Guarantee our Essentials

In recent years, Taff-Ely Foodbank has been participating in the Trussell and JRF campaign, ‘Guarantee our Essentials’. We see in our foodbank the impact that Universal Credit is having on people in our community, and it’s clear to us that a social security system that protects people instead of punishing them is vital for reducing hunger and hardship in Taff-Ely and across the UK. Check out what we’ve been doing:

Engaging the Community

We organised community events to bring together people with lived experience, to share their stories and use their experiences to build support for the campaign. We met with local Members of Parliament, Members of the Senedd, and County Borough Councils to share the campaign and encourage them to support it, while encouraging other local groups, campaigns, and organisations to share our campaign with their networks.

We are grateful to have gained the support of RCT CBC, Bridgend CBC, Pontypridd Town Council, RCT Trade Union Council, Gilfach Goch Community Council, Fairtrade Pontypridd, and so many other individuals and groups in South Wales that have helped us show how important an essentials guarantee would be for people facing crisis.

Our Campaign Coordinator discussing the campaign

Community Conversations

We organised community conversations events with Rhondda Foodbank and Pontypridd Foodbank, bringing together the whole community to fight hunger and hardship. From foodbanks and pantries, to some of our referral partners and advice agencies, to housing associations, to churches and schools, it was great to bring together so many groups working to support people in crisis and end the need for foodbanks. We shared stories of hardship and discussed what they were seeing in their work and communities, and encouraged them to support our campaign. We appreciate everyone who added their names to our open letter, calling for an essentials guarantee.

Our Community Conversations event in Ystrad, bringing together people from across the community

Our Tablecloth

We have been gathering stories of hardship and hope in our community and writing them on tablecloths as part of Trussell’s campaign to ‘Lay it all on the table’. Thanks to all who shared their story on the tablecloth. We have since taken it to the Houses of Parliament in London, the Senedd in Cardiff, and numerous events and meetings to show how important our campaign is for the people turning to foodbanks to survive.

One of Taff-Ely Foodbanks tablecloths

Westminster Lobby Day

We joined over 500 people from foodbanks across the UK at a Trussell Lobby Day in June 2025, where we met with our local Members of Parliament and called on them to fight for an Essentials Guarantee. It was a great opportunity to build relationships with other foodbanks, share the voices of our clients and the work we are doing to end hunger in Taff-Ely, and show support for the campaign.

Taff Ely, Pontypridd, and Cardiff Foodbanks travelling to Westminster

Foodbanks across Wales and the UK have been engaging their communities to support the campaign alongside this, and Trussell has organised several major actions to raise awareness and support for the campaign. It has been a privilege to share the Essentials Guarantee with our community and we would encourage anyone interested in learning more, sharing it with their networks, or getting involved to contact us at [email protected]

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