Cost of living

'There's a huge population out there that have no other choice than to shop in charity shops,' says official at Mind charity - Anadolu Agency.

[Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. "I'm spending more on basic needs, and I’m cutting back on non-essentials like eating out or holidays. Clothing accounts for the majority of its sales, but they also sell a wide range of items, from books to household goods. On COVID’s effect on charities, when Mind saw a "huge increase" in helpline calls due to isolation and other mental health issues, he said that at the same time, shopping at charity shops also surged "as the pandemic almost changed shopping habits and people wanted to shop more sustainably and shop more locally." "I think people now are more switched on to the fact that you can buy a good stock, brand-new stock, in charity stores at a fraction of the cost that you would spend within the high streets," Morgan added. Charity thrift shops in the UK have grown more and more popular, as they are places people shop not only to help the needy, but also to afford basic needs due to soaring inflation, according to a charity official.

As more NI schools provide more meals, there are calls for Stormont to fund breakfast for all pupils.

The Department of Education spends quite a lot of money on paying for free school meals for those who are eligible - that's about 100,000 pupils. "Parents are very pleased that the school can offer this breakfast and give students a positive start to the school day. The school also provides a hot meal for pupils who choose to attend a homework club in the evenings. "But we really would need to look at a more joined-up approach - maybe the Department of Health, Department of Education and Department for Communities," she added. In December, the school was into its third year of giving free school meals and is now starting to roll out a free breakfast for all students. "Yes, free school meals for all pupils is a huge investment and I know the Department of Education are doing their very best. His school has been offering free breakfasts to all pupils in the school since October. But - is it the responsibility of schools to do this or should we be looking to those in government? "We felt we wanted to help the school community in the current economic climate," she tells "We felt we could do it and we wanted to do it." The school will be providing free breakfasts for all pupils for the first time on Monday. But increasingly, staff are just as likely to be involved in literal bread and butter, by rolling out free meals to pupils caught in the crossfire of the cost-of-living crisis.