StormborneLore

Tag: protect civilians

  • Essential Food Aid Services for UK Residents

    Essential Food Aid Services for UK Residents

    An interior view of a food pantry or community market with shelves stocked with various canned goods and packaged items. Two individuals are present: one standing and looking contemplative, while the other is checking their phone, with an empty shopping cart nearby.
    Individuals exploring a well-stocked food pantry, highlighting the importance of food access and support services.

    Compiled by StormborneLore because I’ve known hunger, and I know the shame that shouldn’t be there.

    🌾 Introduction

    Food is a human right not a luxury. Yet across the UK, thousands face hunger daily, often quietly. I’ve lived in homeless hostels. I’ve relied on food banks. I’ve stretched oats and salt into meals and felt the sting of choosing between heating or eating.

    This guide is for anyone facing food insecurity in the UK. You deserve help not judgment.

    Below is a growing list of national and local services that offer free or low-cost food, groceries, and support. Please share, save, and if you know a resource not listed here, message me. I’ll add it.

    🍽️ National & Local Food Help – UK

    🔹 The Trussell Trust
    Provides emergency food parcels through a referral system.
    📍 Find your local food bank
    🌐 https://www.trusselltrust.org

    🔹 IFAN – Independent Food Aid Network
    Connects users to independent (non-Trussell) food banks across the UK.
    🌐 https://www.foodaidnetwork.org.uk/

    🔹 St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP)
    Offers food, clothing, community outreach, and support services.
    🌐 https://www.svp.org.uk/

    📱 Tech That Helps

    🔹 Olio App
    Connects people to surplus food shared by neighbours, businesses, and stores.
    🌐 https://olioex.com/

    🔹 Too Good To Go
    Rescue unsold meals from shops and cafés at discounted prices.
    🌐 https://toogoodtogo.co.uk/

    🏛️ Local Authority Help

    🔹 Welfare Support Schemes
    Most UK councils offer emergency support including food vouchers or short-term grants.
    🔍 Search “Your Local Council + Emergency Food Support”
    💡 You can also contact Citizens Advice for local resources.

    An artistic illustration of a colorful brain surrounded by hearts, set against a backdrop of rolling hills and mountains, symbolizing mental health and emotional support.
    An artistic representation of a brain symbolizing mental health and support, reflecting themes of compassion and understanding.

    💬 Mental Health Support if You’re Struggling

    🧠 Mind UK
    Support for anxiety, depression, grief, and mental health struggles.
    🌐 https://www.mind.org.uk/

    ☎️ Samaritans
    Free, confidential 24/7 support line.
    📞 Call 116 123
    🌐 https://www.samaritans.org/

    ✨ Your Voice Matters

    💬 Know a good charity, food co-op, or support service?
    Please comment or email I’ll update the list regularly.

    📢 Have you experienced food poverty?
    If you feel safe sharing your story, it could help someone feel less alone.

    A close-up image of two hands shaking, one with dark skin and the other with light skin, symbolizing cooperation and unity.
    A heartfelt handshake symbolizing support and unity in the face of food insecurity.

    🧭 Final Thoughts

    You are not alone.
    These services exist to help you eat, live, and survive with dignity.
    It’s okay to need help. Asking is strength, not weakness.

    This list will grow. So will we.

  • I Stand for Human Rights

    I Stand for Human Rights

    From Palestine to Ukraine and Beyond

    A symbolic image featuring two white doves perched on a scale of justice, with the text 'I stand for Human Rights' prominently displayed, symbolizing the advocacy for human rights and equality.
    Symbolizing justice and peace, two doves perch on a scale, representing the call for human rights.

    Peace. Dignity. Equality. On a healthy planet.

    These are not political demands. They are the foundational promises made to all of us through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations on 10 December 1948. These rights were written not in comfort, but in the shadow of war, genocide, and oppression.

    They are rights meant to protect every person, everywhere.

    And yet, in 2025, we still witness starvation, exile, bombardment, injustice, censorship, and fear.

    I stand with the people of Palestine children trapped in rubble, civilians without food, and voices drowned out by politics.

    I stand with the people of Ukraine, caught in a brutal war where cities are shelled and homes destroyed.

    I stand with those fleeing anywhere Syria, Sudan, Yemen, the Rohingya for the right to be safe, housed, fed, and free.

