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Many Pantries are adding gardens. We hear of the impact for people's diet, wellbeing and enthusiasm

Paulette and Jackie lean on the gate, beneath a sign reading Kirkley Pantry Community Garden
Paulette and Jackie at Kirkley Pantry Community Garden in Lowestoft

The garden at Kirkley Church Hall used to be overgrown and largely inaccessible… but not any more.

A small team have turned it into an oasis, laying paths, planters and raised beds, and swapping out knee-high weeds for nourishing wonders. 

Today, it’s a welcoming, shared space, abundant with crops and promise, and supporting the community here in Lowestoft, Suffolk. It boasts potatoes and parsnips, beans and berries, lettuce and lemon balm, and more – and many of the crops are reserved for use in Kirkley Pantry, which runs from the hall.

A welcoming garden space, open to anyone

Paulette Holland, pantry coordinator, says: “Over the past few years, a small band of people have turned it into a productive kitchen garden. They provide the Pantry mainly with salad crops, but also a variety of other things. 

“The garden is open to anyone. We got the first lot of produce last summer, and we are hopeful of some more this summer. Members really enjoy it and sometimes ask about it.

“It’s a lovely, welcoming space for the community or members of the Pantry and we have some overlap between the gardeners and the Pantry members.” 

A sign on a raised bed at Kirkley Pantry Community Garden, saying produce is for use in the Pantry
Above and below: Kirkley Pantry's garden
Kirkley Pantry Community Garden: a cultivated area beside the church hall

63% of Pantry members eat more fruit & veg

Kirkley Pantry is one of many in the network that have started growing and sharing more of their own food. 

All of us strive to live healthier lives, but doing so is expensive. 

Last year, the cost of fresh fruit and veg rose by 14% on average, and there were wide fluctuations, with crops such as swedes, onions and cucumbers seeing huge spikes. This year, we have been warned prices may rise further

But Your Local Pantry members frequently tell us how much they cherish fresh produce.

In the 2023 social impact report, 98% of members said increasing their household’s fruit and veg intake was important to them, and 63% said they were eating more of it since joining the Pantry.

One member said: “I’m less worried and stressed which in turn is making me a better mum to our disabled daughter. We are all also eating much more fresh fruit and vegetables as these items are becoming very expensive in shops.” 

A growing movement across the UK

Raised beds and a polytunnel, on an old tarmac courtyard
The community garden at St Leonard's in Bootle

As well as Kirkley, Hitchin Pantry in Hertfordshire is in the process of adding a garden; St Leonard’s Pantry in Bootle, Merseyside, has a garden on-site including its own polytunnel; Llanrumney Hall Pantry has recently added an allotment; and the new Marlborough Road Pantry opening in Salford later this year will include an allotment as well.

Community Alliance Trust in Craigmillar, Edinburgh, already had a garden, then opened Greenhouse Pantry.

Volunteer Paul Masser says: “I run a couple of gardening sessions a week and anyone can come and help out and get a share  of the produce, and we take a lot over to the Pantry, where it is free.

“We try to keep what we grow as varied as possible. We do a lot of potatoes, carrots and onions – things that are always popular, and then there’s stuff like French beans, broad beans, courgettes, squash, cucumber, beetroot, chard.

“Part of it is for people to learn how to grow different things and try things they have maybe not tried or heard of before. There are some things that are very easy to grow, but not easy to find in the shops – so part of what we do is introducing people to things like Swiss chard and kohl rabi.

“The response has been good. A lot of the more unusual veg, and a lot of the greens, are very well received by people from different communities. We have Syrian and Bangladeshi members, and they really appreciate all this stuff, and it’s going down well. 

“People often want allotments, but the waiting lists are so long. Having a community project you can dip in and out of is much more accessible for people.”

Gardens, gluts and gleaning in Kent

Kerrie Bryan, smiling in front of a polytunnel in the community garden
Kerrie Bryan, a member of Aylesham & Rural Pantry in Kent, working in the garden

BeChange runs Aylesham Pantry in Kent, and had a garden through European funding. Now, it has several beds and a greenhouse, even growing their own watermelons last year.

Angela Doggett says: “If we have a glut of something, some goes to the Pantry and some goes to our cooking activities or community lunch. We also have a little kiosk and people who are not Pantry members can take some for a small donation, and that goes back into running the garden, like buying seeds.

“This year our plan is to have a separate plot just for the Pantry. We are trying to work out what will go down well. 

“We also get stuff from gleaners. Local farmers have volunteers who go in and pick unpicked produce and it goes to different charities, and we are recipients of that. We want to grow things that we would not get from the gleaners. For instance there are cauliflowers everywhere down here and a lot of apples come in, so we will stay away from those, and try things that are a bit different.

“People really welcome having the fresh produce. In the Pantry, they’re just extras people can have, and people often tell us what they have made with what fresh stuff they’ve taken. It does encourage people to think about veg in their diet, and people enjoy it. It goes really well. In the summer, it’s really nice because people get extra things.

“We have someone employed to run the garden and we have some volunteers who come in, not necessarily just for that. We have just started a gardening course club as well.”

Does your Pantry or church project run a grow-your-own project? Let us know on info@yourlocalpantry.co.uk

A bench and trellis with named plaques on
Above: a quiet spot in the St Leonard's garden. Below: two members in Aylesham
Aylesham Pantry's garden
Kirkley Pantry Community Garden: work in progress to redesign an area. A path is laid, and ground is being cleared
Above and below: Kirkley Pantry's garden, one area under construction and another already thriving
Kirkley Pantry Community Garden: a cultivated area beside the church hall, with tyre planters, benches and a grass area

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Three photos of Epsom and Epsom Pantry, with the Neighbourhood Voices logo

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 four: Jane and Ashley from the team at Epsom Pantry, and two of the members, Maureen and Arnold.

Epsom Pantry is run by Good Company, a local charity working to lead the community towards a poverty-free future, while supporting local people. It has been involved in numerous area of work, including running a Poverty Truth Commission.

The discussion at the Pantry touched on the positive aspects of living in Epsom, some of its challenges, and people’s hopes for the future.

Four people sitting at a table inside Epsom Pantry

What do you cherish or like about Epsom?

Arnold: “It’s quite a safe area, quite a nice area. It’s a nice little town. We’ve been here eight years, and it’s not changed much in that time.”

Maureen: “We go to Lidl for our shopping, and come here as well.”  

Arnold: “Epsom is famous for the races, it’s the home of the Derby and there’s a lot of racing throughout the year. Hospitality businesses look forward to the races.”

A street signpost reading: Borough of Epsom and Ewell, Home Of The Derby

What are some of the challenges?

Jane: “When I first came here, in the 90s, it was more of a Surrey market town, but now I feel it’s more of a suburb of London. It’s been named in the papers as one of the places people move to, from London. If they’ve had a flat in London, they can buy a house here. There’s a lot of young families here now, which is nice. 

“There’s quite a disparity that you would not expect in Surrey. In London, you know it’s divided, some with lots of money and some with less. It’s just as bad here. There’s a lot of people with a lot of money, and some very expensive things, but some with very little.

“I think sometimes knowing where to go for help is an issue. Through Good Company, we have set up some advice hubs based in churches and we are trying to get to more people, if they need help – we have Citizens Advice here every other week, for instance, and that’s well used. People can just go into the hubs and get help.”

What issues are people concerned about in the Pantry?

