This is the first time ive actually had to say, can you help us . Tough times. But as well see, theres also hope and help. Theres a lot to go through today. In a cold church in benwell, Carole Rowland is on the mic. Its worry and fear. Anything that worries you, anything youre fearful of, please come and talk to us. If the Cost Of Living crisis is a national crisis, the response here in newcastles west end is local. The other things that weve got are more kiddies coats, which is fantastic. This place started years ago as a food bank, but its had to change, adapt and expand to become a Community Hub to keep up in these hard times. Used to be that people dont have sufficient food to eat. We can help them with that. Its now that they dont have enough fuel. They dont have heat. Our fear here at our food bank is that people may die. Its getting a bit colder. It is slightly. So it is food and help with fuel. But were here to see much more than that. There you go. Of course, pats work, handing out vouchers for access to the food bank, is crucial. Oh, thank you. But then theres courtney. How much do you spend on Public Transport . I dont because i cant afford to. A benefits wizard whos here to give priceless advice. Were definitely getting all the details that we need, good lass. Fantastic. Then theres dara, a kurdish refugee whos always here, always smiling, always helping. The main thing that we can help you with is making sure you have food. I need support as well. And they are all driven people, like helen, whos a volunteer. You see me around in benwell, just say hello. People who are at their wit� s end about how to cope. She wants and needs to help. I see struggle. I see embarrassment. I see guilt. I see shame. I see joy at small things. Its november, and anita has come in for food. Get your coat on, sweetie. No judgement, no stigma. Just food and a friendly face. Iordanis has developed a special bond with little brett. You did an amazing job. Youve helped me so much, and i wouldnt be able to do it without your help. High five. Unless you want to give me a hug. I mean, iwill. I love a hug. Brilliant. I dont know how to cope. I really dont. I do need it. Thats the top and bottom of it. And i feel embarrassed because ive got to ask for help. To be fair, i would have probably been worn out asking people to borrow money. Thank you ever so much. Thank you. For anitas family and so many others across her community, carole� s team are life savers. Oh, thats a rice. But in this crisis, there are no easy answers and no quick fixes. Lost quite a lot of weight in the last year and a bit, just not being able to live, to be fair. Id rather my children eat their meat. I might have a meal a day if im lucky. In the end, of course, its down to money. Her ex makes some modest payments for the kids, and anitas always worked. She still does. Get off me leg but shes also a single mum and has to fit her Cleaning Shifts around bretts childcare. The problems dont stop there. I dont receive, like, any sort of benefits for little man because he was born after that time period where they said you couldnt. Its a cut off point. And thats because brett was born after 2017 when the rules changed forfamilies with three or more children. So i only get money for the two girls. So were literally living off that. And itsjust, its craziness. I dont know how theyve come up with these calculations and how they expect people to live. Its called Great Britain for a reason, and its not Great Britain any more. Are they ready to come in . Oh, yes, get them in now. Passion. Its absolute passion. Passion. Take your time. Carole believes in this and that the team is making a difference. Will i hang on to him until youve packed your bag . Shes the lynchpin of this place. Never stops. I havent got enough winter coats. But when they go, they go. Always fighting for the people, for the community. Were not having anybody missing christmas. A lot of the work here is connecting people in need to the benefits and grants that they are entitled to, to untangle the complexities of the welfare system. And its working. The team have now claimed over £1,000,000 in benefits for the people they serve. Dont sit in silence. We can now help you with fuel, and thats really the first proper time weve ever been able to do that. So please, please. Yes, there is some money here from central government. Many have had Cost Of Living payments totalling £650. And its all welcome. Youve got to have an interview before you get the vouchers. Its busy, getting busier all the time. In december, they gave out more food parcels than ever. Go along now, its 1 00 at the place. But everyone here knows that this is a sticking plaster, not a long term fix. It is actually simple, not saying never ending benefits. Its about giving people enough to live on so that they can start and make some choices. For dean, the choices are limited. They say your Life Expectancy is about 45 years. Im 37. His Heart Condition is terminal. Carole knows me so well. And shes like, youve lost a lot of weight. And i go, yeah. He weighs seven and a half stone. Go and have a word with paul, hes the person. Thats lovely. Thank you so much. Carole wants dean to check that hes getting all of the benefits that he can. How are you . Oh, well, getting there. So how would you mark your general well being at the moment . I would say zero. And what conditions is it that you have . Oh, gosh, i have congenital heart disease, i have unstable angina. And the last one is marfan syndrome. Despite all of that, somehow dean doesnt qualify for pip or personal independence payment. Have you considered claiming pip . Have you tried . I have. I scored zero. Would you consider putting in another claim for that now . I can see that its tough for dean. His Failing Health means hospital treatment, usually several times a week. Thank you so much. Thank you. Deans mum, denise, is by his side. Hes on powerful painkillers and needs all the support he can get. I worked from being in school. I was up until a few years ago when my health really deteriorated. I was, i want to work. I cant lift, i cant carry. I cant do anything. Are you dependent on this place . Yeah, absolutely. There are plenty of people struggling here. But deans life, it just feels so hard. Youre all right. All you want for people is to have some dignity, you know . 