A mum from Saddleworth has spoken out about the problem of sky-high childcare costs in the borough.

Her comments come after a special report by The Oldham Times revealed parents are struggling to cope with the current cost-of-living crisis, with many forced to abandon after school activities for their children or rely on food banks for the first time.

Sian Kimberley, fortunately, hasn’t needed to turn to a food bank and has plenty of savvy money-saving tips which she claims are helping to make finances stretch.

However, even with budgeting best practice, she said her family of four are “just about coping” in the current climate and that childcare alone burns through most of the budget.

The 36-year-old said her daughter’s nursery has increased fees three times in the past 12 months, now costing an eyewatering £650 per month.

The cost means Sian and her partner can only send the two-year-old to nursey for three days a week and rely on grandparents to help for the remaining days while the couple is at work.

She said: “We don’t have a choice, we just have to find the money.

“Nursery fees are just extortionate, it’s more than our mortgage payment but we can’t ask grandparents for any more help as it would put too much strain on them physically.

“But what choice do we have? We both have to work in order to pay all the bills”.

The Oldham Times: Ms Kimberley said the cost of childcare delayed the arrival of their second child.Ms Kimberley said the cost of childcare delayed the arrival of their second child.

Despite the hike in childcare fees the parents, who both work in public sector jobs, said they are “used to” pay freezes and minimal pay rises such as the one per cent increase that they had this year.

But to make matters worse, Sian was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2021 and had been enduring chemotherapy up until New Year's Eve.

However, the mum remains determined to give her children a better life and is keen to increase her hours at work despite waiting on more surgery and radiotherapy at Manchester Royal Hospital.

She keeps costs at a minimum by cooking fresh meals in bulk like lasagne and tikka masala and by preparing a meal plan.

Sian said: “The trick is keeping some basic ingredients in at all times, especially for baking, so if the kids want pancakes on the weekend, I can usually cobble that together.”

But she admits that she follows a strict budget plan when it comes to grocery shopping with an £80 limit on each ‘big shop’ which has to stretch to provide meals, nappies and cat food for 10 days.

“We’re just treading water really this year until January when my daughter becomes eligible for the funded 30 hours childcare, and then her nursery costs will drop”, she added.

Her eight-year-old son is also ineligible for free school meals at his primary school, so Sian balances her budget by paying for two hot meals per week and making a packed lunch for the rest of the week.

And when it comes to holidays, travelling abroad is out of the question but she said she can manage the occasional day trip to National Trust heritage sites with their £10 a month membership card.

Sian said: “We just need petrol money and we take a packed lunch so we can let the kids have an ice cream.”

She also said she’s always looking for deals like two-for-one at Sealife centres, or they use Tesco Clubcard vouchers to pay for treats.

But even so, she said times are tough and fears it will only get worse as the energy price cap continues to hike.

She added: “I’ve just see the energy cap news and I honestly want to cry.

“What are people supposed to do?

“How are people just supposed to find even more cash, just like that?

“I will do what I can to stretch finances even more because I will not have my kids in a cold house.

“I remember growing up in a house that had no central heating and when we moved into one that did, I cried the first time the radiator came on in my room, it was so warm and cosy.

“I won’t have my kids growing up like that.

“There’s a disgusting attitude from older generations that ‘we had it tough when we were young’.

“Well, so what? It’s 2022 for crying out loud, we shouldn’t have to live in fear of putting the heating on."

“Don’t these people want better for their kids and grandkids because I sure do”, she added.