Jane: “Since Covid, the issues have been pretty consistent – people are worried about energy, food, their families, worrying how they will manage if something like the car breaks down and they need to fix it. 

“The Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) are also an issue here. If people want to go into London and have older vans, that’s been a big issue, and a lot of people are quite angry. 

“At Good Company, we have had to work really hard over the last few years to get other agencies on board to get more joined-up thinking. When I first came here, it was more of a community. We have seen more houses now and it’s quite a big area, and I think a lot of people and groups are trying to bring community back. Since Covid, lots of streets now have their own WhatsApp groups as well, so that helps people keep in touch.”

A whiteboard notice publicising the Epsom Neighbourhood Voices event

Looking to the election - what issues would you like to hear candidates talking about?

Arnold: “It doesn’t matter which Government is in power – they’re not going to please everyone all the time. A lot of what they do is to protect business, that’s what runs the country, so they do what they can and hope it filters down to the little man.” 

Jane: “I would like the new Government to tackle the housing crisis. It’s been going on for years, but it’s getting to the point now where people cannot afford to live. Rents are astronomical. There’s no new social housing or affordable housing.

“Why are we normalising food banks? We are all used to them, but why? They should not be normal! People should be able to buy food.”

Arnold: “People want to buy crime down – but how? How do you bring things down? How do you stop random attacks?”

Ashley: “The issue I’m most faced with is immigration – there’s been a big change by this Government, especially with spouse visa requirements. It used to be that you needed to earn £18,600 but they’re going to make it £38,700 each. It might be realistic for some people and areas, but for a lot of areas it’s not. 

“We have a whole arm at Good Company that works with refugees, and the area of immigration is where I would most like to see a change. I’m from Austin, Texas, and I’ve been here six months, as my husband is English. 

“One of the best things here is the free medical care, when you get sick. I think it’s so lovely here, it’s such a quaint place. I got public transport then an Uber to get from Croydon to Epsom, and was just seeing how beautiful it was all the way, then seeing the clock tower. I love how walkable everything is here. Everyone is really friendly, it’s a great community. “

A street view of Epsom Pantry

What are your thoughts and hopes for the future?

Maureen: “I just want the kids not to be in difficulty or trouble. All our kids are working and grown up now – we brought them up well.” 

Arnold: “You just grow up to what the world will become. You can’t do anything about it. I think there’s discussion of a lot of issues and heated discussions.” 

Ashley: “With ULEZ expanding, it would be good to see more public transport here. Being better connected would be brilliant.”

Jane: “I would like to see it a bit greener here. Where we are, you step outside and all the pollution is there, and it’s not good for the area. I’d like better public transport links, and would like to see it a bit greener, and we don’t have many charging points for electric cars. 

“We are lucky here. It’s a nice place to live, but I think some people in the Pantry feel excluded from that, because they are not in a nice situation financially, or they’re struggling for housing.

“I think sometimes, because it’s quite a wealthy area, people can feel even more excluded than if they were living in London or somewhere else where there are lots of people struggling. When the food bank first opened, people could not believe it – a food bank in Surrey! – and more than 10 years on, it’s been normalised.”

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A posed group photo for the Neighbourhood Voices event at YMCA North Staffordshire in Stoke

Stoke on Trent hosts the third of our Let's End Poverty Neighbourhood Voices conversations.

We’re in Stoke-on-Trent, where eight local residents are discussing the city, its challenges, and their hopes.

As it happens, the conversation took place the day before the General Election date was announced, but even then it was still on people’s minds.

We’re here for the latest in the Neighbourhood Voices series: a chance for people in communities across the country to have their say on their community, its strengths and challenges, possible solutions, their hopes, and the issues they would like election candidates to prioritise.

A posed group photo for the Neighbourhood Voices event at YMCA North Staffordshire in Stoke

Stoke snapshots

People here give rapid snapshots of Stoke:

“We might be poor, but we are blinking well kind,” says Danny, chief executive of YMCA North Staffordshire. “In Covid, the papers said Stoke was one of the kindest places, with most community action. There’s still that real neighbourhood kindness here in Stoke.”

Issues raised include job opportunities (particularly for young people), wages, transport links, the city’s reputation and narrative, urban investment, and hope.

An exterior view of YMCA North Staffordshire in Stoke

Economic issues

Danny says much of the city’s historic identity came from the potteries, which once supported tens of thousands of jobs.

Danny: It’s a very working class city; there are very few middle class people. People want something to be proud of. When I was a kid, Stoke was as good as anywhere else as a city. Now, everywhere seems to have been improved, apart from us.

“I think towns and small cities in Britain have been completely ripped off. You can see huge development in the big cities, like Manchester, but Stoke has had very little. We are the proof that trickle-down economics is a load of rubbish.”

John: “Money goes out of Stoke, and so does talent. When kids do well, they leave. Most of the highly-educated and socially-mobile young people want to live in Manchester, London, Glasgow, Nottingham – they don’t stay here. And even a lot of the top earners and leaders who work in Stoke, live outside it.

“There’s really good friendship and loyalty in Stoke. But parochialism is a huge negative. There’s a culture of suppression of ambition. When kids grow up here they go away and then they are surrounded by people who expect to be successful and expect to have a good lifestyle, but a lot of people in Stoke don’t expect that. There is this poverty of aspiration we have to try to get to somehow.”

Nicky: “Stoke has a high rate of setting up businesses, but it lacks some of the professional sector to help that thrive, like accountants and legal professionals. 

Dan B, a youth ambassador at YMCA: “When we leave school, people are expected to do warehouse jobs rather than getting interested in progression. There are a lot of closed down business and shops. You get dropped into low-paid jobs.

“When I left school, I knew I wanted to be in the type of role I am now (a youth ambassador), but in 2016 there were not many opportunities like this in Stoke. Maybe in Birmingham, but not here. I got a painting and decorating job but I hated it, it wasn’t what I wanted to do. Then there was an apprenticeship here – but there still wasn’t a lot of this type of role in Stoke.”

Danny: “There is a real lack of example that things could be better. There can be a ‘this’ll do’ mentality. People know what having nothing is like, but there’s still a fear of ending up with less than nothing – that’s the poverty that rich people do not understand, when they just talk about aspiration.” 

John: “Stoke people have generally got a good solid character, and that’s why a lot of people do well. I think there’s a lot of low-level entrepreneurialism, but maybe not enough confidence. But people who break through do well, partly due to that affable personality.”

A Google Earth view of Stoke-on-Trent

What do you cherish about Stoke?

Nicky: “People are very proud of our heritage and the arts. Our assets are another positive, like our green spaces – we are a very green city. Most neighbourhoods have access to green space.

“Also, if you put community events on, they are embraced massively. Stoke has one of the highest rates for community involvement and events. If there’s a big local event, everyone is out for it. People want to do stuff, and engage and get out.”

Nnaeto, chaplain at the YMCA: “This is my fifth year in Stoke. For people who have come in from elsewhere, our lens is different. We do not know all the history, but we see the opportunities. It’s central, you can go anywhere, life is fairly cheap, houses are less expensive here.”

What are the stories of Stoke?

Nnaeto: “We talk about the danger of a single story. If people look at just one angle, they miss a lot of different sides of things.”

Nicky: “If we are constantly telling young people they live in a poor city, what is going to happen? We have gone for World Craft City status, and the judges felt it was such a special place. But interestingly, the five people who talked about how wonderful Stoke is were all people who had moved here.”

