I recently spent some time chatting with Maria, the lady who sells the Big Issue in between the Tesco store and their car park.

it was bitterly cold yet Maria was still her usual polite and friendly self. It transpires that she has 3 children, including a 3 year old and a 4 year old who are becoming more aware of the more material side of Christmas. The 4 year old hasn't asked for any gifts for herself, she has simply asked for a Christmas tree for the family.

I also learned that Maria and her children have no heating on at home at the moment and are in a small arrears situation.

What strikes me about Maria is that she never complains, and that she is out working until 6PM every night, then has to travel back to Enfield (Ware is the closest pitch that Big Issue could offer her).

It would be lovely if we could get Maria's heating on for her and her children.

Following the wonderful response to my Facebook post it is clear that many kind and generous people would like to help this family and so I thought maybe we could raise some funds to reinstate the heating in Maria's family home.

This is a financially tricky time of year for many people, but if you have a few pounds to spare I'm sure it will make a world of difference.

If you're passing between Tesco and the car park over the coming days / weeks and have £4 spare, please buy a copy of Big Issue from Maria.
It would be wonderful if we could give her family a little boost this Christmas.

Thank you.