Transcript

RENEE

I wouldn't say I'm rich. I wouldn't say I'm well off. So I'll put myself in between-- poor, mediocre. Yeah. [CHUCKLE] Well, financially, for this month, with my bills, my telephone bill has been cut off, because I haven't got the finance to pay it. I've got my gas bill outstanding, at the moment, my electricity bill outstanding.

EDITH

You have to use your brain, nowadays, to think, how can I pay it out? When can I pay it? Sometimes, people running you down, and you're rushing, going from head to toes to get this money to pay it to people.

GIRVAN

I think our family sometimes struggle with bills, but I know that in London there's always someone who is worse off than you.

RENEE

Child care. Child care is a mortgage. Let Mummy tie your laces, and then you can go. At the moment, for my daughter, I'm paying £115.80 a week for nursery. Due to my work pattern, I also have to get a cab to take my daughter to nursery. I think I'm coming up to £1000. And that's in arrears. You give Mummy a kiss? See you later. [KISS] Be a good girl for Grandma, yeah? And I'm thinking, what do I do? Do I pay for the cab fare, or do I leave my telephone cut off? Every month, I have to make a sacrifice. I get help from the government. A chunk goes out for her nursery fees. A chunk goes out for Tyrone, for after-school club, because the hours how I work. Then I've got to pay for their lunch fees, because I don't get no help with school meals. I don't get no uniform allowance. I have to do that all by myself.

EDITH

Well, this generation-- it is harder. Very poor is where you have nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. But when you have a little, it's still hard.

TYRONE

Are you Kevin?

CHEYRICE

No. Are you Andrew?

TYRONE

I have never had my friends come around to my house before. Graham?

CHEYRICE

No. Are you Harry?

RENEE

It's just heartbreaking to think about it, because I could have more friends coming around, have more social life, which I don't. It's, like, at a standstill.

TYRONE

Does your person wear a hat?

CHEYRICE

No.

RENEE

Then, for the children, their social lives-- their friends don't come here. They'd like to go out and explore. They don't want to be enclosed, you know. So, when I do have that time, or if I have the finance, I do take them out.

CHEYRICE

For my school trips, we haven't been anywhere, like, gone abroad. Most of the trips that we've been on is free, and the school pays for us.

RENEE

Three years ago, I took them Woburn Safari Park. Could even be longer. You know, they would like to do more activities, but they do understand it's only Mummy. The money's not there. You have to make do.

CHEYRICE

--for me to do ballet or dance or something like that. Don't know if we can be able to afford it.

TYRONE

I would like more exciting books. I don't have any of those books that involve something that we're learning in class.

RENEE

I also think about the future. What's going to happen if they want to go university? Where would I find that surplus of money to pay for them?

TYRONE

I would like to be a lawyer. What I would like to do is give people advice about house rents and all their problems.

RENEE

My dreams for my children, the foremost is for them to be happy, to be comfortable, have their education, see that they have a good job, and they can go on their merry ways and enjoy their life. That's my dream for my children.