A Scottish family who regularly busk for rooms in the Travelodge hotel each night have spoken out about their fears of losing their child.
27-year-old Hamish Robb and 19-year-old Megan Giles began a relationship with each other four months ago and are now engaged to be married.
Megan has a one-year-old son named Brody who enjoys falling asleep to Hamish's melancholy tones as he sings to shoppers in Gloucester city centre.
According to Gloucestershire Live, Hamish has spoken out about the "frustrating" and "horrible" circumstances where they fear baby Brody will be "taken off" them.
The 27-year-old, originally from Scotland, said: “We’ve been staying at Travelodges, there’s one down at Gloucester Quays. It’s just getting ridiculously expensive now, I’m starting even earlier than I usually do.”
Hamish says Travelodge prices can range from around £55 to £80, depending on which Gloucester district he is busking that day.
He continued: “I am feeling quite low. Literally concentrating on getting as much money as possible. Not knowing if we’re going to get a roof over our head at the end of the day is just horrible.
"The prices change every day at Travelodge, it’s never a consistent price. Every day is different, unfortunately.”
The singer described how he had an hour to go one night to earn £5 so they had enough money to pay for a room as he was racing against time to deposit the funds in to his post-office account before the shop shut.
Hamish has been singing for about 14 years. He even continued busking through lockdown, although he says some days he would earn as little as £10. Whereas on the best of days, he could earn up to £150.
Megan, from Cheltenham, became pregnant to Brody when she was 17 and admits “it wasn’t exactly the way I’d planned”.
The 19-year-old mum says she was "kicked out" of a house recently and now is looking for a place for the three to live together as a family unit.
She said: “My living situation is really complicated. I’ve been trying to find people to take the little one for the night if obviously we couldn’t get somewhere just to make sure he’s safe.
“We’re trying to get our own place.”
Hamish said: “We’re worried we’ll have the little one taken off of us because we’ve got no fixed abode. It’s horrible at the moment.”
The 27-year-old had to sleep rough for five months about two years ago. He has been busking tirelessly on the streets from 9.30am each morning to ensure Megan and Brody have a roof over their heads each night, even though “Gloucester homeless people are a really nice bunch”.
Megan is confident fiancé Hamish can make a living from his singing.
“Loads of people say to Hamish he should go on to X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent. I reckon he should,” she said.
Hamish said: “I get told every day I should go on X Factor. I don’t really want that kind of pressure, constantly badgered by paparazzi. I enjoy singing for people rather than singing for people’s money.”
Hamish points out that he puts down a case for money, purely for “donations”.
He compares himself to singers Ed Sheeran and Olly Murs as “they started from the bottom and they are right up at the top now.
“That’s where I want to be in five years, selling out stadiums.”
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