On Sunday September 15th, the 11am Worship at Hinde Street will be focusing on the themes of justice and poverty. As part of the service, we will be hearing from Hannah Fremont-Brown about the Let’s End Poverty initiative. To learn more, you can read a Q&A with Hannah about Let’s End Poverty below and check out their website here. We hope you will join the conversation on September 15th!
What is Let’s End Poverty and what are its goals?
Let’s End Poverty is a diverse, growing movement of people who believe in a future where poverty can’t keep anyone down. Bringing together 60+ organisations and over 1000 individuals (so far!), we’re united in the belief that poverty in the UK is not inevitable. But because of a series of events and decisions, poverty in the UK is both deepening and growing. Over 14.4 million people in the UK are currently struggling against poverty, including 3.8 million people who are experiencing destitution, where they are unable to meet their most basic physical needs to stay warm, dry, clean and fed. It doesn’t have to be this way – solutions already exist that would begin to address the causes of poverty and support people into a different future. But what’s missing is political willingness, to commit to the right steps towards change. As a movement, we’re committed to building public and political willingness to set the UK on a track to ending poverty for good. We want to play our part in raising aspirations and building ambition in our communities, and with our political leaders, to get us there.
Let’s End Poverty was launched in October 2023. How did the movement start and how has it grown or developed since?
Let’s End Poverty was launched in anticipation of the General Election, which eventually took place in July 2024. In the run up to the election, we worked together to campaign to raise poverty higher up the political agenda. Across the UK, people took part in events, wrote to the candidates in their area, asked questions at hustings and much more. We’re also using the creative arts, through our Dreams & Realities exhibition and Artists for Change programme, to help people think differently about poverty, and the changes needed to end it. Throughout everything we do as a movement, we want to make sure that people who have direct experience of poverty are at the forefront of what we do, sharing their unique expertise and insight into change. Whilst we might not have seen poverty splashed across the front pages in the run up to the election, we’re building up a strong grassroots network of people who are committed to change.
What is the relationship of Let’s End Poverty to The Methodist Church?
The Methodist Church, along with our partners in the Joint Public Issues Team, founded the Let’s End Poverty movement in 2023. We felt called by our faith in a God of justice to be outspoken and brave on UK poverty, and to highlight the moral injustice that poverty in the UK is rising and deepening. We believe that everyone is made in God’s image, with inherent dignity and worth, but that poverty denies people that value. Our calling as people of Christian faith is to stand in solidarity with people who are marginalised and oppressed by society, and to act in hope for change. But we also know that we can’t bring about change alone – we need to build strong partnerships for action and impact, and that’s why we wanted to grow a movement of people committed to ending poverty, together, for good.
What would you say are the greatest challenges we face in the fight to end poverty?
Right now, one of the big challenges we face is a question of priorities. We know that viable, workable policy solutions exist to end poverty, that are being proposed by charities and think tanks. But political conversation is focussed on growing the economy and cutting spending, and ambitious targets around poverty are falling to the wayside. We need to be brave enough to ask bigger questions about who benefits from a growing economy, and to consider seriously how tackling poverty would lift strain on our healthcare system, strengthen educational opportunities for all children and enable stronger communities long term. At the moment, both in parliament and in the Church, we are often focussed on addressing the symptoms of poverty, not the causes. We need to take a step back, and think about how we can make vital changes to our social security system, education, healthcare, housing, workers’ rights and so much more, to go right down to the roots of poverty and inequality. We also need to make sure that we listen to and respect the experience of people with direct experience of poverty. They have a unique insight to bring into the kind of solutions that really make a difference. If we’re going to make long term change, we need to make sure the right people are around the table.
How can we get involved in Let’s End Poverty as individuals and as a faith community?
If you care about ending poverty in the UK, then you are already part of the movement! Joining in with Let’s End Poverty as an initiative means that you can take action and learn alongside others who are committed to change too. You can join Let’s End Poverty as an individual, or as a group or community, through our website – https://letsendpoverty.co.uk/join-in/. When you sign up, you’ll get details of our monthly Action Gatherings, which happen online once a month, where we share learning and get equipped for action. You can also take part in campaigns (we’ve got a new one coming up in September!) and raise your voice with others. But you can also get creative – building a movement requires everyone’s skills, talents and opportunities. Whether it’s talking to your neighbours about poverty, building a relationship with your MP to ask them to take action, using arts and creativity or something else, a movement is made up of individuals all committed to change. We’d love to have you on board!
Thanks to Hannah Fremont-Brown for her work with Let’s End Poverty, and for her insightful answers to our questions.