"I feel like a burden": How the cost of living crisis is squeezing the worst off

“You feel guilty because you have to rely on family and foodbanks,” Zowie Dunn says as she shelters her baby from the baking hot sun. “You feel like a burden.”

The mum-of-three is out shopping in Bury town centre on the hottest day of the year so far. While the family would like to treat themselves to some new clothes, second-hand is all they can afford at the moment.

Like thousands across Greater Manchester, the 34-year-old has found herself making cutbacks as the cost of living continues to surge. “I’ve used the food bank on occasion but now I’m using it more than ever before,” she adds.

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The 34-year-old, who lives in Levenshulme with her children Sunny, 10; Ziggy, two and 10-week-old Gabriel, often relies on financial aid from her mother – who uses her pension to help her pay for basic necessities. “I worry about energy bills, really,” she continues.

“Ours have gone up - they’re going up every day. We’ve just had to buy second-hand clothes because we can’t afford new clothes anymore. We’ve had to cut back on toiletries and things you can spare or reduce instead of food. You just have to buy the basics.”

In a few weeks, eight million homes across the country will start to see cost of living payments hit their bank accounts. Only people who are getting certain benefits or tax credits from the government are eligible for the payments, which total £650.

But as fuel costs reach record highs and food prices continue to surge, some fear the cash won’t be enough to help the most vulnerable in our region. “I'm working and I'm still finding it hard,” 50-year-old Michael Wood says as he takes a break