can be a mixture. I think the growing power
:07:36. > :07:42.of this is it is actually community-based. The fact that Julie
:07:42. > :07:48.comes from this community, these are people from the community and I
:07:48. > :07:55.think if it just became a state thing, with state employees, it
:07:55. > :08:00.would change completely in character. I am an enormously strong
:08:00. > :08:08.supporter of what they are doing and I am constantly amazed at what they
:08:08. > :08:16.can achieve. I don't know how you do it. What makes me really happy is
:08:16. > :08:20.when I get my next belt for karate. Some of the main work the project
:08:21. > :08:26.does it support young carers. Children who look after parents with
:08:26. > :08:32.disabilities or severe illnesses. What makes you angry? I get angry
:08:32. > :08:36.when people start calling me funny names. That's not very nice. That's
:08:36. > :08:43.bullying. Two of these are Vicky and Francesca who helped care for their
:08:43. > :08:50.disabled dad John. Studies show that people with disabilities are being
:08:50. > :08:54.hit hardest by welfare reform. And with the poorest people struggling
:08:54. > :09:00.most with rapidly rising food prices, a proposal for a new
:09:00. > :09:06.supermarket on the estate is dividing opinion in the town.
:09:06. > :09:12.for it. We have only got one and that, to be honest, for the people
:09:12. > :09:20.that have the pennies, it is not too bad. But we find it exceedingly
:09:20. > :09:30.expensive. It is cheaper for me to go into Norwich once a fortnight and
:09:30. > :09:34.
:09:34. > :09:44.do a big shop in Norwich. You get more for your money. Come on, let's
:09:44. > :09:46.
:09:46. > :09:51.go. I need a cup of tea. The number of children claiming free
:09:51. > :09:55.school meals in England has risen each year since 2008. Those in Holt
:09:55. > :10:01.who are eligible for them are also offered free karate classes by the
:10:01. > :10:03.school. These help to promote self-confidence and a sense of
:10:03. > :10:13.achievement as the kids advance through the martial arts belt
:10:13. > :10:19.system. How did Ben get into karate in the first place? We just saw it
:10:19. > :10:28.one night and we thought, it would be a normal childhood fan. He would
:10:28. > :10:33.go one night but that is it and he's been in it ever since. You're
:10:33. > :10:42.pleased he's doing karate? Yes, it has boosted his confidence. It has
:10:42. > :10:45.not made him a target for bullies, I would say. He is confident. Today
:10:45. > :10:55.they're taking part in a sponsored event to raise money for a local
:10:55. > :11:05.cancer charity. I am very proud to do it. And I have to do 1000
:11:05. > :11:14.techniques, 50 of those, 50 of those, 50 of those, 50 of those.
:11:14. > :11:24.you know how much Ben has raised? �102. �102 for me would be to week
:11:24. > :11:26.
:11:26. > :11:33.shopping. Petrol for a couple of months. It is a lot of money.
:11:33. > :11:43.would Ben do with �102? I would dread to think. Give it to charity.
:11:43. > :11:57.
:11:57. > :12:04.goes to Lucy. She is also supported by Holt Youth Project.
:12:04. > :12:10.Wednesdays, we meet with different carers to do things that they would
:12:10. > :12:17.not be able to do necessarily because of their home and family
:12:17. > :12:20.environment. It is very much a me time for them. In order to do
:12:20. > :12:27.activities with young carers, Julie has to go and collect most of them
:12:27. > :12:31.from their homes, both in Holt and the outlying villages. There are
:12:31. > :12:39.some relocations that they live in. There is no public transport, no
:12:39. > :12:49.buses no trains. It's the villages, there is just one bus per week. That
:12:49. > :12:57.
:12:57. > :13:07.is horrendously. The kids have been given a
:13:07. > :13:27.
:13:27. > :13:37.discounted Christmas dinner by a because she's ill. She has had
:13:37. > :13:40.
:13:40. > :13:44.cancer. For five years. And she's going to die sometime next year.
