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Following the recent incident in Bristol, we’ve taken the opportunity to review and strengthen our procedures to ensure our shop is a safe place for anyone to come if they feel scared or unsafe. Over the coming days our volunteers will be receiving updated training on how to respond if a child or young person comes into the shop feeling unsafe, frightened, lost, or in need of help. Our shop has always been part of the community, and we want children and young people to know t

Bedrooms of Torbay - Call for Submissions We often talk about poverty in statistics, percentages, reports, and headlines. But poverty isn’t experienced in numbers. It’s lived, every day, in the spaces children call their own. Back in 2020, inspired by an exhibition called Bedrooms of London, we began a project to explore what life really looked like behind closed doors here in Torbay. During lockdown, children were confined to their homes, often spending most of their time in

We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded funding from The National Lottery. This investment will help us expand our services by securing additional office space for meeting and supporting clients and employing a paid member of staff to support and train our volunteers, strengthening the vital work they do in our community. We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity and so very excited for what comes next. Watch this space for details of the new job post and

At Punk Against Poverty we believe in something very simple: Education should be one of the most powerful routes out of poverty. For children growing up in hardship, school should be a place of opportunity, safety, support, and hope. It should be where barriers are removed, not where families are punished for struggling to survive. We work everyday with families who are facing poverty, disability, housing insecurity, trauma and mental health challenges. We see first hand how

The New Employment Rights Act You might have seen headlines about the Employment Rights Act . Here’s a bit about what’s changing, why it matters, and who it affects most. Sick Pay From Day One Statutory Sick Pay will now be paid from the first day you’re off sick , and more people will qualify because the earnings limit is being removed. For anyone on a low income, this is a big deal. Missing even a couple of days’ pay can mean stress and falling behind on bills. This change

The government has finally published its new child poverty strategy, and on the surface there's a lot to welcome. It includes plans to make baby formula more affordable, extend breastfeeding support, bring in a six week limit on families in temporary accomodation staying in B&Bs, more help with upfront childcare costs for people leaving Universal Credit (UC) to return to work, free school breakfast clubs, free school meals for all families on UC and a cap on the amount of bra

We recently posted on our socials that we will be starting to make formal complaints to local schools who are still not offering preloved school uniforms for sale affordably as required under the Cost of School Uniform Act (2021). This is following numerous attempts we have made to contact these schools informally and offers of support in setting up preloved provisions, and on the advice of the Department for Education who have confirmed to us that despite the legal expectati

We are working with the Good Things Foundation (opens new window)  to distribute free SIMs and mobile data to people in need. The  National Databank (opens new window) scheme is supported by UK mobile networks including Vodafone, O2 and Three.  To be able to access the National Databank you must be 18+ years old and from a low-income household. One or more of the following must also be true:  you have no or poor access to the internet at home you have no or poor access to th

Over the past few months, Punk Against Poverty has submitted a series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to Torbay Council about school attendance enforcement. What we found paints a deeply concerning picture particularly for families with children who have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our FOIs uncover high volumes of fines, untracked costs to the tax payer, disproportionate impacts on SEND families, and an apparent absence of Equality Impact Asses

New Government Guidance for Schools on Uniform Policy Issued Punk Against Poverty have long since called for more consideration of pupils needs, disabilities and families low incomes when implementing school uniform policies so we’re pleased to see that new guidance issued this month covers these topics. The Government has issued new non statutory guidance to schools on the considerations to be made when implementing uniform policy, including appointing a staff contact for sc

⭐️⭐️⭐️School uniform ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Will you struggle to afford the cost of school uniform for September? Our free school uniform bank is here to...

As we settle into a new year at Punk Against Poverty, and our own third birthday at the end of January, we've been busy both reflecting...

With the support of the Healthwatch Assist Engagement Grant Punk Against Poverty CIC have launched a survey aiming to capture the...

This weekend saw one lucky supporter of ours win a fantastic £250 on the Torbay Lottery. Enormous congratulations to Mr D. If you'd like...

Punk Against Poverty CIC has secured £500 worth of building materials through Selcos ongoing campaign. The organisation will use the...