## **Together for change A new journey**
**Annual report and accounts** 2024–2025
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**Overview**
## **2 Overview**
- 8 Welcome – from the Chair of the Board, and the Co-CEOs
- 10 Key moments from 2024–2025
- 13 A relentless challenge for food banks
- 17 Supporting food banks through grants
## **22 Strategic report**
- 23 Our strategic priorities
- 24 Changing Communities
- 40 Changing Minds
- 56 Changing Policy
- 75 Together with our volunteers
- 77 Together with churches
- 79 Together with people with lived experience
- 82 Together, strengthening our commitment to EDI
- 84 Together with supporters
- 90 The journey so far
- 94 Looking forward to 2025–2026
- 97 Financial review
101 Financial performance and position
104 Principal risks and uncertainties and our approach to risk management
106 Environmental, social responsibility and governance
115 Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities
## **117 Independent auditor’s report**
## **122 Financial statements**
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**Together for change:** A new journey **4**
**Overview**
Strategic report
Independent auditor’s report
Financial statements
## **Our vision**
## **Our values**
Our vision is for a UK without the need for food banks.
## **Our mission**
We exist so everyone in the UK can be free from hunger. We work together to ensure no one needs a food bank to survive. Until that happens, we provide emergency food and practical support for people left without enough money to live on.
**The food bank was more than a place for food. It provided community, guidance, and hope – when I needed it most.**
## **Compassion**
We stand in solidarity with people that need the help of food banks. We put the wellbeing of people served by food banks above everything else.
## **Community**
We believe we share the
responsibility to support one another in our communities. To create change, we must work together for the kind of society we want to live in.
## **Justice**
We are motivated by a desire to see a more just society. It’s not right that anyone is facing hunger and poverty. Everyone should have enough income to afford the essentials.
## **Dignity**
We recognise the innate value of each individual person and seek to prioritise the other person’s needs and concerns in the spirit of mutuality and friendship – regardless of background.
Lauren, who needed support from her local food bank
**Overview**
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Financial statements Together for change: A new journey 5
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## **Who we are**
We are an anti-poverty charity and community of food banks.
We work together to ensure no one in the UK needs a food bank to survive, while providing emergency food and practical support for people left without enough money to live on.
We are in 1,400 food bank locations, supported by 40,000 volunteers, 12,000 churches, hundreds of thousands of community groups and schools, and millions of people around the UK.
## **Together, we are Trussell.**
**Together for change:** A new journey **6**
**Overview**
## **What we do**
**We need urgent action on hunger in the UK.**
People are being pushed to the brink because they don’t have enough money to live on. This can’t go on.
We refuse to stand by while so many of us can’t afford to eat, keep warm and pay the bills. Not so long ago, food banks were not needed to the extent they are today. That’s why we work locally and across the UK for a more just and compassionate society where no one needs a food bank to survive. We’re determined to make this a reality.
Until that happens, we provide emergency food and practical support to people in their hardest moments; and work with our partners and local communities to ensure everyone gets the right help long before they need to use a food bank.
**We know food banks are not a long-term solution, because hunger is not a food problem. It’s a money problem.** We bring together experiences, evidence and solutions from food banks – and from people who’ve needed them – to build a compelling case for change.
We will not stop until everybody has enough money for the essentials, and the distribution of emergency food can end for good.
**Together for change:** A new journey **7**
**Overview**
## **About this report**
This report relates to the work of Trussell as a UK-wide charity, rather than food banks within the Trussell community, which are independent organisations. On 30 September 2025, there were 415 food bank charities in the Trussell community, operating in 1,397 locations across the UK.
**To coincide with the launch of our five-year strategy, we extended our financial year to cover an 18-month period – ensuring full alignment with our new strategic cycle.**
**Our annual report and accounts for 2024-2025 therefore covers an 18-month period, from 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2025 inclusive.**
References to ‘2024-2025’ within the document are intended to cover this 18-month timeframe. Where data presented in the report relates to a timeframe other than our 18-month accounting period, this is clearly noted.
For an overview of the 12-month period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, please see our **Impact report** .
**Together for change:** A new journey **8**
**Overview**
## **Foreword from our Chair**
On behalf of the Trussell Board of Trustees, I’m delighted to welcome you to our annual report and accounts for 2024-2025 – covering an 18-month period that was equally marked by deep challenges and remarkable impact.
For food banks and the people who need them alike, the context remained highly challenging: from the ongoing reality of a tough financial climate, as the cost of living crisis showed no signs of receding, to a shift in public priorities – with food banks needing to buy in an increasing amount of stock as food donations continued to decline.
On a broader level, we also saw a shifting social and political landscape ahead of the General Election and beyond – with Trussell partners, supporters, and campaigners pushing for the muchneeded policy changes that could help end the need for food banks for good.
Times may be tough, but our remarkable Trussell community continued to step up to the challenge, maintaining hope in the face of adversity. Throughout the year, we remained in awe of the resilience and compassion shown by food banks, and the incredible work that they do, day in and day out. As always, we are hugely thankful for their ongoing dedication to supporting local people across the UK.
I’d also like to acknowledge the invaluable contribution made by people with lived experience of hunger and hardship. Whether making their voices heard as Lived Experience Partners, by participating in workshops and focus groups, or providing ongoing feedback directly to food banks, lived experience experts help to guide our work at every level
– including through the Board of Trustees. Sharing their stories in the media has also ensured that real-life experiences of hunger and hardship have stayed in the spotlight.
This report not only highlights our achievements over an 18-month period from April 2024 to September 2025, but also looks back at the past five years, during which we tapped into unprecedented levels of financial reserves – providing grants to build food banks’ longer-term resilience. Our report shows how we successfully achieved our plan to invest these resources to achieve long-term change, and are using this as a platform to transition to our bold new strategy for 2025-2030. Our work will be informed by everything that we have learned over the past five years, and focused on a core vision of ending hunger today, tomorrow, and forever.
I’m grateful for the way that we and our partners have been able to stand alongside each other during 2024-2025, with vital support continuing to be provided by food banks, volunteers, local agencies
and community groups, key funders, and an extensive network of businesses, policy partners, churches and faith groups across the UK.
Finally, I’d like to extend my personal thanks to the Board of Trustees, and am delighted that we are able to strengthen our capacity as an organisation by moving to a Co-CEO model – bringing shared expertise at senior leadership level, along with proven abilities to work across a wide and complex landscape.
Above all, I am excited to move into our new strategy period, as we see tangible signs of progressing towards our collective vision with a reinvigorated sense of purpose. I hope you’re excited too.
**Natalie Campbell MBE** Chair of the Board of Trustees
**Together for change:** A new journey **9**
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## **Welcome from our Co-CEOs**
Welcome to our annual report and accounts for 2024–2025 – an 18-month period in which the Trussell community of food banks provided a staggering 4.16 million emergency food parcels to people facing hardship across the UK. For the third year in a row, food banks distributed over one million parcels to children. Shockingly the total number of parcels distributed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic exceeds 15 million .
Despite our deep conviction that these statistics represent significant systemic and societal failings, they also represent a profound commitment on the
part of volunteers and paid staff at food banks in every part of the UK. Food bank teams continue to respond to huge levels of need, and we continue to support them in multiple ways – with practical help and guidance, funding through grants, advocacy and campaigning, amplifying evidence and stories, sharing learnings, and building our sense of togetherness and strategic intent which underpins everything that the Trussell community does.
We took major strides in expanding access to advice on money matters for people facing hunger and hardship (with nine in 10 food bank charities in the Trussell community now providing these services), reducing the likelihood that people will need to return to a food bank. Our Pathfinder programme,
meanwhile, led the way in funding food banks to test new approaches and develop new partnerships – going beyond providing emergency food to actively seeking to reduce the need for food banks.
In terms of influencing decisionmakers, the Guarantee our Essentials campaign went from strength to strength, with a surge in public support for changes
to Universal Credit, multiple campaigning events being held across the UK, and our first ever lobby day in Westminster taking our message to the very seat of power. Our policy work also showed what we can be achieved when we stand together as a community for change, with our campaign around the two-child limit yielding an amazingly positive result, and commitment to ending the mass dependence on emergency food being written into multiple party manifestos ahead of the 2024 General Election.
This year also marked a moment of transition, as we came to the end of our organisational strategy for 2020-2025. Building on the successes of the past five years, in September 2025 we launched a new five-year strategy, created together with food banks, people with lived experience, sector partners, and many others – all of whom were able to bring their unique experience and knowledge to the table. We are incredibly excited to be taking this new strategy forward over the next few years, and hugely proud of our expert staff team who will help to deliver it alongside our partners.
As ever, we’d like to thank our Board of Trustees for their continued support and guidance, while we evolve our plans and implement our vision. We’re also hugely grateful to everyone who has supported us in whichever way they were able – by donating funds or food, supporting their local food bank by volunteering, or adding their voice to our UK-wide campaign for change.
As we look back over not only the past 18 months, but also the past five years, the amazing progress we have made so far renews our confidence and resolve that – despite the challenges we face – together we can, and we will, end the need for food banks in the UK.
**Emma Revie** and **Matthew van Duyvenbode**
Co-Chief Executive Officers
**Together for change:** A new journey **10**
**Overview**
## **Key moments from 2024-2025**
**Between April 2024 and September 2025, we took many major strides towards our vision of a UK without the need for food banks – including notable successes in our research initiatives, antipoverty campaigns, and our policy and influencing work.**
## **April to June 2024**
Our **End-of-Year Statistics** reveal that, over the previous 12 months, the Trussell community of food banks distributed more than 3.1 million emergency food parcels to people facing hunger and hardship – an astonishing figure, and the highest ever number for a single year.
Our **food bank roadshows** visit the Trussell community of charities across the UK – sharing information and strategies on how to meet increasing need, improve services while centring dignity, successfully engage with policymakers, and work towards ending hunger and hardship.
The General Synod of the Church of England passes a motion supporting the **Guarantee our Essentials campaign** – calling for an Essentials Guarantee within Universal Credit, ensuring that the basic rate of payment always covers the cost of life’s essentials.
## **July to September 2024**
**Pre-General Election campaigning** by Trussell supporters, partners, and food banks ensures the new government comes into office with manifesto commitments to tackle poverty, and to end the need for emergency food – which it describes as “a moral scar on our society.”
Throughout the summer, we set up stall at major **Christian festivals** across the UK, including Wildfires, New Wine, and Greenbelt – platforming the voices of people with lived experience of hunger and hardship, while distributing resources enabling churches to engage with our vision.
Trussell launches its **refreshed brand** . Co-designed alongside food banks and people with lived experience of hardship, our new look, feel, and messaging increases accessibility, helps remove barriers to people accessing food bank support, and boosts public awareness.
**Together for change:** A new journey **11**
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## **October to December 2024**
The Trussell community meets in Parliament Square to launch _**The Hardship Times**_ . This one-off newspaper – spotlighting stories of hardship – is given to all MPs in Parliament, and distributed UK-wide by food banks. Tailored versions are also created for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Our **winter fundraising appeal** – focusing on the message that behind the door of every food bank lies hope – ensures vital financial support from the public during what can be a particularly tough time for people facing hunger and hardship, as well as for food banks in the Trussell community.
## Trussell’s **Christmas carol**
**concerts** – held at Southwark Cathedral in London and St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh – help raise funds and boost awareness of hardship, with readings and performances from guests including Hugh Bonneville, Joely Richardson, and Sanjeev Kohli.
## **January to March 2025**
Our supporters call for a rethink on government proposals to cut **disability support** payments, with over 38,000 emails sent to local MPs. Celebrities including Stephen Fry, Rosie Jones, and Stanley Tucci join our campaign, and Trussell data is quoted in Parliamentary debates.
We mark the end of our five-year **Pathfinder programme** – which supported food banks to test new approaches, develop new partnerships, and actively seek to reduce the need for food banks – with a special event where participants share their learnings, successes, and longer-term plans.
Recently-announced Trussell Ambassador AJ Odudu fronts our latest **fundraising appeal** . The _Big Brother_ host and former _Strictly Come Dancing_ semi-finalist also meets with volunteers at a food bank in her home town of Blackburn.
**Together for change:** A new journey **12**
**Overview**
## **April to June 2025**
Key findings from our _Cost of Hunger and Hardship_ report inform our submission to the Child Poverty Taskforce, and feature in media coverage of the government’s work on the **Child Poverty Strategy** . In June, Free School Meals eligibility is extended in line with our recommendations.
Our first ever **Westminster lobby day** takes Trussell’s call for an Essentials Guarantee to the seat of government. Over 540 representatives of food banks, local partners, and charities – along with Trussell supporters, campaigners, and key allies – lobby and meet with more than 250 MPs.
Our **Football vs Hunger** initiative builds understanding of, and empathy towards, people facing hardship among football clubs and their fans – with nationwide activities around key fixtures and a multi-media campaign kicking off conversations about food bank need in UK communities.
## **July to September 2025**
We publish the latest findings from our **Hunger in the UK** project – the most ambitious, in-depth research yet undertaken by Trussell. The reports show that, in 2024, 14.1 million people, including 3.8 million children, faced hunger due to lack of money – equivalent to one in six UK households.
Trussell calls on policymakers to end the **two-child limit** on support from the social security system, which pushes families to food banks. Alongside children’s charities, we lobby government ministers leading on the Child Poverty Strategy, while campaigning to build public support.
In September, nine out of 10 food banks in the Trussell community report that they are now able to provide people facing hardship with access to free, high-quality **advice on money-related matters** – reducing the likelihood that they may need support from a food bank in future.
**Together for change:** A new journey **13**
**Overview**
## **A relentless challenge for food banks**
**During 2024-2025, food banks in the UK-wide Trussell community continued to face extremely high levels of need for emergency food and, in the 12 months prior to April 2025, almost 2.9 million parcels were given to people facing hunger and hardship.**
## **The scale of need for emergency food**
Food banks in the Trussell community distributed almost 2.9 million emergency food parcels between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. For the third year in a row, food banks distributed over one million parcels to children.
During the 18-month period covered by this annual report, 4.16 million emergency food parcels were given out.
There is a real risk that, without any significant shift, we are facing a ‘new normal’ of extraordinarily high levels of severe financial hardship in our communities.
## **Number of emergency food parcels distributed by food banks in the Trussell community**
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3,126,479
2,997,671
2,885,086
2,578,892
2,183,037
1,909,345 1,980,677
1,854,021 1,860,909
1,583,192
1,347,379
1,185,199
1,143,650 1,145,802
995,700 1,024,177
835,658
724,146
2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025
Total Adults Children
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**There’s no signs here of it getting quieter or people needing to use the food bank less. Some of the trends we’re seeing are lots of people needing to repeatedly use the food bank, so it’s not such short-term need any more.**
## **Eli Holland**
Project Manager, Birmingham Central Foodbank
**Together for change:** A new journey **14**
**Overview**
## **Over the past five years, to April 2025, we have seen:**
51%
41% **increase in the number of parcels distributed to children**
**increase in the number of parcels distributed compared with the same period five years ago (2019-2020)**
567,000 **people were forced to turn to a food bank for the first time in the year to March 2025**
32%
**rise in parcels to support children under the age of five**
Continued high levels of local need were mirrored in calls fielded centrally by Trussell. Our enquiries team offers guidance and support to members of the public, on all aspects of our work. During 20242025, the team continued to see a high volume of calls (8,229 in total)
from people seeking food or other support, such as financial or fuelrelated. These calls also became **increasingly challenging** , with people often very distressed or facing more difficult circumstances than in previous years.
