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These heartwarming pictures show little Jayden Jeal enjoying his first ever birthday party - at the tender age of five.

His parents have never been able to afford one before. They even had to take out a loan to afford this one after scrimping and saving all they could.

Shockingly, the working family is left with £21-a-month of wriggle room for unexpected expenses after paying all their bills.

The Jeals live on a former council estate in Blackburn with mum Sarah, 43, admitting she struggles with anxiety over her money worries.

They are not entitled to any benefits - including a free nursery place for daughter Skye - because dad Michael earns £5 over the threshold.

It means Sarah can't return to work as she can't afford private childcare.

Data collected exclusively for the Daily Mirror's Town 2020 series reveals that Blackburn and the surrounding district is the fourth most deprived area of England.

Most concerning of all is that 52% of children in the Lancashire former mill town are classed as living in poverty.

We want to hear stories from your town. What do you think about it? Are you facing any issues? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk or call 0207 293 3018.

(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

Sarah, 43, is happily married to Michael, 34, and they live on the town's Shadsworth Housing Estate, with their two children Jayden, 5, and one-year-old Skye. Mrs Jeal's two older children also live locally.

And they say despite promises from politicians they have never been worse off.

Mrs Jeal admits she “tosses and turns” at night thinking about the family's bills.

(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

"My husband comes home and says there’s no overtime this week and I have to sit and think - what can I cut back on? What’s going?”

She's fortunate never to have to approach a foodbank - saying her mum would never let the family starve.

“We have my mum if I ever get desperate," she said. "She’s always put food in the cupboard, I’m lucky. But then not everyone has a mum."

See how your area ranks for deprivation with the Mirror's exclusive interactive map

(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror) (Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

The Jeals are up to their eyeballs in debt, trying to make do with little more than the minimum wage.

But they did all they could to throw Jayden his birthday party.

“His friends get presents, decorations, balloons- my son’s never had them," said Mrs Jeal.

"He’s five - I didn’t have the heart to say you can’t have a party like your friends.

“It’s worth it just to see his face, but we’re having to take a loan to do it.”

Mrs Jeal is thrifty and proudly mentions how she managed to make up kids’ party bags from the local discount store at a cost of around £1.90 per child.

(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

If that figure sounds oddly specific - it’s because the Jeals’ budget scrutinises every last penny.

Mrs Jeal says her family has been penalised because her husband earns just £1 over the minimum wage an hour in a job he’s worked at for six years as a medical supplies warehouse operator.

She says the family has lost access to benefits they desperately need because he brings home £5 extra a week in his paypacket.

She's now calling on the Government to end the cruel benefit caps freeze.

She says: “It makes me really, really mad because we’re doing the best we can for our family.”

The family's financial situation even affects the food they eat.

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When the family eats chicken as a treat, Mrs Jeal goes without so her husband and children have enough to eat.

“I’m not a big meat eater or anything so if I get something like a chicken I give it to my husband and my kids and I just make do with potatoes and gravy.”

The mum says she is in poor health because of these sacrifices - she struggles to lose weight - finding that healthy food like fruit and vegetables are the most expensive.

Mrs Jeal says that Jayden had the benefit of a free nursery early childhood education when he turned two.

However, his little sister Skye won’t qualify for the free 15 hours a week that could have enabled her to go back to work.

Because her annual wage has risen by £1000 over two years in line with the recent national minimum wage rises, the family no longer qualify for the nursery place - they earn £1000 annually over the threshold.

Mrs Jeal is desperate for her “bright, intelligent” toddler to get the same early education as her son- also pointing out it’s meant to help parents back to work.

She wrote to Blackburn’s Labour MP Kate Hollern, who in turn wrote on Sarah’s behalf to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families Nadhim Zahawi.

His letter to the mum said there were no plans to increase the working tax credit threshold for free nursery placements for two-year-olds, due to the Universal Credit transition.

Mrs Jeal is desperate for her “bright, intelligent” toddler to get the same early education as her son- also pointing out it’s meant to help parents back to work.

The mum, who worked retail at Superdrug on minimum wage before the couple had children, even worries that going back to work would mean needing to find the money for childcare for little Skye, which would just set the family back more.

Yet despite the family's struggles, Mrs Jeal is adamant she will keep a smile on her face.

“You have to laugh or you’ll cry basically.”

MODERN POVERTY IN BRITAIN

The Jeal family has bravely opened up their wallets to share the private details of their income to give Brits a picture of what it means to be working poor.

2016

The household income for the family before Skye was born was £15,827. Dad Michael received £1 an hour over the minimum wage- and he took home £255.92 a week in his pay packet.

The family paid £2500 about year for tax and National Insurance.

They received £116 child tax credit and £18.50 working tax credit.

They got free 15-hours a week two-year early education for son Jayden.

Sarah says they lived ‘comfortably’ back then.

Now

Dad Michael’s wages have gone up and their two adult kids fend for themselves - so they thought they’d be better off. He still earns £1 over minimum wage - which rose with inflation - so the household income is now £17,650 and he takes home £290 a week.

But now they pay about £2900 a year for tax, National Insurance, and they earn enough for Michael to make pension contributions too.

Their child tax credit has dropped to £74 per week to his wage increase.

They no longer qualify for the nursery place for daughter Skye, who turns two in January.

Free school meals have now stopped for Jayden, who turned five in August and Skye won’t get them either - as the family’s earnings mean she can only go to nursery if they pay.

Sarah says they now ‘struggle’ and can’t afford to pay for childcare for Skye if she goes back to work .

How the family live off £364 a week (£1,456 a month)

Weekly bills

Rent - £100

Prepaid gas and electricity- £30

Petrol - £20

Weekly shop - £80-100

Total: about £1000 a month

Monthly bills

Council tax - £110

Car insurance - £80 Car tax - £20

House insurance - £8

TV Licence - £13

Mobiles - £50

Internet - 35

Water- 49

Tumble dryer insurance - £5

Debt repayments- £60 monthly

Housing benefit overpayment debt- £5 monthly

Total: About £435 a month

Total monthly cost of living: about £1,435

Total monthly leftover: £21