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“Children in Greece Fainting in Playground”

British who used to live in GreeceBritish who used to live in Greece, have returned to their country due to the Greek economic crisis according to a publication of Daily Mail.

In 1989, Lizzie Clifton from Britain spent her holidays in Corfu where she met Nikos, a handsome local waiter who convinced her to stay there. After falling in love with Corfu and Nikos, 24-year-old Lizzie married in a traditional Greek style wedding in a 1994 before giving birth to their son, Konstantinos–now 18–a year later. She then had Daniel. But, this tale doesn’t have a happy ending, sadly, the relationship couldn’t survive their cultural differences and she and Nikos separated in 2002.

The 47 year-old Lizzie hoped for a new beginning in her home country but as she said to Daily Mail “we returned to Britain with nothing. I sold all my things just to have food for my children.” She was hoping that local authorities in Claygate, Surrey would help her with some subvention.

Daily Mail notes Lizzie’s case as one of the 81,000 British who last year returned home from foreign countries where they lived. According to the Department of work and pensions, (DWP) individuals should pass the Habitual Residence Test (HRT) which refers to people without British citizenship, or to those who are British but have lost their connections with Britain due to living in another country for a long time. This test determines whether or not a person is eligible for benefits. However, Lizzie didn’t manage to pass it.

Lizzie and her 12-year-old son Daniel, didn’t have money to stay somewhere and finally they found accommodation in a guest room in Claygate, Surrey.

Shortly after, their meagre belongings were packed into two suitcases, while a local charity had donated a food parcel and essentials such as shampoo and toothpaste.

The brutal reality of their homecoming was even harder to bear because she had been forced to flee Corfu, the place she had called home for 24 years, due to the severity of the Greek economic crisis. She declared “nobody in Britain can understand how difficult the situation is in Greece. My son’s friends were so hungry that they were fainting in the playground.”

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