I wanted to say the biggest THANK YOU to all the team at @NEA_UKCharity (NEA) for having me as a guest speaker at the #NEAconference25 and an even bigger thank you to everyone that joined our breakout session. 

It was standing room only and a privilege to share a stage with Molly Chambers from NEA, Emma Lewin at Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK) and Dave Farquharson at @lightningreach  

Ahhh man I got emotional again. How can you not when you’re talking about poverty and vulnerable people’s experiences of winter? 🤷‍♂️

I don’t worry too much these days when my voice goes and I FEEL the emotion. I’ve been doing this for so long now, I think it would be weirder if I didn’t feel it in my heart.

It’s always the things our customers share with the @income_max team and the stories from the team themselves that start me off. 

Anyway it wasn’t too bad, I muddled through and it was lovely to have so much time to dig into the reasons why there are gaps in support.

What emotions am I feeling you might be wondering?

Let me tell you. ANGER & FRUSTRATION mainly. 

How can society just seemingly be OK with so many millions struggling? It makes me burn inside. 

I come back to 2010 when Cameron and Osbourne decimated the support available to people within the social security system. Vulnerable people are STILL FEELING the effects of austerity to this day. 

Things have got even worse since then. Post pandemic. The cost of living crisis. The housing crisis. No wonder there’s a working age mental health problem.

But then there’s HOPE. I feel hope. I feel optimistic. I feel love, kindness and compassion. I feel there’s a movement of people that absolutely give a f**k and for that I’m GRATEFUL.

The social security system is still capable of helping people in vulnerable situations. There’s still debt advice. More and more companies are trying to help their vulnerable customers. The new government ARE trying to do what they can to support people. It’s not easy. There are no perfect solutions. 

And so I’m in a room in Liverpool, with 100+ people there with us, asking great questions, with love in their eyes.

People doing good things, to help people. 

I’ve never felt so lucky to be in front of them, hopefully as an advocate, an ally and a voice of hope in a tough time in UK history.
#NEAconference25