What gives you hope? What would you like to be the story of Stoke?

Nicky: “That we are a city of crafts. We are a place for creatives and entrepreneurs to be birthed, and we will nurture and look after people. 

“What are the positives of the city, and how do we create hope for the future? For me, it’s the community and the craft and the location.”

Linda: “If we teach some of the history, it would help have aspirations again. We have the potential to be a tourist destination that people visit. We have the historical things that would attract people, and a canal system.

“We are stuck in the past sometimes – but stuck in the negative past, not the positive past. It’s like Stoke has a really bad advertising team!

”There are glimmers of hope, like in Hanley, there is a new Kurdish restaurant opening there, and across the road, the old DWP office is now a shop, and next door is a Caribbean shop. There are a lot of different cultures opening on the street. People have moved here and are making the most of it.

“If you took somewhere like Burslem High Street, and 20 creatives, and covered the rent and utilities at first, that would be thriving.”

Bishop Matthew Parker: “We all need to know our story, but we need not be defined by that past. Stoke has produced a lot. It wasn’t just creating for the industrial revolution; it was creating things of beauty.”

Dan: “A lot of young people here have talent but it never gets seen or heard. There’s a lot of hidden talent and people never get the opportunity to be heard, or seen or given a chance. When I started here, I was very shy, I wouldn’t talk to anyone, or I’d go bright red. 

“When my manager told me about the youth ambassador role, I thought they were having me on! But I knew it was an opportunity to develop my skills. Young people need more of that kind of opportunity to build themselves up, to know they can go for higher roles, maybe one day the CEO role. Companies in Stoke should be giving younger staff more opportunities to go for the higher roles.”

What is making a difference, or could make a difference?

Nicky: “The city was a real target before for the BNP and some politicians and press have tried to turn the community against each other, and sow division. But embracing diversity can be a real strength for the city.

“A lot of our young people here at the YMCA were talking about poverty setting them back, and how they felt trapped – whereas some of the people who have moved here from somewhere else felt they had the power to change their futures.

“What we are trying to do as the YMCA is unlock the kindness of Stoke people who left the city and done well for themselves. We send young people to Stoke expats, such as to a farm in Canada, to learn and see opportunities.”

“Another thing that helped was EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance). That was really good for the city. Young people were getting £30 a week so could go to college, and got a free bus pass. We saw a huge increase in young people able to invest in their future.”

Becky: “Yes – EMA really helped me. I had been homeless before I came here, but then I did childcare at college and now I’m involved in activities work.”

What would you like election candidates or the next Government to prioritise here?

A Google Streetview image of Hanley Bus Station in Stoke

Becky: “Transport links for me. I used to live in Burton on Trent, and it would cost me £9,80 on the train to go visit my parents. It’s only £2 on the bus, but the buses aren’t great. I go every few weeks to see my family, but it’s hard. There should be better bus passes for young people. So transport is the big thing for me, and general opportunities.”

John: “Connectivity in the area is shocking, partly due to geography. Most cities have a donut model, with a city centre in the middle. Stoke became a city, but it’s history is as 6 or 7 industrial towns, so it’s more of a sausage shape. It’s the only polycentric city in the UK. Since austerity, bus services have got worse. There are virtually no buses after 7pm on a Sunday.”

Dan B: “We’re talking about situations that are serious. When I talk to MPs, I feel that they’re listening but not understanding the real value of young people’s opinions and what their struggles are. And there are people in older generations who would love to work but can’t. We need to hear from more young people in these situations, who understand what it’s like for young people. They need to take us seriously.”

John: “I have seen so many regeneration schemes, Government plans all relying on private sector investment. We need regional focus and regional banks that operate for the region. There’s bad politics between Stoke and Newcastle-Under-Lyme, connecting to difficulties with councils. If you had a North Staffordshire regional focus, you would then have the economic area to do more.”

Nnaeto: “I want them to tell a more hopeful story of Stoke. Hope is the one thing, the most important thing people need. It’s easier for me, because I see it with a different lens. When I sit with young people, it’s difficult for them to see that there is hope but they do not need to be pulled down by negative narratives. Spread more hope.”

Could you host a Neighbourhood Voices conversation? Find the toolkit here:

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6 people holding cut-out numbers, reading 150,000

The Merseyside Your Local Pantry conference was a big success

Merseyside’s network of neighbourhood Pantries have now been visited 150,000 times, and can be springboards for renewed hope and strength across the region.

Dozens of Your Local Pantry coordinators, volunteers, members and supporters from across Merseyside gathered last week to celebrate their communities and share ideas, and this week they reached the 150,000 milestone.

6 people holding cut-out numbers, reading 150,000

The scale of the Merseyside Pantry reach

Merseyside has more Pantries than any other region in the UK, with 26 across Liverpool, South Sefton and St Helens. The 150,000 visits have been from 11,286 members. When members’ families are included, the Pantries have supported 27,745 people.

The regional conference was held at St Leonard’s Church in Bootle last week.

People took part in workshops, heard about national campaigns and initiatives they could join, shared practical tips for making Pantries work as well as possible, and watched this powerful film about the Pantry in Kensington Fields, about local people’s efforts to strengthen and safeguard the community.

"Hotbeds of social justice innovation"

Rich Jones, speaking at the Merseyside Your Local Pantry conference in Bootle

Rich Jones, chief executive of St Andrew’s Community Network, which supports many Pantries in the north of Liverpool, said at the conference:

“The beautiful thing about Pantries is that they have the potential to be hotbeds of social justice innovation. They are places where connection and relationship is cultivated. It’s a joy to see some of the additional initiatives that have been borne out of the Pantry experience, building communities rooted in dignity, choice, and hope.”

He added: “Poverty is mostly caused by structural and systemic issues, and at the moment it is exacerbated by rising living costs… The UK welfare system also makes it difficult for people struggling to get a decent income.”

Pulling together - and pulling apart the chains

Chris Shelley pulls apart a paper chain at the Your Local Pantry conference in Bootle, Merseyside

Chris Shelley, Your Local Pantry development worker for Merseyside, said Bootle had been poorly treated by decision-makers for many years, and was now an area with a lot of poverty, but he said:

“There are a lot of people who love this place and care about Bootle, and want to live here. If a community pulls together, it can do things, and that’s what Pantries are all about.” 

Chris had invited people arriving at the conference to write down a symptom or cause of poverty. These were formed into a paper chain, and at the end of the event Chris symbolically tore apart the chain, encouraging people to loosen poverty’s grip on people and communities.  

Thank you to everyone at Merseyside Pantries

James Henderson, national Your Local Pantry coordinator, said afterwards:

“It’s less than four and a half years since the first Pantry opened in Merseyside, and the growth and impact has been incredible. To reach nearly 30,000 people and 150,000 visits is remarkable, and I want to say a huge thank you to every member, volunteer and partner organisation who has been a part of this. 

“Merseyside’s Pantries are dynamic, welcoming, dignified places that offer choice and renew hope. 

“We know poverty in the UK is a national disgrace, and the cost of living scandal is pushing many more households into deep hardship. Whoever forms the next Government needs to make ending poverty a priority.

“At the same time, we praise and recognise the fantastic work of so many people working to reclaim dignity, choice and hope together in the meantime.”  

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There have been some political statements that have demonised and divided people in the past week. It’s absolutely not what the UK public needs or wants.

