Hi, I'm Bob &, unfortunately, I've bust a gut* trying to keep things together, roof over the family's head, food on the table, kids through college, keeping an old banger on the road... for too many decades.

Like all too many people, though, I've been trying to do that while hiding health problems that eventually caught up with me, & now, too young for the scrap heap, too old to keep working, I've been involuntarily retired, as I could no longer work normally, with years to go before I can access a state pension, or even the couple of pitiful private sector ones I have that would be miniscule if I tried to draw them now!

Perhaps I should get a job?

The day I signed on the mature & experienced work coach confided we both knew it wasn't going to happen as I'm effectively housebound* until some random time, usually in the afternoon. And proper evening or night work needs you to commit to reporting in during the day, or go on daytime training, or college... Even a charity that helped the disabled get work wouldn't work with me because I couldn't commit to working with them at hours to suit them!

So you're signing on, what about unemployment benefits?

Ahhh, but I paid tax & NI for decades, my wife nurses, and so earns enough to pay tax & NI, & we own our own house, so the 6 months "benefits" I'm "entitled" to ran out ages ago & she has to support me!

But you're disabled!

And in the olden days I could have got an Orange Badge, & maybe a Motability Car, but nowadays Blue Badge holders don't want the scheme brought into disrepute by people jumping out of their cars & running into the nearest building*. Unfortunately, while officially disabled from a discrimination & employment view, I don't tick the right boxes for disability benefits.

Which is why I needed to get the old banger through another MOT.

Or if you were all really kind, maybe replace her?!

But no dough donated!

So I had to scrap her.

And now I need to raise the cash for a replacement!

As now capital = savings = cash = £0

* For more details look up Ulcerative Colitis - but not if you've got a weak stomach!