**Number of emergency food parcels given by food banks in the Trussell community from April 2024 to March 2025, by UK area**
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Scotland
239,503
Northern Ireland
77,057
North East
129,011
Yorkshire &
North West Humberside
332,253 211,604
East Midlands
Wales 140,959
171,673 West
Midlands
243,987
East
322,540
London
South West
455,571
238,937
South East
311,991
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**Overview**
## **The drivers of food bank need**
Emergency food parcel provision has remained high – first and foremost due to a weakened social security system that is unable to protect people from the most severe forms of hardship, forcing more people to the doors of food banks. The soaring cost of living, along with the Covid-19 pandemic, drew more people into hardship, but it is the longer-term failings of our social security system that continue to push people into hunger and hardship.
## **The ongoing impact on food banks**
Every year we have reported the extraordinary ways in which **food banks across the Trussell community have responded to these high and entrenched levels of need** . We continue to be in awe of the ways in which they step in to support their local communities with compassion, resilience and innovation, but we also recognise the deep impact that this has on food banks, as small, volunteer-led organisations trying to hold back a tide of hardship. Food banks outside of the Trussell community have also seen large rises in need, and we have worked hard to support the people who need their support.
Food banks have told us that they are now supporting people who are experiencing a deepening and more prolonged level of hunger and hardship. They are seeing people who are **stuck in a cycle of financial difficulty** while living in increasingly challenging situations, often putting immense pressure on people’s mental health. This reflects wider trends, which show a long-term
increase in people living in very deep poverty, with incomes far below the standard poverty line.
**People assume food banks are just for emergencies – but for many, this is their new normal. The cost of living crisis hasn’t gone away, and we’re seeing working families, carers, and pensioners walking through our doors, not just once, but regularly. Our key message to the public: We cannot keep doing more with less. Donations are down. Costs are up.**
**Nikki Ranson and Armin Lange** Co-Directors, Colchester Foodbank
During the period April to March 2024-2025, food banks saw a continued decline in food donations, as people who would normally donate continued to face their own pressures. As a result, the proportion of stock needing to be purchased rose to 27% (up from 23% in 2023-2024), placing
additional financial pressure on local food banks. Food banks have responded incredibly to this additional challenge – expanding their food and fundraising efforts, and developing robust plans to sustain their core services – while Trussell has supported this shift by offering fundraising training, sharing expertise, and leveraging national relationships to help food banks access the resources they need.
Staff and volunteers in food banks have continued to negotiate and adapt to the challenges of recent years with resilience, strength, and compassion. Yet it remains clear that it is impossible for food banks alone to have the capacity and resources to meet the ongoing need for emergency food, and that as a society we are placing an unrealistic and increasingly overwhelming burden on volunteerled community provision. And we know that food banks are not a longterm solution, because **hunger is not a food problem – it’s a money problem.**
**Together for change:** A new journey **16**
**Overview**
Following the general election in July 2024, we welcomed the incoming UK government’s stated commitment to ending mass dependency on emergency food. To make this a reality, and to achieve the vision of an end to the need for food banks, we need to see all of those with a role to play stepping up.
## **Our referral partners**
Just as food banks in the Trussell community continued to experience enormous pressure over the past year, so too did the referral partners who play a key role in supporting people facing hunger and hardship. Food banks partner with a range of local services and support (such as doctors, teachers, health visitors, local voluntary organisations, and social workers), so that people can access a food bank’s support when needed. There are more than 25,000 referral partners across the UK. **Food banks work with these local services to support people long before they might need a food bank** ; mapping the journeys of people at risk of facing hardship, ensuring that the right support is
available in the community long before a referral may be needed, and reviewing existing referral criteria – so that everyone who needs emergency food is able to access it. Many food banks also invite local services to provide onsite advice and support to people in need of emergency food – reducing the likelihood of them needing a food bank in the future. We are hugely grateful for the way in which these referral partners work with food banks and make sure that people in need get the right support at the right time.
## **Support from churches**
Around 12,000 churches across the UK either run food banks directly, or support them – by donating, hosting activities in their venues, encouraging volunteering, and lending support to our campaigning work. Churches are essential to Trussell’s mission, and most food banks couldn’t operate without the support of their local church and other faith groups; we are hugely grateful for their commitment through another testing year.
**Together for change:** A new journey **17**
**Overview**
## **Supporting food banks through grants**
We support our community of food banks with a range of grants to help them deliver timely, compassionate support to people facing hardship – and to work towards our shared vision of ending hunger. During 2024–2025, we awarded grants of around £16.5 million to food banks, and – including grants awarded in previous years – paid out a total of £35 million in grants to food banks.
**Food banks are best placed to understand the specific needs and circumstances of their local communities** , so our grants programme empowers them to invest in delivering immediate support to people facing hardship in their local area, as well as longer-term activities that will work towards our shared vision. This includes improving their facilities, commissioning skilled advisers to support people using food banks, developing strategic plans, providing training for their volunteers, and much more.
**Cumulative grant spend since 2018 - 2019 (£m)**
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120
101.8
100 volunteers, and much more.
85.3
80
61.3
the stability and confidence to
60
40.6 projects.
40
20 12.6
8.4 £102M
3.6
0
2018–2019 2019–2020 2020–2021 2021–2022 2022–2023 2023–2024 2024–2025
Total grants to food banks
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In many cases, our grants provide guaranteed funding over a multiyear period. This gives food banks the stability and confidence to set up and maintain longer-term projects.
**in grants has been awarded to food banks in the Trussell community since 2018**
Since launching our grants programme in 2018, we have awarded a total of nearly £102 million in grants to the food banks in the Trussell community. Much of this has been enabled by a surge in generosity towards Trussell during the extraordinary Covid-19 period, and has in turn enabled us to deliver targeted and time-limited grants programmes to test new approaches and build the evidence on what works.
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## **Emergency and sustainability support**
## **Our strategic grant programmes**
As the impact of the cost of living crisis continued to affect communities across the UK, we increased the additional support for food banks that were seeing rising levels of need and operational costs, while facing static or declining donations of food and funds. Nearly **£6 million in emergency and sustainability grants** were awarded to help food banks navigate challenging times.
**We applied to Trussell for an emergency grant for £9,000 and are so glad we did as it was a game changer. The pressure was released to enable the trustees and team leader to plan for a sustainable future. The impact of the recovery plan has seen the food bank go from strength to strength.**
## **Ian Winters**
Trustee, Windermere & District Foodbank
These grants were used for a range of priorities, including purchasing food to meet the increased need, maintaining essential running costs of food banks, or employing a fundraiser to improve the food bank’s financial resilience. A further £2.3m was also paid in small ‘topup’ grants (funded by corporate donations from Tesco and Asda), to help food banks with essential operational costs.
Alongside our emergency support offer, in 2024–2025 we continued to offer a range of grants to our community of food banks, with grant awards totalling £8.3m.
## **Local access to money advice and support**
**Thanks to a grant, we have been able to dedicate more time to attacking the root causes of food insecurity. We are working to offer people visiting our food bank the additional support they need to improve their circumstances – and ensure they are not dependent on us for support in the future.**
We awarded over £6.3 million in grants to food banks to enable them to provide local advice and support on money matters for people facing hardship. These grants allow food banks to provide services that connect people on the lowest incomes with high quality, free advice and support – to unlock money that they may be eligible for, so that they are less likely to need a food bank in future.
## **Sandra Cane**
Trustee and Treasurer, Kensington & Chelsea Foodbank
By September 2025, almost nine in 10 food banks (89.2%) were able to offer access to high-quality financial inclusion advice – up from 49% in October 2022, 67% in September 2023, and 82% in September 2024. More on the success of our financial inclusion advice services can be found on page 32.
9 **in** 10
**food banks were able to offer access to high-quality financial inclusion advice**
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## **Local campaigns**
Once again, we boosted the funding for food banks to develop their work around **community organising** , where people are supported to come together in local communities, empowered to use their voice, and able to campaign for the changes around hunger and hardship that most matter to them locally. £600,000 was awarded to food banks in this area, received by around one in seven of the charities running food banks in the Trussell community – reflecting the ongoing scaling up of our work in this area alongside an increasing appetite among food banks to develop and deliver **local campaigns** . You can read more about the impact of our support for food banks in this area on page 42.
## **Learning how to reduce local need**
While no new awards were made, as this programme ended in 2025, we paid **£3.3 million in grants** in this area, with grants going to the one in eight charities running food banks in the Trussell community that took part in our Pathfinder programme. This enabled them to continue
to explore and test new ways of working that will help to reduce the need for food banks locally. For more on our Pathfinder programme, see page 29.
## **Developing premises, staff and volunteers**
Over £1.4m was awarded to food banks in grants to improve their premises, build their staff team, or develop their volunteers.
These enabled food banks to innovate their work, **respond to increased challenges** , and implement activities aimed at ensuring a dignified response to people needing help, while also working towards a future where no one needs to use a food bank.
## **Tailored support across our grant streams**
For all of our grant streams, Trussell provides additional, tailored support on the areas that they cover. This includes:
- Supporting food banks to develop specific skills to deliver their grant-funded activity.
- Helping to set up and deliver new services or initiatives, such as access to advice on money matters or influencing for change on local issues contributing to the need for food banks.
- Sharing learning about how grants are being used and the impact this is having.
By investing in support for food banks alongside the grants we provide, we help to ensure that the funding has the best possible impact – and that learnings are shared across the Trussell community.
**The Strategic Facilities grant has enhanced our operational capacity and strengthened the social fabric of the local community. Upgraded facilities have created a more welcoming and accessible space, improving people’s experience and engagement. Funding has also enabled new services, such as mental health drop-ins and community sessions, helping people address wider challenges like isolation, addiction and financial stress. For staff and volunteers, the grant has improved working conditions, supported training, and boosted morale. Overall, it’s reinforced our role as a trusted community hub.**
**Gary Faulkner**
Chairman, Bangor Foodbank and Community Support
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food bank grants
grants to partner charities . These grants support
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**Summary of our grant-making policy in 2024-2025**
Trussell awards two types of grants. The first is **food bank grants** to the governing charities of food banks that are part of the Trussell community. These grants are awarded towards the costs of food bank activity or associated activities designed to alleviate or reduce hunger and hardship among people referred to food banks.
The second is **grants to partner charities** . These grants support delivery of services at a local food bank or a national service or activity that provides support to food banks to provide their core service.
Food bank awards are determined by awarding panels, comprising suitably skilled and experienced members of Trussell staff and partner grants are approved by the relevant director.
Food bank grant-funded activity is monitored by our area managers and specialist colleagues (such as financial inclusion managers), as part of their relationship with food banks – while partner charity grants are monitored by the relevant Trussell lead. Written reports are normally required and are a condition of a grant award.
The exception to the above is top-up grants received from Tesco and Asda. After the deduction of a small percentage for Trussell core costs, this money is distributed to food banks in proportion to the weight of food donated by the public to each food bank at Tesco and Asda stores. Some emergency grants also don’t require formal reporting due to their nature, and the desire not to put additional pressure on these food banks.
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**Overview**
## **Our grants programmes – Looking ahead**
Due to the incredible generosity shown during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been able to provide food banks with **higher levels of support through grants** for specific years within our 2020-2025 strategy period. This has aligned with our policy of spending down our reserves, to ensure we are maximising the impact of those generous donations while ensuring that we continue to hold the necessary level of reserves in line with the policy set by our Board.
Our investment in those higher levels of grant spend for a set period has enabled us to fund programmes and activities for food banks to test, learn, and demonstrate the impact of new approaches, all of which has informed our new strategy for the five years ahead – and has **built the strategic capability** of food banks. In future years, our approach is for our grant funding as a proportion of our overall expenditure to stabilise at a level equivalent to that prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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## **Our strategic priorities**
From 2020 to 2025, our five-year strategy saw us working to end the need for food banks in three key ways:
**1. Changing Communities**
## **2. Changing Minds**
## **3. Changing Policy**
For an overview of the impact of our outgoing five-year strategy, as well as how we went about developing our new strategy for 20252030, please see page 90.
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Lasting change happens when wider society thinks and acts differently about an issue, so we’re building understanding and empathy about the drivers of food bank use and calling on people to take action.
Government decisions can have a huge impact on people facing hunger and hardship. We use evidence gathered through our community of food banks to drive policy change that will make sure we’re helping shape a future where no one needs to use a food bank.
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## **Changing Communities**
## **Supporting food banks to actively reduce the need for emergency food in their communities.**
advisers from other agencies, or through partnerships with other organisations. This means that people can more easily access local services, advice and support – helping them secure the income they need, and in turn ensuring that they are less likely to need to turn to a food bank in the future.
Widespread hunger isn’t just about food; it’s about not having enough money to afford the essentials. **Our Changing Communities theme empowers food banks to tackle the underlying drivers that push people to need emergency food** , and work towards ending the need for food banks at a community level.
During 2024-2025, we furthered our collective understanding of what’s possible when food banks are supported to grow their reach, deepen their impact, and lead the way towards a future without the need for emergency food.
While accessing emergency food is vital for people facing hunger, the majority of food banks now offer additional services, with the support of skilled staff and volunteers, expert
## **Changing Communities means:**
2 3 **Providing access to Transforming advice and support volunteering on money matters**
1 **Developing and implementing local plans of action**
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£99.3M
**in financial gains were achieved for people facing hardship through advice services delivered via food banks**
40,000 **volunteers dedicated over seven million hours to supporting food banks**
£16.5M
**in new grants was awarded to food banks during 2024–2025**
**The power of community is recognising that sometimes people struggle, that it could be any one of us, and that the rest of us are there to help and walk alongside you.**
**Stephanie Heath** Learning Lead, Lutterworth and Villages Foodbank
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## 1 **Developing and implementing local plans of action**
During 2024–2025, we continued to work alongside food banks to support them to develop and deliver their plans to reduce the need for their services locally, within the overall framework of our shared Together for Change strategy.
Our own expert area teams provide dedicated support to food banks in the Trussell community in every part of the UK. This is done on a one-to-one basis, as well as through regular local cluster meetings, regional forums and our national gatherings, enabling food banks to learn from each other, share good practice and receive support from people who understand what their work entails. Throughout the year, additional focused support was provided in several key areas.
## **Governance and finance support**
We continued to support food banks to strengthen their governance arrangements, providing strong foundations for strategic developments. We did this by working alongside our specialist governance partners Trust Advice, who provide food banks with 1:1 bespoke support and monthly training webinars.
With food bank finances under increased pressure, we also partnered with Embrace Finance to offer bitesize sessions on the foundations of small charity finance. Over the nine-webinar series, 139 food bank delegates participated, representing 69 food bank charities. Attendees described these sessions as “so professionally put together”, “clearly explained”, and “one of the most helpful training sessions I’ve done.”
Our bi-annual **governance health check** process helps food banks identify their strengths and areas for improvement, ensuring that the Trussell community has a consistent
minimum level of compliance. Tailored reports are provided to food banks, supporting them to meet best practice standards in delivering a safe, legal, and dignified service, while signposting to an array of governance support resources.
Our highly-skilled operations teams support food banks to reflect on their governance structure, constitution, and practices, to ensure they are the most suitable for achieving their strategic goals.
