fbpx

Author: Gavin Aitchison

12 venues, hundreds of visitors, wonderful feedback, and now a spin-off… it’s fair to say the Dreams & Realities tour has been a success!

“It has been amazing experience,” says the artist, Stephen Martin. 

“I’ve met some really interesting people, and I’ve been moved by people’s stories of their experiences living and dealing with poverty and daily hardship. People’s responses to my portraits have been positive and enthusiastic.”

Stephen hods a wooden picture frame, containing a portrait of a woman (Liudmyla)

A nationwide tour

Stephen painted portraits of himself and nine other people living in hardship in Sheffield. Each portrait showed the person’s reality, plus the dreams they would pursue if they were not held back by poverty.

All the people are connected to choirs at St Mary’s Church in Sheffield, and the project was coordinated by Yo Tozer-Loft, community choirmaster, with support from Church Action on Poverty. 

The paintings were unveiled at St Mary’s last March, then toured the country, reaching:

  • Newcastle
  • Stoke
  • York
  • Camden
  • Leeds
  • Halifax
  • Manchester
  • Barking & Dagenham
  • Portsmouth
  • Retford
  • the Greenbelt Festival 

A deeply moving exhibition

Stephen says: “I had a strange sensation each time I visited and saw the paintings again – it has been like meeting old friends again! And there have been some really positive reactions. 

“The events at Camden and Halifax especially were amazing, because there were other people also sharing stories of hardship. They talked about their own situations and issues; it has been so moving. In Halifax, I’m now working on a follow-up, doing five paintings with people there.”

Yo: I feel blessed to have played a part

Yo says that when she had the idea for the project, she wanted to:

  • raise money to keep her community choir going
  • highlight the shocking realities of everyday poverty in the UK before the election
  • dignify the singers who live on the frontline of poverty by asking them to have their portraits painted (as the rich do) and by depicting their dream as well as their reality
  • take up the kind offer of Stephen to paint the portraits.

By Summer 2023, she was already approaching and interviewing singers, then she heard Gordon Brown speak about the new #letsendpoverty movement at the 2023 Greenbelt Festival. 

Yo says: “God was at work! (I had already unexpectedly bumped into Michelle who I wanted to invite to the project but had lost touch with – Greenbelt was the last place I expected to find her!)

“The #letsendpoverty worker Pete did a really fabulous and energetic job  throughout the year finding venues for the exhibition across England and organising an opening event at each place.

“The events were a great forum for meeting and debate amongst people who suffer the effects of poverty plus community leaders and choirs.

“I was really pleased with the uptake and response to the touring exhibition as communities came together for political, informative, solution seeking and sometimes frustrated debate. How can we end poverty in the UK? End the 2 child benefit cap? Bring back fully funded surestart? Introduce Universal Basic Income? We certainly need to communicate with our MPs…

“My late mum, Iris, would be so frustrated to see her own story still being lived- her pathway to education and opportunity blocked by poverty. It meant a lot to me to see the exhibition in Dagenham where she grew up. She achieved so much but still spoke about those lost opportunities in her old age.

“Highlights of the exhibition were the media coverage, the Newcastle, Camden and Portsmouth openings with great speakers, music and crowds, not to mention seeing the paintings back at Greenbelt where the project was ‘blessed’ the previous year!

“I feel blessed myself to have played a part in this project, raising the profile of friends and family still suffering poverty in the UK. As the fifth richest world nation, we can do better!

“Seeing the exhibition and the debate go so far and wide has been like watching my baby grow up, leave home and do something really special and far beyond me!

“Huge thanks to everyone at Church Action on Poverty for all their hard work, especially Pete Duberly, igniting the #letsendpoverty movement with his energy around the paintings and the issue. 

“Stephen Martin excelled himself as a painter, working really generously with me on finessing the likenesses and compositions. The biggest thanks for all goes to the generous singers who gave their faces and their stories, dreams and realities to the project.”

News

Church Action On Poverty North East 2025 AGM

You’re invited to attend the AGM of our local group in the North East, with speaker Amanda Bailey, Director of the North East Child Poverty …
Opinion and insight

The activists Speaking Truth to Power in York

Opinion and insight

We’re listening!

Read some findings from our 2024 survey and in-depth conversations with partners and supporters.
News Press Releases

Briefing: New Government data further undermines its cuts to UK’s vital lifelines

The Government’s own statistics show that disabled people are already three times as likely to be living in food insecurity Church Action on Poverty briefing …
News Opinion and insight

The church must be at the heart of the mishmash of local life

What are the challenges and opportunities in your neighbourhood? And where does your church fit in? Those are two of the questions that people at …
News

Volunteers needed!

Could you help us reach out to supporters and churches for the next Church Action on Poverty Sunday?
News Resources

Urgent: Ask your church to display this poster on Sunday

Churchgoers are urged to speak up against the Government’s harmful and immoral cuts to vital lifelines. Please, join the calls. The Government is proposing to …
News Opinion and insight

The town of 250,000 that revolutionised its food system

The town of Reading, in Berkshire, has revolutionised its community food work in the past two years. Faith Christian Group has opened eight Your Local Pantries …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

Say no to these immoral cuts, built on weasel words and spin

Labour said they would put disabled people at the heart of everything they do. But instead they have shoved us to the very edges. The …
Opinion and insight

Dreams and Realities in our context

Revd Amanda Mallen reflects on the impact Church Action on Poverty Sunday made in her community. During the week following Church Action on Poverty Sunday …
Opinion and insight

How we can radically boost recruitment of working class clergy

Our communities are awash with talent – but Churches need to offer new routes to ministry. Father Alex Frost calls for bold thinking from national …
Let's End Poverty logo: text in black, with a pink triangle logo
News

Let’s End Poverty: what comes next?

As the Let’s End Poverty coalition comes to an end, how will we continue working together?
Vacancies

Vacancy: Chief Executive

We have a vacancy for a new Chief Executive
A collage of five photos of Church Action on Poverty events over the past 28 years
News

Faith, justice & awesome activists: Niall reflects on his 28 years

Niall Cooper is stepping down after 28 years at Church Action on Poverty. He reflects on some remarkable highlights. How …
The Let's End Poverty text logo, on a collage of four images of people doing craft or art.

From mosaics to murals, pots to paintings, Pantry members have been creating stunning art pieces this year

The Let's End Poverty text logo, on a collage of four images of people doing craft or art.

Dozens of people around the UK have been taking part in creative arts projects, alongside the Let’s End Poverty campaign.

Earlier this year, grants were provided to ten Your Local Pantries, to enable them to organise projects that would bring members together and amplify their voice.

Several of the projects have now been completed. The variety and creativity have been spectacular! We’ve seen crochet and cards; pots and portraits, mosaics, murals and more. 

Check out the photos below, via the Your Local Pantry facebook page:

Let's End Poverty art projects

Creations have included:

  • Members designed a mural for the shutters of Greenhouse Pantry in Edinburgh
  • In Reading, members crocheted a woollen Christmas tree, which was then fitted to a wooden frame and illuminated outside the Pantry.
  • In Birmingham, members have been learning pottery, and creating their own pots and vases decorated with their personal stories.
  • Members in Macclesfield have been working on a mosaic, and eight accompanying pieces of art.
  • In Kingston, London, members produced personal portraits exploring life’s challenges and their hopes, and also made Christmas cards.
  • In Kilcooley in Northern Ireland, members took part in community workshops and came up with the idea of a mural of bears, representing the strength and resilience of the community.   
Visit the Let's End Poverty site

What members said

“When I first joined, I felt excited and curious to learn something new, and I loved the warm, welcoming atmosphere of the sessions. I feel that these workshops have truly helped me express myself through art and given me a space to connect with others who share the same interest. It’s made me feel like I have a clearer voice and presence.”

……

“It felt creative and it was lovely to get out of the house for a couple of hours without worrying how I would afford it…. I jumped at the chance to socialise and not be just “mum” for a night. I feel that more hobbies should be available to all on low incomes. It gives you something to look forward to when things are getting on top.”

……

“The soul searching was a surprise, I wasn’t prepared for the emotional work. But in the end it was an amazing experience. It was out of my comfort zone, but I loved it.”

……

“My pot represents a mandala pattern: some nature and trees, and my house. I want to have every part of my culture, my village and my city on the pot.”

……

“I am so proud of our cards. I can’t believe I have designed a card that will be sold!”

……

“It was an opportunity for introspection and thinking about our pasts and future – sometimes uncomfortable but best not left totally unscrutinised… I’ve never been so proud of something I’ve created before.”

……

“I’m proud and delighted to be able to help facilitate the group. It gives great pleasure to use creativity to build confidence and hope in humanity. ‘Altrusim’ (a key point summed up so well by one of our young members) of the whole team, means we can appreciate the smooth running of the Pantry each week. The mosaic helps foster appreciation for not only the wealth of food and daily items so needed but that we are all together and dependent on one another for support. I’m grateful for the opportunity to do something creative in such a meaningful way. Thankyou!”

……

“I shop regularly at the Pantry. It’s an absolute lifeline to me. Being part of the mural project was such a rewarding experience. The idea of using bears to symbolise the weight of the cost-of-living crisis and the fact it’s a family of bears really got me, cause they’re strong and resilient, just like us trying to get by.

“Every time I see the mural, it brightens my day and reminds me of the strength of the community. It was lovely to watch the kids helping to paint – it was adorable seeing their little creative contributions come to life. It gave the project such a family vibe, which is exactly what this place feels like: a Pantry family.” 

News Press Releases

Briefing: New Government data further undermines its cuts to UK’s vital lifelines

The Government’s own statistics show that disabled people are already three times as likely to be living in food insecurity Church Action on Poverty briefing …
News Opinion and insight

The church must be at the heart of the mishmash of local life

What are the challenges and opportunities in your neighbourhood? And where does your church fit in? Those are two of the questions that people at …
News

Volunteers needed!

