A WORKER at a Blackburn care home pocketed more than £2,100 paid into a Christmas club by work colleagues, including her sister.

Blackburn magistrates heard that single parent Judith Nicola Craven blamed dire financial problems for the offences which had cost her good name.

Craven, 35, of Didsbury Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to theft of £500 from Barbara Maudsley and £321 from Ann Pearson and asked for six offences to be taken into consideration.

She was remanded on bail for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

Emma Kehoe, prosec-uting, said Craven had run a Christmas club for Home Farm Hampers in 2004 and at the end of the year participants had received hampers or shopping vouchers as they expected.

In January 2005 she set up the club again and started collecting money from eight colleagues at Longshaw Care Home, Crosby Road.

"Her colleagues and her sister agreed to pay money to her expecting to receive either vouchers or hampers in December," said Mrs Kehoe.

"Over the course of the year she pocketed the money.

"When colleagues raised concerns with her in December she initially said she was having problems with the hamper company.

"Home Farm contacted the police after receiving complaints."

Mrs Kehoe said she was aware that all the money had been repaid before Craven was charged. Andrew Church-Taylor, defending, said there was no suggestion that Craven had frittered the money away on luxury items or living the high life.

He said during the time of the thefts Craven was living in a rented flat with her 11- year-old child and her total income was £150 a week.

"You may feel that was sufficient income to live on but from that she was paying £65 for rent, £30 for council tax, including arrears, £5 a week each for gas, electric and water and £2.50 for TV licence," said Mr Church-Taylor.

"There was also a loan repayment and there remained a meagre amount of money to live off.

"She was living very much on the breadline."

He said that in 2005 the financial burden had become even more onerous.

"This was a lady in desperate financial straits who was being handed a sum of cash," said Mr Church-Taylor.

"She had bills, threats of eviction, threats of being disconnected and threats of the bailiffs.

"The club money she was being given just staved off what was being threatened against her."

He said that before she was charged Craven had borrowed money from her brother-in-law and paid back all the money she had taken from friends and colleagues.