Lesley set up a Sure Start voluntary agency 12 years ago, to support local parents and children. She says, “We started with an empty office on a local housing estate with no computer, no staff, no volunteers, no families. Today, I am once again sitting in an empty office with no computers, no staff, no volunteers and no families – just an old laptop on which I am typing these words to announce that we have closed down, owing to lack of funds. When we first opened, one of our key aims was to bridge the gap that existed for families who did not reach the thresholds for social care intervention, but needed preventative and early support. The question is, what will happen to these families now?”