There is, in fact, considerable consensus around poverty and economic justice in the UK. The country wants to tackle poverty, and inevitably a shared social security system must be a key part of that. 

We know that:

  • 88% of Brits want more to be done to tackle poverty. That’s a huge majority across the public.
  • 81% of people have said the income gap was too wide, and 80% said it would be problematic if it widened further.
  • 62% of people said the Government should act to reduce that gap.
  • Only 4% of people want to see less Government support for disabled people who are unable to work.

The UK public are compassionate, and believe in justice. We believe in supporting people who have least money and least power. 

Therefore, announcements mooting harsher systems that jeopardise our shared social security and stoke discrimination need to be challenged. 

The responses below are from members of the Speaking Truth To Power programme, after a series of Government suggestions, including asking non-medical staff to decide whether people were fit to work, instead of doctors, and changing the PIP system.

You’ll notice some recurring thoughts on the Government’s statements:

  • There’s a lack of regard for lived-experience input
  • There’s a lack of regard for the causes of ill health
  • There’s a skewed use of stats
  • Some of the ideas would be a waste of resources/time
  • The approach is inhumane
Mary Passeri stands smiling in front of some of her paintings

Mary

“Many people have pointed out that an election is coming so what he [the Prime Minister] has said is just hot air, or that it’s a red herring to divert attention from the Government stance or the situation in Palestine. 

“Even if there might be some truth to these statements, the sad fact is that this rhetoric has far reaching consequence in that it adds to the unpleasant narrative that disabled people are a burden, there is an attendant rise in hate crime in such an environment. 

“Also given that Labour seem to echo much of what the Conservatives spout, I hold little hope of this issue going away.

“For many disabled people, particularly those with invisible disabilities, not having their GP be able to write a sick note will make life impossible. They need the continuity, familiarity and understanding (prior knowledge) of them as a patient… especially those who may not be able to make their needs known. 

“Travel to an assessment centre could prove to be both very difficult and expensive. I know that I need help to both plan and follow a journey, I rely heavily on taxi use. Public transport is not wheelchair or disabled friendly. There are times I just wouldn’t have the funds to pay to get to an assessment centre. For many people (myself included) undertaking this additional journey when already ill would leave them in additional pain or distress.

“Just a thought, given that the stress and worry of living in poverty causes mental health issues – can we revisit austerity policies spouted by both the Government and opposition? Can we make sure that our children go to school properly fed with nutritious food that quite literally feeds their brains?” 

Sydnie

“It is possible that the increase in people having to take time off to recover, physically and mentally, corresponds with the increase of pressure on the NHS and education, workplace policies, lack of appreciation of skilled work, and underpaid work, which are fundamentally at a mentally damaging level.

“Jobcentre staff are not trained in neurodiversity; they are governed by stats and figures not sustainability, not working to gain the most out of an individual, not driven by long term success.”

Jayne Gosnall

Jayne

Responding to sick note changes

  • “When someone is depleted by illness or injury, they need easy access to the provider of sick note/sickness verification. Anything else can only be seen as placing undue obstacles in the individual’s path, which will harm the most depleted the most.
  • “If someone has an infectious disease, especially something eg Chickenpox, Rubella, Measles,they should be actively DIScouraged from using public transport, going to crowded spaces, due to their risks to others, and upper respiratory infections such as Influenza & COVID put certain groups at greater risk
  • “Sick notes can only be written effectively by a health professional who has access to the individual’s medical history and can therefore judge when issue X/Y/Z has a greater or lesser impact on the individual. It is preferable if that professional already has a clinical relationship with the patient. This is particularly relevant for claims such as PIP
  • “A GP may already have some understanding re: workplace stress eg due to bullying, something the individual may be unable to put on record elsewhere at that time. It can be the difference between a person dropping out of employment, or staying.
  • “We’ve seen how unfair “objective assessments” have been to those who are sick, especially those living with disabilities and/or long-term health conditions. People are marked as “able” to work, if they arrive with clean hair and clothes, or without an assistant on that day….even if their clothes were prepared for them and hair washed for them, and that rare effort to get to the centre knackers them for the whole of the next week. 

“I have always advised friends NEVER to attend alone, and say there’s no need to be dishonest but tell the assessors about your worst day not your best, because it’s your worst days when you need the support. It is society that says you scrub up for an appointment, and the same society which glorifies the rich & famous, but disables you by giving you low priority! A truly civilized society would have that the opposite way round.

Responding to proposed increased use of ‘talking therapies’ 

“My personal opinion is it’s another con, by central Government and increasingly metro Governmnent, of the third sector and the person experiencing mental health issues/distress. 

“People with funds will still buy their therapies in the private sector

“It is people like us, out here in a landscape of overstretched resources who will be kept further away from the therapy which suits us. Sure, we may gain some identification with others, which is fantastic if that’s what we need, but we will not experience a therapeutic clinical relationship, which is both enormously helpful for diagnosis, and will delve much deeper into background causes, trauma, and schemas developed in early childhood.”

Penny

“What are they going to do next? It’s another money-cutting exercise. You now can’t be ill, you can’t get to see a doctor, you are penalised at every turn with this Government. There are people who would love to work but employers won’t employ them because they would have to miss work for appointments and have time off – but they can’t say that, because they will be had for discrimination.”

Stef

“It is a shame that the NHS has been undermined so that we no longer have continuity of care under the same GP. I’ve had three appointments in recent weeks, each with a different GP. The ability of any one of these GPs to write me a sick note is limited compared to previous years when I’ve been able to see the same GP repeatedly.

“Of course, when it’s a short sick note for something easily resolved, not having continuity of care is less important. But as soon as it becomes more than a few days, it’s important to have that continuity of healthcare. And no-one wants to have to see two people whenever they’re ill; one for their health, and one for their work. Especially when it’s their health that means they can’t work.

“The current system ought to work. GPs can only sign-off for three months, and then a person goes for an assessment with a ‘health and work professional’ (WCA assessor), unless they’re rich enough to be getting sick pay from their job, in a job that accepts ongoing GP sicknotes. But somehow I don’t think it’s people in these better jobs that Sunak is worried about.

“He’s created a solution where there isn’t even a problem. It’s not even a sensible solution, given the inefficiency of forcing people to see two health professionals where one will do.”

Read more from Stef on this issue on her own blog, here.

Read more Speaking Truth To Power stories here:

The UK doesn’t want demonising rhetoric – it wants to end poverty

Sheffield Civic Breakfast: leaders told about mounting pressures of poverty

Artists perform for change in Manchester

Church Action on Poverty in Sheffield: annual report 2023-24

SPARK newsletter summer 2024

Church on the Margins reports

Church Action on Poverty North East annual report 2022-24

Stories that challenge: Sarah and Rosie’s health

Dreams & Realities: welcome to an incredible exhibition

Building hopes and dreams in Bootle

This outrageous, counter-productive Budget marginalises people with least

A sermon for Church Action on Poverty Sunday

Stories that challenge: Emma’s road to church

Sheffield voices: We need higher incomes and more for young people

Cost of living scandal: 7 truly useful church responses

Stories that challenge: Alan & Ben

7 ways a Your Local Pantry could help YOUR community in 2024

Artist Don: How Leith Pantry has helped ease my depression

Are we set for a landmark legal change on inequality?

