This time last year, Leonie Hanson was “at the end of her tether”.

Suffering from post-natal depression after the birth of her fifth child, she was also trying to save her 14-year relationship and cope with her three-year-old daughter, Katrina, who suffers from obstructive sleep apnoea – a sleep complaint caused by obstruction of the airway.

“Since Katrina was eight months old she has had trouble getting to sleep, so after I had my last baby it all became too much for me,” she said.

“My partner gave up his job as an car electrician to help out with the family, but it was still an ongoing battle and our relationship started to suffer. My family was in Manchester so I had no -one here for support. It was very difficult.”

That’s when Ms Hanson, 33, who lives with her partner in a two-bedroom maisonette in Dollis Valley Way, Barnet, was introduced to Barnet Home-Start.

Available to any familiy with a child under five, the scheme matches trained volunteer “befrienders” with parents experiencing difficulties.

Families are visited in their own homes at times to suit their schedule, while the volunteers are overseen by a professional staff member to ensure they are giving effective support.

For Ms Hanson, help came in the form of Gillian Pettinger, a retired headteacher.

“Gillie completely turned my life around. If she hadn’t arrived I don’t know what would have happened,” said Ms Hanson.

“She gave me the strength to cope, helping me with discipline and teaching me to walk out of the room to calm down.”

“She also helped with practical things, like getting Katrina diagnosed,” she added.

“Beforehand, we could not get help as we had no idea why she was crying.

“Our doctor said it was a mental health issue, but Gillie used her Home-Start support to get us the information we needed.

“I am much happier now, and so is my family.”

Launched in 1973, Home-Start quickly became the UK’s leading family support charity, supporting 35,000 families and 71,000 children each year.

In Barnet, the charity has been running for ten years, having grown from six volunteers in 1997, to 82 volunteers today.

Run by staff from the area, Barnet Home-Start is responsible for raising its own funds, with 40 per cent provided by Barnet Council.

Barnet scheme manager Kirpal Dhadda said the charity “filled a gap that the statutory sector cannot fill”.

She explained: “We are a non-stigmatising charitable organisation for people who just need that little bit of help and don’t quite reach the threshold of the statutory services.

“But if they don’t get that help, they will soon reach it. We are a preventative charity.”

An appeal for funding by the BBC show Lifeline last month resulted in a much-needed cash boost into all 340 Home-Start schemes around the country.

But despite this help, Ms Dhadda says more is desperately needed — especially in Barnet, where residents’ problems are often disguised by its reputation as a “rich” borough.

“Many of the problems here are masked by the wealth of some of the ‘leafier’ areas, so we often miss out on funding,” she said.

“Yet in many areas, such as the Grahame Park and Dollis Valley estates, our needs are the same as in the inner-city, so we have to work extra hard to get the same attention.”

To donate to Home-Start, call 0800 093 93 94 or send cheques payable to Home-Start, to Home-Start, Freepost, BBC Lifeline Appeal.

For more information, visit home-start.org.uk