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## **Strengthening identity and communication**
A refreshed Trussell brand (see page 48) has empowered food banks to update their visual identity, helping them communicate more clearly with people in need of support and remove barriers they might be facing. **Our updated brand had been adopted by more than 70% of food bank charities as of September 2025** , and is designed to bring clarity, warmth, and consistency across the Trussell community. As part of this, food bank websites have been updated to reflect the new brand, and we’ve begun rolling out a new website platform across the community. This platform makes it easier for people needing support to get a food bank voucher, and greater flexibility for food banks to galvanise local support towards our shared vision.
**It is more about working together to stop people needing to come to food banks – at the end of the day that’s what we really want to do.**
## **Kathleen Neilly**
CEO, West Lothian Foodbank
## **Building skills and supporting wellbeing**
Recognising the increasing complexity of the situations food bank teams are facing, we’ve continued to invest in training and wellbeing support for staff and volunteers. This year, our programme included support for individuals and teams around mental health first aid, having conversations with vulnerable people, and handling challenging situations.
## **Building services that honour dignity**
Dignity is at the heart of everything we do. During 2024-2025, food banks across the Trussell community continued embedding dignity principles into their day-to-day operations – creating spaces that are welcoming, inclusive, and empowering. Initiatives included introducing children’s play areas, quiet spaces, language translation and mental health signposting, investing in trauma-informed training for volunteers, and adapting opening hours, product offerings, and layout design – all based on feedback from food bank visitors.
To truly reflect and meet people’s needs in the most dignified way possible, we widely consult with people who have needed to use a food bank at every stage of our work – as well as continually gathering and acting on feedback from people with lived experience. We have also supported food banks to embed
participation into their work, offering training, resources and expert one-to-one guidance.
**A warm welcome is vital. How people are first greeted will help put the person at ease and help get the right support in place. At Foyle Foodbank we have seen how beneficial it is to have people greeted as they arrive with a friendly approach and the offer of a cup of tea. People who use our service have helped us in that and continue to give us helpful feedback.**
**Karen Mullan,** Director, Foyle Network Foundation (Foyle Foodbank)
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## **The power of a cup of tea**
The concept of ‘a cup of tea’ became increasingly central to the way we worked in 2024-2025 – to ensure that the best possible support is available to people coming to food banks, from the moment they arrive.
The ‘cup of tea’ approach is about far more than offering people a warm drink. It’s a commitment to ensuring that every person who walks through the doors of a food bank in the Trussell community is treated with **dignity, compassion and respect** . It’s about the way we design our spaces to feel welcoming, the choices we offer people when they receive food, the conversations that we make time for, the advice we’re able to offer, and the inclusive atmosphere we intentionally create. Above all, it’s a shared understanding of what it means to offer a warm welcome – rooted in the belief that everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and valued.
**They made me feel so welcome – like they’d known me for years. They aren’t just feeding people; they’re lifting people up.**
**John,** who needed support from a food bank
**We’ve created a dignified, warm, welcoming space. We have a more open, casual space on one side, and a more private, discreet space on the other – giving people who come to our food bank the choice as to where they would like to be supported. People can also enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a sweet treat while they chat with a volunteer to discuss their food parcel.**
## **Rachel McClure**
Food, Empowerment, Education and Development Coordinator, Magherafelt Foodbank
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## **Our Pathfinder programme**
## Leading the way to long-term change.
Food banks shouldn’t have to exist – but, while they do, they can be places of transformation. From 2020 to 2025, our five-year Pathfinder programme provided food banks with intensive support to test new approaches and develop new partnerships – going beyond providing emergency food to actively seeking to reduce the need for food banks.
March 2025 marked the end of the programme. By this point, **55 food bank charities** across the UK had been engaged as Pathfinders – receiving tailored grant funding, learning support, and strategic guidance to pursue a range of projects. These included:
- Working with the local community, partners, and people in power to address the drivers of food bank need.
- Strengthening pathways to support alongside local partners, so that people experiencing hardship can access appropriate support at the earliest opportunity.
- Enhancing the support provided at food banks – ensuring a warm welcome and access to additional wraparound support to help address financial hardship.
- Increasing the accessibility of advice and support, with many food banks working alongside multiple partner organisations to develop co-located advice hubs, bringing together multiple support services under one roof.
- Developing community organising initiatives and engaging in campaigns.
- Involving people with lived experience of hunger and hardship in decision making, recognising that they are the experts in understanding the challenges they face.
**We want everyone who encounters any of our services to be a part of it moving forward. Not only listening to their thoughts and feedback – but actively influencing our activities. Without hearing directly from the people we are here to help, we can’t truly know what’s working.**
**Hannah Worsley** Norwich Foodbank
**We met with different agencies to find out what the needs were... how could we offer support, or help fill a gap? We didn’t want to compete, but complement and work alongside them.**
## **Ricky Wright**
Causeway Foodbank, Northern Ireland
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**People in poverty don’t talk about their poverty in the way that others do. It’s been a big learning for us. If we are amplifying their voices, we need to use their framing.**
## **Hannah Cheek**
Pathfinder Lead, Dundee and Angus Foodbank
Throughout the final year of the Pathfinder initiative, we focused on ensuring that the impact of this programme could continue beyond its official end point, with **one-to-one support helping food banks sustain and build on their work** , including sessions for trustees, staff and volunteers to plan their next steps. Over 260 food bank leaders attended online learning exchange events, ensuring that project plans and successes could be easily and quickly disseminated. We also co-created **a shared library of learnings** , including written and video stories, to equip and inspire the Trussell community, as well as food banks’ key partners and local stakeholders, well into the future. These were shared and discussed with all participating food banks through an exhibition at our Pathfinder Gathering event in March 2025.
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## **Learnings and outcomes**
Food banks participating in the Pathfinder programme reported that they could offer enhanced support to people, having strengthened partnerships with local agencies and statutory services, created more effective local referral pathways, and increased the involvement of people with lived experience of hardship in designing services. Some of the key outcomes from the programme as a whole included:
**Strategic reorientation:** Pathfinders were better able to define their role in ending the need for food banks, and adopted a more systemic approach, with 91% developing a strategic plan to tackle root causes of hardship.
**Cultural shifts:** The programme fostered a more outward-looking, innovative, creative, and collaborative culture, evidenced by strengthened partnerships and a willingness to try new activities.
**Enhanced participation:** Pathfinders better embedded the values and practice of involving people with lived experience of hardship in food bank operations, enabling more holistic engagement.
**Improved learning and reflective practice:** Participating food banks demonstrated increased capacity for learning and using insights to shape activities, while valuing the shared learning spaces provided by Trussell.
**Capacity building:** Trussell funding (of £21.3 million) enabled around 250 food bank roles (either new, or more hours in existing roles), increasing capacity particularly in strategic and specialist areas.
**Effective activity delivery:** Pathfinders delivered a wider range of activities and services that were more targeted, integrated, informed by lived experience, and effective. Combining referral pathways, financial inclusion, and participation was key, with activities mutually informing and strengthening each other.
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## 2 **Providing access to advice and support on money matters**
We know that hunger is not about food: it’s a money problem. Food bank need is rooted in financial insecurity. To address this, we need to boost people’s income and financial resilience. This is the core focus of our work in providing access to advice on money matters, including through the Help through Hardship helpline.
## Between 1 April 2024 and 30 September 2025:
58,319 **people received detailed, high-quality advice**
179,180 **calls were answered by the Help through Hardship helpline**
£1,704 **was the average financial gain identified per caller**
5,129 **referrals were made to mental health support via Mind’s Infoline**
## **Help through Hardship**
The Help through Hardship helpline, delivered in partnership with Citizens Advice and Mind, offers **direct phone-based advice** to people facing hunger and hardship – ensuring that individuals can access all the support they’re entitled to. Throughout 2024-2025, this service has remained a lifeline for thousands of people. It doesn’t just offer information – it provides joined-up, compassionate support that can completely change someone’s circumstances.
The support provided by the helpline is often multi-layered: in one case, a caller named Maria was connected to a £720 Turn2Us grant, received help applying for social security, got energy advice to reduce bills, and was referred to a local adviser to help manage rent arrears. Interventions like these restore stability, hope, and independence – and can prevent people from needing to turn to a food bank in future.
£99.3M
**in financial gains (including accessing grants and social security payments) were identified for people calling the Help through Hardship helpline**
86%
**of people given a food voucher did not need to return to a food bank in the next three months**
63%
**of Help through Hardship callers issued with an emergency food voucher had not previously accessed a food bank**
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**I felt very alone… but, following our conversation, I am so grateful for the advice, guidance and support.**
## **Caller to the Help through Hardship helpline**
**Joining forces with Trussell on the Help through Hardship helpline has meant we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people in England and Wales get support and advice that takes into account their whole situation, and is shaped around what they really need. Our advisers hear from people who are forced into impossible decisions in a desperate bid to keep their heads above water every day. That’s why providing impartial, high-quality advice to help people to start addressing the underlying causes of financial hardship is so important. Citizens Advice is proud to be in partnership with Trussell to deliver vital support and advice. We know that by addressing the underlying causes of hardship, together we can reduce the need for food bank support.**
## **Jon Elwes**
Partnership Manager, Citizens Advice
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## **Tackling the root causes of hunger and hardship at food banks**
Supportive, holistic advice lies at the heart of how we support people who seek our help.
Thanks to ongoing investment, partnership working, and support from Trussell, **the vast majority of the Trussell food bank community have embedded advice services into their offer** for people facing hunger and hardship – as well as continuing to provide a warm welcome and emergency food. The number of food bank charities providing access to advice on money-related matters increased from 331 in April 2024 to 370 in September 2025. This means that nine in 10 of the food banks in our community are now connecting people to free, high-quality advice on money-related matters.
From April 2024 to September 2025, our community-based advice services supported 129,000 people on money matters*, helping people to access £143m in financial gains (including confirmed and expected gains), and manage £70m of debt – while more than £27m of debt was
written off. In the last six months (April to September 2025), this meant an average of £1,080 in financial gains per person (as an average across all of those receiving the service), or £2,610 in financial gains among people with an identified financial gain.
The impact of such
comprehensive, holistic support is clear, with advisers estimating that, in the six months between April and September 2025, over a third of people who accessed advice and support no longer need to use a food bank.
**I could not have completed the Debt Relief Order without the adviser’s support… I am now debt-free for the first time in 10 years – and I finally feel positive about my life moving forward.**
**Money matters advice recipient**
**I was so scared and stressed, because I always got told that once you were in debt you could never get out of it. But the food bank introduced me to some trusted debt advisors, who helped me plan to deal with the debt that I have. I’m so grateful for their help.**
**Ruby, Trussell Lived Experience Partner**
* Due to the nature of our reporting process, which only records unique recipients of advice on money matters during a 12 month period from April to March, this figure may include people who received advice on more than one occasion during the 18 month period covered by this report.
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## **Why advice matters in food banks**
At Trussell, we believe that food banks should be more than a place to get emergency food – they should be **a gateway to support** that helps people move out of crisis for good. Our independent evaluation, Money Matters, carried out by the University of Bristol, proved how powerful advice services can be when offered in food banks. These services reach people who often miss out on help elsewhere, in a space where they feel safe and supported.
Locally, Trussell’s financial inclusion managers are helping food banks build strong partnerships, share best practice, and develop sustainable advice services – advocating for advice in each and every local community. They also encourage food banks to share best practice, and to learn from each other. In 2024-2025, we held five online peer learning sessions, with 180 food bank charities exploring new ideas for their own services. Today, more than 300 food bank charities have
put these shared learnings into practice. Together, we’re creating communities where no one has to face hardship alone.
This work is changing perceptions. We have demonstrated how advice in food banks can reach people who are not being served by other services, in a setting where people feel comfortable.
**Food banks are now seen not only as emergency providers, but as vital access points for advice.**
Our expertise in how services can best be provided for people facing hunger and hardship is also **influencing national conversations** on financial exclusion, and shaping the way advice is offered. We’ve worked with partners like Citizens Advice, Advice UK and Child Poverty Action Group to create principles for effective advice – holistic, respectful, and co-designed with the people who use these services. We know what works, and we want to share this knowledge – influencing others to deliver effective advice in a similar fashion.
These principles will shape our advocacy work, including the Trussell manifestos for the 2026 Scottish and Welsh elections – ensuring that decision-makers hear this message loud and clear.
Our goal is simple: everyone facing hunger and hardship should have access to tailored, community-based advice, available as early as possible, when and where they need it.
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## 3
## **Transforming volunteering**
With over 40,000 volunteers regularly giving their time in food banks across the UK, we are a volunteer-powered community. Quite simply, we couldn’t do what we do without them.
make up food parcels, signposting to additional support, processing donations, running supermarket collections, running social media campaigns, overseeing fundraising initiatives, and building data reports that influence policy change.
## **A community of volunteers**
Within our community of food banks, **40,000 people give 7.5 million hours of their time to volunteer each year** – making a real difference for people facing hardship across the UK.
Volunteers fulfil hundreds of different roles in their food banks, from making cups of tea and welcoming visitors to hosting community collections, participating in corporate volunteering activities, helping
Whatever their role, our volunteers are united in giving their time and skills to make a real difference for people in their local community.
**I lacked confidence, but the team saw something in me that I didn’t – and promoted me from tea and coffee making to the front desk. It was a terrifying new boundary for me, and I wasn’t sure how I would handle it, but I’m so grateful that I was recognised as someone who could do it. I love being a part of this food bank family.**
**Gracie**
Volunteer at Rawmarsh Foodbank
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## **Making volunteering more accessible**
We’re also delighted to have worked with Blackburn Foodbank on _twelve_ , a photography-led creative project highlighting the impact of volunteers, which was showcased at the 2024 National Festival of Making.
Throughout 2024-2025, we continued to update our volunteer recruitment, support, resources and training to ensure that food banks remain places where inclusive and accessible volunteering is promoted. We also shared a range of resources with all volunteers to further connection, promote inclusivity, and celebrate impact. Whether it’s connecting with the Young Trustees Movement to support trustee recruitment, or working with Samaritans to enhance volunteer training, we’re committed to ensuring that people thrive in their role.
_**twelve**_ **was a fabulous project. Everyone had a voice, and everyone was heard. The power of the participatory element was far-reaching to the extent that it has changed the life direction of some of the volunteers, and given others the confidence to explore things outside their immediate sphere. It was joyous to observe the impacts and outcomes.**
## **Gill Fourie**
Operations Manager at Blackburn Foodbank
## **Championing strong volunteer management**
During 2024-2025, the Trussell Volunteering team initiated a community of practice to provide opportunities for food bank volunteer leaders to share experiences, strengthen best practice, explore challenges, and learn from each other volunteer.
**Volunteers are the heart of any food bank – and having someone dedicated to them makes all the difference. I want to make sure volunteers feel equipped and confident.**
Accompanying this was our **volunteer leader mentoring programme** . This programme matched members of the central Trussell team with newly recruited Volunteer Managers in food banks, who are funded through Trussell grants, to support their induction and the first few months navigating their new roles.
