The Great Northern Walk

On the 4th of August we will be embarking on a tour across the second longest and longest single water way canal in the UK, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The Canal stretches 204km (127 miles) through Merseyside, Lancashire and Yorkshire and we will be hoping to complete the entire length of the canal in what we presume to be (although haven’t checked) a record 5 days. Having eaten our way through lockdown we will be putting on our walking boots and getting in some much needed steps. We will be walking on average 10 hours per day to hopefully burn off as many Dominos and Cheeseburgers as we can. We are, however, aware that many people living in the UK do not have access to the same basic necessities that we can sometimes take for granted. A large population of people within the UK are currently living in poverty and are heavily reliant on charitable organisations such as food banks to maintain basic standards of living. The current Covid-19 climate has only gone to highlight and exacerbate these issues. As such we will be doing this walk in aid of those most vulnerable in our society and raising funds for the Trussell Trust. The Trussell Trust offer a lifeline to those most in need and we would welcome any donations, no matter how big or small, which will go a huge way to supporting those who need it most. We have added some more information on the work done by the Trussell Trust below.

• In the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty- including 4.5 million children.
• Between April 2018 and March 2019, food banks in the Trussell Trust network provided a record of 1.6 million food supplies to people in crisis, a 19% increase on the previous year.
• 30% of children in the UK are living in property, that’s nine in a classroom of 30.
• Children from black and minority ethnic groups are more likely to be in poverty: 46%, compared with 26% of children in White British families.
• Work doesn’t provide a guaranteed route out of poverty in the UK. 72% of children growing up in poverty live in a household where at least one person works.

Primary referral causes in 2018 to 2019 to Trussell Trust food banks:
1. Income not covering the cost of essentials (33.11%)
2. Benefit Delays (20.34%)
3. Benefit Changes (17.36%)

The Trussell Trust doesn’t just provide food, their aim is to challenge the structural economic issues that lock people in poverty, and campaign to end the need for food banks in the UK. All of the statistics above were taken over the course of 2018-2019, as you can imagine the statistics for 2019-2020 will be a far lot worse.

No one should be left hungry or destitute, we owe it to each other to make sure sufficient financial support is in place where we need it most. It’s completely unacceptable that anyone is forced to turn to a food bank but so many are and so many desperately need help.