Could you help us reach out to supporters and churches for the next Church Action on Poverty Sunday?
News Resources

Urgent: Ask your church to display this poster on Sunday

Churchgoers are urged to speak up against the Government’s harmful and immoral cuts to vital lifelines. Please, join the calls. The Government is proposing to …
News Opinion and insight

The town of 250,000 that revolutionised its food system

The town of Reading, in Berkshire, has revolutionised its community food work in the past two years. Faith Christian Group has opened eight Your Local Pantries …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

Say no to these immoral cuts, built on weasel words and spin

Labour said they would put disabled people at the heart of everything they do. But instead they have shoved us to the very edges. The …
Opinion and insight

Dreams and Realities in our context

Revd Amanda Mallen reflects on the impact Church Action on Poverty Sunday made in her community. During the week following Church Action on Poverty Sunday …
Opinion and insight

How we can radically boost recruitment of working class clergy

Our communities are awash with talent – but Churches need to offer new routes to ministry. Father Alex Frost calls for bold thinking from national …
News Resources

SPARK newsletter, winter 2024-25

Read the newsletter for all Church Action on Poverty’s supporters and partners.
News

Meeting the minister

Four community campaigners supported by Church Action on Poverty have met with a Government minister in London, to call for a new approach to working …
News Opinion and insight

19 new Pantries are reaching thousands of people

Thousands of people across the UK are enjoying a merrier Christmas this year, thanks to the opening of Pantries in their neighbourhoods. The Your Local …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

78 pics: Pantry members get creative to end poverty

From mosaics to murals, pots to paintings, Pantry members have been creating stunning art pieces this year Dozens of people around the UK have been …
News Opinion and insight

Dreams & Realities: reflections on an amazing tour

12 venues, hundreds of visitors, wonderful feedback, and now a spin-off… it’s fair to say the Dreams & Realities tour has been a success! “It …
News Opinion and insight

“The PTC is one of the best things that’s ever happened to us”

York Poverty Truth Commission brought people together and is inspiring change What if people living in poverty could work with civic leaders to tackle it? …
Let's End Poverty logo: text in black, with a pink triangle logo
News

Let’s End Poverty: what comes next?

As the Let’s End Poverty coalition comes to an end, how will we continue working together?
Vacancies

Vacancy: Chief Executive

We have a vacancy for a new Chief Executive
A collage of five photos of Church Action on Poverty events over the past 28 years
News

Faith, justice & awesome activists: Niall reflects on his 28 years

Niall Cooper is stepping down after 28 years at Church Action on Poverty. He reflects on some remarkable highlights. How …

York Poverty Truth Commission brought people together and is inspiring change

What if people living in poverty could work with civic leaders to tackle it?

That question is at the heart of the Poverty Truth Commission (PTC) movement, which continues to grow. 

York PTC recently held a celebration and next steps event, and we caught up with some of the participants.

Here’s what they had to say: 

John

“I think it’s one of the best things that has ever happened to us. It’s the icing on the cake for all the other things I do round the city. It’s been really good. I think people are listening now. The civic commissioners do listen to us.

“Everyone thought that money would end up top of the agenda, but it’s not. It’s about being treated with respect, kindness and being listened to.  We have become like family, and we look out for each other.”

Kate

“I joined later than the others, but everyone was so lovely. It’s better than I expected. There are so many times we have been in tears because people have said things that moved us, and then to see that it has moved the people who have power to make decisions is incredible.

“I had gone to an event in York about poverty, and was fascinated that they were asking people to imagine what it was like to be poor. I did not know a life where there was anything else than poverty. Then Ali (one of the PTC facilitators) heard me and we got talking and I never looked back.”

Lynne

“When we first got together as a big group, I felt a bit overwhelmed and out of my depth. But it was worth it, because you get to meet some lovely people and you realise you do fit in somewhere. Regardless of all the bad things that have gone before, you are turning a new chapter now, and doing things to try to make sure that other people get the help they need.”

An aerial shot across York, taken from the Minster

Karen

“At first, I thought the idea seemed quite negative, but it’s been very much the opposite. People round this table have had some very difficult experiences, but there is no judgment, nobody asking ‘why did you do that?!’. 

“There is compassion here. When we had the launch event, it was so clear how much the civics really did care.”

Vicky

“Some of the civic commissioners were crying, and hugging us. People were exchanging telephone numbers. I never thought any of that would happen. Individually, we have made life-long friends and I think we have started doing something that will get bigger.”

Jamie

“I joined the PTC by chance, but I have made friends. Before we would all have walked past one another but now we have got to know each other. Some of it has tested our boundaries, but I became me when I spoke in the hall at an event. I became me through this group. Before that, I was just following along.”

Flashback: This video shows the launch of the PTC in 2023

Learn about Poverty Truth Commissions UK-wide

York Poverty Truth Commission's story

PTCs are made up of equal numbers of community commissioners (local residents with personal experience of poverty) and civic commissioners (people whose professional position enables them to help make change happen). Church Action on Poverty helped in the early work to establish the York PTC, along with local organisations. 

At its celebration event, the PTC launched a charter for organisational standards. Community commissioners had said their priority was to be treated with dignity and respect by the organisations they deal with. The civic commissioners publicly pledged to adopt and integrate the charter into their employers’ working practices, and challenged others to do the same.

Community commissioners have also spoken at a GP staff training event, and are speaking at council meetings, and engaging in other local decision-making processes. Through the work of the PTC, the city council is now reviewing the letters it sends to people in arrears. 

If you liked this story, why not also read about the Unheard York storytelling project we took part in?…. 

A collage, showing a megaphone graphic, a City of York logo, and a screenshot of a story headed: "What I learnt from four months in York's homeless system"
News Resources

Urgent: Ask your church to display this poster on Sunday

Churchgoers are urged to speak up against the Government’s harmful and immoral cuts to vital lifelines. Please, join the calls. The Government is proposing to …
News Opinion and insight

The town of 250,000 that revolutionised its food system

The town of Reading, in Berkshire, has revolutionised its community food work in the past two years. Faith Christian Group has opened eight Your Local Pantries …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

Say no to these immoral cuts, built on weasel words and spin

Labour said they would put disabled people at the heart of everything they do. But instead they have shoved us to the very edges. The …
Opinion and insight

Dreams and Realities in our context

Revd Amanda Mallen reflects on the impact Church Action on Poverty Sunday made in her community. During the week following Church Action on Poverty Sunday …
Opinion and insight

How we can radically boost recruitment of working class clergy

Our communities are awash with talent – but Churches need to offer new routes to ministry. Father Alex Frost calls for bold thinking from national …
News Resources

SPARK newsletter, winter 2024-25

Read the newsletter for all Church Action on Poverty’s supporters and partners.
News

Meeting the minister

Four community campaigners supported by Church Action on Poverty have met with a Government minister in London, to call for a new approach to working …
News Opinion and insight

19 new Pantries are reaching thousands of people

Thousands of people across the UK are enjoying a merrier Christmas this year, thanks to the opening of Pantries in their neighbourhoods. The Your Local …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

78 pics: Pantry members get creative to end poverty

From mosaics to murals, pots to paintings, Pantry members have been creating stunning art pieces this year Dozens of people around the UK have been …
News Opinion and insight

Dreams & Realities: reflections on an amazing tour

12 venues, hundreds of visitors, wonderful feedback, and now a spin-off… it’s fair to say the Dreams & Realities tour has been a success! “It …
News Opinion and insight

“The PTC is one of the best things that’s ever happened to us”

York Poverty Truth Commission brought people together and is inspiring change What if people living in poverty could work with civic leaders to tackle it? …
Annual reviews Resources

Annual review 2023-24

Read our annual review and financial statements.
News

Sheffield MP speaks at Pilgrimage event about tackling poverty

Members of the Sheffield Church Action on Poverty 2024 Urban Poverty Pilgrimage prepare to set off. Sheffield Central Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed has urged the …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

Doing food together: An invitation to all churches

Churches urged to open more Pantries Bishop says community food approach “goes to the heart of the Christian faith” Churches across the UK are being …
News Opinion and insight

PM responds to the Let’s End Poverty letters

People with first-hand experience of poverty wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to change the Government’s approach… and received an immediate response. The Dear Prime …
News Resources

SPARK autumn 2024

Read or download our newsletter for supporters
Opinion and insight

Time to scrap the two-child limit

In this guest blog, Sam Corcoran explores why it’s time to scrap this harmful policy.
Let's End Poverty logo: text in black, with a pink triangle logo
News

Let’s End Poverty: what comes next?

As the Let’s End Poverty coalition comes to an end, how will we continue working together?
Vacancies

Vacancy: Chief Executive

We have a vacancy for a new Chief Executive
A collage of five photos of Church Action on Poverty events over the past 28 years
News

Faith, justice & awesome activists: Niall reflects on his 28 years

Niall Cooper is stepping down after 28 years at Church Action on Poverty. He reflects on some remarkable highlights. How …

Churches urged to open more Pantries

Bishop says community food approach “goes to the heart of the Christian faith"

Churches across the UK are being urged to consider opening food Pantries, as a way to strengthen their neighbourhoods and build local hope.

The Your Local Pantry network has 121 Pantries across the UK, but knows churches are ideally placed to host more and is inviting church leaders to commit to opening a Pantry in 2025.

Last week, the Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds, visited InterAct Pantry in Meanwood, north Leeds, and talked with members and volunteers about the impact it has locally. The Pantry is run by a charity made up of Anglican, URC, Baptist and Methodist Churches.

Bishop encourages churches to get involved

Bishop Nick said: “What’s really impressive is that we recognise that food isn’t just for eating – we commune around food. So whether people are collecting food or eating food together, it’s a social event. It goes to the heart of the Christian faith as well, this is what we do all the time.

“I would encourage churches to consider how they might be engaged and involved in this. We need to remember, Jesus said we will be judged by whether we visit the sick, feed the hungry, give drink to those who are thirsty and so on. You can!”

Your Local Pantry’s recent Places Of Hope report found that Pantries had saved members £10.5 million in the past two years, and showed that they were bringing a wide range of community benefits, such as improved health, reduced isolation, and enhanced access to other opportunities and services.

Lorem ipsum

Church Pantries reach almost 60,000 people

The Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds, looks out of the InterAct Pantry window, with volunteers in the foreground

Church Action on Poverty, which coordinates the network, is now able to provide a breakdown of the figures for church-based Pantries.

