Everyone in the street turned up, and, with Ma sitting regally in her doorway guarding her sparkling step, ways to survive the crisis were discussed. But there seemed little anyone could do except try to help the most needy amongst them. Ron and another young man, Jimmy, decided they would go out on their bikes with placards hung from the handlebars, offering to do gardening or any odd jobs.

‘It’ll be better than sitting on our backsides feeling sorry for ourselves,’ Ron declared stoutly.

‘I’ve heard there are things called soup kitchens in some places,’ Jenny said. ‘Couldn’t we at least get food for the children from them?’

‘There ain’t none round here,’ the woman from No. 34 told her. ‘The nearest one’s a bus ride away in Camden, and we can’t afford to waste pennies on bus fares.’

‘Anyway that’s degrading,’ her husband muttered. ‘That’ll be the last straw. We does have our pride.’

‘Don’t talk rot,’ Stan snapped. ‘Pride won’t fill your bellies.’

‘Too right,’ Fred said. ‘Look at our Jen. Been brought up a lady, but she wasn’t too proud to scrub floors when her family lost all their money.’

‘And that’s the kind of guts that’s going to get us through this.’ Ma surveyed her neighbours sternly. ‘Poverty ain’t no stranger to us, but this is a real bad time, and we got to see that the kids don’t suffer too much.’

‘That’s all right for you to talk, Ma.’ One man was swaying on his feet, looking belligerent. ‘I can’t see you doing much about it.’

Ma bristled. ‘You come here, Billy Watkins, and I’ll show what I can do. And where did you get money to get drunk this early in the evening?’

‘None of your bloody business!’ He staggered his way back to the pub.

‘He ain’t gonna be any use while he’s in that state,’ Glad remarked. ‘I’ll sort him out tomorrow. Now has anyone got any sensible ideas?’

There was a surge of suggestions. The women would see if they could get any sewing or take in washing; the men would start touting for work – any kind of work.

‘What we need is someone with money who’d set up a help centre near here,’ Mrs Preston from five doors along said. ‘It ain’t just us in this street what’s suffering. It’s the whole blasted country now.’

‘We’re just going to have to tighten our belts and do the best we can.’ Fred took a cigarette packet from his pocket, saw it was empty, screwed it up and tossed it in the air. ‘That’s one thing I’m gonna have to do without for a start. But things are bound to pick up again.’

With mutters that this couldn’t last for ever, they finished the meeting and everyone returned to their homes.