## **Lisa McCart**
Food and Logistics Manager, East Lothian Foodbank
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## **Improving wellbeing for volunteers**
Throughout 2024-2025, we’ve continued to invest in wellbeing support for volunteers, with sessions being run on mental health first aid, how to handle challenging situations, and having conversations with vulnerable people – as well as debriefing and support for both individuals and teams. We provided training and support on de-escalation, recognising that the increased complexity of needs facing people coming to a food bank was leading to some frustrations spilling over – and food banks wanting to ensure they could keep everyone as safe as possible. We also continued to provide a monthly prayer, recorded by a member of the Trussell team, as a focus for prayer in food banks. These prayers, alongside the monthly reflection, allow busy food bank teams to take a moment to pause and refresh.
## **“It feels like a family”**
**Emily, Volunteer Coordinator at Manchester South Central Foodbank, reflects on her role.**
“We now have three volunteers in this role, who have been invaluable – by sitting down and having a chat with people when they arrive. Through this, they have been able to build up trust, and helped identify other forms of support that can be offered.”
“We have around 60 volunteers on the books which includes around 30-35 regulars. My role looks after recruitment, onboarding, training, and support – all with a focus on kindness and collaboration,” explains Emily. “I love my job. I genuinely enjoy coming in. The team is amazing, and we all pull together. It really feels like a family”.
Observing that her role allows other food bank staff members to focus on their own responsibilities, easing pressure and freeing up time for other strategic work, Emily concludes: “Having a clear point of contact is good for everyone. Volunteers know who to turn to, and staff can focus on their areas. And I get to do a job I love!”.
Emily recognises the importance of inclusivity, giving an example of translating materials for a volunteer whose first language wasn’t English. “Lack of English, job experience, or confidence shouldn’t be a barrier to volunteering,” she says. “Everyone has something to offer – and anything we can do to make it easier for them we will try to adopt”.
She also highlights a new role she has recently introduced: Assistant Support Volunteer, focused on befriending, signposting, and offering a listening ear. “Sometimes, a cup of tea and a chat is just as important as the food,” she says.
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## **Our impact since 2020**
Over the past five years, our work with food banks has shown the vital role they can play in helping people who are facing immediate hunger and hardship, as well as the ways in which they can protect people from falling into that situation. While we know that food banks aren’t the answer to hunger and hardship, the work that they tirelessly do to support people with compassion and dignity, and the vital steps they are taking locally to help prevent people from ever needing a food bank, all provide powerful evidence as to how we can achieve our vision.
**We have demonstrated together how providing holistic advice to help people get the support and information they need can be transformative.** And we have demonstrated, particularly through our innovative
Pathfinder programme, how food banks and local partners can build an approach that helps prevent people from facing hardship, and where communities are able to provide **the right support when it’s needed** .
Our new strategy for 20252030 builds on these learnings, and sets out how we are developing our approach – to ensure that we can end hunger today, together, and forever. You can read more about our new strategy on page 92.
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## **Changing Minds**
## **Building understanding and empathy to inspire action towards a future where we can all afford the essentials.**
for food banks. We can mobilise more people to work alongside us to reach our vision – building momentum and creating a movement for change.
To create lasting change, we know that **society has to think and act differently** about an issue. Ending the need for food banks requires us to win hearts and minds.
During 2024-2025, we continued working collaboratively alongside food banks and people with lived experience, in order to shift the conversation: from a resigned acceptance of the existence of hunger in the UK, to **a collective resolve for change** – while ensuring that we equip the public, media, and policymakers with the truth on what’s driving hardship.
Our Changing Minds work focuses on helping to build understanding of, and empathy for, the structural reasons why people are struggling to afford the essentials, and why they find themselves needing to access emergency food. By growing this understanding and empathy, we can increase public will for the longer-term solutions that will end the need
## **Changing Minds means:**
3
1
2
**Working with food banks to win hearts and minds locally**
**Deepening understanding to build consensus across the UK**
**Building a movement for change**
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25,000+
**mentions of Trussell and its work were made in the media during 2024-2025, while almost three million engagements were achieved across our social media channels**
180,000+
**members of the public supported our work financially by donating to Trussell**
55,000+
**campaigners across the UK accompanied us on our journey towards change – a 41% increase on 2023–2024**
**As a proud Ambassador for Trussell, I’m playing my part by speaking up about the need to support local food banks and push for the solutions that will end hunger for good. While the work food banks do is vital, they shouldn’t be needed. Conversations can build empathy, and help shift public thinking: from blame and shame, to compassion and change. If more of us talk about, listen to, and understand the causes of hunger and hardship, we can create a future where no one needs a food bank.**
**AJ Odudu** Trussell Ambassador
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## 1 **Working with food banks to win hearts and minds locally**
Food banks have unique local knowledge and links into their communities, as well as being authentic and powerful messengers to inspire change. Working in – and with – food banks is therefore an effective way to build community power and unlock the change needed for people facing hardship.
## **Our Organising Programme**
In 2021 we launched Trussell’s Organising Programme – supporting food banks (through grant funding, training, and ongoing support) to maximise their unique local position to engage with the wider community, identify structural issues
causing hardship in their area, and campaign to make change happen. Participating food banks can boost their capacity, skills, resources and leadership, develop local influencing strategies, and ultimately **build the power of their communities to address the underlying drivers of food bank need.**
From April 2024 to September 2025, a further 40 food bank charities joined the Organising Programme, bringing the total to
more than 100 during the course of the programme, representing 26% of all food bank charities in the Trussell community. We also awarded £600,000 in grant funding during this period – adding to a total of over £5 million across three and half years of the programme.
Since the programme began, participating food banks have delivered over 800 organising and local influencing activities, covering areas such as:
- **Financial support** – ensuring council funds like Local Welfare Assistance Schemes or the Household Support Fund are more transparent, accessible, and inclusive.
- **Housing and homelessness** – including addressing poor conditions and low-quality kitchen facilities in temporary accommodation.
- **Council Tax** – including
- ending the use of bailiffs in the recovery of Council Tax debt, while ensuring councils adopt a tailored approach to individual debts.
- **Mental health** – ensuring people who need mental health services can access support services in the local community, and are treated with compassion.
- **School costs** – including making sure the cost of essential school equipment such as uniforms is affordable for all families.
26%
**of all food bank charities in the Trussell community joined the Organising Programme**
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## **Creating routes for local change**
**Waterside Changemakers** is a grassroots group formed in March 2024, bringing together Waterside and Ringwood Foodbanks in partnership with other antipoverty organisations in the New Forest. Led by New Forest Partnership Campaign Manager, Tom Wardle, the group arose from community workshops that revealed a key issue: the lack of reliable public transport in the area, which left many local residents isolated.
“Buses can be a lifeline – connecting communities, providing better opportunities for work and study, easing loneliness, and improving lives,” says Tom. “But residents said the buses were a nightmare. People missed health appointments, got stranded when the bus didn’t show up, or were stuck at home, unable to go out. Some turned down jobs, and others had to leave the area altogether. **People felt powerless and resigned** .”
In June 2024, the group launched its Better Buses for Waterside campaign – comprising campaign meetings (involving more than 70 local people), community surveys, and a Beach Bus Picnic event – with a speech
from the Campaign for Better Transport – attended by local politicians. They then knocked on over 200 doors locally and gathered almost 4,000 signatures before petitioning the County Council and bus company, sharing stories of people affected by the poor service. By August, the Council agreed to increase the frequency of a key bus route.
“For years everyone knew that the buses around here were a real problem, but just accepted it,” says Tom. “ **Our work made the public and decision-makers sit up and take notice of the scale of the problem** . It’s uplifting to see people realise that every single person in every community has the tools to bring about change. Members of the group also grew in confidence, with one even winning a local Community Spirit award.”
The group has since set up an alliance of campaigns in Hampshire, the Hampshire Bus Action Group, and been instrumental in setting up the Accessible Transport Alliance – a national coalition of charities campaigning for reforms. Waterside Changemakers continues to organise locally and build influence – ensuring that the needs
of local communities can’t be ignored – with its call to relax time limits on disability bus passes being reported by BBC News in September 2025.
**It’s uplifting to realise that every single person in every community can bring about change**
## **Tom Wardle**
New Forest Partnership Campaign Manager
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## **Community conversations**
Our Community Conversations initiative equips food banks to **facilitate conversations with partners in their community** about how Universal Credit should protect people from hunger and hardship. As part of the activity, local partners are invited to sign an open letter to their MP calling for an Essentials Guarantee, which is presented to the MP at a local constituency meeting. In 2024-2025, more than 150 food bank charities in the Trussell community participated in this project.
## **Mobilising local support**
Launched in June 2024 as a pilot project, our year-long **Campaign Coordinator initiative** adopted a new approach to our organising work that sought to mobilise the public, and people with lived experience, in support of the Guarantee Our Essentials campaign. Run in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the campaign calls for an Essentials Guarantee within Universal Credit, meaning that the basic rate of payment at least covers life’s essentials, and that support can never be pulled below that level.
Tested in four locations across England and Wales, this project funded food banks with grants to hire a Campaign Coordinator, supported with training, resources, and best practice advice from our Organising and Local Mobilisation team. The project enabled local partners, stakeholders, and people with lived experience to better understand and communicate an Essentials Guarantee as a solution to reforming social security: increasing local awareness of inadequate social security as the primary driver of food bank need, boosting support for an Essentials Guarantee in communities, and mobilising community teams to hold their local MPs to account.
## Notable successes included:
- Leeds North & West Foodbank hosting a meeting with Chancellor Rachel Reeves soon after the election, asking her to implement a minimum floor in Universal Credit; a version of this was later included her 2024 budget, which introduced a new Fair Repayment Rate, enacting a substantial part of the minimum floor proposal.
- A Community Conversations event in Bristol that brought together people with lived experience of hardship with politicians, stakeholders, and other
key organisations in the city to build a collective understanding of food banks and the drivers of need.
- A Guarantee our Essentials motion being passed by councillors in Cambridge after the Campaign Coordinator formed local alliances to show the connections between hunger, hardship, and ill-health – before taking that message directly to the then Minister for Food Security, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner.
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**Having a dedicated staff member, with training and support from Trussell, has taken Guarantee Our Essentials to a whole new level in Cambridge. The City Council passed a motion in support, and we now have a network of local organisations who have proudly backed the campaign. Most importantly for us, [the Campaign Coordinator] has developed a brilliant group of campaigners who have lived on Universal Credit, who really own the local campaign effort, and have developed the skills, knowledge and commitment to keep going once the role comes to an end.**
## **Kate McIntosh** ,
Senior Organiser and Communications Lead, Cambridge Foodbank
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## 2 **Deepening understanding to build consensus across the UK**
The issues of hunger and hardship are often surrounded by misconceptions, or viewed within a broader, negative narrative. Rarely are they spoken of in relation to the core drivers of need, or with hope and belief that things can change.
Through our campaigns and media presence in 20242025, we’ve amplified the voices of people with lived experience of hardship, and re-framed public conversations – changing minds, building momentum, and moving the narrative from stigma to solidarity.
## **A presence that can’t be ignored**
Throughout 2024-2025, we’ve boosted our public profile – engaging a wide range of audiences with **emotive**
**storytelling and a clear vision for change** . By fostering empathy, building consensus, and inspiring action, we’re aiming to ensure that hunger is seen not as inevitable, but as solvable. More than 200 people with experience of hunger and hardship have also helped shape our messaging and media appearances, with lived experience partners being positioned as leaders of change throughout our communications.
During 2024–2025, more than 250 interviews with Trussell spokespeople, including volunteers and people with lived experience, appeared in the media.
**As a result of our work, we’ve already seen a shift in public**
**attitudes** – with 87% of people in 2024 saying they believed the social security system should ensure that everyone can afford the essentials, up from 82% in 2021 (source: YouGov Public Attitudes Survey for Trussell). Additionally, many more people are familiar with Trussell; in 2024, 65% of the public said they had heard of Trussell, or knew a little or a lot about us – up from 47% in 2020 (source: YouGov Public Attitudes Survey for Trussell).
## **Influencers for change**
Throughout 2024–2025, we worked with a variety of allies from across a wide range of sectors to reach new audiences and help build consensus around the causes of hardship, the long-term
drivers of food bank need, and the changes needed. This included existing relationships with our celebrity Ambassadors, as well as working in partnership with a wide array of influencers and celebrities who either represent, advocate or could be allies for groups overrepresented at food banks.
Throughout 2024-2025, **61 highprofile public figures helped promote Trussell** by supporting our campaigns or appearing at events. These included names such as Dame Joanna Lumley, Stanley Tucci, AJ Odudu, Guy Garvey, Rosie Jones, Bill Nighy, Charlotte Ritchie, Sir Stephen Fry, Hugh Bonneville, Joely Richardson, Aisling Bea, Sanjeev Kohli, Val McDermid, Andi Oliver, and James Walsh.
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## **Football vs Hunger**
**We are witnessing an unacceptable rise in the number of families needing help just to put food on the table. Trussell is doing extraordinary work, but no one should have to turn to a charity for their next meal. It’s time for the UK government to guarantee our essentials so every family can live with dignity.**
## **Andi Oliver**
In 2025, our Football vs Hunger campaign harnessed the power and collectivism of football communities to shift unhelpful narratives around food banks and people who use them.
A charter for football clubs, a fan pledge, and a nationwide weekend of activities (across matches in the Premier League, EFL, WSL, and SPL) were all aimed at **building understanding and empathy among clubs and fans** – to kick off a conversation about hardship, and drive action towards solutions in our communities.
We also partnered with content creator Will Powell (aka Bryan’s Gunn) for an impactful video on social media, accompanied by Will volunteering at Southwark Foodbank. This campaign achieved **a combined 427.3 million audience reach** across multiple media platforms, and was named Campaign of the Month for April 2025 by _PR Week_ .
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## **Refreshing our brand**
We’re working to create a future where no one needs a food bank to survive, and we’re determined to make this a reality – but our old brand wasn’t always helping us make that clear. What worked for us in the early 2000s was creating barriers for people who need to access vital support, and for people who wanted to understand how they could work with us towards a future free from hunger. With this in mind, our brand refresh (launched in September 2024), was **co-designed alongside food banks and people with lived experience of hardship** , ensuring it was built with and for the people Trussell supports.
**What I loved [about the brand consultation] was that our voices were heard. Trussell took on board what we said, and what’s come out of it is amazing. Someone who’s anxious about using a food bank for the first time might now feel more at ease.**
## **John**
Trussell Lived Experience Partner
**The process from day one was very much an open canvas. Nothing was taken off the table – everything was on it – and we were all listened to. We all know there’s a stigma attached to having to use a food bank, but these changes make food banks feel more welcoming.**
## **Ken Scott**
Project Manager, Bangor Foodbank and Community Support
## **Becoming more accessible**
In recent years, it became increasingly clear that our brand and digital platforms weren’t as accessible as they should be – limiting people’s ability to get the information and help they need. Many of our brand assets, like our fonts, colours and digital platforms, didn’t meet today’s accessibility standards. **Updating**
**our brand identity would reduce barriers for people needing our support** and, with the help of a long-standing funding partner, this was the right time to do it.
We know that 75% of people referred to food banks in our community say they or a member of their household are disabled, and may face additional barriers to accessing information; so **our brand and assets need to be as simple and easy to use as possible** . Our updated website is more accessible and provides a smoother online support journey that makes it easier to find a local food bank and understand how to access emergency food.
