At some point, in all of our lives, we find ourselves hitting a brick wall, feel lonely, lost and without a “safe harbor,” but seriously, until I watched the programme, “Skint”, I really did not know what I was talking about. I know there have been similar ones on before , but some of the people taking part in this one seemed to express their dire situation in terms that really resonated with me.

One young girl is walking through a park, a bottle of cheap drink in her hand, describing how she has no-one in her life to reach out to, no-one to matter to and nowhere to run to for comfort. I understand that there may be a back story to this, to show how she contributed to this desperate situation, but you know what, so what! To bear witness to her story and have no compassion, to listen and yet not head the warning, would be foolish indeed. Because when all is said and done, with enough bad luck in life, her story could be ours one day.

More than the lack of material things, I think the saddest point of it all was to see so many people completely and utterly without hope; not an iota of it. I have gone through some lousy, low and rotten times, but I have always been blessed with folk who cared for me and been able to love and care for them in return. It is this that gives you hope in all of the despair.

So, to all of my incredible friends and family, who support, nurture, laugh with, cry with and generally take great care of me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.