SPARK newsletter winter 2023-24

Let’s say what we truly want society to look like – Let’s End Poverty

Charity and church leaders call for urgent action on rising poverty in the UK and around the world

New Year’s Honour for inspiring campaigner Penny

Meet our five new trustees

Feeding Britain & YLP: Raising dignity, hope & choice with households

Legacies: invest in a future without poverty

Sharing Power to Shape Mission

Four people behind a desk, looking at the camera. Two are standing; two sitting.

Activists work to shape policies of the future

The Halifax Unity building, with a Neighbourhood Voices logo on top

This Neighbourhood Voices story comes from West Yorkshire

We’re in Halifax. Queen’s Road to be precise – in a former betting shop that is now home to Halifax Unity, a group seeking to co-create a vibrant, diverse and resilient community, where everyone feels welcome and able to express themselves.

It’s a fitting setting for this Neighbourhood Voices conversation, hosted by Mums On A Mission.

  • What do people cherish about this community?
  • What should change?
  • What issues would our speakers most like election candidates to prioritise?
  • And what do they themselves stand up for?

Over the course of two hours, we heard about housing, transport, racism, the mental health crisis, the cost of living scandal, but also hope. Read on…

Mums On A Mission was set up by Ashleigh May, who was relocated to Halifax after being made homeless in East London, and by Vanessa Raimundo.

The group operates in London and now in Calderdale, providing support, particularly to Black families. They work also with other groups, including Spotlight Faith Group, which works with asylum seekers and refugees locally, and Light Up Black and African Heritage Calderdale.

A group of 6 people, four standing and two crouching in front. They're holding Let's End Poverty postcards.

Housing

Ashleigh: “Housing is a big issue. We have asylum seekers who get their settlement status but no housing, and there are also families who are living here and need better or bigger houses. I have been in private rented housing for six years, and within that time I had a rat infestation. Despite the social workers and council trying to find me somewhere, I had to bear it out and go back to the house, still not in good conditions, and a year later I had to contact environmental health.

“My landlord now says she can’t afford the mortgage, so has given me notice to leave. It’s affecting my children’s health.

“There’s one family we have been working with for years now. They have been moved from house to house, but there are no suitable properties, and they’ve been in Ryburn House (temporary accommodation) for 10 months. The council have said the only way they will get moved sooner is if they split the family in two. 

“Because of this situation with housing, many people’s mental health is deteriorating. How can you work well, knowing you have all these problems? People’s wellbeing is being burnt out. It’s a vicious cycle with many different factors.”

Viv: “Even though we don’t want it to, issues like lack of housing create competition and resentments within a community. It is a vicious cycle. Really bad accommodation leads to people getting sick, so people have to move and get private accommodation, but it’s so expensive they have to choose whether to heat or eat. If there was help earlier on, so much could be avoided.”

Mary: “After getting your status as an asylum seeker, there is no integrated system. You are in Home Office accommodation while your claim is addressed, and then you get seven days to leave.”

People sitting chatting around a coffee table
The Neighbourhood Voices conversation in Halifax

Community

Vanessa: We have an openness here and an honesty about things, and being able to talk about our situations, and it’s all built on lived experience here.”

Ashleigh: People want to meet and see people who look like them, representing them. People who feel the way I feel and see how I feel. People see that we make them feel like family.”

Viv: It’s amazing, so many people without many resources, trying to support each other, like LIght Up and Mums On A Mission. Mums On A Mission has that way that grassroots groups do, of saying: ‘we will find a way and see what can work’. There’s not enough housing here and there’s not enough support. At least if you’ve got a group like Mums On A Mission or Light Up, you can process what’s going on.”

An exterior view of Halifax Unity's building

Racism, and comparing London & Halifax

Ashleigh: When I moved here it reminded me of how Barking & Dagenham was in the 90s, you had areas with issues of discrimination, but I also saw potential. By 1999, the community in Barking & Dagenham was becoming more diverse, and within six months of moving here I was seeing more cultural diversity, but I still did not see services that reflected me, so it still doesn’t always feel like home.

“There is a lot of racism here. One girl was racially abused in Pudsey and police did not deal with it or get statements for ages, so we stood up and said it wasn’t right. 

“When I first came here, people assumed we were asylum seekers, but I had been born in England and lived here.” 

Vanessa: As a Black woman here, there’s a lot of harassment, and it’s laughed off – and the people doing it are shocked when you respond to them. I think it’s improving in some areas. The more time people spend together, the more they realise we are all people, but there is a lot of pre-assumed prejudice.” 

John: There has been a big rise in the Black population here in the last few years, and statutory services do not know how to work with families from different cultural backgrounds, so they need groups like Mums On A Mission and Spotlight to help them.” 

Ashleigh: “I think when people hear the way politicians talk about asylum and boats, it increases anxiety. People need to be treated like human being, but they are talked about as if they are something on the stock exchange. Also, a lot of people that come through the asylum system are skilled workers, but they are not allowed to work here.” 

Vanessa: The country is wasting those skills. Why not support people to provide services by and for people seeking asylum?”

A Let's End Poverty postcard, with a mug alongside

Cost of living scandal

John: “A lot of people don’t talk about poverty, but it’s real, due to high costs of living. A lot of people are in crisis. A lot of people are out of pocket on energy pre-payment meters, and don’t know they can change it. 

“There’s a lot of poverty among Black people, among BAME or global majority communities.”

Ashleigh: People are always juggling, moving money from one place to another to pay one bill, then another. It’s a cycle of not having enough, and that causes more stress. The energy crisis is hurting people and you can also see here how it affects local business and charities.

“It has affected a lot of people, and it increases isolation because community spaces close and people can’t afford to go out. There’s more online, but the risk is that the digital focus reduces human connection and that can lead to more discrimination, because we’re not actually coming together so much as human beings.”

Mary: “With the cost of living, and high energy bills, people are struggling and crying out – and then companies like British Gas are making huge amounts of money. How is that right?”

Viv: We have said as a country that companies’ right to make profit is somehow the priority?! You get some crisis funds, but what about addressing the thing that causes the crisis?”

Ashleigh: Organisations like us are helping people on the front line, but money keeps going to big groups, rather than the grassroots, so all we can do sometimes is refer on.” 

Vanessa: “It all means you’re always on edge, with mental health, because. That’s what comes of living in poverty.”

Viv: “People have been through so much, and then their mental health sits on top of all that.”

Esther: “It’s very difficult for me, with accessing food and eating. I don’t have facilities to cook much, and if I wanted to cook food I know, I would have to travel to Huddersfield, and that costs £15. I’ve been moved from Halifax to Brighouse, and getting from there to college or into Halifax costs a lot as well.” 

John: There are a lot of issues for men with mental health. It’s varied, but men do not say as much, for whatever reason. You have to be able to connect and resonate with them, and what I do is through sport.

“That brings people in – people have depression or family issues, and it’s not easy, and you end up talking to each other, like counselling. People then associate with their peers. We have people in temporary accommodation or going through asylum claims, and through sport and talking, people come together and are introduced to each other. “

A Halifax Unity sign in the Neighbourhood Voices venue

Transport

Ashleigh: “Transport is not fairly priced for kids. In London, kids travel free on buses, but not here. So if someone has, say, three children in secondary school and you have been relocated across town and now live far from school, it’s really expensive. Why can’t it be free for kids on buses to school?”

Vanessa: “Transportation services are much better in London.”

Let's End Poverty logo: text in black, with a pink triangle logo

Election priorities

John: I would focus on crime, poverty and mental health. I want a bigger society where more grassroots groups can be heard about what’s happening to them. There also needs to be more for young people.