Alongside updates to our name and logo, we updated our fonts, colours, and visuals, so they are clearer and more accessible. By September 2025, more than two thirds of food banks in the Trussell community had begun refreshing materials as and when needed in their local area, to minimise waste.
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## **Boosting awareness**
**As part of the brand panel, feedback from the lived experience group really opened my eyes about using different colours and fonts, and how that affects different people.**
## **Kathleen Neilly**
CEO, West Lothian Foodbank
**I think it was really important to develop the brand at this point, because we, as a food bank, have developed such as a lot since we started almost 15 years ago – and Trussell definitely has as well.**
## **Hannah Worsley**
Project Manager, Norwich Foodbank
Prior to our brand refresh, research showed that less than half of the public felt we were clear in explaining what we do, and only a third were aware of our campaigning and research work. Following our brand refresh, **three**
## **quarters of research respondents say**
**they are more likely to support us** , while public understanding of the changes needed to end the need for food banks has also increased.
## **Ending hunger together**
Our new strapline, ‘Ending hunger together’, emphasises shared ambition. **Everyone has a part to play in ending the need for food banks** . Civil society,
employers, businesses, and all levels of government need to act together with people who’ve needed a food bank, individuals, and communities to drive this change. Our refreshed brand highlights that by working together, we can make our vision a reality. Alongside the refresh, we delivered an awareness campaign with this at its heart. A YouGov study showed that one in seven people recalled seeing the ‘Play your part’ campaign – and half said they were taking action as a result.
80%
**of the public said they felt more positive towards Trussell after seeing the refreshed brand**
75%
**of people said they would be more likely to support us**
1 **in** 2
**people took action, or said that they intend to, after seeing our ‘Play your part’ campaign**
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## 3 **Building a movement for change**
Working with food banks, community and faith groups, national partners, and the general public, we’re growing a movement of people standing alongside us and taking action towards our vision for change – and a future without the need for food banks.
utilities and vital household items – and that support can never be pulled down below that level.
Since its launch, the flagship Guarantee our Essentials campaign has **captured public attention, mobilised communities as part of a powerful movement for change, and influenced the political agenda** , with a commitment to its aims being reflected in multiple party manifestos prior to the 2024 General Election.
## **Guarantee our Essentials**
## **A simple idea. A powerful movement.**
Our social security system, like our NHS, should be there for us all when we need it most, but right now it’s not even providing enough to cover the cost of life’s essentials – and it’s pushing people to food banks.
**The Essentials Guarantee idea is great. It’ll help people facing hardship by stopping a lot of the stress, and a lot of the worry about how to pay their bills, how to buy bread and eggs just to eat. Because they’ll have the money.**
That’s why, since 2022, Trussell has been working with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to call for
## **an Essentials Guarantee within**
**Universal Credit** , which means that the basic rate of payment will at least cover life’s essentials – including food,
## **Pam**
Trussell Lived Experience Partner
## **What is an Essentials Guarantee?**
An Essentials Guarantee would embed in our social security system the principle that, at a minimum, Universal Credit should protect people from going without essentials – enshrining into legislation:
- an independent process to regularly determine the Essentials Guarantee level, based on the cost of essentials (such as food, utilities and vital household goods) for adults in a household (excluding rent and Council Tax)
- that Universal Credit’s standard allowance must at least meet this level
- that deductions (such as debt repayments to government, or as a result of the benefit cap) can never pull support below this level.
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## **Strategic partnerships and cultural influence**
## **In 2024-2025:**
24,000+ **constituents across the UK contacted their local MP**
1,000+
**people took part in ‘hardship hustings’, hosted by food banks across the UK ahead of the General Election**
85+
**MPs met with food bank campaigners**
650
**local events in support of the campaign were held across the UK**
We’ve collaborated across sectors to amplify the call for an Essentials Guarantee – and build a united call for action.
## **Achievements in 2024-2025 included:**
- More than 200 organisations joining us in calling on UK political leaders to set out their plan to urgently tackle hardship prior to the 2024 General Election.
- The Church of England passing a motion at its General Synod demonstrating their support of, and commitment to engaging with the UK government on, the Essentials Guarantee.
- Continuing to campaign alongside and mobilise the organisations that have endorsed an Essentials Guarantee – with strong alliances built across the health, education and community food organisation sectors.
- New partnerships being made with businesses and employers, raising awareness among staff and customers.
- The campaign seeing a steady increase in MPs willing to take action in Westminster, whether that’s asking Parliamentary questions, speaking out in debates, or meeting to understand the issues better.
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## **Campaigning together**
In 2024-2025, our supporters came together with Trussell to call for the solutions needed to end hunger and hardship – including emailing their MP to advocate for policy change, engaging in **pre-election activities** , and raising their voice in support of a more just social security system. In total, more than 68,000 actions were taken by our campaigners. Many supported multiple actions – reflecting our strategic work to deepen campaigners’ connection with us through a diverse range of mobilisation opportunities.
**We’re building a base of people who care deeply – and who are willing to step up, speak out, and demand better.**
## **Regional Community Organiser**
68,000+
**campaign actions were taken by our supporters and partners in 2024-2025**
## **Laying it all out on the table**
The July 2024 General Election was a critical moment to use our collective voice, and call for the changes that will help to build a future where no one needs to turn to a food bank. In the months prior to the election, hundreds of food banks participated in our ‘Laying it all out on the table’ activity, where stories of hardship and hope were written onto tablecloths by people with lived experience, Trussell supporters and influencers, food bank staff and
**Our congregation wrote prayers on the tablecloth, and at the end of the service an elderly lady told me she always thought she was not prejudiced against people in poverty – but had believed it was often their own fault. She was in tears. She said the prayer she’d written was asking for forgiveness, and for help to have a more understanding attitude.**
## **Stewart English**
Outreach Coordinator, Levenmouth Foodbank Community Support Project
volunteers. These were then shared with local media and stakeholders, while prospective parliamentary candidates were invited to view the tablecloths and pull up a chair to discuss the need for an Essentials Guarantee. In total, 559 events took place UK-wide, in food banks and churches, instigating thousands of conversations around the causes of, and solutions to, hunger and hardship.
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## **The Hardship Times: Stories delivered to Westminster**
To increase the visibility of hardship and hunger across the UK, and take the stories gathered during our tablecloth activities to the seat of power, in November 2024 Trussell joined food banks, fellow anti-poverty charities and campaigners in Parliament Square to launch _The Hardship Times_ . This one-off newspaper included first-hand accounts of hunger and hardship from across the UK, articles on the causes of hardship, calls to action, and a selection of some of the 1,000+ messages we’d
gathered from food bank staff, volunteers, MPs, and people with lived experience.
**The paper was brought to Parliament by a group of Trussell campaigners** , including our Ambassadors Mark Hoyle (LadBaby) and Levi Roots, and was delivered alongside the announcement of 1.4 million emergency food parcels having been distributed by food banks in just six months. To get the publication into the hands of decision-makers, we hosted a
drop-in event for MPs inside Parliament, and sent a copy to all MPs along with a briefing on our mid-year statistics. We also created **tailored newspapers** for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which were taken directly to governments, as well as being distributed by 120 food banks across the UK. This powerful campaign – centring food banks and people with lived experience – cut through the noise to place the reality of hardship directly on the political agenda.
**I was worried that speaking up wouldn’t change anything. But seeing my MP listen and respond gave me hope.**
**Campaign participant, Manchester**
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## **Challenging proposed cuts to disability support**
In March 2025, the UK government announced its proposals to cut disability support payments – and Trussell supporters across the UK were swift in calling for voicing their disapproval.
Between March and July, **over 38,000 emails were sent by our supporters to their local MP** , urging them to rethink the government proposals. Meanwhile, our video with comedian Rosie Jones had a huge impact on social media – achieving 91,175 impressions. Celebrities including Stephen Fry, Stanley Tucci and the actor Brian Cox also joined us in calling on the government to reconsider its proposals. Our campaigning on this issue led to extensive media coverage, while many MPs quoted Trussell data in Parliamentary debates. For more on the policy impact of this campaigning work, see page 64.
We know that **awareness alone isn’t enough. Action must follow** . That’s why Guarantee our Essentials is not just a campaign, but a growing movement of communities, charities, and constituents calling for a system that truly protects people from hunger and hardship.
**The amazing work of Trussell has given us a voice to challenge political decisions – and to put the need to end food banks in the public arena. However, the need for our services is still continuing to rise. The funding landscape in Manchester is very competitive, and seems to be moving away from supporting food banks and addressing the cost of living crisis.**
## **Heidi Exell**
Operations Manager, Manchester South Central Foodbank
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## **Our impact since 2020**
Over the past five years, we have tested new approaches to engaging different audiences and to making the case for an end to hunger and hardship – leading to **a change in public attitudes** , with more people agreeing that food banks are not a long-term solution to hunger and hardship, and hundreds of thousands of people mobilised to take action in support of our vision. We have seen an increased awareness of Trussell, food banks, and the issues surrounding hunger and hardship in the UK.
More food banks have engaged their local communities in understanding the drivers of, and solutions to, hunger and hardship – and we’ve supported food banks to build movements in local communities, as well
as bringing their voices to bear in national campaigning work. Our partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has seen our call for an Essentials Guarantee gain ground, with increasing numbers of partners endorsing the call, and **growing interest across political parties** . Our work in shaping public consciousness and putting the spotlight on hunger and hardship also helped ensure a manifesto commitment ahead of the General Election from the incoming Labour government.
Our new strategy for 2025-2030 builds on the learning from the past five years, and sets out how we are developing our approach – to ensure that we can end hunger today, together, and forever. Read more about our new strategy on page 92.
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## **Changing Policy**
## **Using robust evidence to influence and drive policy change – so that everyone can afford the essentials.**
people facing hardship. We support policy changes to help ensure everyone can access an affordable, safe, stable home, decent, secure, rewarding work, and dignified support for carers and disabled people.
We’re committed to ending the need for food banks – and that means changing the systems that push people to the doors of a food bank in the first place.
Led by our research and data on the drivers of food bank need, our policy and public affairs work focuses on **tackling the upstream causes of hunger and hardship** . We aim to influence the decisions that shape our social security system, and ensure that people can afford the essentials. We want every local authority to provide well-funded, accessible, compassionate provision for
Through research, engagement and collaboration with people experiencing hardship, and in partnership with other antipoverty organisations, we work to ensure the right support exists at the right time – and that policy decisions are informed by the reality on the ground.
## **Changing Policy means:**
3
1 2 **Providing robust Influencing data, evidence, and policymakers research**
**Working together to call for change**
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526
46
8
**mentions of food banks and 60 references to Trussell were made in Parliament during 2024–2025**
**Parliamentarians joined the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ending the Need for Food Banks, re-established by Trussell following the General Election to bring key evidence and solutions to the attention of the UK government**
**local Cash-First partnerships, developed and delivered in partnership with Trussell, were established by the Scottish Government – ensuring access to emergency income and advice for people with no money for food**
**It’s important to gather evidence of where policies could help reduce food bank need – and campaign for change. Every day, food banks are in touch with people experiencing poverty. While providing support, we also gather evidence of their circumstances. This helps us look at local drivers of poverty, and share our findings with policymakers.**
**Karen Mullan**
Director, Foyle Network Foundation (Foyle Foodbank)
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## 1
## **Providing robust data, evidence and research**
## Trussell’s research
programme continues to shine a light on the causes and consequences of hunger and hardship in the UK. It directly influences policy and practice – to bring us closer to a future where no one is forced to rely on emergency food to survive.
Together, our research efforts form a compelling and urgent evidence base. They show that hunger in the UK is not inevitable – it’s a result of policy choices. And they equip us with the insight needed to advocate for changes that will ensure that everyone can afford the essentials – and be protected from hunger and hardship.
## **Analysis of the need for emergency food**
communities, and the importance of an Essentials Guarantee.
During 2024-2025, both our MidYear and End-of-Year Statistics revealed an unrelenting need for emergency food. **The data provides a pivotal lens for understanding the extent of deep financial hardship in our communities** – and acts as a stark reminder to policymakers of the distance we still need to travel in ending the need for food banks.
In May 2025, our annual figures on levels of need across our UK-wide food bank community showed that 2.9 million emergency food parcels were distributed during 2024–2025 – more than a million of those being for children. That’s equivalent to **one every 11 seconds** . On the day of release alone, 328 pieces of media coverage were secured across the UK. Briefings on the data were also sent to every UK MP – ensuring that all political representatives were aware of the true scale of hunger and hardship.
In 2024, our Mid-Year Statistics (for April to September) were used to deepen relationships with a new intake of MPs following the General Election, with a drop-in event to share the data (attended by 61 MPs across political parties, including the Social Security Minister) allowing our lived experience partners to have indepth conversations about the reality of severe hardship in their
Throughout 2024-2025, MPs across political parties cited Trussell and local food bank evidence in key parliamentary
debates and questions, while Treasury and DWP Ministers quoted long-term trends in emergency food parcel data – indicating **our evidence is being seen as a benchmark for progress at senior government level** .
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## **Hunger in the UK**
The research included the largest ever survey of people referred to food banks (over 3,800 people), a survey of the general population, plus participatory events and almost 100 interviews with people with lived experience of hardship – to help us to explore the drivers of food bank need and the solutions
In September 2025, we released the second wave of our _Hunger in the UK_ reports. The project, delivered in partnership with Ipsos and our food bank community, explored the scale and nature of hunger across the UK, and is **the most ambitious, in-depth research undertaken by Trussell** .
**We are extremely thankful for the advocacy and collaboration provided by Trussell. Hunger in the UK was an incredibly valuable and insightful piece of work. We know that LGBTQIA+ people can experience higher levels of instability and insecurity than our cisgender and heterosexual peers. However, having another well evidenced piece of the jigsaw puzzle helps us to advocate for positive change and elevate the needs of LGBTQIA+ people on the agendas of local and national decision makers. LGBTQIA+ experiences are often invisible in data and policy making. Trussell’s approach is a significant step to reversing this trend.**
## **Tom Montrose-Moss**
Head of Insight & Performance, LGBT Foundation
required. The findings received significant interest from politicians, policymakers, academics, and anti-poverty sector organisations across the UK. The project also provided further evidence on what is pushing people to food banks, enabling us to develop the building blocks that will end hunger for good.
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## **research Key findings from our flagship** _**Hunger in the UK**_
**14.1 million people, including 3.8 million children, faced hunger due to lack of money** – the equivalent of one in six UK households. This was a sharp rise from 2022 (11.6 million, including 3.2 million children), and a worrying sign that growing numbers of people are facing deeper levels of hardship.
**74% of people referred to food banks in the Trussell community were disabled** (compared to 28% of people across the UK), while 25% of people from a racialised community experienced food insecurity – almost twice the rate (14%) for White people.
**Three in 10 (30%) people referred to food banks in the Trussell community were in working households** (up from 24% in 2022) – reflecting a growing reality that paid employment is no longer enough to protect people from hardship.
**Over half (52%) of people in receipt of Universal Credit across the UK had faced hunger,** with almost a quarter (23%) turning to a food bank or other charitable food provision.
**Alarmingly, more than one in four children (27%) were living in food insecure households.** Children aged five and under were hit hardest, with one in three (31%) growing up in a household facing hunger, as parents struggled to make ends meet.
**Overall, severe hardship was becoming ‘normalised’,** as millions of people were on the brink of hunger without turning to a food bank or charitable food provider, and having to go without essentials like food or heating as a routine part of life.
