‘Debt nearly broke me. God got us through’

Having been a carer from a young age, Paul Helsby was used to relying on himself. But when a stroke almost took everything from him and the debt mounted up, he was forced to turn to God 

I grew up without a father and my mum was disabled. My older sister went into care when I was eleven, so I looked after the house and made sure everyone was fed, clothed and taken care of. School was the only place I could be a kid.

When I hit my teens, Saturdays weren’t about sleeping in or hanging out with mates, they were about getting the shopping done and making sure my little brother and sister were sorted. That was my youth.