Of the 121 Pantries in the network, 73 (60%) are hosted by or supported by churches or Christian charities. The first Pantry in a church opened five years ago this November, in Birmingham, and since then church-backed Pantries have been visited 362,300 times, supporting 59,800 people in 22,700 households. (If all Pantries are counted, church and non-church, those figures rise to 691,700 visits, supporting 121,800 people in 44,100 households).

Pantries are a perfect fit for pantries

James Henderson, network development coordinator for Church Action on Poverty, says: “Pantries are all about dignity, choice and hope. They are a perfect fit for churches who want to cement their role in their community, and who want to help make change happen.

“Many churches have spaces that lend themself to Pantries, but also an abundance of compassion and potential volunteers. If any church is wondering how to use food as a gateway to hope, we’d love to hear from you.”

The Bishop of Leeds chats to a volunteer, inside InterAct Pantry

Pantries bring vast community benefits

The entire Your Local Pantry network has saved members £5.76m in the past year, and £10.5m in the past two years – but the benefits go far deeper. Research has shown that 83% of Your Local Pantry members say it has been good for their mental health; 74% feel more connected to their local community; 66% have made new friends; and 63% now eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. Pantries also have an average of 15-20 volunteers each,

Pantries are also increasingly about ongoing social transformation, with many members this year becoming involved in local democracy, social campaigns, and art projects.

Anyone interested in opening a Your Local Pantry should email info@yourlocalpantry.co.uk

One church’s story

North End Baptist Church in Portsmouth ran a food bank which had supported around 10,000 people in the five years up to 2020, and when the pandemic struck the level of local need soared. Covid changed the way the team worked, but it also prompted some reflection. Was this the right approach, or was there a better way?

Jo Green, one of the Pantry managers, says: “We spoke to schools and other organisations. They were telling us they had families who needed help but who would not go to a food bank because of the stigma. It made us wonder what we could do. 

“Our minister, Tracey, knew someone who ran a Pantry and we looked at a couple, and decided that becoming a Pantry was the way forward. We closed our food bank at the start of April 2021, and three weeks later we opened as a Pantry. The stigma has certainly reduced. We have a lot of families now and we are finding that people really value it more because they are paying towards it.

“We want to reach people in the area and build relationships. With a Pantry, people come back every week and start opening up and you hear how much it means to people. We are a church so we can direct people in the church to the Pantry, and also let Pantry members know about other things like the toddler groups.”

The Your Local Pantry logo
News Resources

Urgent: Ask your church to display this poster on Sunday

Churchgoers are urged to speak up against the Government’s harmful and immoral cuts to vital lifelines. Please, join the calls. The Government is proposing to …
News Opinion and insight

The town of 250,000 that revolutionised its food system

The town of Reading, in Berkshire, has revolutionised its community food work in the past two years. Faith Christian Group has opened eight Your Local Pantries …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

Say no to these immoral cuts, built on weasel words and spin

Labour said they would put disabled people at the heart of everything they do. But instead they have shoved us to the very edges. The …
Opinion and insight

Dreams and Realities in our context

Revd Amanda Mallen reflects on the impact Church Action on Poverty Sunday made in her community. During the week following Church Action on Poverty Sunday …
Opinion and insight

How we can radically boost recruitment of working class clergy

Our communities are awash with talent – but Churches need to offer new routes to ministry. Father Alex Frost calls for bold thinking from national …
News Resources

SPARK newsletter, winter 2024-25

Read the newsletter for all Church Action on Poverty’s supporters and partners.
News

Meeting the minister

Four community campaigners supported by Church Action on Poverty have met with a Government minister in London, to call for a new approach to working …
News Opinion and insight

19 new Pantries are reaching thousands of people

Thousands of people across the UK are enjoying a merrier Christmas this year, thanks to the opening of Pantries in their neighbourhoods. The Your Local …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

78 pics: Pantry members get creative to end poverty

From mosaics to murals, pots to paintings, Pantry members have been creating stunning art pieces this year Dozens of people around the UK have been …
News Opinion and insight

Dreams & Realities: reflections on an amazing tour

12 venues, hundreds of visitors, wonderful feedback, and now a spin-off… it’s fair to say the Dreams & Realities tour has been a success! “It …
News Opinion and insight

“The PTC is one of the best things that’s ever happened to us”

York Poverty Truth Commission brought people together and is inspiring change What if people living in poverty could work with civic leaders to tackle it? …
Annual reviews Resources

Annual review 2023-24

Read our annual review and financial statements.
News

Sheffield MP speaks at Pilgrimage event about tackling poverty

Members of the Sheffield Church Action on Poverty 2024 Urban Poverty Pilgrimage prepare to set off. Sheffield Central Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed has urged the …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

Doing food together: An invitation to all churches

Churches urged to open more Pantries Bishop says community food approach “goes to the heart of the Christian faith” Churches across the UK are being …
News Opinion and insight

PM responds to the Let’s End Poverty letters

People with first-hand experience of poverty wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to change the Government’s approach… and received an immediate response. The Dear Prime …
News Resources

SPARK autumn 2024

Read or download our newsletter for supporters
Opinion and insight

Time to scrap the two-child limit

In this guest blog, Sam Corcoran explores why it’s time to scrap this harmful policy.
Let's End Poverty logo: text in black, with a pink triangle logo
News

Let’s End Poverty: what comes next?

As the Let’s End Poverty coalition comes to an end, how will we continue working together?
Vacancies

Vacancy: Chief Executive

We have a vacancy for a new Chief Executive
A collage of five photos of Church Action on Poverty events over the past 28 years
News

Faith, justice & awesome activists: Niall reflects on his 28 years

Niall Cooper is stepping down after 28 years at Church Action on Poverty. He reflects on some remarkable highlights. How …

People with first-hand experience of poverty wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to change the Government’s approach… and received an immediate response.

The Dear Prime Minister project was part of the Let’s End Poverty campaign, and involved 15 people writing to Sir Keir Starmer about their own experiences, insights and hopes.

Getting a grassroots message to the heart of Government is no easy feat, so initiatives like this often require patience. But remarkably, these letters generated an almost instant response… that evening, they were the lead story on BBC London TV news, and then the very next day they were discussed at Prime Minister’s Question Time, in a packed House of Commons.

Watch below, as Sir Keir Starmer tells MPs: “The letters are honest, powerful and important and I think they hold up a mirror to our country.” 

Dear Prime Minister letters

Sir Keir Starmer was responding to a question from Cat Smith MP, who had hosted a Parliamentary event for the Dear Prime Minister letter writers and supporters.

Several contributors read out their own letters, and there was a discussion about what it would mean to truly involve people with direct experience of poverty, when policies and systems are written and designed.

Dear Prime Minister: learn more

Together we can build a poverty-free nation

The foreword to the publication says:

“The new Government is aiming for a decade of national renewal. The people who need that the most – the authors of these letters and the millions who share similar experiences – must be invited to be partners in that change.

“We invite the Prime Minister to meet with the authors of these letters, to hear in person the wisdom and insights they bring, and to find ways to bring the expertise and insights derived from lived experience into the heart of policy making. Together, we can build a poverty-free nation, and we are eager to play our part”.

Some contributors, such as Karen & Andy in Morecambe Bay, wrote about the positive impact that localised projects like Poverty Truth Commissions have had, and called for similar approaches nationally. 

They said: “We have worked on many initiatives together and are seeing real change. It’s an approach that could make politics more effective, locally and nationally.”

Others talked of the importance of meaningful support, and others outlined the need for hope for a brighter future.

One contributor, Steve from west London, talked about attending his local food bank, and then becoming a volunteer. He said he had seen why we desperately need to end poverty, and what could be done differently, and added: “By ending poverty, people will be freed to make a difference in their life and in their community.”

Dear Prime Minister: read the letters here
“Listening to people who know what it’s like to live in poverty is not just the right thing to do, it’s the best way to create solutions that really work for the long term.”
Hannah Fremont-Brown
Let's End Poverty coordinator

One of the letters: Dear Prime Minister, from Carrie

Dear Prime Minister,

I am writing to you as a mum of two children, who is working hard to support them in the best way possible. I want to share with you how I believe that truly listening to people with experience of poverty can make a real difference.

Things aren’t easy. I am a lone parent without family support due to bereavements. I struggle every day due to my ill health, and the side effects from my cancer treatment. 

Both of my children have special educational needs. I feel that many people don’t want to truly understand our struggles. Some of the schools they have been part of are not understanding of our situation. They don’t follow plans made with early help, or really listen to what we need to support us as a family. I do not receive disability living allowance benefits for my girls as I struggle to fill in the forms.

I feel let down by the whole system at the moment. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, having to make difficult decisions about how to care for my children and get the income we need. The stress of always having to make tough decisions has a really big impact on us. People in positions of power need to learn to really listen to people’s circumstances and offer support, not restrictions.

Over the last few years, I have been part of the first Poverty Truth Commission in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and it’s changed my life. I think every council should run one. Lived experience voices should be heard in government. A Poverty Truth style programme at a Government level would bring MPs and people of lived experience of poverty into the same circle. MPs should attend Poverty Truth Commission launches and celebrations in their area and take part!

So, Prime Minister, I am writing to ask you to take the first step to really listen to those of us with experience of poverty, and to work with us for change.

From
Carrie, Poole

Opinion and insight

We’re listening!

Read some findings from our 2024 survey and in-depth conversations with partners and supporters.
News Press Releases

Briefing: New Government data further undermines its cuts to UK’s vital lifelines

The Government’s own statistics show that disabled people are already three times as likely to be living in food insecurity Church Action on Poverty briefing …
News Opinion and insight

The church must be at the heart of the mishmash of local life

What are the challenges and opportunities in your neighbourhood? And where does your church fit in? Those are two of the questions that people at …
News

Volunteers needed!

