It grinds you into ground

Colin MacMillan, 34, from Bathgate, West Lothian

I was living with my girlfriend when I fell off a bike and damaged a disc in my spine. Later, I couldn’t walk or feel my toes or legs. I was in hospital for three-and-a-half months and she spent all my money. I came back to nothing.

When I came to Edinburgh, the council wouldn’t touch me for six months because I didn’t have local connections. I thought I’d have got something a bit more permanent rather than sleeping on the streets. I didn’t see that coming.

Begging for money grinds you in to the ground. It’s soul-destroying. You feel lower than low – the bottom of society.

But you also get some nice folk. One guy gave me a pair of trainers today. I’m chuffed to bits with them.