0h, are you okay . Thats a tough story. Despite it all, this hub isnt about misery. Its about help. Just a thank you goes a long way. And i do appreciate the work youve done for me. Youre welcome. The work never stops. Teresa is here to check that all of her benefits are up to date. How much are you paying for gas . £350 for the gas and electric. Basically, its living hand to mouth. Its so cold, brett. Winters here. Anita and the kids have all been ill. Im exhausted with it. Absolutely exhausted. Shes on the way to the food bank. The food bank that she was donating tojust a year ago. I think my hands are just starting to get the feeling back in my fingertips. Its been weeks since weve seen her and brett, and shes changed. Thinner. Colder. I couldnt put the heating on at all, last week. It was so cold. Ijust couldnt put it on. Just didnt have enough. Had to keep what money i had, so the girls could have, like, showers or their bath in the school. Its surviving. And its embarrassing because i work and i should be providing for my children. Right now, even the hunger takes second place. Today, its all about the cold. Thats a good idea. Shall we just stay here today . She will let us sit inside the nursery and get us a cup of tea till i had to go and get me other little girl from school. Oh, thats lovely. Is your hands warm now . Your hands are cold. My hands are cold. All i feel like ive done for weeks is cry and cry. Just feel like such a let down all the time. Do you know what i mean . Should be able to provide for these, at least a warm home. What would you like . Ijust want to have more fun. Bretts desperate to team up with iordanis again. Hes made to feel welcome and included. At its best, this place can feel like family. I feel good. At the end of the day, i feel like i did something good to help. And he is a lovely boy, hes very clever. I think you can tell that. Ill give you some eggs as well. Iordanis doesnt have to be here, hes an international it consultant, but his Silicon Valley employers encourage this sort of volunteering. This is some fish. You can have that. And hes happy to be here. The very first few times, i was very upset when i went home. Ive got four kids,. So i spoke to my kids and my wife and i said, look, you know, you dont know how lucky we are. Thatll keep your strength up. Its been a tough week for anita. Im going to have a piece of this orange. Ive had no breakfast. As well as struggling with the cold, shes also struggling with the benefits system. Apparently, im not meeting government criteria. Im supposed to make £491 a month and im only making £a56. The issue is that shes been told that she needs to get her wages up by £35 a month or lose benefits. The trouble with that is its hard to do more hours with no more Free Childcare and she feels stuck. Ive only had to claim benefits, id say, the last year and a half. Since me and my partner separated. Ive never claimed benefits, ive worked since i was 16. Ive never not worked. Dont worry, when you sit down with courtney in welfare, right, well go through this. Well contact them on your behalf. Im trying to do my best, and theyre just not getting it. Im a mess itsjust horrific. That woman, this time last year, was actually giving us food. She was donating to us. She is doing everything she possibly can. And itsjust not good enough. For somebody. Its good enough for me. Its good enough for her family, who know that shes doing everything she possibly can. My worry now is her Mental Health because she is on the edge. The level of need here is high and rising. It can feel overwhelming. But so can the response of this community, local people helping their own. Thank you. Good to see you, in again this week with your bag my goodness joan is a benwell lass, a benwell legend. To take it up over £200. Oh, my goodness. And thats how much you spend, isnt it . Despite all the kindness and support, theres no hiding the fact that this is also a place where too many people are feeling desperate. What would they do without it . I would have give up by now, to be fair. And i would have. Aye, i would have give up. Sorry. I dont like talking like that i shouldnt feel like that. Newcastles west end is a strong, multi ethnic community. It has a recent history of regeneration, some new housing, community investment, but the old problems are still evident. This is among the most deprived places in a region where Child Poverty is the highest in the uk. Im around at theresas. Hi, theresa. How are you . I want to know more about the real impact of the Cost Of Living crisis. Its meant a lot to you, hasnt it . The help you get there. It really has. Yeah. Because i was stuck with the stress and the anxiety of where will i go . What will i do . And im talking to nobody, because yourejudged. I felt in the food bank, i wasntjudged. Courtney and carole both said, look, you can call me. You can talk and we can help. Teresas single and lives with her autistic granddaughter. The food bank and the Community Hub keep this family afloat. Its no good being proud. Proud is not going to feed you. Its not going to help me to get the stuff i need for my home or