Could you help us reach out to supporters and churches for the next Church Action on Poverty Sunday?
News Resources

Urgent: Ask your church to display this poster on Sunday

Churchgoers are urged to speak up against the Government’s harmful and immoral cuts to vital lifelines. Please, join the calls. The Government is proposing to …
News Opinion and insight

The town of 250,000 that revolutionised its food system

The town of Reading, in Berkshire, has revolutionised its community food work in the past two years. Faith Christian Group has opened eight Your Local Pantries …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

Say no to these immoral cuts, built on weasel words and spin

Labour said they would put disabled people at the heart of everything they do. But instead they have shoved us to the very edges. The …
Opinion and insight

Dreams and Realities in our context

Revd Amanda Mallen reflects on the impact Church Action on Poverty Sunday made in her community. During the week following Church Action on Poverty Sunday …
Opinion and insight

How we can radically boost recruitment of working class clergy

Our communities are awash with talent – but Churches need to offer new routes to ministry. Father Alex Frost calls for bold thinking from national …
News Resources

SPARK newsletter, winter 2024-25

Read the newsletter for all Church Action on Poverty’s supporters and partners.
News

Meeting the minister

Four community campaigners supported by Church Action on Poverty have met with a Government minister in London, to call for a new approach to working …
News Opinion and insight

19 new Pantries are reaching thousands of people

Thousands of people across the UK are enjoying a merrier Christmas this year, thanks to the opening of Pantries in their neighbourhoods. The Your Local …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

78 pics: Pantry members get creative to end poverty

From mosaics to murals, pots to paintings, Pantry members have been creating stunning art pieces this year Dozens of people around the UK have been …
Let's End Poverty logo: text in black, with a pink triangle logo
News

Let’s End Poverty: what comes next?

As the Let’s End Poverty coalition comes to an end, how will we continue working together?
Vacancies

Vacancy: Chief Executive

We have a vacancy for a new Chief Executive
A collage of five photos of Church Action on Poverty events over the past 28 years
News

Faith, justice & awesome activists: Niall reflects on his 28 years

Niall Cooper is stepping down after 28 years at Church Action on Poverty. He reflects on some remarkable highlights. How …

More than 170 church leaders from across the UK have urged the Chancellor to scrap the unjust two-child limit in social security systems.

Senior church figures from multiple denominations joined the growing national calls, ahead of the new Government’s first Budget, on 30 October 2024.

They signed an open letter, coordinated by Church Action on Poverty as part of Challenge Poverty Week. The full text and list of signatories appear on the right.

The letter says: “It should be a universal national aspiration that all children in the UK have the best chances our country can provide. This should be a country that creates opportunities, which believes in and pursues progress, and which does all it can to enable children to flourish and pursue their dreams.

“Towards that end, the UK’s shared social security system should be just and effective. Yet, right now, the two-child limit is instead creating a great injustice. It is, in reality, a sibling penalty. It punishes children for the fact that they happen to have more than one brother or sister. Something that should be a joy – sibling companionship – is instead held against children, denying them access to the opportunities, security and basic sustenance that all children deserve and need.”

The Government’s own statistics show that 1.6 million children in 440,000 households are affected by the sibling restriction, with families missing out on up to £3,455 a year. There is widespread consensus that ending this policy would be the single most effective step the Government could take towards ending poverty, immediately freeing 300,000 children from poverty.

A Work and Pensions Committee report as early as 2019 showed that the policy was not achieving its stated aims, but the letter signatories said that above all, the policy was “unjust and unjustifiable”.

The letter says: “No child should be actively held back by the Government, and left worse off than their peers, simply because of how many brothers and sisters they have. We urge you, in this month’s Budget, to end this policy, and in doing so to start laying the road to a future that all families can look forward to with hope.”

There were 175 signatories to Church Action on Poverty’s letter, including representatives from the Church of England, Church of Scotland, Church in Wales, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Quaker and Pentecostal and Episcopal churches. Signatories include the President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the URC, and the Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.

Niall Cooper, chief executive of Church Action on Poverty, said: “Churches have rightly spoken out against this unjust policy for many years, and it is encouraging that church leaders from a wide range of denominations are doing so again. The UK should be a country that strives to create opportunity, and which enables children to achieve their potential. The two-child limit does the exact opposite, and should be scrapped immediately. The Chancellor should listen to the growing consensus, the strong evidence, and the overwhelming moral imperative on this issue.”

The policy was unprecedented in British social security systems when it was introduced in 2017, and churches have long highlighted the moral injustice it creates. Dozens of Bishops and other faith leaders wrote to the Government on its first anniversary, calling for it to be scrapped, and earlier this year the Archbishop of York joined calls for its removal, saying it was the biggest driver of rising child poverty.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales  also renewed its call for it to be ended in September, saying it undermines the financial security of many families, who are often forced onto Universal Credit by the loss of work or the onset of disability.

Background briefing note

Dear Chancellor,

We write to you from across the UK, on behalf of our churches of many denominations, to join the calls for you to use your upcoming Budget to end the two-child limit in social security systems.

It should be a universal national aspiration that all children in the UK have the best chances our country can provide. This should be a country that creates opportunities, which believes in and pursues progress, and which does all it can to enable children to flourish and pursue their dreams. 

Towards that end, the UK’s shared social security system should be just and effective. Yet, right now, the two-child limit is instead creating a great injustice. It is, in reality, a sibling penalty. It punishes children for the fact that they happen to have more than one brother or sister. Something that should be a joy – sibling companionship – is instead held against children, denying them access to the opportunities, security and basic sustenance that all children deserve and need.

The Government’s own statistics show that 1.6 million children in 440,000 households are affected, with families missing out on up to £3,455 a year. There is widespread consensus that ending this policy would be the single most effective step the Government could take towards ending poverty, immediately freeing 300,000 children from poverty. 

The policy has proven futile, failing to achieve even its stated aims from 2017. That was clear in a Work and Pensions Committee report as early as 2019. But above all, the policy is quite simply unjust and unjustifiable. No child should be actively held back by the Government, and left worse off than their peers, simply because of how many brothers and sisters they have. We urge you, in this month’s Budget, to end this policy, and in doing so to start laying the road to a future that all families can look forward to with hope. 