“Poverty is the main thing we need to put forward. If people had enough money for food and energy and their rent or mortgage, they would have much less to worry about. If we tackle poverty, then things like poor mental health, violence and crime will all reduce as well.”

Mary: They need to look in to work and employment, and what they pay people. It’s not about telling people to ‘just work’, because the system doesn’t work well – you can be working and lose so much through deductions to the support you had, so you lose out. If we work on that, poverty will come down.” 

Ashleigh: “I would like candidates to hear about people’s wellbeing, and invest in social care, housing and making sure people in statutory services are trauma-based trained. The quality of life in this country is getting worse.” 

Viv: How can we be as well as we can be, and support each other, while systems are breaking? The focus is all on work and productivity rather than wellbeing. The DWP is going from supporting people to just policing.”

A hope logo

What gives you hope?

Esther: I get hope from the way people in here treat each other. When we lack something, we come together. When we come to Mums On A Mission, that gives me hope.” 

Vanessa: “Having a community support network gives me hope. That’s what was missing for  my mum 20 years ago, a support network of humans being humans to each other, and being there for one another. We helped someone once in town, who was beaten up and needed help. She texted us months later, saying she was the girl we had helped, and saying we had restored her hope in humanity. Having support really helps.”

John: “When people speak truth to power, to influence decisions and demand change, that gives me hope.” 

Vanessa: “Yes, our experiences are so valid, and need to be heard.” 

Ashleigh: “When we started speaking up and saying what we had experienced, people who had worked in the sector for years were surprised, but they acknowledged that they were inspired by our strength, and the fact that despite what we had gone through, we were still helping others. 

“Speaking up shifts things in people and reminds them why they started doing the work they do in the first place.”

  • Three of the people in this conversation preferred to preserve their anonymity. Esther, John and Mary are pseudonyms. 

Could you host a Neighbourhood Voices conversation in 2024? Find the toolkit here:

Cost of living scandal: 7 truly useful church responses

Stories that challenge: Alan & Ben

7 ways a Your Local Pantry could help YOUR community in 2024

Artist Don: How Leith Pantry has helped ease my depression

Are we set for a landmark legal change on inequality?

SPARK newsletter winter 2023-24

Let’s say what we truly want society to look like – Let’s End Poverty

Charity and church leaders call for urgent action on rising poverty in the UK and around the world

New Year’s Honour for inspiring campaigner Penny

Meet our five new trustees

Feeding Britain & YLP: Raising dignity, hope & choice with households

Parkas, walking boots, and action for change: Sheffield’s urban poverty pilgrimage

Dreamers Who Do: North East event for Church Action on Poverty Sunday 2024

Autumn Statement: Stef & Church Action on Poverty’s response

Act On Poverty – a Lent programme about tackling UK and global poverty

How 11 people spoke truth to power in Sussex

Obituary: Michael Campbell-Johnston SJ

Annual review 2022-23

Ashleigh: “I think we will become known for making a change”

North East churches & community gather to tackle poverty together

There’s huge public desire to end poverty – will politicians now act?

What is Let’s End Poverty – and how can you get involved?

Our partner APLE is looking for new trustees

Nottingham’s first Your Local Pantry opens

SPARK newsletter autumn 2023

Urban Poverty Pilgrimage: Towards a Theological Practice

MPs praise the Pantry approach – but they must do so much more

“We can make a change. That’s why we’re here.”

How YOUR church can build community & save people £21 a week

Annual review 2021-22

Speaking Truth to Power: A Reflection on the Dignity for All Conference 

Photos & quotes: the energy, hope & resolve of Dignity For All 2023

Legacies: invest in a future without poverty

Sharing Power to Shape Mission

Four people behind a desk, looking at the camera. Two are standing; two sitting.

Activists work to shape policies of the future

A photo of two volunteers in Your Local Pantry aprons, beside a photo of two members shopping

The Your Local Pantry network has led to new partnerships and connections all over the UK. This blog tells of an exciting organisation doing brilliant work in Edinburgh.

Community One Stop Shop (COSS) is a project based in Broomhouse, an area of high deprivation in South West Edinburgh. 

It was established over 20 years ago as an advice shop, helping people in the area make sure they were claiming the correct benefits.

Since then, in response to the enormous needs of the community, it has steadily grown. The project now runs 13 services including a foodbank, a baby bank, a soup kitchen and an employability service, as well as acting as a distributer of fuel vouchers for the Fuel Bank Foundation.

One of these services is the Broomhouse Pantry which was launched in 2021. Co-ordinator, Lee Reynolds, tells us more about it.

A photo of two volunteers in Your Local Pantry aprons, beside a photo of two members shopping

What led the Community One Stop Shop to set up the Broomhouse Pantry?

The aim of COSS is to alleviate the effects of poverty for the 300 or so people who use it each week. While still reeling from the devastating impact of the pandemic, the community was hit hard by the cost of living crisis. Our clients are faced with impossible choices around budgeting their income to make sure their families are fed and their houses kept sufficiently warm.

As a result, we saw a massive spike in the usage of the foodbank. We had clients, many working fulltime, who desperately wanted to support themselves and their families, but the high prices of basic foods made this impossible for them.

Often they were used to managing their own finances, but could no longer make them stretch far enough. Others had become reliant on the foodbank, but they were wanting to move towards a greater degree of independence by paying for, and choosing, their own groceries.

In partnership with Your Local Pantry, we launched the Broomhouse Pantry in 2021 to support these clients. The initiative enables members to do a weekly grocery shop, choosing a number of items including fresh fruit and vegetables, and paying a heavily subsidised priced.

A young child with a small bike, and an adult in Broomhouse Pantry

What has been the impact for your regulars?

We currently have 110 members, and most tell us that their health has improved as a result of cooking more meals from scratch with food they’ve bought at the Pantry.

A member recently told me “After I had heart surgery I couldn’t get to the supermarket. The cost of shopping at the local store was too high, so being able to get affordable fresh food locally has been really beneficial. It speeded up my recovery and helped me get my independence back.”

Another positive outcome from running this service is the emotional support we are able to offer members.

Since the premises is small, we only have the capacity to serve one client at a time. While each client is with us, our volunteers will chat to them and usually hear a bit more about what’s going on in their lives. For many, this is one of the few opportunities they get to speak to another person, and a rare chance to get emotional support for things they might be going through.”

One woman, a pantry regular, told me: “I lost my husband just before the Covid pandemic, so using the Pantry has given me the chance to get out and speak to people”.

"Shopping with dignity is something most people take for granted, but for those who don’t have the choice of where they go to buy their groceries, making the surroundings as user-friendly as possible has a huge impact on well-being."
Broomhouse Pantry

How has Broomhouse Pantry responded to the needs of its members?

We have seen more and more people using the Pantry, not just as a shop to buy their groceries but as a place to chat to the team and to meet other people.

To build on this, we started hosting events for members. These have included family days out during the school summer holiday, an afternoon tea every Christmas, and regular pop-up community cafés.

What changes have you seen and how has this impacted the Pantry's work?

Last year, thanks to a generous donation by a local business, the pantry was fitted out with new shelving units, increasing the number of items which could be displayed on the shelves, as well as freeing up more floor space. For the first time, members using mobility scooters and those with children in prams and buggies could come right into the shop to see the selection of goods for themselves, rather than have to ask the server for the items they needed.