my bairn. Without help, youre stuck in a situation where your Mental Health does deteriorate quicker. Somethings got to give. Lets hope so. Itll not be me it wont be you itll not be me. Ill be in my corner, fighting. To stock a food bank, you need food. And rising prices mean some people here cant afford to donate any more. Basics pasta means you can get more of it. But remember, joan . Well, shes still down the supermarket, shopping for others. How are you paying for all of this . Where do you get your money from . Well, out of my own money. Im retired and i have a reasonable pension. Youre at the heart of your own community and these are your people, really. I belong to a church in the west end, so thats a motivation to me. Many hands make light work. I feel that i want to support the people who are in great need as much as i can. Carole� s called us. Theres something she says we need to see. Are we coming in . Of course you are right. In we go. And shes right. If you want to know what deprivation looks like, how about this . Have you seen worse than this . This is the worst that weve dealt with. This place is off the scale. Huge amount of mould. The damp� s grown up, all of the walls. Courtney and carole are here to help a woman whos been living existing here with her two dogs, like this, for two years. Shes got asthma. Shes got copd. Shes got pleurisy at the minute because of the damp. And the state of this place. So she can actually speak to her upstairs neighbour. Oh, really . While shes in the bath. As you can see, weve got no ceiling. So, shes not been able to use a bath or a bathroom for over two years now. With support from the hub, the tenant has been offered a new place in a new build. But theres a problem no dogs allowed. If youre living on your own, thats your family, isnt it . Definitely. And shes had to give that up. For almost 15 years. Theyre like her children, the only family really that shes had, and shes had to give them up, just to be in a safe, comfortable home. The lady from the rspca is here and shell be taking bronson, hoping to find him a new home. And little muffin well, its carole, once again, to the rescue. And youre still going to come up, arent you, and see her . Yeah. Muffin will be welcomed into carole� s family home. Its december now and its getting seriously cold, frigid. Theres three elves on one shelf. The one in the tree. Uh huh. For anita, this time is all about christmas, about using every ounce of energy, every last penny, to make it special for the children. How are you feeling, going into the Christmas Period . Im positive now, compared to what i was, like, six, seven weeks ago. I was beside myself six or seven weeks ago. Like, i dont know how im going to manage, how im going to cope. Her plans are modest, nothing fancy, but so hard to deliver in this bleak midwinter. I was, like because i love having them sat down and a properfamily meal, and ijust think it would be lovely this year, just to have that. Regardless of anything else, just sitting as a family would be lovely. Im really hoping, just for those few hours, that you can put all of this out of your head and just. Itd be lovely to stop. Concentrate on that. Im an overthinker. You better watch out is that your favourite song . Family time. Absolutely. Its the children and its normality and its just keeping that normality for them. I like yourjumper, by the way. Thank you. Very festive ive had it about six years. Its St Jamess Church which is at the centre of operations for the Community Hub. We need to fundraise some money for her, then we will do that. The vicar, chris, knows benwell� s reputation. He knows that some regard the situation as hopeless. But not him. People have real hope, they have real love in them and the way that ive seen people come together in crisis the crisis shouldnt be happening, they shouldnt have to come together under those circumstances but when they do, this incredible thing happens. You know, ive never seen anything like it. Now, i am three years volunteer in food bank. Of all the people ive met here, maybe its dara who will stay with me the longest. I am finished accounting in my country but in here, no have anyjob because no have any paper. Hes been here for three years. Number 79, please. A Kurdish Christian refugee escaping the murderous violence of northern iraq. Im so sorry because im no speaking english very well. Hes happy to be here. Yes, please. I no need money, i need life. This country is very safe. After this this country is very good for all people because help me. Dara doesnt ask for much. As an asylum seeker, he certainly doesnt get much. Hes got his wife and two sons. His eldest, hani, is at school. Hani is lovely, lovely boy. Thank you for all teacher hani because hani is now speaking english geordie chuckles one thing ive noticed about you, or two things number one, youre so smart, your clothes are always perfect. Yes, all second hand. Me, my wife and my son. And number two, youre always smiling. Thank you so much. It feels like daras always here. Hes so grateful to the country thats taken him, in but cant escape the Cost Of Living crisis the cost of baby milk for little yani. Are you finding it hard to pay for what you need . So, about that. Because. Before, its often cheaper. Now is very expensive. You worried . You can. No, thank you. Can i just say that youre an amazing person because when we come, youre always smiling and you always do for everybody else. Thank you so much. Sorry about that. No, dont be sorry. Because im worried about this baby. Your baby, yeah. What a hero. What a special, special person. Thats somebody who has lost everything. In circumstances you cant even imagine. Hes come here. Cant get a job because of his paperwork. And