Crowded house...

Family-of-eight face split fear

THE parents of a girl who has battled leukaemia fear that they may have to separate their six children because the council house they all share is too small.

Kelvin and Sarah Strudwick say First Choice Homes agreed to fund an extension at their three-bedroom Greaves Avenue address in Failsworth.

Now the family’s only option is to live apart after they were told that money is not available and no bigger properties are free.

Kelvin has applied for a council house for himself and the three oldest children Ethan (15), Zackery (14) and Adrienna (13).

Sarah would stay with Ysabella (5), who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia when she was five-months-old, Ezekiel (20 months) and baby Matilda.

The couple, both 35, have had to turn a dining room into a bedroom to accommodate the family and Matilda’s cot is squeezed into her parents’ room.

Sarah said: “We can’t carry on as we are. Everybody is bickering because they do not have any space or privacy. We have only got one bathroom and with three teenagers it’s not ideal.”

Sarah spent six months with Ysabella at Pendlebury Children’s Hospital when she underwent five gruelling courses of chemotherapy.

The Mather Street Primary School pupil went on to win a Pride in Oldham Award and has now been in remission for five years.

Her grateful family are throwing a party today to celebrate and thank everyone who supported them. Kelvin, who has a genetics degree, has been unable to find a job. Sarah is also unemployed. They conceived Ezekiel after two rounds of IVF so they could save the stem cells from the umbilical cord to treat Ysabella if her leukaemia returned.

But there were not enough cells and they were told that they were unable to have more children. So it came as a massive shock when Sarah fell pregnant again.

She added: “I don’t want us to live apart but I really don’t know what else we can do. We have spent a lot of money on the house and we love the area.

A statement form First Choice Homes said: “We only manage 12 houses with five or more bedrooms, none of which are available in Failsworth.”