    I stand with people who are simply trying to survive.

    What Are Human Rights?
    The Universal Declaration of Human Rights begins with a simple truth:

    *”All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

    This document was built to protect that truth. It includes rights such as:

    The right to life, liberty, and security
    Freedom from torture, slavery, and arbitrary arrest
    The right to asylum and nationality
    Freedom of opinion, religion, and peaceful protest
    Access to food, housing, education, healthcare, and work
    These are not luxuries. They are the agreed foundations of justice and peace.

    You don’t need to be perfect to deserve them. You don’t need to be powerful. You just need to be human.

    A Personal Voice, Not a Political One
    I do not claim to have all the answers. But I know suffering when I see it.

    I know that international law matters, and that it is being ignored.

    I know that families are burying children they couldn’t save.

    I know that food, water, and medicine are being denied.

    And I know that staying silent feels like betrayal.

    This platform, StormborneLore, blends myth and memory. But sometimes, reality bleeds through.

    So let this be real.

    Let it be clear:

    I stand with Palestine
    I stand with Ukraine
    I stand with all people whose basic human rights are under attack
    No one should live in fear for existing.

    No one should starve in silence.

    No one should be forgotten.

    Final Words
    Human rights are not a theory. They are a heartbeat.

    Please read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
    Share it. Discuss it. Hold power accountable.

    And if you’re struggling or afraid, know this:

    YOU MATTER!

    And there are still people who believe in your right to live, love, speak, and thrive.

    Further Reading

    UN DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

  • Living with Psychotic Depression: Personal Stories and Insights

    Living with Psychotic Depression: Personal Stories and Insights

    Abstract artwork featuring concentric circles in various shades of blue, red, and purple, with a central intricate design in gold and brown.
    Abstract artwork depicting swirling colors and intricate patterns, representing the complexity of mental health.

    Understanding Psychotic Depression

    There are many types of mental illness some considered minor others major. But personally seen the devastating effects of mental illness.

    For years I was told I had BPD with associated psychosis, agoraphobia, anxiety. But then the psychiatrist diagnosed me with a condition called Psychotic Depression.

    Psychotic depression is not a term many people hear until it touches their life. For some, it’s a diagnosis; for others, a hidden truth they never had words for.

    It is a severe form of major depressive disorder (MDD). That includes psychosis a break from reality through hallucinations or delusions.

    What Is Psychotic Depression?

    Psychotic depression blends the hopelessness of clinical depression with the unreality of psychosis. The result is a state where:

    • Delusions (false beliefs) often focus on guilt, punishment, illness, or worthlessness.
    • Hallucinations (often auditory or visual) align with negative internal narratives.
    • The person lose touch with reality, unable to distinguish fact from fear.

    It can be terrifying, isolating, and life-threatening.

    Core Symptoms:

    • Deep, prolonged sadness
    • Loss of interest in life
    • Fatigue or inability to move
    • Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
    • Thoughts of death or suicide
    • Psychotic symptoms:
    • Hearing voices
    • Believing you’ve committed unforgivable sins
    • Feeling watched or judged by unseen forces

    These aren’t “dramatic” feelings they are real experiences for those living through psychotic depression.

    What Causes It?

    Psychotic depression is often triggered by a combination of:

    • Genetics (family history of mood or psychotic disorders)
    • Trauma or extreme stress
    • Chronic illness or disability
    • Imbalance in brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, cortisol

    It’s not your fault. And it’s more common than most think.

    Treatment Options

    Psychotic depression is serious but it is treatable.

    • Medication: Usually a combination of antidepressants and antipsychotics
    • Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): Effective in severe or treatment-resistant cases
    • Therapy: Often after stabilization, to handle trauma and build tools for recovery
    • Support systems: Family, friends, and community matter

    If you or someone you love is experiencing this, seek professional help right away.

    A Personal Note:

    “I believed I’d infected the world just by being alive. A voice in my mind confirmed it, over and over. I couldn’t tell what was real only that I was dangerous. I wanted to disappear.”

    You are not alone. You are not broken beyond repair.


    StormborneLore is a space where fire still burns even in the dark.

    If you are in the UK:

    • Call Samaritans on 116 123 (24/7)
    • Text SHOUT to 8528 (crisis text line)

    If you are in the USA:

    • Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)