yet, comes here this cold, old church just to help people in newcastle who are struggling with the Cost Of Living, and its so selfless. And its a really moving, beautiful thing. Laughter too many. Into the new year, im back to catch up with anita. Last time i saw you, you were looking forward to christmas, wondering how its going to work out. How did it work out . Brilliant. Been wonderful to give them the stuff that i was never able to give them. Just before christmas, we featured part of anitas story on bbc news. The reaction from viewers was amazing. The generosity made a big difference. Did you have that meal around the table that you were talking about . Yes, and i had me hat on. We all had christmas hats on. It was wonderful. Lovely. Thanks to everybody, the generosity and just everybody. Its been overwhelming how kind, like, people have been. Ijust couldnt believe it. Got a new Washing Machine . I did. And a microwave its such great news that with a bit of cash, anitas doing a bit better, but she knows its temporary. Shes still having problems with benefits. She still looks really worried. Its like i said to the children its nice to have what weve had, but it is going to run out and it is going to stop and were going to be back to where we were, where were going to be struggling. Give us more Free Childcare and ill do as many hours as you want us to. What are you hoping for then . Ijust want them to be happy and safe and be able to keep warm and food in their tummies. Its all i want. Its been a cold, hard winter, but at least spring is coming. For carole and the entire team here, the work goes on. There is so much need, yet there is so much hope. People who come to us, theyre just like you, theyre like me, theyre like anybody out there. People now regard food banks as a way of life. That should never be. This is not a solution. They need people to listen to them this is the key. Dont think theyre all thick. Dont think they havent got a voice. They have got a voice. The trouble is they need to be heard. The problems of benwell are the problems of a nation. Yes, its tough, but as weve seen here, as well as deprivation, there is spirit, a determination to fight back, a belief that things can and will get better. Details of organisations offering help and support with some of the issues raised in this programme are available at. Hello there. We lost the cloudy skies across the south of the country today, and we saw a Sunny Afternoon for many. But its a different story further north. Low pressure passing to the north of scotland is going to bring a swathe of rain and gales, certainly to the North Highlands in towards the northern isles. You can see this area of low pressure moving to the north of scotland there. Lots of isobars on the charts. Weve already seen gales through the afternoon. Those gales will get stronger through the middle part of the night. So these gales could cause some disruption for the north, far north of scotland, keep tuned your Bbc Local Radio and to subsequent weather forecasts. So plenty of showers, blustery in nature affecting the northern half of the country, fewer further south as we head through the night. But its around midnight, iam 2am well start to see this swathe of very strong winds passing between shetland and the North Highlands there, gusts of 70 80mph for a time. Those gales start to pull out in towards the Norwegian Sea by around dawn. Therell be showers or longer spells of rain across the northern half of the country, wintry on the hills. Further south, bar the odd shower, its going to stay largely clear, temperatures overnight range from around 3 6 celsius. Its that area of low pressure pushing in towards norway wednesday morning, taking the gales with it, but still going to be quite a blustery day across the north and the east of the uk. This Weather Front will bring some showery bursts of rain to northern ireland, south western scotland, north wales, Northern England and into the midlands at times. Sunshine, blustery showers for the north east of scotland, and well see some sunshine across the south and the Southwest Corner of the uk. Double figure values in the south, single figures across scotland. Now as we head into thursday, this Weather Front will pass across the north of the uk to bring outbreaks of rain mainly to the north and the west of scotland. Looks quite wet across some western hills, maybe a little bit of shelter, so some brightness for eastern scotland. But for northern ireland, much of england and wales, bar the odd shower, it should stay largely dry thanks to high pressure, variable cloud, some spells of sunshine, but very mild across the board, double figure values there. And you can see were sticking in that milder air as we head into friday, thanks to this area of high pressure, itll bring settled conditions. But later in the weekend, some colder air starts to push southwards and eastwards across the whole of the uk. So a bit of a benign story for the end of the week. Rather cloudy and mild. Things turn a bit brighter, but Colderfor The Second Half of the weekend. Hello, im geeta guru murthy. Youre watching the context on bbc news. The uk is set to be the only major economy to shrink in 2023. The International Monetary fund forecasts it will peform worse than any other advanced economy in the next year including heavily sanctioned russia. Republican congressman George Santos steps down from us house committees after his admitting to fabricating his resume and President Biden announces the end of americas Covid Health Emergency measures in may. Former democratic strategist, now Executive Director of the Institute Of Politics and Public Service at georgetown university. And the independent trade economist rebecca harding