I feel so fortunate that my three boys don’t know what happened to me. I was a victim of modern slavery here in London, but they didn’t see anything that I had to experience. I know that’s sadly not the case for other families.

Despite them not knowing, things have still been pretty tough. We’ve had to move around quite a lot, from temporary accommodation to temporary accommodation. Our current home is a B&B and we have to get a coach to school each day because it’s so far from everything. It only runs once a day which has meant my boys can’t go to afterschool clubs because we’d miss the coach back. They miss out, which makes me feel guilty.

It’s quite hard seeing all of the boys’ friends enjoying sports equipment and games consoles, knowing that I can’t even afford old equipment or consoles to make them happy. It makes me feel like I’m not as good as the other mums but I’m trying my best.

This summer started off tricky, but Hestia helped turn that around. The boys were so bored and unhappy here at home, and I couldn’t afford to take them anywhere or get them anything at all. Their friends were all on holiday or days out that I simply can’t afford – we can barely afford to live on the money we receive.

Hestia had managed to get some donations from local supporters and offered to take us to the zoo.

What would seem like a small gesture to others made such a huge difference to us as a family. The boys had the best day. I was truly so happy knowing they would be able to go back to school and tell their friends that they had done something too over the summer. It made my heart full.

They’re children after all. I know that they love sports, so I’d love for them to be able to do all the afterschool clubs and sports activities. Even just a new football or some football boots so I can watch them play in the park. Those are the kind of things that are all part of growing up - I don't want to miss seeing my boys have a proper childhood.