Survivor of terrorist attack supported by food bank
Brenda is a survivor of the 7/7 bombings, a domestic violence survivor and she suffers from Hepatitis B and chronic kidney disease.
The mother-of-one has just been denied PIP (disability allowance) and struggles to survive on Universal Credit. She's among those supported by Hackney Foodbank.
Brenda’s life changed suddenly in July 2005 when she was on her way to work at a beauty salon in Mayfair and a suicide bomber detonated his device on her train. Though uninjured, the trauma has had a huge impact – she’s been hospitalized for anxiety several times.
She said: “The attack was a nightmare. It was a massive trauma, and I’ve had very bad anxiety ever since. I also have several chronic health conditions including IBS and chronic Raynaud’s disease which affects my hands, feet and nose.
“I used to be a beauty therapist. I’d work 12-hours a day, six days a week, treating lots of famous people – from Kylie to Patrick Swayze – but now my hands are so bad, I can’t do that work. We struggle on Universal Credit. The winter is particularly bad because my Raynaud’s means I need to keep warm, but energy costs are so expensive.
“My doctor told me to apply for PIP because I’m unable to work. I have 12 chronic health conditions – I don’t understand why they refused me.”
Brenda’s, who has a 14-year-old daughter, struggles to afford the basics like food and clothing. As well as receiving emergency food, they’re being supported by caseworkers at Hackney Foodbank – both with their appeal for benefits and for grants for things like fuel.
She added: “I don’t have a lot of hope for the future; for my daughter yes but not for me. There’s no medication that can cure my chronic conditions -things are only going to get worse.”
Hackney Foodbank is currently providing emergency food for around 800 people every week – a 20% increase on last year. They recently lobbied MP David Lammy for improvements to Universal Credit and PIP.