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## **The Cost of Hunger and Hardship**
**The Cost of Hunger and Hardship project culminated in two**
In 2024-2025, Trussell collaborated with WPI Economics and Humankind Research to look at the cost of severe hardship to the economy, the public purse, and public services – as well as the devastating human impact. We estimated the overall cost to be at least £75.6 billion in 2022/23 – due to reduced employment, lower productivity, lower tax revenue, higher social security spending, and increased spending on public services.
**major reports** , including nationspecific summaries, presenting the impacts and costs of severe hardship, the costs of inaction, and the effectiveness of different policy solutions. While the costs of tackling hardship are significant, our modelling shows costs could be largely offset by the benefits of policies that increase income through social security, such as an Essentials Guarantee.
## **The impact of our findings**
This research had significant impact, both nationally (being referenced in Parliamentary questions, and influencing crossdepartmental policy areas, such as health, education, and housing), and at a devolved level, with findings being used in policy influencing across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is central to our public affairs work, with long-term use in supporting our campaigns, helping us engage elected representatives, and enabling the sector to make the economic and moral case for ending the need for food banks.
Published ahead of the 2024 Autumn Budget, our first report **provided evidence to support growing calls for the new UK government to deliver change on the rates of hardship across the UK** , and a new policy ask from Trussell – a Protected Minimum Floor in Universal Credit, limiting how much people can have their benefit payments reduced by deductions for debt. The pressure
from this report and across the sector led to the government announcing a Fair Repayment Rate – reducing the rate by which benefits could be deducted from 25% to 15%.
Our second report was published in May 2025, ahead of the government’s Spending Review, the Child Poverty Strategy, and proposed disability benefit cuts. Its findings **informed our submission to the Child Poverty Taskforce, with positive feedback from lead ministers** . The work also featured in national media coverage of the government’s work on the Child Poverty Strategy, adding to pressure on government to scrap the two-child limit. In June 2025, **Free School Meals** eligibility was extended in line with our recommendations, while – going forward – the findings are also helping to shape the DWP’s work on delivering the UK government manifesto commitment to end the need for emergency food.
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## **Rethinking local crisis support**
Published in January 2025, the findings of Trussell’s Rapid Evidence Review of local crisis support in England highlighted a system in which **there was no consistent local support for people on low incomes facing a financial shock** . This means that short-term financial shocks can spiral into long-term hardship, forcing people to turn to food banks. Our accompanying policy report proposed a new Crisis and Resilience Fund, with ring-fenced, long-term funding, a cash-first approach to crisis support, and the integration of crisis support within broader community services.
Our findings directly shaped the UK government’s announcement (in their June 2025 Spending Review) of a new Crisis and Resilience Fund, to replace the Household Support Fund from April 2026. The new funding was explicitly linked to a manifesto commitment to end the need for emergency food parcels, and reflected the wording of our report _A more resilient future: Rebuilding discretionary crisis support in England_ .
## **Other key research projects:**
## **Survey of people claiming Universal Credit**
In September 2024, we published the findings of a survey of people claiming Universal Credit, revealing that over 1.5 million claimants had needed to use a food bank in the previous year, and almost half had run out of food in the previous month, with no money to buy more. The findings received coverage in _The Sun_ , _Guardian_ , and _Mirror_ , and were highlighted at a joint parliamentary event with Joseph Rowntree Foundation, where we successfully engaged 57 Parliamentarians.
## **The cost of survival on Universal Credit**
In partnership with YouGov, this research exposed the harsh reality faced by people claiming Universal Credit and disability benefits. A staggering 77% had gone without essentials in the past six months, with over 40% skipping meals to meet other costs, and a quarter unable to afford medication or keep their homes warm. Published in early 2025, the evidence was raised in the media, in emails from supporters to MPs, and in Parliamentary debates around proposed cuts to social security for disabled people.
## **Hardship after heroism**
In 2024–2025, we commissioned research into the financial hardship experienced by veterans in England and Wales. The findings were sobering: over a quarter of veterans (28%) had gone without essentials, while 27% said they ran out of food without the money to buy more. Media coverage included _The Sun_ , _Daily Mail_ and _Express_ – bringing the reality of hunger and hardship to new audiences. The findings are also informing development of our new Prioritising Hunger and Hardship programme.
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2 **Influencing policymakers**
## **Preparing for the General Election**
We work hard to show that ending the need for food banks is a mission for all, and one that every politician should be taking seriously. We hold meetings with MPs and Government Ministers, facilitate visits for politicians to their local food banks, and share Trussell’s latest data and research – to inform and guide the issues that MPs raise in Parliament.
The General Election in July 2024 was a critical moment to build support for our vision to end the need for food banks. Working alongside food banks, our supporters, churches, and campaign partners, **we made it impossible for parties and candidates to ignore the record level of need for food banks** , and the severe hardship driving it.
Over 50 MPs attended our election manifesto launch event to learn about the number of emergency food parcels given out in their constituency, and the changes needed to protect people from hunger and hardship. Our supporters and food banks contacted thousands of candidates during the short election campaign, and organised 18 local hardship hustings across
the UK. Our collective campaign efforts helped ensure the new Labour government came into office with manifesto commitments to review Universal Credit so that it tackles poverty and to end the need for emergency food parcels, which it described as a “moral scar on our society.”
**120 people came to our hustings, and every single candidate. One of the questions was from a single mum who said ‘I’ve got four kids and I’m having to get by on so little each week. How would you cope in my shoes?’ – a really powerful moment that brought a perspective I’m not sure they’d heard elsewhere. The candidate who got elected said it was the most powerful hustings he went to. We also partnered with a charity that works in digital exclusion who came to the food bank and worked with people individually to get them registered to vote. I do think we made a difference in doing all of that.**
## **Juliet Mead**
Community Development Manager, Eastbourne Foodbank
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In July 2024, the new UK government was elected on a manifesto that committed to end the high levels of need for emergency food parcels and to review Universal Credit – ensuring it tackles poverty as well as making work pay. **At the General Election, 50 MPs were elected who had signed our pledge to help build a social security social system that protects people from needing to turn to a food bank.**
Since then, we have secured crucial policy wins, including the introduction of the Fair Repayment Rate, and a small increase in the basic rate of Universal Credit from April 2026 – putting more money in people’s pockets, and bringing us closer to an Essentials Guarantee. We have also engaged more than 110 MPs from across the political spectrum through events, visits and meetings in support of the campaign.
## **Influencing the post-election landscape**
After the election, we quickly set about meeting the new team of DWP ministers, connecting them to people with lived experience of hardship at events in Parliament, and at the Labour Party Conference – where our giant billboard reminded the party of its pledge to end the need for emergency food, making sure this was a talking point of the conference.
At the 2024 Autumn Budget, we saw the impact of our efforts when **the UK government made a first step towards a more supportive social security system, by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate in Universal Credit** . This has reduced the amount that can be taken off people’s payments to repay debts – often to the DWP itself. It’s a significant change, and something Trussell has been calling for over many years – to ensure people have more money in their pocket than they’d have otherwise.
We also re-established the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ending the Need for Food Banks, and worked with this cross-party group of Parliamentarians to hold ministers to account on their commitments. The APPG met with the DWP minister responsible for tackling poverty in February, and again in May 2025 prior to the Spending
Review, which included the welcome announcement of the new three-year Crisis and Resilience Fund to deliver support locally to people facing financial crisis – reflecting our recommendations.
## **Challenging proposed cuts to social security**
In March 2025, the UK government announced their intention to bring forward the biggest cuts to social security in 10 years. These would reduce support for three million disabled people, pushing up to 400,000 disabled people and their families into poverty. In response,
**we launched a campaign urging the UK government to think again** – and take action to protect disabled people from hunger and hardship.
Between March and July, we worked with food banks, disabled people and disability rights organisations, and a coalition of leading charities, to make our collective voices heard – in Parliament, in the media, and directly with policymakers. Our pushback involved the efforts of a huge number of Trussell supporters, who sent nearly 40,000 emails to their MPs across the campaign. We also worked closely with food banks in more than 50 constituencies, supporting them to share their insights with local MPs, many of whom told us that these
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local meetings played an important role in convincing them to speak out.
**As a result of these efforts, the UK government made significant changes to its plans** . These included removing all cuts to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and committing to producing future plans for PIP together with disabled people. It also kept in place positive measures to introduce an above-inflation increase to the basic rate of Universal Credit, with Ministers explicitly recognising the case we had been making for an Essentials Guarantee – that Universal Credit was too low and was driving hardship and putting pressure on other parts of the system.
**Last year, working with Trussell and many others, we showed what’s possible when we stand together. Disabled people have been amongst the hardest hit by cuts to benefits over many years. Proposed cuts to PIP in 2025 would have pushed thousands into poverty. By joining forces with Trussell, we made sure voices were heard loud and clear. And together with MPs we helped make sure these cuts were stopped before even more damage to disabled people’s lives happened.**
## **James Taylor**
Executive Director for Strategy, Impact and Social Change, Scope
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Ahead of the UK government’s Child Poverty Strategy (published in late 2025), we worked side by side with children’s charities to make it clear that ending this cruel policy had to be a top priority. This included private and public letters to government ministers leading on the Child Poverty Strategy, and ensuring a unified, public voice that MPs could not ignore.
## **Campaigning to end the two-child limit**
The two-child limit, which restricts support from the social security system to two children, has pushed families to food banks since its introduction in 2017, with almost one in three (29%) food bank parcels provided by the Trussell community going to families with three or more children. Our Cost of Hunger and Hardship research provided new evidence that **ending the two-child limit would lift 470,000 children out of hunger and hardship** by 2027, and ease the pressure on food banks throughout the UK.
In September 2025, we used the launch of Hunger in the UK to raise awareness of the need for action in our coverage across the UK. We also put the call to end the two-child limit front and centre of our Hunger in the UK launch event in Parliament and our UK party
conference activity, working with influential voices, including well-known commentators and think tanks, to capture the attention of key decision makers in government.
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## **The broader picture**
Combining evidence-based recommendations with important insights from our food banks and lived experience partners, building impactful partnerships with sector organisations, and demonstrating public support have all served to establish strong relationships within the new UK government, and **position us as an important and influential stakeholder** . This was reflected in the new Work and Pensions Secretary choosing to make his first speech following the reshuffle in September 2025 at the launch event of our landmark Hunger in the UK research.
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## 3 **Working together to call for change**
While changes to policy are urgently needed at UK level, changes in policy and practice at a local level can also make a vital contribution to reducing the need for food banks. We work closely with our community of food banks to support them in advocating for the local changes that are most important to them. We also build partnerships at regional, national and UK levels to build the case and press for the policy changes that are needed.
People with lived experience are also central to informing and driving our policy work, while helping us clarify our calls for change. Research projects such as Hunger in the UK – which surveyed over 3,800 people referred to food banks, and interviewed almost 100 people with lived experience of hardship – are particularly key in helping us explore the drivers of food bank need and the solutions required.
## **Lobbying MPs in Westminster**
In June 2025, we held our first Lobby Day in Westminster, calling for an Essentials Guarantee in partnership with supporters, campaigners, and key allies. **The event saw more than 540 delegates attending from across the UK, representing over 230 organisations** – including local partners, food banks, and charities such as the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN), Feeding Britain, Church Action on Poverty, and the Salvation Army.
Food banks ensured that users of their food bank were part of their delegations, while members of Essentials Voices, a lived experience group that supports the Essentials Guarantee campaign, played a crucial role in event preparations and codesigned key materials. On the day, they spoke directly with MPs, led workshops, and contributed to media content.
**I feel incredibly privileged and quite emotional to have been part of such a monumental event... Let’s find ways to keep the campaign a hot topic of conversation.**
## **Jennie Strong**
Strategic Manager, Clay Cross Foodbank
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lived experience partners were at the heart of the day, telling their stories via emotionally impactful panel sessions and inspirational video testimony.
Attendees lobbied and met with more than 250 MPs, including representatives from 12 political parties and the DWP ministerial team, in support of a stronger social security system that ensures everyone can afford the essentials. A welcome session was led by Nish Kumar, while our
**Our lobby event represented a real opportunity to speak truth to power** , and was praised by Parliamentary
makers, against a backdrop of unprecedented cuts to social security for disabled people. This was reflected in the wide range of local and national media coverage of the lobby, including Nish Kumar’s _Pod Save the UK_ podcast, the _Mirror_ , _Politics Home_ , _The Herald Scotland_ , and _The Big Issue_ .
stakeholders as one of the best organised lobbies they had seen. After the event, post-lobby postcards were sent to MPs, while 15+ follow-up meetings were held between food banks and local MPs in their constituencies. The event demonstrated the campaign’s power to connect with decision-
**The mass lobby of Parliament that JRF and Trussell delivered together for the Guarantee our Essentials campaign was a highlight of 2025. It was incredibly powerful to see nearly 700 food bank staff and volunteers from across the UK travelling to Westminster to deliver a loud and clear message to their MPs – that our social security system is not fit for purpose when people are going without the basic essentials we all need to get by. It is thanks to their dedication and determination that we’re continuing to build more champions for the campaign on the Parliamentary benches.**
## **Frank Soodeen**
Director of Communications and Public Engagement, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
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## **Campaigning for crisis and resilience support**
The UK government’s decision to invest in a new, longer-term approach to local crisis support in England through the new Crisis and Resilience Fund follows **close partnership work** between Trussell and other anti-poverty charities and local authorities.
This included a joint inquiry to shape our shared recommendations on the future of discretionary support for people facing financial crisis. Alongside organisations including The Children’s Society and Carers Trust, **we made the case for longer-term funding, so local authorities could better plan and coordinate crisis support, advice and other preventative services** . Replacing the Household Support Fund from April 2026, the new Crisis and Resilience Fund will help provide a lifeline to people facing severe hardship – and reduce the need for emergency food to fill the gap in a crisis.
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## **Influencing work and partnerships across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland**
## **Scotland**
In Scotland, we increased our profile and influence, deepening our relationships with elected representatives and the wider third sector, including through holding our first ever parliamentary exhibition in Holyrood, plus exhibiting and supporting fringe events at party conferences and the SCVO Gathering.
## **Strengthening local support**
Trussell is a key member of the Scottish Government’s Cash-First Programme Board, shaping support that prioritises dignity and agency over stigma. In March 2025, we hosted our third Cash First Communities conference with IFAN, bringing together the advice sector, local authorities, food banks, community food projects, anti-poverty charities, and Scottish Government, to share best practice and look at embedding cash-first approaches in the next Holyrood Parliamentary session.
## **Using research to influence policy**
In April 2024, we shared our research on the impact of the Scottish Child Payment on food bank use with MSPs, food banks and sector
partners – working with the Scottish End Child Poverty Coalition to boost our collective call for investment. **We successfully worked with sector partners and used our Cost of Hunger and Hardship research to persuade the**
**Scottish Government to announce that they would mitigate the two-child cap** . In June 2025, as part of our influencing work to prevent cuts to disability benefits, we presented research with Aberlour and One Parent Families Scotland into the impact of public debt on lowincome families to Scottish MPs. In September 2025, we shared our Hunger in Scotland research with elected representatives and sector partners. Alongside Good Things Foundation and SCVO, we brought together partners across the child poverty and digital exclusion spaces for an event focused on how to end the digital divide for families in Scotland.
