Life stories
John is the eldest of three children. He had a troubled and unstable childhood, with his schizophrenic father leaving the family when John was just four years old.
Grace shared a room at home with her brother, until she reached an age where her parents felt it was inappropriate. For three years, she moved in with her grandmother and things seemed OK, but then her mother told Grace that she didn’t want her back at home ever again.
Daniel is the eldest of four children. His mother and father married when they were young and made it clear that he wasn’t wanted, abusing him both verbally and physically.
Lucy is the youngest of three siblings. Her mother was an alcoholic and her step-father used to fly into rages and punch them both. Growing up, Lucy often went hungry for days on end, with no food for her anywhere in the house.
Amy had spent many years being the personal punchbag for many of her family. There seemed to be no trigger for the violence, but at home she had been beaten by her mum, stepdad, brother and grandmother.
Abandoned at the age of 12 when her mother was sent to prison for drugs trafficking, Abi missed out on the crucial early years of school. While other girls her age were getting an education, Abi was living in a run down bed & breakfast with her stepfather and his landlady, a long-term drug addict.