North Tyneside Food Bank

C

CheshireBoro

Well-known member
I work in North Tyneside / South Northumberland at the moment (in Social Care), and am a trustee of a series of Food Banks there - we have just finished our Quarterly Meeting, and it was absolutely heartbreaking.

Demand in Ashington, Cramlington, Killingworth and Blyth is up 170% year on year, and the data collection goes into enormous detail on what has led to this. Much of it was predictable - lost jobs because of Covid, 11 week delays in UC Payments, Evictions, people being put on shorter hours contracts.

But in the last 2 months, a huge increase in people unable to heat their houses as energy prices have soared, and equal numbers of people who (whilst they are at work) cant afford to insure and fuel their cars anymore. Inflation now over 5% and rising quickly. Hospitality and Retail very possibly about to either shut or partially shut again.

Those who have been struggling are now in desperate situations, every day. 2022 is set to be a horrifying year in the UK for our most needy.

Please, wherever you live, if you are able to help your local Food Bank - please do so.

Thanks x
 
The very existence of foodbanks is a disgraceful indictment of where we are as a nation. I sometimes deal with the lovely folk at Bay Foodbank in North Shields. They do such a great job but are in full agreement with me that they shouldn't have to be there at all. The fact that the people at the very top of our society don't even pay tax on their billions while we have people who can't even afford to eat says all you need to know about the UK, and particularly England, which after all drives its laws and economics. We need a radical national conversation about the country we would like to be, and we need change from the top down.
 
Any person working in a food bank willing to have their photograph taken with a Tory is basically laughing at those that are in such a desperate position to need them…

I think the tories think it’s an achievement of their governance that they have been provided to help the vulnerable…
 
HarryVegas said:
The very existence of foodbanks is a disgraceful indictment of where we are as a nation. I sometimes deal with the lovely folk at Bay Foodbank in North Shields. They do such a great job but are in full agreement with me that they shouldn't have to be there at all. The fact that the people at the very top of our society don't even pay tax on their billions while we have people who can't even afford to eat says all you need to know about the UK, and particularly England, which after all drives its laws and economics. We need a radical national conversation about the country we would like to be, and we need change from the top down.
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In past times this would be enough to cause civil war, have a revolution, drag rulers to lamp posts, riots. We are ruled by fear
 
Without wanting to make an obviously political point......

Food Banks barely even existed before the Tories came to power under Cameron. Now there are several thousand being used, every single day. Seeing Conservative MPs all doing those visits on the same day last year for the photo opportunity made me feel physically sick.

The Conservative Party should "own" their ethos, and it is this.

"If you are poor, we couldn't care less about you. You don't matter, and you never will."

Thats modern day Conservatism, in a nutshell.
 
The English people as a whole don't care. They'll use any excuse to stop themselves behaving in a civilised manner and making sure those in difficult circumstances are looked after.

The drift to becoming an uncaring part of the UK started decades ago after much persuasion from the media. Is there any route back?
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
The English people as a whole don't care. They'll use any excuse to stop themselves behaving in a civilised manner and making sure those in difficult circumstances are looked after.

The drift to becoming an uncaring part of the UK started decades ago after much persuasion from the media. Is there any route back?
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I concur with your sentiments.
Tony Benn called the ideology of Thatcherism a "virulent strain" which would "infect society".
Today we see how that "virulent strain" has handed wealth and power entirely back to the rich and powerful - which is what it was intended to do from the beginning.
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
The English people as a whole don't care. They'll use any excuse to stop themselves behaving in a civilised manner and making sure those in difficult circumstances are looked after.

The drift to becoming an uncaring part of the UK started decades ago after much persuasion from the media. Is there any route back?
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Greed selfishness and consumerism has taken over much of the Western World, it's not just an 'English' thing.
There are foodbanks in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy and France for example.
The route back? I have no idea and it's heartbreaking because it's now passed on through the generations.
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
I'm well aware of the problems across Europe. I was referring to the part of this country that support the expansion of food banks when it comes to the ballot box.
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And so does the rest of the UK and Europe. Still doesn't explain why it's just an English thing?
 
CheshireBoro said:
Without wanting to make an obviously political point......

Food Banks barely even existed before the Tories came to power under Cameron. Now there are several thousand being used, every single day. Seeing Conservative MPs all doing those visits on the same day last year for the photo opportunity made me feel physically sick.

The Conservative Party should "own" their ethos, and it is this.

"If you are poor, we couldn't care less about you. You don't matter, and you never will."

Thats modern day Conservatism, in a nutshell.
Click to expand...
"That's modern day Conservatism" nothing different to "any other day Conservatism" then ?
 
A politician from the ruling party of the last 11 years celebrating the work of food banks whilst completely ignoring the policies and practices of his government that has created and massively increased the need to feed through charity the poorest and most disadvantaged of the nation. Food banks get hammered on Facebook and Twitter by the ‘have’s’ for meeting the needs of the lazy and great unwashed. Data tells us the majority of service users are the working poor but this is neatly ignored as it does t support the narrative. . Sometimes the state of humanity and lack of care for your fellow man in this country really does make me so sad
 
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