:13:44. > :13:53.didn't know that. I'm really sorry. This may be her last birthday and
:13:53. > :14:03.Christmas. There's a nasty myth that single parent families are somehow
:14:03. > :14:09.responsible for their own misfortunes. Yah! Ha ha. I'm going
:14:09. > :14:13.to my tree house. See you. Tree house? Yes, we've got a tree house
:14:13. > :14:18.right this way. Amy and Lucy's used to be an average family. Dad Gareth
:14:18. > :14:28.works as a taxi driver, and breeds rabbits as a hobby. Nikki's a
:14:28. > :14:31.
:14:31. > :14:39.working mum. Hi. Hi. Don't be silly. But recently the cancer Nikki's been
:14:39. > :14:44.fighting for several years has been diagnosed as terminal. How have the
:14:44. > :14:49.girls been affected up until now with Nikki's illness? Um, it's been
:14:49. > :14:55.a bit of a roller coaster. One minute they're up and quite angry,
:14:55. > :14:59.the next minute they're being sad and crying. And because of their
:14:59. > :15:08.age, I don't know if they fully accept what is going to happen...
:15:08. > :15:18.That Nicola's not going to be around anymore. You all seem very stoical
:15:18. > :15:21.
:15:21. > :15:29.or very... Calm. Um. When Nicola was first diagnosed I... Was very
:15:29. > :15:39.emotional and upset. Um, but since then I've come to terms with what's
:15:39. > :15:42.
:15:42. > :15:52.going on and trying to make the most of what we've got left. But with
:15:52. > :15:53.
:15:53. > :15:58.Nicola she's calm on the front, but I know deep down she's terrified.
:15:58. > :16:03.And what will be the practical consequences for you as a family.
:16:03. > :16:13.There's only going to be one wage coming in. Um, obviously there's the
:16:13. > :16:20.responsibility of raising the children just by myself. So, as
:16:20. > :16:23.regards to my job, I don't know what's going to happen. We have very
:16:23. > :16:26.little savings, we don't have no life insurance cover of any sort,
:16:27. > :16:36.um, so it's going to be a real struggle. Finding the rent, council
:16:36. > :16:46.tax. Electric bill, gas bills, water bills plus food without anything
:16:46. > :16:48.
:16:48. > :16:51.else on top. Whether there comes a point where I have to move and find
:16:51. > :16:54.a cheaper accommodation, whether I give up work, because a lot of
:16:54. > :17:04.people are better off on benefits than what single parents are who's
:17:04. > :17:08.
:17:08. > :17:16.working and don't earn a lot of money. And, uh, you've gotta think
:17:16. > :17:26.of what's best for the children. How best to get the best..the most money
:17:26. > :17:38.
:17:38. > :17:40.really decorated for Christmas in the building. Well, simply because
:17:40. > :17:43.for some young people and families Christmas isn't necessarily a time
:17:43. > :17:53.for celebrating because, you know, they might not necessarily be able
:17:53. > :17:59.
:17:59. > :18:07.to afford as much as other families. Have you sent Santa a Christmas
:18:07. > :18:14.list? Yes, I have sent my Christmas list. It's very short though.
:18:14. > :18:19.know what's on Francesca's Christmas list? I do as well. She wants a
:18:20. > :18:23.furby. She's asked for a lot of things. I know that families go into
:18:23. > :18:26.debt for Christmas, because they want to please their children, they
:18:26. > :18:36.want their children to be like everyone else. And, you know, that
:18:36. > :18:36.
:18:36. > :18:40.causes a lot of pressure. Would you like a drink Francesca? Orange or
:18:41. > :18:44.blackcurrant? Blackcurrant. Blackcurrant? So, for some families
:18:44. > :18:51.that's a difficult time. And the children going back to school?
