I am 12. When I was 6 we moved to a totally different area and I was bullied very badly (physically and mentally). My dad got a relocation package for me, my mum and my 3 month old sister to move to America. When Christmas came around he told me that he was going to America and leaving us here...

My mum became very ill to the stage where I had to ring her at lunchtime every day from school. We moved to a horrible house, where there were mites and dust and it was awful. My little sister got the worst case of impetigo (skin disease) seen in Britain for 13 years.

Then by some miracle, my mum found us a lovely house. I moved schools to escape the bullying and all was well for 3 years.

A month before I was due to leave primary school my mum received an email from the estate agents stating that we had 3 weeks to get out of the house. My mum couldn't get a tenancy agreement so we had no choice but to send our stuff into storage and move in with my nanna who lived 200 miles from the school I was due to start. Every day I had to wake up a 3am and travel 200 miles to get to school. Life was hell and my family suspected I was depressed for a month or 2.

Things were kinda getting normal when my 26 year old cousin was released from jail. He also had to move in but my nanna's is a 2-bed so he slept on the sofa. That Christmas and new year was the worst of my life. There were people everywhere and my cousin's old jail mates were drunk.

My mum kept applying for mortgage and eventually someone from the housing association helped us so now we part rent, part own. I am now in a lovely house and everything is going well. In a month I will be starting my second year 8 and in the awards ceremony I did excellent. Despite all the chaos I managed to get A's in every subject and a top score for effort. Next year I will be moving up classes and my dad is taking us on holiday. There is hope in this world...