Sofia Akin explores the mental health and financial pressures facing Kent during the festive season. We hear the stories of businesses and residents who have faced hardship.
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00:14 For many in Kent and across the UK, Christmas is the highlight of the year.
00:18 A chance to meet with loved ones, have a drink and spoil their families with gifts.
00:23 But for some it can be the complete opposite.
00:26 A dreaded time, one filled with isolation and a struggle to make ends meet.
00:31 We'll be hearing the stories of those across Kent who are particularly facing hardship during Christmas time.
00:38 This year, local food bank Gillingham Street Angels has seen their numbers soar.
00:42 When the charity opened in 2018, they just helped a handful.
00:46 But now every month they're feeding around 20,000.
00:50 And at Christmas, this only skyrockets.
00:53 They're estimated to feed 25,000 during the month of December.
00:57 There is a lot of pressure. There's just people who can't afford to buy trees,
01:00 people who can't afford Christmas presents.
01:03 Last month, 21,500 people through the food bank.
01:06 So behind us you've got the soup kitchen going on.
01:08 That's every Wednesday. That's between 100, 200 people.
01:11 We're noticing daily the increase in people, more people struggling.
01:15 When the Gillingham Street Angels first opened several years ago,
01:17 they were primarily just helping the homeless.
01:19 But now in recent years, they found their demand for their service only continuing to grow.
01:24 And now they're helping anyone with financial struggles.
01:27 They say throughout the year, they will have aided more than 100,000 people.
01:32 I mean, without this food here, I think I'll struggle because everything is up the roof.
01:37 You know what I mean? ÂŁ70 a week, that's what I've got. It's not going to help me.
01:40 Especially this time of the year.
01:43 Everything went up and you know what I mean? You've got to get a present for your kids.
01:47 I've got to be a family. Don't want to buy them anymore.
01:50 Everything's gone up in inflation.
01:54 Things are hard, you know. You get the money you get, but you still don't have enough.
01:58 So you have to come down and obviously get what you need.
02:01 For some, it's not just about affording the bare necessities.
02:06 It's about all the extras that come with Christmas.
02:09 Across the UK, those in the South East are predicted to spend the second most
02:13 during the festive season this year.
02:15 The average person will spend almost ÂŁ860 each.
02:19 And South England is set to see some of the highest spending habits across the UK.
02:24 The temptation for many of us at this time of year is often to try and,
02:27 you know, plan the perfect Christmas and then worry about actually paying for it later.
02:31 But from a financial point of view, that's the wrong way around.
02:34 The important thing is to try and work out what you can afford to spend
02:37 this festive period and then plan your activities around that.
02:40 And that means creating and sticking to a budget to ensure you're not spending
02:45 more than you've got coming in.
02:46 For some parents, Christmas spending has become near impossible.
02:50 Kent charity Family Action found one in seven parents or carers
02:55 can't afford to buy their children presents this year due to financial constraints.
02:59 Another Medway charity echoed these figures and said their service has never been more in demand.
03:05 The group helps struggling parents.
03:08 Those in need will get in touch, put in a present request for their children,
03:11 which will then be fulfilled by the team.
03:14 This year, things have really picked up and we've got a lot more people donating now.
03:19 And so we've been very lucky.
03:23 We can focus on putting stuff on our Amazon wish list.
03:26 And, you know, so far, we've managed to get every kid that's asked for something.
03:31 We've managed to get it for them.
03:33 People need help all year round, but especially at Christmas, it's all about the children.
03:38 To give you an idea of how much this service has grown in just the past couple of years
03:42 and how much more in demand it is, at the very start, just two years ago,
03:46 they were helping just a handful of families across Medway who were struggling financially.
03:50 So far this year, they've bought gifts for more than 100 children
03:54 of the families that are struggling to afford Christmas across Medway.
03:58 This gives you an idea.
03:59 These are the wish lists so far which have been satisfied.
04:01 There's almost about 50 here.
04:03 These are the ones that they're yet to finish buying and sending off.
04:06 And these are just some of the Amazon wish list gifts that have been sent off already.
04:11 Across the county, there are a number of free Christmas events run during the festive period,
04:16 but some feel this still isn't enough to compete with the commercial struggles of Christmas.
04:21 Timi moved to Herne Bay from Hungary 10 years ago,
04:25 and she finds the holidays a lonely time of year.
04:28 She also says the commercialised aspect of the holidays can be stressful.
04:31 I moved here 10 years ago, and I used to work in hospitality for so many years.
04:37 And you know how that is in hospitality.
04:40 You usually work during Christmas.
04:43 I got to the point where I'm like, "No, no Christmas for me. I don't like it anymore
04:48 because I can't really go home to see my parents, to spend some time with family."
04:52 It's all really commercialised.
04:55 What I believe is the best to give just your precious time,
05:00 because this is the most precious thing you can give to someone.
05:03 It's all about the time you spend together with your family, with your loved ones.
05:09 So it's really not about the gift.
05:10 She's not the only one feeling lonely.
05:13 KMTV submitted a Freedom of Information request to Kent County Council
05:17 to find out about the demand for loneliness support in December,
05:21 but we haven't yet received these figures back.
05:23 Taking a look at Medway during the past few years,
05:26 back in 2020, nine people sought loneliness support in the month of December from the council.
05:32 Overall that year, 48 sought support, so almost 19% of those were at Christmas time.
05:38 The following year, only three people sought support during Christmas,
05:41 while 115 went for support throughout the year.
05:44 While last year the service wasn't provided in December,
05:47 this year it is back up and running for those in need.
