A RECOVERING addict says her life was saved by David Amess after she found herself mired in poverty, starving and living on the streets.

Emma Sayer found herself homeless and with no prospects in 2018.

The 40-year-old, who has bipolar, had nowhere and no one to turn to as she roamed the streets of Southend trying to scrape together enough to survive.

In desperation, she reached out to her constituency MP, Sir David Amess, a man with a reputation for going the extra mile to help his residents.

“I was on my arse, I had no money and I had lost my job during a custody battle for my child,” she said.

Echo:

“I was homeless and penniless. I didn’t know what to do so I called him. He sorted everything out for me and went out of his way to help.”

Emma added “Sir David Amess saved me from starvation by putting me on the road to receive benefits and I honestly believe that he saved my life.

“He gave me some faith in what I thought was a very broken and corrupt system.”

Recalling his gentle demeanour when approached for help, Emma said: “He was a lovely bloke, he was a diamond, an absolute legend.

“I think I must have scared him a little when we first met because I was going through a breakdown, I was desperate. But he helped me anyway and put me on track to sort my life out.”

Echo:

Now, Emma lives in accommodation provided by Southend homeless charity HARP and has begun work as a self-employed hairstylist renting a chair at Cut U Up in Southchurch Road.

She is also a prolific artist, who loves to paint and specialises in street art who goes by the name of ‘Council Bird’.

“I chose the name because that’s what somebody used to call me as an insult,” she explained.

“They said I was common, and I’m not very posh, but I have taken it and made it as my own.”