More Families Ask for Help at Christmas
Listen to the story
Charlotte Riley, who works to support struggling families, says more people are asking for help this Christmas.
She explained that families are reaching out for a variety of reasons.
Christmas can be a difficult time for families with low incomes.
Many cannot afford basic things like food, heating, or gifts for their children.
Organisations that offer support say they are seeing a rise in the number of families asking for help.
Charlotte Riley wants people to understand why this is happening.
She believes the reasons behind this demand are not always simple.
Some families face money problems, while others deal with personal or family issues.
Christmas often brings extra pressure, as people feel they must spend more.
This can create stress for families who already struggle financially.
Charities and support groups try to offer help through food, money, or gifts.
However, more requests for help mean these groups face greater demand than before.
Charlotte Riley hopes more people will offer support this year.
She says understanding the different reasons families struggle is an important first step.
Experts expect the number of families needing help may continue to grow.
Support groups are preparing for a busy Christmas period this year.
Vocabulary10 words
- reaching out
- asking someone for help
- gifts
- presents given to people
- support
- help given to someone who needs it
- rise
- an increase
- demand
- the need for something
- pressure
- a feeling of needing to do something
- stress
- worry caused by difficult situations
- charities
- groups that help people for free
- requests
- when people ask for something
- financially
- related to money
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Quiz
Answer key
1. The number of families asking for help 2. For several different reasons, including money problems 3. False
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Charlotte Riley, who works to support struggling families, says more people are asking for _____ this Christmas.
She explained that families are reaching out for a variety of _____.
Christmas can be a difficult time for families with low _____.
Many cannot afford basic things like food, heating, or _____ for their children.
Organisations that offer support say they are seeing a _____ in the number of families asking for help.
She believes the reasons behind this _____ are not always simple.
Christmas often brings extra _____, as people feel they must spend more.
This can create _____ for families who already struggle financially.
Charities and support groups try to offer help through food, money, or _____.
Experts expect the number of families needing help may continue to _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think families need more help at Christmas than other times of the year?
- What kinds of problems might make Christmas difficult for some families?
- How can charities and communities support struggling families?
- Do you think financial pressure at Christmas is a problem in your country too?
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