About
Challenging Poverty
For the past few years, Devizes and District Foodbank have held an event in conjunction with Challenge Poverty Week (https://challengepoverty.co.uk/).
Challenge Poverty Week England & Wales is an opportunity for us all to say what needs to change to enable our own communities to thrive.
It’s a chance for voices that are too often ignored to be heard loud and clear. It’s a chance to show that it is possible to build a better, more compassionate society in which everyone can live life to the full. And it’s a chance to start that journey, together, now.
2023 was Devizes and District Foodbank’s third event as part of Challenge Poverty Week, with a panel made up of our MP, the Deputy Leader of Wiltshire Council, CEO of Wiltshire Citizens Advice, and the Project Manager and Community Organiser of the food bank.
Speakers discussed the actions taking place regionally and nationally to mitigate poverty and the rising need for food banks across the UK. They also recognised the drivers of poverty such as insufficient social security, a lack of affordable housing, and local issues such as the impact of school and childcare costs for families.
It was great to hear questions from the audience around the Trussell Trust’s Guarantee our Essentials campaign ensuring Universal Credit covers the cost of the essentials for the 6.1 million people receiving this benefit, and the link between destitution and a lack of affordable housing. We’d encourage you to sign the Trussell Trust’s petition on Universal Credit here.
We would also like to thank all those who attended.
Pictures by Bob Naylor, WaterMarx Media.
