A U-turn by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was met with cheers from a small, but vocal, group of protestors gathered outside Chesterton Road’s Job Centre on Friday 6th February, in support of seven-year-old Cambridge resident and cancer sufferer, Tommi Miller.

The organisers took action after learning that Tommi’s family had been forced to rely on food bank assistance for months, following the DWP’s refusal last year to award Disability Living Allowance.

The family had previously received the benefit but, when Tommi briefly went into remission last April, the support was withdrawn, despite his ongoing medical treatment.

When the cancer returned in September – affecting Tommi’s spinal cord, brain stem and bone marrow – the family continued to be denied benefits.

His mother, Ruth, explained that Tommi had recently undergone “eighteen sessions of radiotherapy to the brain,” with a further two years of chemotherapy in prospect, but that “DWP staff showed little regard for our situation.”

Shortly after the protest started, news broke that the Millers’ claim had been favourably settled by the DWP. Cambridge MP Julian Huppert, who intervened on behalf of the family, said they would receive additional support for the months they’d been waiting, compensation, and will not be subject to review for four years.

Huppert was “delighted” at the result, but admitted, “I really wish the DWP had sorted this out correctly the first time.”

When asked about her feelings regarding the decision, Ruth stressed that other families continue to endure similar situations: “I really just hope no-one else has to suffer like we did.”

Ruth, along with a friend, now hopes to found a charity aimed at helping others in comparable circumstances. She was also keen to thank those who had supported her family, as “without the help of our friends and community we would have truly been stuck.”

Friday’s protest began with an altercation between security personnel and protestor James Nichols, who was physically restrained after attempting to place a banner over the Job Centre’s window. Speaking to police later, Nichols said the use of force had been “entirely unnecessary. They could have asked us to remove the banner, but they didn’t.”

Daniel Brett, the demonstration organiser, admitted he had no personal connection to the Miller’s, explaining: “I don’t know the family but, as a father of a child the same age as Tommi, I understood.” He went on, “I’m fed up of seeing people pushed into destitution for ‘austerity’.”

Among the protestors was ten-year-old Sara, who held a sign she created with her younger brother. Her father, Arsalan, said Sara had pushed him to attend.

He commented, “anybody can be vulnerable to situations like this,” and hoped to “show solidarity, not just with the Miller family, but with everyone in this country who’s suffering under austerity.”

On learning of the protest, Tommi’s mum said it had come as a “complete shock,” but added “we were pleasantly surprised that people took time out to do such a bold, brave thing for us and we thank all involved so very much.”