• EVERY day I pass by Maria’s little hut and wonder how many people know that she’s in there.

It looks like part of the building works nearby, maybe something to cover sand and cement, sheltering them from the dampness and the rain. But its Maria’s home, the place where she tries to shelter from the freezing cold.

Sometimes I see her in the coffee shop where she gets a flask of hot water for her tea, which she makes in her hut, maybe to maintain a ritual that gives her some degree of normality.

She’s a woman, in her 60s, I think, who doesn’t beg or drink. She seems invisible to most people.

I am lucky enough to have a warm flat to go to and every day, sitting there in comfort I think of Maria and what can I do for her.

So I called the council three times and last time they told me to call the police. Once they promised that they were going to look into it – but never did.

Christmas is soon coming and I hope that Maria won’t have to pray like the little match girl to be taken to a better world. This is not the 19th century. Surely out there must be help for this woman.

JOSEPHINE BRUNI, NW5