Food banks, Cladding, Christmas trends

Available for over a year

A record number of children are expected to be fed by food banks this Christmas, according to the Trussell Trust, the largest food bank operator in the UK. We go to Coventry, the city with the most visited group of food banks, to find out how they're planning to operate. Six months after the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, many residents have been told the cladding on their buildings is unsafe. In the private sector, some leaseholders are facing bills of thousands of pounds to pay for the removal and replacement of cladding panels that have failed fire safety tests. In the meantime they're also required to fund the presence of fire wardens around the clock to ensure the safety of those living in the buildings. How to get this year's "Christmas look" right. Retailers and manufacturers start planning Christmas trends two years in advance. Just how influential are trend forecasters when it comes to what we buy? We sent our reporter Chrissie Reidy to a wreath making class at Battersea powerstation in London to discuss this year's unusual trend for upside down Christmas trees. There might be one in the lobby of Claridge's Hotel, but will we really be upending the tree in our living rooms? Retailers have been criticised for sending emails in the middle of the night encouraging us to shop. The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute says that forty percent of the people with mental health problems they surveyed admitting to 'crisis shopping' at night. Now a new tool called 'Icebox' has been developed, an attachment for your browser that allows you to freeze impulse purchases until the following morning. How will it work? Presented by Winifred Robinson. Produced by Beatrice Pickup.