Bleak Christmas for struggling British families

LONDON — Tears rolled down the cheeks of Christine Haycock, when her eldest daughter Emily decided to use her pocket money to buy a new jumper for her.

"That really got to me, a 9-year-old child understanding the plight we are in," the 42-year-old mother of three told Xinhua News Agency at her home in an industrial town on the outskirts of Liverpool in northwestern England.

Haycock was struggling to make ends meet as Christmas drew near. A few weeks ago, Haycock went to a food bank for the first time to collect some essential provisions to feed her family.