Yours sincerely

Mr John Baker, Trustee, Earl Shilton Methodist
Pastor David Howe, Pastor, Heanor Baptist Church
Mr John M Hoyle, Steward, Nene Valley Methodist
Ms Caroline Wallace
Mr Michael Brueck, Member, Providence New Mills
Mrs H Sills, Member Of The Justice Action Group, Southwell Minster
Dr Joseph Forde, Church Librarian, St Mark’s Church, Broomhill, Sheffield
Reverend Martyn William Jarrett, Retired Bishop, Worksop Priory
Rev Mark Welch, Coordinating Minister, Burton Latimer Baptist Church
Mrs Kerry Haslam, Food Bank And Christmas Gift Appeal Leader, The Salvation Army
Mrs Deborah Panks, Member And Band Member, Harrowby Lane Methodist Church
Mrs Anne Peacey, Chair, National Justice And Peace Network, Our Lady And St Thomas, Meadowhead, Sheffield
Mr Robert Wakeling, Member, Trinity Church Buxton
Dr Graham Bowpitt, Pcc Member, St Nic’s Nottingham
Mrs June Murray, Senior Steward, Great Glen Methodist Church
 Chris Bourne, Member, Christ Church, Chilwell
Mrs Hilary Finlay, Lay Person, Goat Shed Retreat
Mrs Sheila Knopp, Elder, Trinity Urc St Albans – Elder
Revd James Ramsay, Pto, All Saints, Briston
Revd John Churcher, Retired Minister, St Albans & Welwyn Circuit
Mrs Beryl Vickery, Churchwarden, St Albans, Hemel Hempstead
 Phyll Wood, Lay Minister (Reader), St Leonard, Lexden
Mrs Jean Goodrick
Mrs Susannah Read, Attendee, Holly Lodge
 Christina Mccabe, Disciple, Various
Mrs Camille Fidgett, Parishioner, Hemel West Catholic Parish
Revd Ian Gardner, Minister, Brantham
Revd Dr Robert Ely, Retired Minister, Ely Methodist Church
Mrs Ros Hancock, Circuit Pastoral Worker, S Beds Methodist Circuit
Mr Keith Aldred, Member, St Peter’s St Albans
Mr Andmrs Stanley And Dorothy Dean, Retired Elders And Dot Is A Lay Preacher, Maldon Urc
Revd Colin Carr, Lowly, Blackfriars, Cambridge
Revd Dr Ros Hunt, Priest, St Giles
Miss Patricia Barber, Reader, Sacred Heart, Luton
Revd Jonny Bell, Minister, Holot
 Julie Minns, Retired Minister, Trinity Methodist
Mrs Deirdre Munro, Pastoral Lay Minister, Christ Church East Sheen
Mr Michael Mcloughlin, Member Ex Parish Council Chair, St Elphege
Mr John Warren, Catechist, St Joseph Bromley
Mr John Murphy, Attending Member, Good Shepherd Downham
Mr Richard Solly, Member, St Thomas More
Mrs Rosa Shea, Regular Attender, Saint Aidan’s Justice And Peace Group
Mrs Carol Woollard, Sacristan, North Lambeth Parish
Mrs Pat James, Retired, St Andrews Thornton Heath
Ms Magdalen Lawler, Religious Sister, Most Holy Trinity, Dockhead
Dr Gemma Wieberg, Parishioner, Christchurch With St Philip’s
Ms Claire Crowley, Ecumenical Officer, Churches Together In South London
Mr Nick Eades, Leadership Team, East Plumstead Baptist
Sister Gabriel Robin, Member Of A Religious Order: Canonesses Of St Augustine, Roman Catholic
Revd S Early, Vicar, Addiscombe Baptist
Mr Tom Harris, Congregation Member, Inspire Saint James Clerkenwell
Ms Samira Mackenzie, N/A, N/A
Revd Peter Cornick, Superintendent Minister, Hinde Street Methodist
Rev’d Timothy Meadows, Moderator Of General Assembly, The United Reformed Church
Mrs Barbara Hungin, Chair Justice And Peace Commission, St Mary’s Cathedral Middlesbrough
Mrs Elizabeth Archibald, Parishioner, St George’s
Mrs Mary Davidson, Elder, St Mark’s United Reformed Church
Mrs Margaret Mcallister, Children And Youth Volunteer, Mrs
Mrs Anne Farrow, None, Centenary Methodist Church Crawcrook
Mr Roger Gordon, Safeguarding Officer, North Shields Methodist Church
Prof Helen Goodman, Member Of Pcc, Cap
Revv Paul Worsnop, Minister, Windy Nook Methodist Church
Mrs June Davis, Member Of Pcc, St Pauls Church
Mrs Bernadette Askins, Trustee And Deputy Chair, Churches Together South Tyneside
Major David Burns, Divisional Commander – North East Division, The Salvation Army
Rt Revd Stephen Wright, Bishop, Diocese Of Hexham And Newcastle
Dr Elspeth Brighton
Mr Edward Egan, Retired Teacher, Brother
 Harriet Grimsditch, None, None
Ms Enid Pinch, Clerk Of South Mancheser Local Meeting, Religious Society Of Friends (Quakers)
Ms Melanie Hall, Elder And Worship Leader, Wilbraham St Ninian’s Urc
Sister Philomena Grimley, Pastoral Minister, Parish Of Christ The King And St Kentigern Blackpool
Ms Hilary Thomas, Co-Leader Of J-Club (Sunday Morning Group For Children And Young People); Parochial Church Council Member; Deanery Synod Member, St Thomas’, Pendleton, Salford
Reverend Kate Gray, Minister, The Dandelion Community
Mr Patrick Rooney, Faith And Justice, St Wilfrids Preston
Reverend Colin Harbach, Supernumerary Minister, North Cumbria Methodist Circuit
Mr Liam Purcell, Communications And Supporter Relations Manager, Church Action On Poverty
Revd Mark Nash-Williams, Vicar, Parish Of Alston Moor
Mrs Daphne Hampson, Member, Christ Church  Heaton
Mrs Alison Love, Trustee, Lancaster Methodist
Mr Jonathan Murray, Pcc Member, St James Gorton, Manchester
Mr Brian Robbins, Local Preacher, Thornton Methodist
Doctor Margaret Devadason, Parishioner, Brown Knowle Methodist Church
Revd Dr Lesley Husselbee, Member (Retired Urc Minister), Chorlton Central Church, Manchester
Mrs Catriona Roussel, Retired, Chorlton Central Church Barlow Moor Rd Chorlton M21 9fb
Mrs Hazel Scott Bowes, Worship Leader, Langwathby Methodist Church
Mrs Susan Lewis, Junior Church Leader, St Michael With St Thomas Widnes
Revd Anna Jarvis, Minister, Monton Unitarian Church
Mr Nigel James, Licensed Lay Minister, St John The Evangelist, Great Sutton
Ms W Elizabeth Coleman, Member, Eccles Quakers
Dr Raj Patta, Presbyter, United Stockport Circuit
Revd Andrew Edwards, Diocesan Ecumenical Adviser, Christ Church Norris Green
Mr George Carter, Reader, St Paul’s Hatton Hill
Reverend Jeff Radcliffe, Retired, Holy Trinity
Ms Rhoda Martin, Organist, Pcc Member, Parish Church Of St Mary, Penwortham
Mrs Anna Newton, Pcc Sec, At Michael’s Chester
Miss Grace Buckley, Member Of Parish Council, Archdiocesan Justice & Peace Group
Revd Alan Watt, Retired Minister, Church Of Scotland
Mrs Kate Houston, None, St Mayr’s Cathedral
Sister Rosemary Reilly, Parishoner, Catholiç
Ms Kate Mchendry, None, None
Mrs Oriole Hall, N/A, Inverness Quakers
Reverend Bruce Cameron, Retired Bishop, Scottish Episcopal Church
Reverend Edward Andrews, Interim Moderator, Easter Ross Peninsula Church
Sr Gina Cardosi, Parishionee, Daughters Of Wisdom
 Stuart Holden, Parishioner, Catholic
Mrs Margaret Sparkes, Churh Elder, Buchlyvie And Gartmore Church Of Scotland
Mr Hugh Mathie, Group Leader, Stirling Baptist
Mrs Jennifer Agricola, Sidesperson, Ctic/Holy Trinity
Mr Philip Hayllar, Parishioner, Sacred Heart & St Peter The Apostle Waterlooville
Mr Terence Brown, Member, St Mary’s Crowborough
Mrs Meg Rew, Volunteer Responsible For Parish Website, Worth Abbey Parish
Mr Graham Ryan, Member, Our Lady Of Lourdes Rc Church, Harpenden
Mrs Norma Manton, Member, Gosport Methodist Church
Revd Wendy White, Work As Mse, Trinity
Mr John Shaw, Trustee, Wendover Free Church
Mrs Kate Goodacre, Member, St Matthews Church, Ixford
Mrs Lorna Hicks, N/A, Holy Trinity, Headington Quarry
Mrs Susan Jappie, Society Of Friends/ Quakers At Lewes Meeting House
Mrs Mary Williams, Member, St Albans
Revd Terry Hemming, Retired, Andover Parish
Revd Stephen J Peck, Deacon, Methodist
Revd Harvey Richardson, Supernumerary Minister, Canterbury & E Kent Circuit
Mrs Helen Fletcher, Member, Haywards Heath Methodist Church
Mrs Linda Marshall, Member And Representative On The Local Churches Together, Staines Methodist
Dr Timothy Bartel, Member, Cowley St John Parish, Oxford
Mrs Marilyn Mahon, Church Secretary, Trinity Church
Mrs Bridget Flowers, Volunteer, Christchurch
Mrs Emilia Simmons, Justice And Peace Representative, Immaculate Conception Of Our Lady RC Parish Peacehaven
Mrs Jane Perry, Lay Pioneer, St Anne’s Lewes
Mr Don Littlejohn, Worship Leader, Mosaic Church
Mr Victor Rones, None, Methodist
Revd Geoff Pearson, Member Of Prayer Ministry Team, Canterbury Vineyard
Mrs Alison Maxwell, Member, Blue Idol Quaker Meeting
Revd Kate Cambridge, Minister, St Andrews And Bishopstoke Methodist Churches
Mrs Vicky Scott, Hospitality Lead, Pcc Secretary, St Pauls
Dr David Chapman, Chair Of The Social Justice Group, Christ The Cornerstone, Milton Keynes
 Margaret Bamford, Member, Methodist Central Hall Westminster
Mr John Hopkinson, Member, St Paul’s, Rusthall
Revd Canon Dr Richard Truss, Associate Priest, St Mary Putney
Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga, Incumbent, Christ The Cornerstone
Revd David Lockwood, Minister, Beulah Baptist
Revd Eric Renouf, Supernumerary Minister, Romsey Methodist Church
 Cheryl Montgomery, Chair Of Trustees, The Church Of Christ The Cornerstone
Mrs Pamela Mullin, Steward, Shrivenham Methodist Church
Revd Siobhan Antoniou, Minister, North Downs
Mr Tim Parsons, Pcc Member, St Augustines, Gillingham
Mr Geoffrey Cleave, Elder, United Church Bradford On Avon
Mrs Rosey Sanders, Operations Assistant, Diocese Of Truro & Church Member At All Saints Highertown Church, Truro, Church Of England Offices
Reverend Anthony Barnes, Supernumerary Minister, North Wiltshire Circuit, The Methodist Church Of Great Britain
Mr Alan Partridge, Treasurer, Fairplace Church
Revd Margaret Crawshaw, Supernumerary Minister, Somerset Mendip Circuit
Revd Wendy Tucker, Minister, Gloucestershire Methodist Circuit
Mrs Wendy Barritt, Church Warden, St Cubert
Mr Nick Barnard, On The Pcc, St Helens
Ms Liz Vizard, Deacon/Trustee, South Street Baptist Church Exeter
Mr Adrian Tape, Unemployed, St David’s
Revd Sally Spencer, Minister, South Bristol Methodist Church
Mrs Hazel Parsons, Circuit Steward, Halberton Methodist Church
Mrs Vivienne Davies, Member, The Mint Methodist Church Exeter
Mrs Christine Goudie, Steward, West Street Church , Somerton
Mrs Jo Bussell, Supporter, Higher StBudeaux
Revd Andrew Yates, General Synod Memebr, Diocese Of Truro
Dr Hugh Sharp, Pcc Member, St Allen, Truro
Mrs Claire Stonier, Pcc Member, Sml
Revd Peter Brain, Retired Minister, Glenorchy Urc
Ms Gillian Peace, Synod Wales Cymru Leadership Team, At Andrew’s Methodist, Cardiff
Mr Dave Rendle, Not Working, None
Mrs Mary Jones, Steward, St John’s Methodist Church, Llandudno
Reverend Michael Harrison, Moderator (Reverend), Llandudno Cytun / Churches Together
Mr John Meason, Reader, Guilsfield Church
Mrs Valerie Simcock, Lay Member, Ss Peter & Frances
Dr Brian Golding, Member, St Ceitho, Llangeitho
Ms Jane Leach, None, None
Revd Peter Barber, Retired, St Paul’s
Reverend Diana Cullum-Hall, Retired Minister, United Reformed Church
Mrs Rose Tyrrell, Parishioner, St Chads
Mrs Gillian Boot, Trustee, Walsall Community Church
Mrs Creina Hearn, Minister Of Holy Communion, Our Lady Of The Wayside,
Revd Canon Dr David Primrose, Canon Emeritus, Diocese Of Lichfield
Sister Catherine O’neill, Retired Teacher, Presentation Sisters
Mr Andrew Morris, Circuit Treasurer – Birmingham Methodist Circuit, Selly Oak Methodist
Revd Michael Bate, Member Of The Congregation, Church Of The Epiphany, Oxley
Mr Ivor Timson, Retired, Ive
Ms Helen Lloyd, Member Of All Saints Kings Heath
 Jean Martin, Member Of Pcc And The Pastoral  Care Team, Smethwick Old Church Smethwick
Mrs Merrilyn Cocks, Parishoner, All Saints Kings Heath
Mr Bruce Kirk, Local Preacher, Pleck
Mrs Sheila Himsworth, Rep To Churches Together, Evesham Methodist Church
 Anne Roussel, Local Preacher, Cambridge Rd Methodist Church Birmingham
Deacon Angela Allport, Minister, Lozells And Perry Barr Methodist Churches
Brian O Toole, Volunteer, Nuneaton Catholic Church
Mr Ken Down, Group Leader And Volunteer, Rising Brook Community Church
Mrs Maxine Douglas, Trustee, Church Of God Of Prophecy
Mrs Maureen Hazelwood, Retired Teacher, St Francis Of Assisi Kenilworth
Mr Erik Pearse, Parishioner, Ss Peter And Paul, Wolverhampton
Revd Mandy Walker, Incumbent, All Saints
Revd Dr Neil Johnson, Pioneer Minister, Street Banquet
Revd Phillip Jones, Team Rector, Hanley, The Holy Evangelists Team Ministry
Revd Joseph Batt, Retired Priest, St Peter’s Church, Shipley
Mr Bill Burleigh, Deacon, St Mary, High Green
Reverend Louise Dawson, Supernumerary Minister, Barnsley Methodist Circuit
Mr James Norton, Member, St Vincent De Paul Society
Revd Dr John Peet, Permission To Officiate, StAndrew’s Kildwick And Airedale Methoidst Circuit
Mrs Chris Orange, Retired, St Mary Magdalene’s Maltby
Mrs Lydia Groenewald, Member, All Hallows Church, Leeds
Revd John Davies, Vicar, Benefice Of Clapham With Keasden And Austwick With Eldroth
Dr John Atherton, Parishioner, St Patricks Huddersfield
Dr Colin Smith, Attendee, Hillsborough Baptist Church
Revd Heston Groenewald, Vicar, All Hallows Leeds
Venerable Malcolm Chamberlain, Archdeacon Of Sheffield & Rotherham, Diocese Of Sheffield
Revd Michael Stebbing, Priest Monk, Nicolas
Mrs Carolyn Rorke, Parishioner, St Leonard’s And St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church
Mrs Jennifer Carpenter Jennifer Carpenter, Former Vice-President Of The Methodist Conference
 Lynda Salmon, Church Warden, St Everilda’s
Mrs Jean Gosling, Steward, Cookridge Methodist Church, Leeds
Mrs Catherine Margham, Member, Harrogate Quaker
Revd Terry Drummond, Licensed Distinctive Deacon, Washburn Mid Wharfe Benifice
Mr Trong Duc Nguyen, Church Goer, New Way Church
Mrs Lisa Howells, Member, St Michaels Church Newton
Revd Helen Cameron, President Of The Methodist Conference
Mrs Carolyn Godfrey, Vice-President Of The Methodist Conference
Revd Richard Andrew, Chair Of Darlington Methodist District, 2025 President Of Methodist Conference
Revd Peter  Collins,  Joint Public I

