PRAN NEWSLETTER ISSUE 13: February 2025
Welcome to the February Edition of the PRAN Newsletter
Dear PRAN MEMBERS
Before sharing updates on our new blog, upcoming event, and news from our friends, we want to begin this newsletter with a reflection on The Manc Kitchen: A Social Dining Pilot, which took place earlier this month. There is real value in dining together, and this event was evidence of that! It was a truly beautiful and insightful experience to participate in and host this social dining pilot. Seeing so many different people in one room, hearing them chatting and enjoying getting to know each other while having a delicious meal, was simply amazing.
Picture (left to right): Maria Rusca - Volunteer, Natalija Atas - Organiser, Adele Wylie - Organiser, Ian Byrne - MP for Liverpool and West Derby, Kala Mandviwala - Chef, Kata Cieślik - Volunteer
Inspired by MP Ian Byrne’s Scouse Kitchen, the Manc Kitchen explored the benefits of social dining amid rising food and fuel poverty. Approximately 620,000 people in Greater Manchester are currently living in poverty, facing challenges in meeting basic needs such as food. This event demonstrated that public dining spaces can do more than just provide food - they can build community and offer sustainable solutions to food poverty.
The Manc Kitchen would not have been possible without the drive and dedication of Adele Wylie, the lead organiser of the event! We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Adele and encourage everyone to read her latest blog, where she shares her reflections on the event and its broader significance.
BLOG
Our latest blog ‘The Manc Kitchen - Imagining a right to food in Manchester’ was written by Adele Wylie, a PhD researcher in Human Geography at the University of Reading. In the piece, Adele explains how her motivation to organise the event stemmed from her PhD research, which explores informal care networks and community solidarities that emerged in Manchester during the Covid-19 pandemic to support those facing food insecurity:
“Through volunteering and interviews, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible efforts of civil society to fill the gaps left by government inaction. Social dining, I believe, could be a more dignified and sustainable response to food poverty—one that reduces the burden on civil society while fostering community connections.”
UPCOMING EVENT:
Understanding the Cost-of-Living Crisis
We are excited to invite you to our next event - Understanding the Cost-of-Living Crisis: Special Issue Launch - taking place online on the 28th April. At the event, contributors of the Special Issue will discuss their work on the impact of the cost of living crisis in the UK.
The Issue, published in the journal Social Policy and Administration, highlights the complex challenges faced by low-income groups – including women, higher education students, and benefit claimants - as they navigate food insecurity, indebtedness, and everyday hardship. It also explores the intersection of financial insecurity, health and well-being while underscoring the necessity of systemic reforms and policies that foster long-term economic stability and address structural inequalities.
The event offers an opportunity to engage with leading experts, participate in informed discussions, and contribute to the broader conversation on addressing these pressing challenges.
Click here to learn more and register.
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS AND UPDATES
Organisation Spotlight: Resolve Poverty
Please see the message below from our friends at
Resolve Poverty.
Resolve Poverty is an independent, not-for-profit organisation working with local authorities and partners across the country to see an end to poverty. We believe in the power of places to boost living standards and create communities where everyone can thrive. Join our community of over 3.5K members to access free, leading guidance on how to develop powerful strategic, policy and practical responses to poverty:
Newsletter - Resolve Poverty.
UPCOMING EVENT:
Resolve Poverty Annual Conference will be held on Thursday, 13th March, in Manchester. Learn more about the conference here.
Research Report: Making Halton Our Home
We’d also like to highlight the Making Halton Our Home: Experiences of Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Vulnerable Migrants report, published by Citizens Advice Halton. This report draws on the experiences of individuals following a positive asylum decision. It details the significant barriers faced by refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants living in Halton. Read the full report here (PDF).
We appreciate you taking the time to read this issue and look forward to sharing more updates with you next month!
In Solidarity,
PRAN TEAM
