A 17-year-old boy living on his own in a Salford flat, a 51-year-old homeless man staying on his friend’s sofa after a four-month hospital stint, a traumatised mum-of-two fleeing domestic violence with her young children. They all have one thing in common – they’re in dire straits, they’re hungry, and it’s taking a toll. They share their worries of losing weight fast, that their mental health has taken a nosedive, and that they’re getting dizzy, and being hit by serious infections.
It’s a sunny Friday morning. In years gone by, the food bank in which the teenage boy, man, and woman sit in waiting for help would be quiet, with people choosing instead to enjoy a rare day of fine weather . But those times are over, as the food bank’s volunteers say summer days are just as busy as ever – and only getting busier as the cost-of-living crisis rages on.
And those on the frontline say the struggle to afford a basic shop is having a terrifying impact on the health of families across Greater Manchester, which comes as a slew of Victorian diseases thought to be dormant have made a nightmarish return. Data shows that conditions such as rickets and malnutrition – associated with the lack of a healthy, balanced diet – are on the rise in the region, and food bank staff say they’re ‘busier than ever before’. READ MORE: We were promised a rebuild of North Manchester General Hospital years ago - could it now be called off? ‘A health crisis has been slowly building .