Shopping with dignity is something most people take for granted, but for those who don’t have the choice of where they go to buy their groceries, making the surroundings as user-friendly as possible has a huge impact on well-being.

How do you think Broomhouse Pantry will evolve in future?

With having such a cross-over of clients using multiple services, there is a constant demand for the Pantry’s services. We have had a waiting list for membership ever since we opened, and we are constantly reviewing the lists to make sure that we are operating at the optimum level.

We launched a steering group for the Pantry this year which was an opportunity for members to let us know what they like about the service, as well as offer suggestions for how things could be improved. It’s important to be in touch with our members so that what we are offering them is what they actually want.

And of course we are always looking at ways to build community amongst our members. We are hoping to host even more events, and to make sure the everyone feels able and welcome to come along and get to know more people in the area they live in.

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

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

Stoke voices: We want opportunity and hope

Legacies: invest in a future without poverty

Sharing Power to Shape Mission

Four people behind a desk, looking at the camera. Two are standing; two sitting.

Activists work to shape policies of the future

Pat Devlin, one of Church Action on Poverty's most experienced supporters and activists, is stepping down after almost 40 years.

Sometimes, we can see exactly where a powerful wave of change began – the single action that started the ripples that still roll.

Pat Devlin has long been involved in diverse and deeply inspiring social justice work: praying and protesting, walking and welcoming, rallying and reflecting in pursuit of a better world. She took street theatre to Tax & Benefits Centres, protested outside court, and was part of truly pioneering work to amplify the voices of people with experience of poverty.

And she can trace it all to a meeting in the early 1980s.

Pat has just stepped down as secretary of Church Action on Poverty North East (CAPNE), and spoke to us about her memories.

1980s Glasgow

“I was living in Glasgow at the time and I came down to one of Church Action on Poverty’s early national gatherings. I went back to Glasgow and got in touch with a few people, and we started our own group. 

“We arranged for the two Liverpool bishops (Bishop Sheppard and Bishop Worlock) to come to speak in Glasgow City Chambers. We were as surprised as anyone when 500 people crowded in to hear about the Liverpool Church experience in the midst of mass unemployment!

“But that became my experience, that social justice was much more central to the churches in Scotland than I ever saw in England. Political debate was a bigger part of everyday life – almost every other Saturday, we seemed to be on a demonstration.

“The day after the Bishops had spoken, Church Action on Poverty’s national coordinator John Battle came up for a day exploring the presence of the Church on Glasgow’s peripheral estates. 

“Speakers included John Miller, a Church of Scotland Minister who was bringing up his family in Castlemilk with his wife Mary who was involved in the famous Jeely Piece Club. Many years later John became the Church of Scotland Moderator. Sister Martha of the Notre Dame sisters also spoke about her small community of sisters who were living alongside people in Drumchapel, sharing people’s daily lives.”

Back to North East England

In the late 80s, Pat moved back to North East England. There had already been Church Action on Poverty groups at St Thomas’s Church in Newcastle and at Meadow Well in North Shields, but the combined CAPNE group was launched after the Dominican conference in Newcastle in 1988, entitled The Churches’ Option for the Poor.

The group focused on raising churches’ awareness, and creating networks between disadvantaged communities. An education pack was produced for churches, along with a video telling of the struggles and positive initiatives in Benwell in Newcastle, Meadow Well in North Tyneside and Willington, a former mining area in County Durham.

1990s: Protests, vigils and hearings

A newspaper cutting headed: "Church group's poll tax stand"

In 1990, members of CAPNE, including Pat, took an active role in protests against the court cases for non-payment of the Poll Tax. 

“CAPNE had adopted a non-payment stand, and we spent what seemed like a whole summer at Blaydon Magistrates Court, holding prayer vigils before the weekly non-payment hearings.”

After the 1992 General Election, Church Action on Poverty published its Hearing The Cry Of The Poor declaration, and Pat joined the national executive for six years. Around the same time, there had been riots in the west end of Newcastle and in Meadow Well, and also changes to housing benefit, which made it difficult for people on low incomes to keep their teenagers at home. 

“There was concern about a rise in youth homelessness, so CAPNE joined with Barnardos to set up the first North East Nightstop providing emergency accommodation in volunteer hosts’ homes. This was the only time CAPNE strayed into service provision.”

CAPNE organised three unemployment and poverty hearings, as part of the Local People National Voice campaign, culminating in the Gateshead Hearing in 1995. By this time, CAPNE was helping to pioneer work led by people with direct experience of poverty.

“I remember at a national gathering, people asking why there weren’t people with direct experience of poverty. One Anglican minister was very sceptical, and basically said: well, go away and bring them next time. I think David Peel in the North East led the way with meaningful engagement with people with lived experience of poverty.”

Pilgrimage against poverty

Pat Devlin (right) in conversation during the Pilgrimage Against Poverty

CAPNE took on two volunteers to help with the hearings, then employed Alan Thornton to help with preparations for the Pilgrimage Against Poverty in 1999, when people walked from Iona to Westminster. 

“What people probably don’t know is that in the North East we initially made our own pilgrimage to Lindisfarne to explore the meaning of pilgrimage. We heard what pilgrimage meant to the Celtic church and to those who journeyed from Ireland in tiny coracles, and we gained an understanding of the Haj from an Iranian family who journeyed with us.

“I didn’t walk the whole Pilgrimage – I walked from Berwick to York, which included the memorable walk from Newcastle to Jarrow, when hundreds of local people joined us. Later I rejoined the pilgrimage in Birmingham and walked to London. 

“When we reached London, after the rally in Trafalgar Square, there was a meeting with Gordon Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer and the North East were well represented as Brian from Meadow Well who had walked all the way from Iona, shared his experience as a young unemployed man and I was asked to present some of the policy changes we were looking for in particular a minimum income standard which came from the poverty hearings.

A group of walkers depart from Iona Abbey on the 1999 Pilgrimage Against Poverty.

The 2000s: Images For Change

For the Images For Change project in 2007/8, CAPNE worked with disadvantaged local communities, using photogaphs to explore the impact of regeneration projects and to push for local people to be listened to.

Five communities were allocated their own budget and used it in different ways, leading to diverse and vibrant local events, then a big event at Gateshead Civic Centre, when they
presented their shared key issues to local political leaders and regional representatives of
central Government.

“They went on to steal the show at an event for the then Communities Secretary Hazel Blears. However, when I meet people who participated, it’s not the big events or even the boat trip down the Tyne giving a different perspective on their communities and ending in a hooly on the boat, that they talk about.

“What they talk about is the visits to other communities in Manchester and Glasgow who had gone through similar experiences of ‘regeneration’.”

Making The Economy Work For Everyone

“This was the next big initiative to bring disadvantaged communities together to find a stronger voice in their shared experience. This time it was across the North of Tyne Authority, to give a platform to people whose experience is of exclusion, so they could explain the barriers accessing training and employment and a decent income that they faced. Much of the process leading to this event took place during COVID so it was an uphill struggle, but in the end it was a powerful event.

“I think what the Pilgrimage, Images for Change and Making the Economy work for Everyone show is just how hard it is to maintain the momentum and achieve demonstrable policy changes. It can be difficult – people retire, whole departments disappear, and we once had a meeting scuppered by a fire alarm that lasted the whole meeting.

“Abortive meetings can kill the enthusiasm of community participants and in the end our energy and capacity. We live in hope that attitudes have or are changing! I think Debt on The Doorstep was one clear success in terms of being able to demonstrate policy change. 