A collage, showing a megaphone graphic, a City of York logo, and a screenshot of a story headed: "What I learnt from four months in York's homeless system"

Five people with experience of complex poverty have been speaking up to press for change, as part of an exciting collaboration in York.

Church Action on Poverty worked with the independent media outlet YorkMix and with a local group called Lived Insights, to help tell complicated stories effectively.

Participants all had experience of issues such as poverty, anxiety, food insecurity, homelessness, drug use, or the criminal justice system.  

They spent several months over last winter and the spring exploring and sharing their experiences, and the stories were then published online over this summer, in a series called Unheard York.

A collage, showing a megaphone graphic, a City of York logo, and a screenshot of a story headed: "What I learnt from four months in York's homeless system"

Meet Charlotte, Anne, John, David & Tammy

Read the Unheard York stories here

Unheard York: what has the impact been?

As a result of the stories, Lived Insights (which is part of the national Speaking Truth To Power programme) has secured meetings with representatives from the city council to discuss possible changes. One issue raised was the complete lack of an established  feedback system, for people who had been through the homeless system to share their ideas and insights. 

Unheard York: The background to the idea

The work was prompted by a 2020 report, called Telling A Different Story, which noted that the media often tend to over-simplify complex stories, and struggle to convey the complexity of disadvantages in people’s lives. It said the voices of people with multiple disadvantages were often missing, and called for more collaborations between the media, charities, and people with personal experience. 

It immediately interested our communications team, who have long worked to amplify people who can bring first-hand insight to discussions around poverty. 

Unheard York: reactions

"It's been a great collaborative project bringing together experiences of people into a powerful series which asks the public and change makers to consider reframing how they view circumstances they might have previously judged people on."
Miles Goring
Lived Insights
"The Telling A Different Story report laid out some real challenges, but also showed how charities and the media could work together positively. It’s been really uplifting to hear unheard issues and voices saying what could be done differently, and it’s encouraging to see politicians open to listening.”
Gavin Aitchison
Church Action on Poverty
"Tourists who see the 'chocolate box' image of York are rarely aware that the city has some serious social issues, with many residents afflicted by poverty, homelessness, addiction – often a combination of complex needs... The articles generated a lot of positive comments from readers, who started sharing their own experiences. Ultimately I hope York's leaders will also use Unheard York to shape improvements in support services."
Chris Titley
Editor, YorkMix

Extract from Charlotte's story

“This is the hardest process I’ve ever had to go through, and it’s so hard because I’m not the one managing it. I’m being pushed and pulled by a system. If you don’t pester, then you are just another number on paper…
“There are not enough houses in York for families. When you’re on the waiting list, there isn’t enough social housing to bid on. In York, some houses have been converted to Airbnbs or for student lets as well. There’s just not enough social housing.
“When I spoke to other people, a lot of them were saying the same as me: the council hadn’t been clear with them how long it would take, and people felt there was no compassion. These people are often going through the worst times of their lives, and it should not be like this for them. 
“Being able to meet someone face to face would have made a big difference. You could speak to someone there and then and ask your questions.
“I’m saying all this because I want it to be easier for other people who are going through it. We had some support but not everyone does. I feel more compassionate and empathetic now that I have been through this and having spoken to other people who have been through it. I was compassionate before but I understand it more now.”

Charlotte’s recommendations, at a glance:

  • Within the temporary accommodation block, Charlotte calls for more recognition and support of the emotional struggle that homelessness brings, and for some form of communal space.

  • Within the council, Charlotte feels strongly there should be face to face interaction, and more clarity about what lies in store when for people becoming homeless.

  • And, above all that, Charlotte and Lived Insights reiterate that York needs more affordable housing, particularly with many homes being lost to Airbnb and student let accommodation.

Unheard York: What we did, and why

The collaboration was built on trust and a shared set of purposes and principles. Early on, Church Action on Poverty, Lived Insights and YorkMix sat down to discuss what would work from a possible partnership. We agreed the following points:

Purpose

  • To tell how important systems in York could be improved, to reduce risk of poverty.
  • To amplify the voices of people with first-hand experience, to this end. 
  • To share storytelling power more widely.
  • To model dignified, collaborative, purposeful storytelling. We want to change things, but without stigmatising people or speaking for others.

Principles

  • Every story should primarily be told by the person with first-hand experience of the issue, ideally in the first person.
  • Every story should include a look at solutions, showing how things could be done differently. We wanted to show that change is possible.
  • Every story should include some wider context. The storytellers are not isolated examples, but evidence of flawed systems. 
  • Stories should reflect the real complexity of people’s lives. Where there are multiple issues, we shouldn’t reduce these for ease of narrative.
Speaking Truth to Power

Our partners on this project

Lived Insights
YorkMix
Opinion and insight

Dreams and Realities in our context

Revd Amanda Mallen reflects on the impact Church Action on Poverty Sunday made in her community. During the week following Church Action on Poverty Sunday …
Opinion and insight

How we can radically boost recruitment of working class clergy

Our communities are awash with talent – but Churches need to offer new routes to ministry. Father Alex Frost calls for bold thinking from national …
News Resources

SPARK newsletter, winter 2024-25

Read the newsletter for all Church Action on Poverty’s supporters and partners.
News

Meeting the minister

Four community campaigners supported by Church Action on Poverty have met with a Government minister in London, to call for a new approach to working …
News Opinion and insight

19 new Pantries are reaching thousands of people

Thousands of people across the UK are enjoying a merrier Christmas this year, thanks to the opening of Pantries in their neighbourhoods. The Your Local …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

78 pics: Pantry members get creative to end poverty

From mosaics to murals, pots to paintings, Pantry members have been creating stunning art pieces this year Dozens of people around the UK have been …
News Opinion and insight

Dreams & Realities: reflections on an amazing tour

12 venues, hundreds of visitors, wonderful feedback, and now a spin-off… it’s fair to say the Dreams & Realities tour has been a success! “It …
News Opinion and insight

“The PTC is one of the best things that’s ever happened to us”

York Poverty Truth Commission brought people together and is inspiring change What if people living in poverty could work with civic leaders to tackle it? …
Annual reviews Resources

Annual review 2023-24

Read our annual review and financial statements.
News

Sheffield MP speaks at Pilgrimage event about tackling poverty

Members of the Sheffield Church Action on Poverty 2024 Urban Poverty Pilgrimage prepare to set off. Sheffield Central Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed has urged the …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

Doing food together: An invitation to all churches

Churches urged to open more Pantries Bishop says community food approach “goes to the heart of the Christian faith” Churches across the UK are being …
News Opinion and insight

PM responds to the Let’s End Poverty letters

People with first-hand experience of poverty wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to change the Government’s approach… and received an immediate response. The Dear Prime …
News Resources

SPARK autumn 2024

Read or download our newsletter for supporters
Opinion and insight

Time to scrap the two-child limit

In this guest blog, Sam Corcoran explores why it’s time to scrap this harmful policy.
News

From churches to the Government: end this great sibling injustice

More than 170 church leaders from across the UK have urged the Chancellor to scrap the unjust two-child limit in social security systems. Senior church …
News

Church Action on Poverty in Sheffield: 15th annual Pilgrimage

Joi our local group and hear about local issues and responses to them as we walk and pray together
News Opinion and insight

Unheard no more: Story project brings hope for change

Five people with experience of complex poverty have been speaking up to press for change, as part of an exciting collaboration in York. Church Action …
News

Our use of social media: an update

In recent years, social media networks have become less useful as a way of having conversations, sharing messages and mobilising people to act for change. …
Opinion and insight

Just Worship review

Theologian Greg Smith reviews the new book by anti-poverty activist Stef Benstead.
News

6 places, 41 people: Some of the UK’s unheard election voices

Our Neighbourhood Voices conversations have yielded some fascinating ideas and insights. The UK needs to get serious about ending poverty. And to do that, we …
Let's End Poverty logo: text in black, with a pink triangle logo
News

Let’s End Poverty: what comes next?

