Dear John

As we wrap up 2024 and start our Christmas break, we'd like to thank you for being with us this year in a growing movement to end poverty. We asked our team to share some of the inspiring and uplifting moments from 2024 that we and our partners have been part of:

We’ve cherished being part of the Let’s End Poverty campaign, with 70+ grassroots groups, churches & charities, and thousands of individuals united behind a vision for a UK where poverty can’t keep anyone down.

Let's End Poverty website

As part of that campaign, we’ve loved seeing Stephen and Yo’s Dreams and Realities art project touring all across England. Their portrait project told stories of 10 people from Sheffield, showing their realities and also the dreams they would pursue if freed from poverty’s grip.

Read about the paintings

We loved working with the Big Issue, Trussell and others on the Dear PM project. 15 people with first-hand experience of UK poverty wrote to Sir Keir Starmer. There was brilliant coverage in the news and at PMQs the next day, the PM said: “The letters are honest, powerful and important and I think they hold up a mirror to our country.”

Read about Dear PM and see the video

The Your Local Pantry network grew to 129 neighbourhoods, including new partnerships with Barnardos, the Salvation Army and others. Our Places Of Hope report celebrated Pantries’ amazing work to bring communities together to make people-powered change possible.

Read about the Bishop of Leeds' visit to a Pantry

Pantries provide wide-ranging support, but also access to positive opportunities. This year, 10 Pantries ran art projects. Members created portraits, pottery, murals and more.

See some of the art created in Pantries

In March, Stef (our expert adviser on disability and poverty) spoke up on Budget day in Christian media and on many BBC local radio stations. It was an outrageous and counter-productive Budget that further marginalised people on low incomes.

Read what Stef had to say

Stef is part of the Speaking Truth To Power project we support. In November, Stef, Penny, Steve, Tracy and Wayne spoke at a conference at LSE. The group talked about how to meaningfully work with people with experience of poverty, and how to avoid tokenism.

Then this month, Stef, Mary, Wayne & Sydnie from STTP met Stephen Timms, minister for social security and disability, to talk about how the Government will meaningfully engage people with direct experience of poverty in its review of systems such as the Work Capability Assessment, and to discuss the way Government views and talks about people whose illness or disability means they are unable to work.

In the summer, we took our annual trip to Greenbelt festival in Kettering. We showcased the Dreams and Realities portraits and met many inspiring activists and campaigners, who like us believe in continuing to make the UK an increasingly just, compassionate country, free from poverty.

Between all that, we’ve been delighted to see many other local projects growing and thriving. We were part of a group working pre-pandemic to get York Poverty Truth Commission going, and were delighted to hear of its success this year. Some commissioners spoke at the Dignity For All conference we organised in June, and it was awesome to hear their stories of local change.

York Poverty Truth

Also in York, we worked with Lived Insights and local media outlet YorkMix on the Unheard York project, telling powerful stories with five people who have experience of complex interconnected social issues. Charlotte, Anne, John, Dave and Tammy spoke about homelessness, mental health support, gruelling social security systems and more. Read their stories:

Read stories from Unheard York

We look forward to working with you again in the new year!

With best wishes for a happy and peaceful Christmas

Liam Purcell, Church Action on Poverty

Church Action on Poverty
28 Sandpiper Court, Water's Edge Business Park, Modwen Road, Salford M5 3EZ | 0161 872 9294
Registered charity number 1079986. Company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, number 3780243.

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