## **Enabling food banks to engage elected representatives in election periods**
In the run-up to the July 2024 General Election, we delivered online webinars for Scottish Labour and SNP Westminster PPCs. Postelection, we ensured newly-elected Scottish MPs were well briefed, and supported food banks to connect with new MPs locally.
In March 2025, we established our Scotland Together for Change Panel – advising on the development of our Scottish Building Blocks and Trussell Scotland Holyrood Manifesto for the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026. We are continuing to work with partners in the Scottish End Child Poverty Coalition, the Scottish Food Coalition, and Poverty Alliance to urge all political parties in Scotland to commit to clear, bold, and fully funded plans to update and invest in and social security as well as in local interventions that can prevent hardship from spiralling.
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## **Wales**
In Wales, we have raised our profile, with our work becoming increasingly enmeshed in the political and civic fabric of the country. We have worked to embed insights from food banks as we influence for change, with lived experience playing a growing role in shaping our evidence and voice.
## **Engaging elected representatives and officials**
**Trussell has been referenced 27 times in the Senedd, by MSs from all parties, including many government ministers.** In July 2025, we secured a debate in the Senedd from Plaid Cymru’s Heledd Fychan on our Cost of Hunger and Hardship research, where she spoke in detail about our evidence. In response, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, noted: “I applaud the work of [Trussell] and all those who provide food banks... I have always very much embraced the vision of a Wales where food banks are no longer needed.”
We attended both the Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru party conferences, engaging directly with party leaders (including First Minister for Wales, Eluned Morgan MS) and also attended Y Farchnad marketplace events at the Senedd, alongside representatives of Cardiff, Rhymney Valley, and Taff Ely Foodbanks.
We have twice presented Trussell data on food bank need and our Cost of Hunger and Hardship research findings to the Crossparty Group on Poverty, including MSs and sector partners.
## **Bringing lived experience and food bank insights into policy making**
We secured visits to food banks in Wales for Welsh Government ministers, including two by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice to Wrexham and Rhymney Valley Foodbanks, and visits to Vale and Rhondda Foodbanks for key civil servants in Welsh Government.
Child Poverty Strategy, and food justice, highlighting evidence from food banks and people experiencing hardship.
We provided key insights from the food bank community and our research to the Welsh Government directly and through membership of the Streamlining Welsh Benefits Steering Group and Discretionary Assistance Fund Reference Group. We have also responded to consultations on Council Tax Reduction, the
**In preparation for the 2026 Senedd elections, we have been working with food banks and people with lived experience of hardship to shape our upcoming policy manifesto.**
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## **Northern Ireland**
**This year marked a breakthrough in our policy influence in Northern Ireland** – powered by evidence, partnerships, and powerful testimony from people with lived experience.
## **Engaging MLAs and informing the Northern Ireland Assembly**
We frequently meet MLAs across parties, including representatives from the Committee for Communities in all four parties and attending three all-party groups. We have supported MPs, MLAs and Ministers to meet with food banks and have supported people with lived experience to participate in discussions with parties, shaping conversations on welfare reform and hardship support.
We gave evidence to the Communities Committee on two occasions, and there were 11 mentions of Trussell in the Northern Ireland Assembly, including six Assembly Questions citing Trussell. In January 2025, the Northern Ireland Assembly held its first ever debate focused on Trussell’s data. In April 2025, a Trussell lived experience
partner presented at the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Communities setting out the drivers of food bank use and the changes required to end the need for food banks in NI.
We attended three NI Political Party Conferences, meeting with party leaders and Ministers. In September 2025, we held a breakfast briefing in Stormont to launch the findings of our Hunger in Northern Ireland research, attended by civil servants and MLAs.
## **Using our evidence to influence policy**
## **Working in partnership**
In September 2025, Trussell organised the Rising Against Poverty: Building Hope Demanding Action conference with Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Barnardo’s and the Anti-Poverty Strategy Group. Trussell were also active members of key antipoverty coalitions, including Cliff Edge Coalition, the Anti-Poverty Strategy Group, Equality Coalition and Accessible Food Working Group.
Our recommendations directly contributed to two major policy wins: The extension of welfare mitigations (including Bedroom Tax and Benefit Cap protections) to 2028, and the Education
Minister’s expansion of childcare discounts, improving affordability for low-income families. Our evidence was also used in the government’s draft Anti-Poverty Strategy and Food Strategy.
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## **Our impact since 2020**
Over the past five years, we have hugely deepened the evidence base around the causes of hunger and hardship – and laid in stark relief the need to address the shortcomings in our social security system. **We have shone a light on the role of devolved governments** , and seen important progress in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We have also highlighted the vital role that local government can and must play in protecting people from needing a food bank, and helped to drive key policy changes in this area.
**We’ve proven the power of campaigning hand in hand with food banks and people with lived experience of hardship** – including on local crisis support during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond, reducing the burden of debt repayment (culminating
in the Fair Repayment Rate from April 2025), boosting the basic rate of Universal Credit during the pandemic (leading to a permanent above-inflation increase from April 2026), increasing investment in employment support, and protecting people from proposed cuts to social security support for people who are disabled or have health condition. **Our**
**collaborative working across a range of partners to shape policy has also gone from strength to strength.**
Our new strategy for 20252030 builds on the learning from our Changing Policy work and sets out how we are developing our approach – to ensure that we can end hunger today, together, and forever. Read more about our new strategy on page 92.
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## **Together with our volunteers**
Volunteers are the beating heart of the Trussell community.
## **Volunteers are key to everything we do, and It’s no exaggeration to say that we couldn’t function without their support.**
Time and time again our volunteers have shown that they are miraculous. In 2024-2025, volunteers once again faced enormous challenges – yet their resolve, resilience, compassion, care, and determination continued unabated.
Their commitment is as inspiring as it is strong, and we are endlessly grateful – for the contribution they make to people facing hardship in communities across the UK, and to our longer-term, shared vision. We are so thankful that we stand together in working towards a UK without the need for food banks.
## 40,000
volunteers support the Trussell community of food banks, fulfilling around 500 different activities – including frontline food bank positions, office support roles, and micro-volunteering activities, such as social media advocates.
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## **Messages of support**
In 2024, we asked people to tell us how important their local food bank and its volunteers were to them. Here are a few of their responses.
**I’ll always be grateful for the help I received when I was struggling.**
**Person who needed a food bank in Dundee, Scotland**
**Not all angels have wings – the staff and volunteers are angels. I’d be lost without their help.**
**Person who needed a food bank in London, England**
**You make me feel like a person. I feel valued, and it gives me hope. Person who needed a food bank in Lisburn, Northern Ireland**
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## **Together with churches**
Churches are essential to Trussell’s mission.
Most food banks couldn’t operate without the support of their local church and other faith groups.
Around 12,000 churches across the UK either run food banks directly, or support them – by donating, hosting activities in their venues, encouraging volunteering, and lending support to our campaigning work.
During 2024-2025, we supported food banks in connecting with churches, while reaching out to Christians more generally to raise awareness of Trussell’s mission. **Through our ongoing engagement work, we reached out to a diverse range of churches and groups, encouraging them to work with local communities and consider what more they can do to bring about an end to the need for food banks.**
## **Key activities included:**
- In June 2024, we hosted a workshop and spoke at a fundraising event during the **General Synod of the Church of England** , during which they passed a motion supporting the Guarantee our Essentials campaign. Throughout the year, we also attended seven other major events (including the Methodist Conference and Gather Summit), where we distributed church engagement resources and had significant conversations with faith leaders.
• We held two Christmas concerts in 2024 – at Southwark Cathedral in London and St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh – to raise awareness of hardship, with readings and performances from special guests including Charlotte Ritchie, Hugh Bonneville, Sanjeev Kohli, Val McDermid, Joely Richardson, and James Walsh. Audiences heard powerful personal stories from people with lived experience of needing a food bank, as well as inspiring contributions from local food bank teams.
- In June 2025, we hosted a seminar at the **National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast** , during which one of our lived experience partners delivered a monologue entitled The Perils of Universal Credit.
- Over the summer of 2025, we attended three major **Christian festivals** (Wildfires, New Wine and Greenbelt), where we centred voices of lived experience through talks and discussions, while distributing more than 2,500 church engagement resources.
- Following the Trussell brand refresh, we updated and expanded our engagement resources for churches (including translations into Welsh), with almost 7,000 packs having been ordered online by September 2025.
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**Being invited to Greenbelt festival re-sparked my connection with God. I feel very lucky to have experienced it with the wonderful members of this amazing group. Everyone went out of their way to make me feel welcome and valued, which felt unprecedented.**
## **Ruby**
Christian Lived Experience Partner Panel member
**After I started sharing my story with Trussell, I joined their group of Christians with lived experience of hardship. I couldn’t have imagined how amazing that group would be, and they quickly became a close group of friends. We can talk about anything and pray for each other too. It has become a vital part of my support system.**
## **Steve**
Christian Lived Experience Partner Panel member
We also continued working closely with food banks to build broader partnerships with churches at a local level – focusing on operations, community building, and campaigning. Part of this work involved developing a partnership pledge for churches, along with a resource pack for food banks on growing partnerships.
**One of the ways in which faith expresses itself is through showing compassion to those in need. By supporting Trussell, both in offering emergency food and campaigning for an end to food poverty, the Church demonstrates its commitment to justice and to loving others as ourselves.**
**Deacon Sally Wheadon** The Methodist Church
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## **Together with people with lived experience**
We continue to broaden and deepen our engagement with people who have direct experience of financial hardship, by creating meaningful and inclusive spaces across Trussell where lived experience knowledge is heard, valued, acted upon and amplified.
During 2024–2025, we worked in partnership with around 380 people with lived experience of financial hardship – to advise on the direction of our work and co-create solutions.
## **Advisory groups**
• Our **Transforming Together Team** , an anti-poverty advisory group of people from across the UK, bring a range of experience and offer insight on how we can progress our operational, policy influencing and mobilisation work.
- **Essential Voices** – a group with experience of Universal Credit – are helping shape the delivery of the Guarantee our Essentials campaign.
- Our **Christian Group** explores how financial hardship can act as a barrier to finding community, while developing resources with our Church Engagement team.
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## **Embedding lived experience across our work**
Throughout 2024-2025, we’ve continued supporting lived experience partners to amplify their experiences in a safe and impactful way – with training, mentoring and peer support.
**The strategy process showed a real commitment to listening to people with lived experience. Being part of it reminded me that my voice matters – and that sharing my story can help drive meaningful change.**
## **Chika Paschal**
Policy Advocate and Lived Experience Partner, who contributed to the development of our strategy for 2025-2030
Collaboration with lived experience partners has also been at the heart of a number of projects, including:
- Working alongside more than 70 people with direct experience of hardship to develop our 2025-2030 strategy.
- Our Policy Advocates programme ensuring that lived experience partners advocate alongside us as we seek to influence policymakers.
- 98 people with lived experience defining the qualitative scope of our Cost of Hunger and Hardship policy research project.
- A reciprocal mentoring programme pairing lived experience experts with Trussell leaders, to better inform decision-makers on the reality of living on a low income.
**I am so grateful that the work I have done has helped develop policies, papers, and campaigns such as Guarantee our Essentials. It makes me feel really proud and inspired that my input has made a difference, not only to staff and volunteers at Trussell, but to a wider community we are trying to reach.**
## **Deirdre**
Lived Experience Partner
- Running round table sessions with young adults (aged 16 to 24) from oft-overlooked demographics – such as care leavers, single parents, people from racialised communities, LGBTQ+ and disabled people – to hear their ideas for change.
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## **Supporting participation in food banks**
In 2024-2025, we continued to support food banks to develop and share their approaches to the participation of people with lived experience of hardship. This has been achieved through upskilling of Trussell staff who work directly with food banks, and a range of workshops, toolkits, sharing of case studies and providing in-depth support to food banks participating in the Pathfinder programme. We also developed resources to support food banks to recruit people with lived experience onto their boards.
**Participation is about the engagement and involvement of everyone who uses our services or may do so in future. We believe that people with lived experience of poverty are the experts who are best placed to identify the issues related to poverty, develop solutions, and assess their effectiveness.**
## **Jonathan Lees**
Managing Director, Good Company (Epsom and Ewell Foodbank)
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Overview
## **Together, strengthening our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion**
## Equity, diversity and inclusion remain central to Trussell’s work.
Our research shows that people who need the support of a food bank are more likely to have protected characteristics, such as disability or race. For example, one in four (25%) people from racialised communities experience hunger and hardship, almost twice the rate (14%) for white people – while nearly three quarters (74%) of people referred to food banks are disabled, compared to just over a quarter (28%) of the general population.
EDI principles are therefore a key element of achieving our vision of a UK without the need for food banks, and we are committed to supporting both Trussell staff and our food bank community to meet the diverse needs of local populations across the UK.
## **EDI within Trussell**
It is important that our staff have the required confidence, knowledge and skills to engage with all aspects of EDI, and to support our community of food banks in doing so.
From November 2024 to July 2025, we piloted a nine-month **reciprocal mentoring scheme** , pairing people with lived experience of financial hardship with a number of Trussell staff and trustees, to share experience, knowledge, and perspectives through regular meetings (both online and face to face), check-ins, and debriefs. Lived experience partners were able to enrich their knowledge of Trussell’s work, and reported feeling more empowered to pursue leadership roles, re-enter the labour market, or take up volunteering – while staff attained deeper insights into the journeys and backgrounds of people who need food banks, in turn informing our work around increasing inclusivity.
**I gained a new understanding of [food banks and their work]... Sharing my lived experiences helped to build a meaningful relationship, rooted in trust and our shared**
**purpose.**
## **Person with lived experience who took part in the mentoring scheme**
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## **Supporting food banks on EDI**
The Trussell community of food banks operates across the UK, serving a diverse range of communities and holding great expertise in how to engage and support different groups.
In 2024-2025, we continued to support food banks to develop and share their insight and good practice, while **providing guidance** on creating an EDI strategy and action plan, support with inclusive volunteering, and both in-person and virtual training sessions.
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## **Together with our supporters**
Everything we do as a charity is only possible because of our generous supporters.
Thanks to their support, our community of food banks is able to meet the immediate needs of people facing financial hardship – and together we can hold on to the hope that we will achieve the change that is needed to end reliance on emergency food.
We are hugely grateful for the contributions of individual supporters, our corporate partners, and trusts and foundations. During 2024–2025, their **generosity and commitment** to supporting our work and vision continued to grow.
## **Corporate partnerships**
## **Barclays**
## **Tesco**
We are deeply grateful to Tesco for their unwavering partnership, which took many forms during 2024-2025. This includes bulk purchasing routes for food banks, permanent collection points in over 1,100 Tesco stores (with added pick-up packs during key moments), the 12th annual Tesco Winter Food Collection (which generated the equivalent of over 1.3 million meals for Trussell food banks), Tesco’s incredible £500,000 donation in summer 2024, as well as their yearly partnership donation of £1.25 million. In addition, we worked together to create meaningful media campaigns highlighting our partnership, the work of Trussell and food banks, and exclusive Trussell research demonstrating the need in our communities.
