Food for thought at Trussell Trust roadshow

Bevan Foundation director delivers keynote speech to Trussell Trust roadshow.

The Bevan Foundation’s director, Victoria Winckler, was honoured to deliver the keynote speech to the Trussell Trust’s Welsh roadshow on 18th May 2023.  The event brought together workers and volunteers from the Trussell Trust network of foodbanks across Wales for a day of learning, networking and discussion.

The roadshow was held shortly after the Trussell Trust published its annual statistics which showed:

• 185,320 emergency food parcels were distributed between 1 April 2022 and 31st March 2023, including 69,683 parcels for children.
• This is a 41% increase from the same period in 2021/22.
• Over 56,000 people used a food bank in the Trussell Trust network in Wales for the first
  time.

Kicking of the morning, Victoria explained how already-high levels of poverty had been made even worse by a combination of rising prices and below-inflation wages and benefits increases. She These factors, plus the five-week wait for Universal Credit payments, deductions and sanctions, are pushing thousands of households over the brink.  With prices set to continue rising, although more slowly than recently, and the roll-out of Universal Credit, foodbanks can expect continued high levels of demand for emergency packs.

Asked to inspire, Victoria outlined how anti-poverty groups are working together to speak out about poverty, to campaign for change in Wales, and to ask decision makers awkward questions about what they are doing to ease the cost of living crisis. This collaboration is driving change, with the Welsh Government increasing the Discretionary Assistance Fund budget and broadening eligibility for the Welsh Fuel Payment as a result.