05:50 So looking at this data more generally,
05:52 it seems the need for this service is valued all year round
05:56 and peaks during certain times of the year.
05:59 Data also shows three in 10 Brits claim their mental health is negatively impacted
06:04 during the Christmas period,
06:05 mostly down to financial pressures and keeping others happy,
06:09 including for Natalie, who traditionally has found Christmas overwhelming and isolating.
06:14 Natalie, who lives near Canterbury, says it was once a reminder of the negative times in her life.
06:19 Well, quite a few years ago, it wasn't that good for me because I suffered a trauma
06:27 and since then it's been really difficult to cope with
06:31 and I've spent a few Christmases all by myself
06:35 and that was really hard for me.
06:37 For Natalie, it's not just about the stress of Christmas,
06:40 but the financial pressures that come with it.
06:42 I do have weeks where I don't have enough money for myself
06:47 and I'm always putting my animals before me because I don't want them to go without
06:51 and sometimes I don't always have money for everyone else to buy presents and stuff.
06:56 She said surrounding herself with loved ones and friends was the key to feeling more at ease
07:01 and for the first time she looked forward to the festive season.
07:04 So I've been really happy ever since for Christmas.
07:07 Yeah, I still have struggles with my mental health
07:13 so I've never enjoyed Christmas up until five years ago.
07:16 Both Medway and Kent County Council host a number of free events to help those struggling with
07:21 hardship or are looking to celebrate the holidays, including the Dickens Festival, held twice a year
07:26 to commemorate the works of Charles Dickens, who wrote many of his books in the Medway towns and
07:31 across Kent. Some of his books, including A Christmas Carol, have been turned into films as well.
07:36 Humbug.
07:38 Christmas a humbug, Admiral?
07:40 Surely you don't mean that?
07:43 I do.
07:44 I met with KMTV's film presenter Chris Deasey to talk about the expectations these films can set.
07:49 We met outside the Dickens Chalet in Rochester,
07:52 where the Medway Great was said to have wrote many of his books.
07:55 It may even have been where Christmas characters like Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim came to life.
08:00 Well, we're here in Rochester where Charles Dickens wrote many of his books and also had
08:03 inspiration for many of his books. And as we're talking about Christmas, let's talk about one of
08:07 his most famous books, A Christmas Carol, and in that we see the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge,
08:11 starting off as quite a miserable character and by the end he's really happy and he actually is
08:15 getting involved in all the Christmas celebrations. So there's almost that theme of there's some magic
08:20 to Christmas that can change people, isn't there?
08:22 I think it's often the ideal, because that's the ideal that we all strive towards,
08:26 the idea that we become better people. But of course what the Scrooge story doesn't tell us
08:31 is what happens after Boxing Day, because we don't know if he's reformed for good. In a way,
08:36 it doesn't matter because that's the Christmas narrative, that's the paradigm that applies
08:41 in so many Christmas films. And I think in each of our lives it's that sense that something,
08:46 renewal happens, there's some sort of transformation, we become better people.
08:50 In many of these Christmas films we see sort of expensive gifts, big spreads of food.
08:55 Can this lead some people to thinking, why is my Christmas not like that? And actually lead
08:59 them to having certain pressures around Christmas?
09:01 I think it's a wider issue about escapism, because there's the idea that sometimes we
09:05 want our lives to be like those in the movies, but often they're not. But I think it's the way
09:10 that we almost sort of try to ensure that there's a negotiation between our life and that in the
09:15 film. Like, what can we do to make our lives like the ideal that may or may not be what's in the
09:20 film? In the case of Christmas, of course, often these films end on a note where all that family
09:25 discord has been healed magically, and often it is supernaturally. Everything has been brought
09:31 together and people are happy once again. What about people who are not rich and privileged,
09:35 who can't make ends meet? What happens to them? And I think that that's why the Christmas films
09:40 fall apart sometimes, because you have this ideal that you know that you can't live up to.
09:45 So there's that sense, that disconnect from the season, which is all about togetherness and
09:49 giving. If you can't be together and you're not able to give or receive, then in that respect,
09:54 you're going to feel very unhappy during this crucial, critical time of the year.
10:00 A Tunbridge Wells therapist said much of the pressure at Christmas can come down to social
10:04 pressures, and says struggles during this time of year are rife.
10:07 The main struggles that I experience with clients are anxiety brought on through triggers
10:15 with events that are coming up, whether they have to meet family that they haven't seen for a long
10:20 time, family dynamics that are shifting. There's also a lot of stress because it's not always a
10:24 happy time for everybody. It can be a lonely time, an isolating time.
10:29 Once Christmas is over and the tree goes away,
10:32 some find the strain of a new year ahead can only worsen those feelings of doubt.
10:37 With the pressure of people having to make New Year's resolutions and looking forward into 2024,
10:42 not everybody is looking forward to 2024 with everything that's going on in the world and in
10:46 their own lives. By planning ahead, some people may not spend or overspend or overly commit to
10:55 events or finances. By planning, we can then ease ourselves into January that little bit better.
11:03 For those struggling across Kent, the council offers a number of mental health resources and
11:08 financial support. And anyone in Medway wanting to talk can reach out here. And for benefit schemes,
11:15 this is also on their website. And the government also has a range of support on their website too.
11:20 While some in Kent grapple with the hard times of the festive period,
11:25 others find comfort and happiness in the traditions and connections of the holidays.
11:30 The Christmas period can be a reminder of what you have or a memory of what you're without.
11:35 So whatever you're doing this festive season, there are a number of resources out there for
11:39 which you can seek help or help others who might be less fortunate and give back at this time of year.
11:45 [Music]