As the Let’s End Poverty coalition comes to an end, how will we continue working together?
Vacancies

Vacancy: Chief Executive

We have a vacancy for a new Chief Executive
A collage of five photos of Church Action on Poverty events over the past 28 years
News

Faith, justice & awesome activists: Niall reflects on his 28 years

Niall Cooper is stepping down after 28 years at Church Action on Poverty. He reflects on some remarkable highlights. How …
A collage of photos of people or groups, with two logos: Let's End Poverty and Neighbourhood Voices

Our Neighbourhood Voices conversations have yielded some fascinating ideas and insights.

A collage of photos of people or groups, with two logos: Let's End Poverty and Neighbourhood Voices

The UK needs to get serious about ending poverty. And to do that, we need to have meaningful conversations including a wide range of voices.

We should always strive to listen to a wide range of perspectives, but a General Election always brings that need into sharper focus.

In 2024, grassroots organisations supporting the Let’s End Poverty campaign have been hosting Neighbourhood Voices conversations.

We’ve heard about poverty, racism, health crises, dwindling opportunities for young people, food insecurity, hard-to-reach politicians, the failing benefit system, social services and much more. We’ve also heard incredible stories of community ingenuity, love and kindness, and the power of art and creativity.

Read the Neighbourhood Voices conversations below, and hear first-hand about people’s hopes, challenges and priorities.

Neighbourhood Voices: 6 places, 41 voices

Sheffield
Halifax
Stoke
Epsom
London
Manchester

Neighbourhood Voices: What next?

It’s not too late to join in. We’d love to see and hear more and more conversations happening after the Election. By amplifying the voices of people and communities living in deep hardship, we can help make ending poverty a priority for the next Parliament. 

Download the toolkit below:

Opinion and insight

Legacies: invest in a future without poverty

If you’re able to leave a gift to Church Action on Poverty in your will, you can continue putting your faith into action long into …
News

Sharing Power to Shape Mission

Learn about a new project that is happening in South Manchester in 2025.
News Opinion and insight

Activists work to shape policies of the future

Change happens when people come together to make it happen. Activists with experience of poverty have been doing just that, with three UK universities. Members …
News

Are churches losing faith in low-income communities?

Broomhall Centre, Broomspring Lane, SheffieldThursday 29 May 2025, 7:30pm – 9:30pm Churches across Sheffield are being asked to take a long hard look at the …
News

Church Action On Poverty North East 2025 AGM

You’re invited to attend the AGM of our local group in the North East, with speaker Amanda Bailey, Director of the North East Child Poverty …
Opinion and insight

The activists Speaking Truth to Power in York

Opinion and insight

We’re listening!

Read some findings from our 2024 survey and in-depth conversations with partners and supporters.
Let's End Poverty logo: text in black, with a pink triangle logo
News

Let’s End Poverty: what comes next?

As the Let’s End Poverty coalition comes to an end, how will we continue working together?
Vacancies

Vacancy: Chief Executive

We have a vacancy for a new Chief Executive
A collage of five photos of Church Action on Poverty events over the past 28 years
News

Faith, justice & awesome activists: Niall reflects on his 28 years

Niall Cooper is stepping down after 28 years at Church Action on Poverty. He reflects on some remarkable highlights. How …

In Wythenshawe, people tell of the harm of austerity, and hopes for a better future

“We need funding back. We need Government to pay attention to what we are saying…. Poverty is a killer. We need austerity to end.”

Cat lives in Wythenshawe, south Manchester, and was taking part in the Neighbourhood Voices conversation at the Dandelion Community, a radical inclusive church and community base, very close to Manchester Airport.

Issues raised include housing, poverty, mental health support, opportunities for young people, and the engagement levels of politicians.

Funding and opportunities have been taken away

Cat helps out here and is clear what she wants from the next Government.

“They talk about a cost of living crisis, but it’s class warfare. Our working class lives are disproportionately affected, and we are a largely working class area. We don’t get political support – the only help we have had recently was from Marcus Rashford on free school meals, and he’s not an MP.

“If I was an MP, I would tax the rich more. I would make sure tax is a lot fairer. Our treasury is missing out on a lot by allowing tax breaks and loopholes. Addressing that alone would provide so much more funding for things. We need to get the NHS funded again, and social programmes. We need to care about our smaller communities.

Cat standing in front of a We Love Wythenshawe poster

“Wythenshawe gets a bad rep from people who do not know it, but there’s community here. We care about each other. We might never have met but we care about what happens to each other.

“London gets a lot more than the rest of the country. Our politics is very London-centric. The EU used to bolster our funding but that has been taken away now. 

“We need things here for the kids to do. There’s no upward mobility for the children. They come out of school and are stuck doing low-paid working class jobs, unless they can play football or act. Children need to be able to have dreams that are achievable, but the idea of upward mobility has been taken away from us. I was doing a Masters in English contemporary literature and film, then during the pandemic my mental health suffered and there was no support or aftercare.

“It all comes down to funding. Austerity has not done anything, except make people poorer, poorlier and unhappier.”

5 more Neighbourhood Voices stories
Zoe and Eloise at Neighbourhood Voices, at Dandelion in Wythenshawe
Zoe (left) and her daughter Eloise at the Dandelion Community

Hard-to-reach politicians, and a mental health crisis

Zoe, another of the volunteers, says: 

“I feel the community I am in needs more of a relationship with the Government. People don’t feel they and the Government are on the same page, and feel that politicians are unreachable. We do anti-poverty events and they need to engage.

“Working in a food bank, we get to learn people’s needs, which is often housing. We get a lot of people from a hostel and from social housing, and problems spill out to us because people are not getting everything they need.

“There’s also a mental health crisis. So many young people are not getting the medication or therapy they need. Mental health is breaking down. 

“It feels like little people like us are being squeezed and squeezed and squeezed ’til there’s nothing left. I didn’t used to know what gentrification was, but I’m learning – it feels like we are being pushed out of our community so upper classes can come in. If they’re building nice houses, why can’t we have nice houses too? They’re talking about things like 10% of housing being affordable housing – on a council estate! It makes no sense! 

"People need somewhere to call home"

“My daughter starts university in September and she has to live with me because she cannot find anywhere affordable to stay, and she will probably still live with me after university. She’s thinking of moving abroad after, and it’s awful that our children are thinking they can’t afford to live in their country.

“Some people will say immigration is the issue, but that has nothing to do with it. It’s because they’re not building enough houses. There should be somewhere for people to live. People need somewhere to call home. 

“I’m from Wythenshawe and the best thing is the people. People here will help you no matter what. It’s like: if you have nothing, you can share your nothing with someone. It doesn’t matter who you are, we are just all neighbours, and in the majority everyone is wonderful.

“My hopes for Wythenshawe in five years? I would like people to have the right places to live, accessible places, and for people to be getting the right amount of benefits for their needs. I would stop sanctions. I have been sanctioned before for being in hospital so missing an appointment.

“I want people to be able to live and get jobs. When I was 16 I could walk into a job, but kids now can’t, there need to be more jobs.”

A signpost in Wythensawe, including directions to the airport, station, job centre, bus station, market and health centre

Views of a first-time voter

Zoe’s daughter Eloise, who will be voting in her first General Election, says:

“We need more social housing, definitely, and there are no jobs here. I have looked and looked and looked. Benefits are not keeping up with inflation, and a lot of places are really really suffering with that. I’m studying at the moment, I’m going into biomedical engineering, and want to move to the Netherlands after that, or go to Gaza.

“Wythenshawe needs funding for parks, churches, food banks. I don’t feel there’s enough funding there, or in schools. There’s very little funding. Wythenshawe has a strong sense of community, however it’s not always safe, due to teenagers having nothing to do and schools being underfunded. It’s like a lot of council estates – not enough opportunities.” 

The rise of food banks

Another volunteer said: “We all get on with each other. We’re all friendly. People from Manchester are all friendly compared to some places. But Manchester doesn’t get as much of anything as places like London do.

“We didn’t used to have food banks, but now we do. Since 2010, things have got worse, but now no matter who gets in, to fund anything they’ll have to take money off something else.” A

Moving here was the best thing we did

Three volunteers sitting for a posed photograph, inside the church hall

Local resident Elizabeth is concerned about the state of the pavements locally, and also about the uncertainty around benefits.

She says: “I’m in a scooter and for me the paths are a big problem. The holes and the state of the paths is awful for wheelchairs and scooters. In my wheelchair, it’s a nightmare. We also need more variety of shops in the town. It’s an alright place to live but there is not enough choice. Whatever Asda sells, that’s what you have to put up with. 

“I will definitely vote, but nobody yet has really mentioned benefits and what they will do for people on benefits, or with disabilities. They need to tell us what they’re actually going to do, what will happen?

“The best thing about Wythenshawe is the people, the community. There is a lot going on in here. I have been coming to this church for 25 years. A lot has got better, it’s much more of a community. We used to live in Altrincham but there was nothing to do there. Moving here was the best thing we did.

“My hope for Wythenshawe is that we get more money, so people do not have to use food banks.”

