Single parents to demonstrate against cutbacks

HUNDREDS of disgruntled and financially strapped
single parents from the Northside will gather at the Garden of Remembrance this
Saturday (February 18) for an angry rally against Government cutbacks.

The protest is being organised by a new protest group
called Single Parents Acting for the Rights of Kids (SPARK) which originated on
the rollercoaster.ie online forum after a number of mothers shared their
concerns for their future as a result of the budget cuts.

Over recent months their campaign seeking the reversal
of crippling cutbacks has gathered momentum, so much so that thousands of
parents from all over the country will converge on the city for the protest
this weekend.

According to Leigh Speight, one of the mothers
spearheading the campaign, this weekend’s protest is aimed at highlighting the
many new challenges that one-parent families now face.

Pressure

“I’m inspired by the many single parents in SPARK who
in a short time have been organising and meeting with many politicians to put
as much pressure as possible on this Government to reverse the cuts,

? she said.

“The unity and determination to get this campaign
going is down to the fact that parents will not stand for further poverty
inflicted on their children.

United

“There are bus loads of people coming from Cork,
Galway, Tipperary, Waterford, Mayo and Wexford for the protest, which just
shows how people from all over the country are united in their opposition to these
cuts.

?

Beaumont local and mother-of-three, Andrea Galgey,
explained how her allowances have been reduced by as much as e80 a week as a
result of budget cuts.

“The fuel and back-to-school allowances have been
cut,

? she told Northside People.

“I’m on a CE scheme so my second and third child
allowance has also been cut.

“I only recently started back to work after 10 years
and now these cuts are making it less and less viable to be able to keep a
household going as a single parent.

“So many parents are angry and worried that they won’t
be able to keep their heads above water with these cuts.

?

Another Northside mother, who didn’t want to be named,
described how her income has been reduced by e120 a month as a result of the
budget cuts.

“I’ve been working since my son was six-weeks-old
because I’ve always tried to pay my way,

? she told Northside People.

“I’m struggling to keep a roof over our head as it is
and not all the cuts have been imposed yet.

“I don’t want my children to know how I’m struggling
financially because they have enough pressure on them as children from a
one-parent family.

?

She added:

“Hopefully the SPARK protest this weekend
will let the Government know just how many parents are opposed to and affected
by the cuts they have implemented.

?

The SPARK protest starts from the Garden of
Remembrance at 2pm on Saturday, February 18, before heading to the Dail.