:18:51. > :18:54.the children going back to school with... Some with excitement with
:18:54. > :18:58.what they'd had for Christmas and others that would be very quiet or
:18:58. > :19:01.maybe tell a...bit of a fib to not be left out or feel, um, second
:19:02. > :19:05.class citizen really. But you have to deal with that without making
:19:05. > :19:10.them feel worse about things, you have to in some cases kind of almost
:19:10. > :19:15.go along with it. What was the present that your tooth fairy
:19:15. > :19:21.brought you? Coat hanger. A coat hanger? A coat hanger? One, two,
:19:21. > :19:23.three, four. The youth project has never received funding from North
:19:23. > :19:28.Norfolk County Council. And in any case, the council axed their budget
:19:28. > :19:31.for youth services in 2011 due to government-imposed spending cuts.
:19:31. > :19:37.But the project also provides services such as training, which
:19:37. > :19:40.could potentially qualify for other forms of council funding. I've got a
:19:40. > :19:44.meeting with, um, someone called Tim Eyres who comes from Norfolk County
:19:44. > :19:47.Council. They're very supportive of our work in the way that they say
:19:47. > :19:57.that we're a role model for the county, um, but we've never been
:19:57. > :19:57.
:19:57. > :20:01.able to persuade anyone to, um, from County Hall to give us any money.
:20:01. > :20:08.Norman came to see us on Friday. He knows we're struggling with funding,
:20:08. > :20:11.obviously. Yeah. But this letter is like gold dust to me. Where's the
:20:11. > :20:14.piece of paper that says "This is..this is the project, this is
:20:15. > :20:18.what it's about"? It's on the website. That will be really
:20:18. > :20:22.important to have that, because then I can start to think about whether
:20:22. > :20:28.or not the project is going to tick my boxes, and it is about ticking
:20:28. > :20:31.boxes. I know that.Now you may or may not want to be plugged into the
:20:31. > :20:34.system, but if you're not plugged into the system you probably won't
:20:34. > :20:38.be able to access some of the funding streams. So does that help?
:20:38. > :20:43.Well, no... Apart from the fact that I haven't come with a case of
:20:43. > :20:46.money... No, it doesn't help!I'll do what I can... Thank you.Which is
:20:46. > :20:49.about joining stuff up and making sure people know what's happening
:20:49. > :20:54.here, the good work that's happening here. We've got a really good bus
:20:54. > :20:58.now. And I would love to be in a world where I had a big pot of money
:20:58. > :21:07.that I could just, you know, dish out. So would I.But sadly, my world
:21:07. > :21:11.doesn't look like that. Bye, Tim. I'm just so frustrated cos I just
:21:11. > :21:21.want to secure this work and I see the value of it, I see how it
:21:21. > :21:28.
:21:28. > :21:38.changes people's lives...and I don't ill? Um, what I still do, I'm a
:21:38. > :21:39.
:21:39. > :21:45.book-keeper. You're still working?I still work one day a week, uh, I go
:21:45. > :21:50.out to work but I still do a couple of people from home. So, when you're
:21:50. > :21:59.not well enough to work anymore, as a family you'll lose your income.
:21:59. > :22:02.Yep. But it'll be a grad... Well hopefully, it'll be a gradual
:22:02. > :22:06.decline, um, but as we don't know what the time frame is, it's very
:22:06. > :22:16.difficult. Um, when you're told it's months rather than years, who's to
:22:16. > :22:17.
:22:18. > :22:26.say it's not 12 months, 18 months? Or it could be six. Um, no-one's got
:22:26. > :22:31.a magic book to look at, the doctors have no idea. Um, in some repects if
:22:31. > :22:39.they did it would make it easier. Um, but we're hoping it's longer
:22:39. > :22:43.rather than shorter. And though I hate to say so with your prognosis,
:22:43. > :22:53.obviously there's going to be a double hit for your family of just
:22:53. > :22:55.
:22:55. > :23:00.emotional tragedy and presumably a financial impact as well. Yep.Are
:23:00. > :23:04.those things that sort of plague on your mind? In all honesty I try not
:23:04. > :23:13.to think about it too much...um, but obviously it is always there in the
:23:13. > :23:23.back of your mind. Do you think about the girls' future? Do you have
:23:23. > :23:40.