Read more Neighbourhood Voices stories and insights here, including from Sheffield, Stoke, Epsom and Halifax...​

News

Meeting the minister

Four community campaigners supported by Church Action on Poverty have met with a Government minister in London, to call for a new approach to working …
News Opinion and insight

19 new Pantries are reaching thousands of people

Thousands of people across the UK are enjoying a merrier Christmas this year, thanks to the opening of Pantries in their neighbourhoods. The Your Local …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

78 pics: Pantry members get creative to end poverty

From mosaics to murals, pots to paintings, Pantry members have been creating stunning art pieces this year Dozens of people around the UK have been …
News Opinion and insight

Dreams & Realities: reflections on an amazing tour

12 venues, hundreds of visitors, wonderful feedback, and now a spin-off… it’s fair to say the Dreams & Realities tour has been a success! “It …
News Opinion and insight

“The PTC is one of the best things that’s ever happened to us”

York Poverty Truth Commission brought people together and is inspiring change What if people living in poverty could work with civic leaders to tackle it? …
Annual reviews Resources

Annual review 2023-24

Read our annual review and financial statements.
News

Sheffield MP speaks at Pilgrimage event about tackling poverty

Members of the Sheffield Church Action on Poverty 2024 Urban Poverty Pilgrimage prepare to set off. Sheffield Central Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed has urged the …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

Doing food together: An invitation to all churches

Churches urged to open more Pantries Bishop says community food approach “goes to the heart of the Christian faith” Churches across the UK are being …
News Opinion and insight

PM responds to the Let’s End Poverty letters

People with first-hand experience of poverty wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to change the Government’s approach… and received an immediate response. The Dear Prime …
News Resources

SPARK autumn 2024

Read or download our newsletter for supporters
Opinion and insight

Time to scrap the two-child limit

In this guest blog, Sam Corcoran explores why it’s time to scrap this harmful policy.
News

From churches to the Government: end this great sibling injustice

More than 170 church leaders from across the UK have urged the Chancellor to scrap the unjust two-child limit in social security systems. Senior church …
News

Church Action on Poverty in Sheffield: 15th annual Pilgrimage

Joi our local group and hear about local issues and responses to them as we walk and pray together
News Opinion and insight

Unheard no more: Story project brings hope for change

Five people with experience of complex poverty have been speaking up to press for change, as part of an exciting collaboration in York. Church Action …
News

Our use of social media: an update

In recent years, social media networks have become less useful as a way of having conversations, sharing messages and mobilising people to act for change. …
Opinion and insight

Just Worship review

Theologian Greg Smith reviews the new book by anti-poverty activist Stef Benstead.
News

6 places, 41 people: Some of the UK’s unheard election voices

Our Neighbourhood Voices conversations have yielded some fascinating ideas and insights. The UK needs to get serious about ending poverty. And to do that, we …
News Opinion and insight

Wythenshawe voices: It’s wonderful – but austerity NEEDS to end

In Wythenshawe, people tell of the harm of austerity, and hopes for a better future “We need funding back. We need Government to pay attention …
News

London voices: poetry, photos and unheard issues

The Neighbourhood Voices conversation in London looks at election messaging, hopes and some of the issues not being discussed. What stories are the political parties …
News

A church with people at the margins

The United Reformed Church’s North West Synod is adopting a new anti-poverty strategy inspired by our Church at the Margins programme – and urging the …
Opinion and insight

Weed it and reap: why so many Pantries are adding gardens

Many Pantries are adding gardens. We hear of the impact for people’s diet, wellbeing and enthusiasm Paulette and Jackie at Kirkley Pantry Community Garden in …
News

Epsom voices: It’s a lovely place – but many feel excluded

This Neighbourhood Voices conversation comes from Epsom, just on the Surrey side of the Surrey-London boundary The group consists of just a small group of …
News Opinion and insight

Stoke voices: We want opportunity and hope

Stoke on Trent hosts the third of our Let’s End Poverty Neighbourhood Voices conversations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTiw_H0OQyQ We’re in Stoke-on-Trent, where eight local residents are discussing the …
Let's End Poverty logo: text in black, with a pink triangle logo
News

Let’s End Poverty: what comes next?

As the Let’s End Poverty coalition comes to an end, how will we continue working together?
Vacancies

Vacancy: Chief Executive

We have a vacancy for a new Chief Executive
A collage of five photos of Church Action on Poverty events over the past 28 years
News

Faith, justice & awesome activists: Niall reflects on his 28 years

Niall Cooper is stepping down after 28 years at Church Action on Poverty. He reflects on some remarkable highlights. How …

The Neighbourhood Voices conversation in London looks at election messaging, hopes and some of the issues not being discussed.

  • What stories are the political parties telling in this General Election campaign
  • What are the stories low-income citizens have to tell, or would like to hear?
  • What issues are being sidelined or ignored as the UK prepares to head to the polls?

Those are some of the questions we discussed in the fifth Neighbourhood Voices conversation, with ATD Fourth World in London.

A "Let's End Poverty" banner on Camden Town Methodist Church

Poems and politics

The conversation took place at Camden Town Methodist Church, alongside photos and poetry from ATD members’ exhibition, The Power of Creativity, as well as Stephen Martin’s touring Dreams & Realities exhibition.

Andy, who was leading the session, began by asking people what one issue they cared most about in relation to the imminent General Election. 

Answers included: 

  • The need for fairer benefits assessments
  • Housing
  • Homelessness
  • Health services
  • Poverty and inequality
  • Brexit
  • The right to family life
  • Partnering with groups with lived experience of poverty
Six people sitting on chairs in a semi-circle, in a church hall

Election stories and messages

The group then watched election videos produced by five of the political parties, and discussed the feelings that the videos prompted. Answers were diverse:  sceptical; overwhelmed; selective.

People noticed what was omitted from the films, and observe that some focused only on the past (distant or recent) rather than the future. There were areas of agreement, around peace, transformation, and some issues that people agreed mattered: housing, health, living costs, for instance – and several people felt they did know more now about the election than before.

The consequences of voting can be very big

Andy said: “We voters have to live with the fact that our priorities will not always be the priority for the parties…. We have talked for six months about the election and politics. We’ve talked about people saying all politicians are the same; we’ve talked about the idea that nothing changes. But look at what policies comes after each election, and what has happened. The consequences of voting or not voting can be very big.”

Unheard issues

Several ATD participants then read notes they had written about issues they cared passionately about, and which they felt were not being adequately addressed at national level. 

Patricia spoke about having contributed to a report in the Amnesty magazine, about poverty as a human rights issue, and also about forced adoptions and shortcomings in some social services systems. 

She said she had been working to get rid of poverty and discrimination for over 20 years, and said many ATD activists’ involvement had begun as a result of social services policies and practices. 

“The way parents in poverty are treated is way out of proportion. You often get judged by social workers instead of supported to have what you need to raise your children decently. When you are scrimping on the basics, you don’t have the money to cover up the cracks.”

Amanda spoke about the systems that are meant to enable birth parents to write to adopted children, but which often fail.

MORE: Amnesty declares poverty in the UK is a violation of human rights

Angela spoke about domestic violence, and the particular pressures on victims in poverty. She said: “When you live in poverty, you’re especially vulnerable when in situations of domestic violence. It’s harder to leave without the certainty of safe housing; there is a higher risk of homelessness or isolation… In poverty, you also find less support to deal with it.”

Lareine read a message on behalf of another ATD member, Ruth, who talked about the barriers to people in poverty who want to pursue art, and about the importance of authentic art from people in poverty being seen and heard.

Ruth had said: “When you live in poverty, you don’t have time for anything. You are constantly worrying about money, about getting a job, about going to have appointments. It is a constant fight…. When you live in poverty, you always feel judged.”

Sue read on behalf of Jade, who talked about her art and about the judgmental attitudes she had faced from social services workers, because she is autistic.

Learn more about ATD Fourth World's campaign: The Right To Family Life

Read more Neighbourhood Voices stories and insights here, including from Sheffield, Stoke, Epsom and Halifax...

Let's End Poverty logo: text in black, with a pink triangle logo
Make your voice heard - take action at the Let's End Poverty website
News Opinion and insight

The town of 250,000 that revolutionised its food system

The town of Reading, in Berkshire, has revolutionised its community food work in the past two years. Faith Christian Group has opened eight Your Local Pantries …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

Say no to these immoral cuts, built on weasel words and spin

Labour said they would put disabled people at the heart of everything they do. But instead they have shoved us to the very edges. The …
Opinion and insight

Dreams and Realities in our context

Revd Amanda Mallen reflects on the impact Church Action on Poverty Sunday made in her community. During the week following Church Action on Poverty Sunday …
Opinion and insight

How we can radically boost recruitment of working class clergy

Our communities are awash with talent – but Churches need to offer new routes to ministry. Father Alex Frost calls for bold thinking from national …
News Resources

SPARK newsletter, winter 2024-25

Read the newsletter for all Church Action on Poverty’s supporters and partners.
News

Meeting the minister

Four community campaigners supported by Church Action on Poverty have met with a Government minister in London, to call for a new approach to working …
News Opinion and insight

19 new Pantries are reaching thousands of people

Thousands of people across the UK are enjoying a merrier Christmas this year, thanks to the opening of Pantries in their neighbourhoods. The Your Local …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

78 pics: Pantry members get creative to end poverty

From mosaics to murals, pots to paintings, Pantry members have been creating stunning art pieces this year Dozens of people around the UK have been …
News Opinion and insight

Dreams & Realities: reflections on an amazing tour

12 venues, hundreds of visitors, wonderful feedback, and now a spin-off… it’s fair to say the Dreams & Realities tour has been a success! “It …
News Opinion and insight

“The PTC is one of the best things that’s ever happened to us”

York Poverty Truth Commission brought people together and is inspiring change What if people living in poverty could work with civic leaders to tackle it? …
Annual reviews Resources

Annual review 2023-24

Read our annual review and financial statements.
News

Sheffield MP speaks at Pilgrimage event about tackling poverty

Members of the Sheffield Church Action on Poverty 2024 Urban Poverty Pilgrimage prepare to set off. Sheffield Central Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed has urged the …
News Opinion and insight Press Releases

Doing food together: An invitation to all churches

Churches urged to open more Pantries Bishop says community food approach “goes to the heart of the Christian faith” Churches across the UK are being …
News Opinion and insight

PM responds to the Let’s End Poverty letters

People with first-hand experience of poverty wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to change the Government’s approach… and received an immediate response. The Dear Prime …
News Resources

SPARK autumn 2024

Read or download our newsletter for supporters
Opinion and insight

Time to scrap the two-child limit

In this guest blog, Sam Corcoran explores why it’s time to scrap this harmful policy.
News

From churches to the Government: end this great sibling injustice

More than 170 church leaders from across the UK have urged the Chancellor to scrap the unjust two-child limit in social security systems. Senior church …
News

Church Action on Poverty in Sheffield: 15th annual Pilgrimage

Joi our local group and hear about local issues and responses to them as we walk and pray together
Let's End Poverty logo: text in black, with a pink triangle logo
News

Let’s End Poverty: what comes next?

As the Let’s End Poverty coalition comes to an end, how will we continue working together?
Vacancies

Vacancy: Chief Executive

We have a vacancy for a new Chief Executive
A collage of five photos of Church Action on Poverty events over the past 28 years
News

Faith, justice & awesome activists: Niall reflects on his 28 years

Niall Cooper is stepping down after 28 years at Church Action on Poverty. He reflects on some remarkable highlights. How …