A CHILDREN'S charity has stepped in to help a family trapped in an overcrowded house.

Mum-of-five Jennifer Woodman, who suffers from serious ill health, told how Children in Poverty Inverclyde have offered them a once-in-a-lifetime holiday.

The charity, which relies entirely on donations from local people, took Jennifer, her son Barry, who has cerebral palsy and her four other children to their holiday home.

The family had the chance to escape the misery of living in temporary accommodation and slipping into further in to poverty to pay off rent arrears.

The Tele told on Monday how Jennifer is desperate for a new house for her family.

Jennifer, 31, from Burns Road in Greenock said: "I can't tell you what a difference the holiday made.

"It helped us all relieve the stress.

"To see the kids so happy was the best feeling.

"The staff couldn't do enough for us.

"Sometimes when you have five children you just feel judged but nobody was judging us on holiday.

"They couldn't do enough to help us."

Charity founder Mr Burke set up Children in Poverty to help needy families get a much needed holiday.

They pay for accommodation, transport, food and entertainment at Hunters Quay near Dunoon.

The charity has a holiday home in the Argyll and Bute luxury holiday park and also rents out caravans on the site.

They have helped hundreds of children thanks to thousands of pounds of donations from local people.

Jennifer added: "Pat is absolutely amazing and we have offered to do anything we can to help in return.

"The holiday was just what we needed."

The Woodman family had to rely on foodbanks as they struggled to pay off rent arrears.

They were left devastated when River Clyde Homes told them that plans for an adapte house in William Street had fallen through.

Jennifer suffers from a rare form of sarcoidosis and fibromyalgia. She has also battled mental health illnesses and her son Barry, 13, uses a wheelchair.

Social housing bosses say they will continue to work with the family to find a permanent and suitable tenancy for them.

Charity boss Mr Burke said: "I am delighted that we could help the family and I really hope they get their housing situation sorted.

"We will do whatever we can to help."