“But this work is central to the church’s role, to the gospel call to be alongside the poorest. Whether we see change immediately or not, we need to keep going.

“We can certainly see a lot of tangible changes that have happened at local level, even if it is harder to see them at national level, but national charities like Church Action on Poverty can only work at local level through existing organisations that are already embedded locally.”

Keeping people connected

Between the big initiatives, CAPNE engages churches through creative events for Church Action on Poverty Sunday; inviting topical speakers to AGMs; taking display boards to events; and promoting courses such as Scripture at the Margins. 

Pat also remembers fondly the Happier Christmas movement, led by the Franciscans and accompanied by a CD song that Tony Blair contributed to; taking part in participatory budgeting in Newcastle; the Journey to Justice event using the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s visit to Newcastle to highlight areas of injustice; and supporting the Gateshead and North of Tyne Poverty Truth Commissions.

A welcoming place

Amid all the work, CAPNE has also been a cherished community itself. 

“There was so much energy in the 1980s, that I think got lost a bit in the 90s and 00s – but it does seem to be coming back now,

“I think also, sometimes people who struggled to find like-minded people in their own congregations have found a spiritual home in CAPNE. It has been a place where they could share their faith and hope of building a society which reflects Gospel values reflecting the ‘kingdom’ we aspire to and find ways of supporting each other acting together in accordance with that.”

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Sharing Power to Shape Mission

Four people behind a desk, looking at the camera. Two are standing; two sitting.

Activists work to shape policies of the future

Jo Seddon at St Leonard's in Bootle

"What drives me is people and community. I am passionate about equality and want to see that here in Linacre ward."

Jo Seddon at St Leonard's in Bootle
Jo outside St Leonard's Youth and Community Centre in Bootle

All over the UK, tenacious and compassionate people are helping make change happen in their communities. This blog takes us to Bootle, near Liverpool, where there are big challenges but bright ideas.

Jo has a dream – but it’s not for herself. It’s for her community, the residents she sees every day, and for the children of the future.

Her dream is that local youngsters will dream big, and start to have bolder, brighter hopes.

A recent survey of local people here in Linacre Ward, Bootle, commissioned by local social landlords, found that young people’s ambitions were notably more local and pragmatic than elsewhere.

St Leonard's Youth and Community Centre in Bootle

An over-riding vision of hope

“It was quite clear that the aspirations here were about local issues and safety,” says Jo.

“It wasn’t about people wanting to be astronauts or to go traveling, like in other places. People’s aspirations were to have a warm house or a clean safe park. 

“The vision overriding all of this is hope. In ten years, I would like local kids to have very different answers when asked their aspirations for their life.” 

What happens at St Leonard's

Jo is helping to drive that transformation, by linking up with other like-minded hopers and changers. She joined a recent Speaking Truth To Power training session and is now working to build local people power in Bootle, towards a better future. 

Jo is a community development worker at St Leonard’s Youth and Community Centre in Bootle, which provides wide-ranging support and friendship to local people.

She leads weekly groups including a craft hub, local weekly guided walks, a women’s space group and a men’s space group (growing numbers of local men are struggling with living and mental health).

11 people in a line on a path, among some trees
Members of the St Leonard's walking group in Derby Park, Bootle

Jo also promotes regular cookery courses at St Leonard’s, a weekly community lunch and helps support people to access an in-house benefits advisor and onward referrals. St Leonard’s operates a weekly foodbank and Your Local Pantry and also offers over-55’s activities. 

She also supports lots of people who present at St Leonard’s in crisis and helps them access the most appropriate services or support.

This could include people in fuel or food crisis, debt, housing or health issues. Jo also recruits volunteers (people who have previously accessed St Leonard’s for help) to help support the range of activities on offer.

"We don't want to do something new if it doesn't empower people"

“We regularly hear of the challenges pre and post pandemic, in the local community; inadequate housing, debts and money difficulties, unemployment, and issues around basic public services. 

“People tell us they feel undervalued and ignored by local provider services and regularly speak about their frustrations with regard to their local environment; refuse collection, fly tipping, pest control and street cleansing. 

“People have unaddressed environmental issues outside their front doors and are struggling financially. We had one woman here saying she felt like she was feeding the meters more than the children. 

“I was born and brought up in Waterloo, so a near neighbour of Bootle. I can walk a short distance from here and be in a really wealthy area where rich footballers live, but here there is real poverty. Sefton is strange like that – a single street can separate wealth and poverty.

“What we really want to do came out of the Pantry, and us wanting to do Speaking Truth To Power. We want a community forum where people can come and offload if they need to, but we want to do it in particular way and place that then has the task of trying to address these challenges.

“Last year local registered social landlords commissioned a consultation of ‘The Poet’s Streets’ around here (streets named after poets). A lot of people were bringing different challenges, but not talking about what they themselves might be able to do, or finding confidence and power within themselves to address challenges or difficulties.

“We don’t want to do something new if it doesn’t empower people. I want people to have the resources, and to take things on.

“The men’s space and women’s space and craft group have generated friendships and power that have evolved beyond what we do here. It has spread way beyond St Leonard’s. So now if someone is ill or in hospital or low, then other people have provided support mechanisms that have grown out of the groups here.”

Gathering ideas & power together

About a dozen people, sitting in a circle in a training room, with a projector screen at the front.
A Speaking Truth To Power training day in Manchester in January 2024.

The Speaking Truth to Power programme aims to support people in low-income neighbourhoods to jointly harness local insight, expertise and resolve, to tackle challenges and injustices together.

In August, emerging leaders gathered in Manchester to learn new approaches, and share ideas, and Jo was among them.

She began working in the voluntary sector in the early 80’s working for different charities locally, regionally and nationally, mainly in the areas of mental health and social inclusion. Jo then chose to come back to her home patch.

She says: “What drives me is people and community. I am passionate about equality and want to see that here in Linacre ward where local residents can have something more to hope and aspire to.

“I like working in the community. It’s a privilege. Everything we do is a real privilege. We are involved in people’s lives every day and people trust us to disclose some uncomfortable and challenging things, and it’s a privilege. We are making a difference every day, helping give people hope. 

“I don’t know if the phrase ‘Truth To Power’ will resonate with people here, so we are trying to come up with the right name.

“But I’ve spoken to a lot of people here and in the food bank and asked if they would like to be involved, and the answer was an overwhelming yes. It might look at neighbourhood litter or crime or domestic issues or rats but we want to take it a step further, so our work is enabling people to move forward and address things.”

About 12 people in a group, with Liverpool Anglican Cathedral in the background
A group from St Leonard's outside Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral

Bootle 10 years from now...

“Ten years from now, I would like to see a real financially healthy, viable Linacre ward, where there are prospects for young families and children. We talk to a lot of families and in the “cradle to career” surveys we talked a lot about prospects for young children, how they can get a good schooling and a journey to a career.

“The majority of people here are unemployed. I would like to see people with young children being given the right support earlier on, with access to schools and nursery services, and access to community mental health services. Mental health is a big challenge here.

“I would like people to have the power to challenge things, to be able to challenge the powers that be, whether that’s social housing providers, private landlords, the council etc.

“I would like to see a healthier, vibrant Linacre ward, where people are happy to live.” 

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Four people behind a desk, looking at the camera. Two are standing; two sitting.

Activists work to shape policies of the future