:23:40. > :23:47.hopes and ambitions for them? Um, I hope they both... Don't answer
:23:47. > :23:57.if you don't feel up to it. I hope they both achieve everything they
:23:57. > :24:03.
:24:03. > :24:10.want to. I just hope they do the best they can. And if they want to
:24:10. > :24:13.go to college or university I just hope that they manage to. Um,
:24:13. > :24:17.obviously finances and grants and everything will play a big part in
:24:17. > :24:27.that, um, I mean Amy at the moment just wants to be a nurse, Lucy just
:24:27. > :24:32.
:24:32. > :24:39.wants to own a Pigani Zonda. What's that, a scooter? A very fast car, in
:24:39. > :24:43.bright orange. We have told her that she'll need to find a millionaire,
:24:43. > :24:53.um, to be able to afford one of those, but yeh, she's set her mind
:24:53. > :24:57.
:24:58. > :25:06.on one of those ever since she saw one on Top Gear. She set her mind...
:25:06. > :25:12.It's Saturday night but fund-raising for the Youth Project never ends.
:25:12. > :25:19.wow, hello, Ellen. Have you got a new dress on? Did your mum buy it or
:25:19. > :25:25.your nan? We're going to a very posh dinner dance to support the Holt
:25:25. > :25:29.Youth Project's North Norfolk Young Carers Group. It's all been
:25:30. > :25:33.organised by North Norfolk Rotary. It's really lovely of them to do it
:25:33. > :25:36.and without them we wouldn't be able to deliver this service. But part of
:25:36. > :25:39.me feels is sometimes really embarrassing having to kind of
:25:39. > :25:46.almost beg, steal and borrow from your own community when money's
:25:46. > :25:53.tight anyway, it's not really fair I don't think. But without them I
:25:53. > :25:58.don't know what we'd do. We'll try and get the girls back by 11. Come
:25:58. > :26:08.on then, lovely girls. But they can have a little dance and enjoy
:26:08. > :26:10.
:26:10. > :26:14.themselves, forget their worries. How much are they? They're a pound
:26:14. > :26:23.each. I'll have ten pounds worth please. That's right, good girl.
:26:23. > :26:28.Thank you very much. Yeah, I sold a whole book. Five left. Can I
:26:28. > :26:38.persuade you? No, don't be shy. have five, then. Thank you very
:26:38. > :26:38.
:26:38. > :26:46.much. �105... All that money. kind lady here has took it upon
:26:46. > :26:51.herself to give us a cheque for, um, the young carers. Shall we give her
:26:51. > :26:57.a big hug? Thank you, thank you so much. It's very kind of you, thank
:26:57. > :27:07.you. This is Lucy and Amy, and their mummy's really, really poorly at the
:27:07. > :27:12.
:27:12. > :27:19.moment. Hello! Girls. Be careful you don't trip over, OK. See this is the
:27:19. > :27:23.way they get it out of their system. And be careful, the plates are very
:27:23. > :27:28.hot. I know the plates are very hot, Amy's just told me the plates are
:27:28. > :27:29.very hot. It's really nice to see them happy and letting their hair
:27:29. > :27:38.down. They're what makes it all worthwhile, seeing them so happy.
:27:38. > :27:40.Are you enjoying it? Yeah! This is genuinely lovely, but should
:27:40. > :27:50.children's welfare be dependent upon some kind people having a posh
:27:50. > :27:54.dinner? There's only so much that a community should have to help. And
:27:54. > :28:03.it should, it should be the topping up, rather than the bread and butter
:28:03. > :28:12.money. Sadly, Amy and Lucy's mum, Nikki, passed away early in the new
:28:12. > :28:22.year. Life teaches some children not to hope for much. But Julie and her
:28:22. > :28:26.team continue to support the family. Poverty, of course, can be a