We are hugely thankful to Barclays for continuing to be a key strategic partner for our programmes offering people access to advice on money matters across the UK. During 2024-2025, our third year of partnership, Barclays support enabled us to increase the provision of money advice services to people in financial hardship, with over 325 food banks charities now offering the services, representing 89% of the Trussell community. We are also deeply grateful to Barclays for sponsoring our Pathways for Change event, focusing on our lived experience partners while informing and inspiring our key supporters.
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## **Deliveroo**
It’s been another incredibly impactful year of partnership with Deliveroo. From April 2024 to September 2025, over £1.3 million was donated by generous Deliveroo customers via the inapp top-up function, helping us provide on the ground support and grants to food banks in the Trussell community. In December 2024, Deliveroo made an additional donation of £25,000 to support food banks over winter. Deliveroo further supported us through a social campaign with influencer Dr Alex George, who visited Tottenham Foodbank to talk to Campaigns and Communications Manager Eniola Akinlabi, where they chatted about the importance of a warm welcome and the kinds of support food banks provide in their local communities.
## **Waitrose**
We thankfully acknowledge the support of our long-standing partner, Waitrose, during 20242025. In addition to the year-round generosity of Waitrose customers, who donate essential food items in-store and online via the Waitrose website, the partnership facilitated
## three dedicated collection events
during the reporting period.
Waitrose further strengthened this impact by contributing an additional 20% on top of all customer in-store donations, directly supporting our financial inclusion programmes for people facing hardship, as well as mental health services for both volunteers and frontline staff across our community of food banks. For the second consecutive year, Trussell was also proud to be a beneficiary of funds raised through the Waitrose & Partners Garden Party.
## **Cadent Gas**
In addition to supporting our programmes offering people access to advice on money matters, Cadent Gas has provided 16,000 leaflets on gas safety and energy efficiency, as well as 580 free carbon monoxide alarms, which have been distributed to people facing hardship through food banks in the Trussell community. Cadent Gas engineers also supported Epping Forest Foodbank’s Food in School Holidays initiative, by volunteering their time to pack and distribute food parcels for local families.
## **Public donations**
## **Together, we bring hope where it’s needed most.**
During winter 2024-2025, the generosity of supporters helped raise over £10.5 million through our Where Hunger Ends, Hope Begins appeal, a powerful demonstration of the impact compassion can have. With food banks preparing for another busy winter, this support helped provide not only emergency food, but vital hope to people facing hardship and looking for a way forward.
In February 2025, supporters continued to stand with us through our Winter Hunger: The Cold Reality appeal. While food donations often slow after Christmas, the need remains high – and this support ensured that when people’s shelves were empty, our food banks weren’t.
As summer brought fresh
challenges, our appeal highlighted the devastating reality that one in four children under the age of five in the UK are at risk of needing a food bank. Again, supporters rallied behind our call, making sure that hunger doesn’t hold children back.
Throughout the year, we’ve
been sustained by the incredible commitment of our monthly donors, whose regular gifts provide stability in uncertain times. And we’re deeply grateful to those who’ve chosen to leave a gift in their will, helping to build a future where food banks are no longer needed.
We hugely appreciate every individual, community group and small business who stood with us – helping to change lives, while bringing us closer to a UK without hunger.
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## **Rising to the challenge**
Every year, thousands of people raise money for Trussell through sponsored events. Whether it’s running, swimming, or walking events, they’re truly putting the ‘fun’ into fundraising.
## **Chester Half Marathon**
Couple Neil and Leanne both ran the Chester Half Marathon for Trussell 2025 after Leanne had volunteered at a local food bank. “She saw the amazing work that took place there,” explains Neil. “For us it was definitely the right charity at the right time, what with people needing to use food banks due to the rising cost of living.”
“The day was fantastic, with a real buzz of excitement. Our daughter is in the Guides, and she was volunteering on the day, handing out t-shirts at the finish line, so it was a real family effort. We can’t thank our family, friends, and work colleagues enough for helping us raise over £500 for this amazing cause. Now it’s time to hang up the running shoes – for now, at least!”
## **London Marathon**
“I’m in my 40s now, and I thought that running a marathon was way beyond what I was capable of,” says Melissa, who took on the London Marathon in 2025. “The great thing is that you can build up to a marathon. It doesn’t matter how unfit you think you are, there’s a plan that’s right for you. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about it to give it a go!”
“It wasn’t hard to choose Trussell when deciding which charity to support, because the charity does such important work in our communities,” continues Melissa. “I’ve been really touched by the support received from Trussell in the lead up to the marathon, and I’m grateful that I was part of its London Marathon 2025 team.”
## **North Downs 50k Ultra Challenge**
“We did a lot of training leading up to the event, but it can’t prepare you for the heat we experienced, walking for 10 hours in hot weather. But it was great fun! There was seven of us raising money for different charities, and we raised close to £4,000.”
“I have always seen donation bins in supermarkets, and whenever we did the family food shop we’d donate items,” explains Alex, who raised money for Trussell after volunteering at Chichester District Foodbank. “Seeing how far a small amount of money could go made me realise how much a large amount could do for so many families,” she adds.
Trussell’s Cheer Squad give their support to fundraisers running in the London Marathon
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## **Our promise to supporters**
We could not continue to work towards our vision without our amazing supporters. We deeply appreciate their generosity.
In response to the support people provide, we promise to:
- safeguard their personal details
- treat them with respect, honesty and openness
- take into account the needs of individuals who may be in difficult circumstances or require additional care and support to make an informed decision
- never put people under pressure to make, or continue making, a gift
- use gifts for the purpose for which they are given, and spend donations so they have the most impact
- respect people’s wishes and preferences
- be receptive to feedback and use this to improve our approach
- take appropriate action if people are unhappy with our services,
and accept the authority of the Fundraising Regulator if we cannot resolve their complaint
- never share, sell or rent personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.
## **How we protect vulnerable people**
We care for each and every one of our supporters and follow the Code of Fundraising Practice to ensure they are properly protected and looked after.
## **Caring for our supporters and fundraisers**
We have a dedicated supporter care team available and on hand to respond to any supporter needs, queries, feedback, requests or complaints, as well as having specific policies and procedures in place to protect vulnerable people. We continuously seek to improve the way we do things based on supporter feedback and engagement.
## **Our fundraising approach**
- All of our fundraising activities are carried out in compliance with the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice and guided by our Supporters Promise and organisational values.
- We use professional fundraising agencies to support us with payroll giving (whereby employees of an organisation can make a regular donation to Trussell from their salary before tax is deducted).
- Trussell complies with the Fundraising Regulator and the Code of Fundraising Practice. There have been no compliance issues during the year.
- In total, 17 complaints were received during the year relating to fundraising, with concerns primarily focused on how fundraising activity feels to supporters – including perceived pressure, frequency, and clarity on how funds are used. These complaints were all resolved.
## **Contact us at**
**supportercare@trussell.org.uk or call 01722 580 178 (Mon-Fri, 9am–5pm).**
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## **Trusts and foundations**
## **Balcombe Charitable Trust**
A foundational funder to our Financial Inclusion project, Balcombe Charitable Trust continued to work with us in close partnership during 2024-2025 to ensure that food banks could set up and continue to deliver advice services. With their continued commitment to this impactful work, we are extremely grateful for Balcombe’s insight, energy and understanding of the challenges food banks are facing in this difficult funding environment. It is with deep gratitude that we acknowledge their partnership, and look forward to continuing our work together.
## **Comic Relief**
We were fortunate to benefit from a further Nourish the Nation grant from Comic Relief in partnership with Sainsbury’s. This grant helped to ensure that food banks could keep their doors open during our busiest winter period,
as well as helping us provide vital advice and support to help reduce the likelihood of people needing to return to a food bank. We are grateful to Comic Relief and Sainsbury’s for their deep understanding of food insecurity and their focus on working collaboratively to achieve our vision of a UK without the need for food banks.
## **Julia Rausing Trust**
A supporter for some years now, the Julia Rausing Trust (previously the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust) has donated two transformational gifts since 2022. The benefit of their second gift reached into 20242025 during a time when our food banks saw sustained need and were facing continued challenges. We are extremely grateful for the Trust’s partnership and close relationship, with their gifts delivering impact right across our community of UK food banks.
## **The Moondance Foundation**
Over the past three years, the Moondance Foundation has supported Trussell food banks in Wales. Their knowledge and insight into the local contexts and challenges food banks face have informed their giving and our partnership. This understanding and Moondance’s responsiveness have underpinned our close working relationship with them. We are incredibly grateful for this and look forward to seeing how Moondance’s support continues to deliver impact across our community of food banks in Wales.
## **Oak Foundation**
Oak Foundation supported Trussell with a core costs grant, focusing on our work at a strategic level over the last three years. This flexible funding has enabled Trussell to focus on delivering against the key pillars of our strategy and to use funds where they are most needed, which has been particularly helpful during an uncertain financial period. We are extremely grateful for the
guidance and expertise that Oak Foundation offers in addition to our funding, and look forward to seeing how our partnership develops.
## **Pears Foundation**
Our partnership with Pears Foundation stretches back over many years. We see them as a supportive and critical friend as well as funding partner, and are delighted to continue to develop our relationship with their support – towards pilot projects to evaluate how we can shape our offer of advice in the future. Pears Foundation was a catalyst funder in our work to build our
impactful Financial Inclusion programme, which began five years ago. Together we have had a positive impact on the lives of around 190,000 people across the length and breadth of the UK. We are extremely grateful to continue to work with Pears Foundation as we consider the next phase in this important work.
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## **Players of People’s Postcode Lottery**
Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have supported our work since 2020, raising an incredible £4.23 million for our work. The flexible nature of their support is hugely valuable – enabling us and our community of food banks to stay agile and innovate while remaining focused on our vision of ending the need for food banks. In 20242025, players raised an incredible £1million for our work – awarded through a long-term partner award of £500,000 from the Postcode Care Trust and a Happier Christmas award of £500,000, which critically supported our community of food banks through the winter period. As this report covers a longer period, we are also able to acknowledge their longer-term support with a pledge in the 2025-2026 financial year of another £500,000 of flexible funding, for which we are immensely grateful.
## **Additional thanks**
We are extremely grateful to so many Trusts whose support enables us to continue to deliver impact at food banks and in the sphere of crisis, hunger, and poverty across the UK. We would like to give special thanks to:
Benefact Trust, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The JABBS Foundation, Hollyhock Foundation, The Caerlow Trust, The Vertex Foundation, The Robertson Trust.
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Overview
## **The journey so far**
## **Our strategic progress over the past five years.**
In 2020 we published our first ever strategy, Together for Change – co-produced with food banks in the Trussell community and informed by people with experience of using a food bank.
Covering the period 2020-2025, the strategy focused on three priority areas where action was needed to achieve our vision: **Changing Communities** , **Changing Policy** , and **Changing Minds** .
These five years have also been a period of unparalleled change and challenge – including food banks being on the first line of response during the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of the cost of living crisis, and the ongoing economic and political uncertainty that has disproportionate effects on people experiencing hunger and hardship. And, yet, in the face of all this, we were still able to drive significant impact over the past five years.
## **Since 2020...**
15M
**emergency food parcels distributed by food banks in the Trussell community since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic .**
## 89%
**of food banks in the Trussell community are now offering people access to advice on money matters – compared to 13% offering such support in 2019–2020.**
122,000 **tonnes of stock were donated to food banks, the equivalent of 1.2 million fully loaded supermarket trolleys.**
£93.4M
**was awarded in grants to food banks.**
£201M
**in financial gains was identified for people facing hunger by the awardwinning Help through Hardship helpline, run by Trussell in partnership with Citizens Advice and Mind.**
150,000 **people signed the Essentials Guarantee petition to MPs, calling for social security payments to cover essential living costs.**
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87%
**of the UK public said they believe the social security system should ensure that everyone can afford the essentials (source: PAS Research, 2024) – up from 82% in 2021.**
2,424 **references to food banks and 362 mentions of Trussell were made in the House of Commons.**
65%
**of the public said they had heard of Trussell, or knew a little or a lot about us (source: PAS Research, 2024) – up from 47% in 2020.**
130,325 **mentions of Trussell were made in the media.**
## **Every food bank**
**in the Trussell community has been supported to develop its own plan to end the need for food banks alongside our collective Together for Change strategy.**
## **Growing political commitment**
**Addressing food bank need has now been embedded in multiple political party manifestos, and we secured a manifesto commitment from the incoming Labour Government to end the need for emergency food. The Scottish Government also created a formal strategy to end the need for food banks.**
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Overview
## **Looking ahead**
## Our strategy for the next five years.
Over the past five years, we have worked across the Trussell community to test new approaches, build the evidence on what works, and develop new partnerships and relationships.
We’ve also seen what’s possible when people come together. We’ve supported communities with financial advice, influenced UK-wide policy, and changed the conversation around the need for food banks. These efforts, made possible by dedicated volunteers, staff, and supporters, have moved us closer to our shared vision of ending the need for food banks in the UK.
**The learning and insight we have built through our first strategy have laid strong foundations for our new strategy, which we launched in October 2025 and will guide our work through to 2030.**
## **Together for Change: Ending hunger together Our strategy for 2025-2030**
Our new strategy sets out our renewed commitment and bold plan to address the root causes of hardship, and work towards a future where no one needs a food bank. It is informed by close engagement with food banks, people with lived experience, partner organisations, and many more stakeholders, and is built around three bold ambitions:
## **Ending hunger forever**
## **Ending hunger today**
## **Ending hunger together**
We know that food banks can’t solve hunger and hardship alone. To drive real change across society, we need to bring even more people with us.
Due to a challenging economic outlook, we know we’ll need to continue to support significant numbers of people who are going without the essentials over the coming years.
We will not stop until everybody has enough money for the essentials – and the distribution of emergency food can end for good.
Ending hunger forever means tackling the causes of food bank need, challenging the systems and assumptions that leave people facing hunger and hardship. This includes developing and influencing for policy solutions, gathering and sharing vital insight about what approaches make lasting change, and taking action together locally and across the UK.
Ending hunger today means making sure food banks can be there for everyone who needs them, offering a warm welcome and emergency food alongside tailored support and advice, making it less likely people will need a food bank again.
Ending hunger together means working with others, inspiring and empowering people to play their part. This will involve investing in collaborations across local communities, training and supporting anti-poverty leaders, and building the case for the public to prioritise tackling hunger and hardship.
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Overview
To achieve our vision, we’ve created **eight programmes of activity** – aligned to our three themes. In delivering these, we’ll work closely with a wide range of partners, in the Trussell community and beyond, including many of the people and organisations we consulted in co-designing our strategy, as well as local government, policymakers at all levels, businesses, education and healthcare providers, plus a wide range of experts, opinion-formers, campaigners and influencers. People with their own lived experience of hunger and hardship will be central to our plans and activities. And, of course, this won’t be possible without the generous support of our incredible donors and volunteers, and the backing of the general public – who overwhelmingly also want to see a future without the need for food banks.
You can read more about our strategy and our programmes of work at **trussell.org.uk/strategy**
**The new strategy connects the dots – from a warm welcome at the food bank door to wraparound support, community engagement, and influencing policy. It’s holistic and hopeful.**
## **Victor Oladele**
Manager, Basildon Foodbank, who helped contribute to the development of our new strategy
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## **Looking forward to 2025–2026**
## **Our priorities for the year ahead**
During 2025-2026, we expect another challenging year for the Trussell community of food banks, as they continue to see high levels of need due to people facing hunger and hardship. Going into winter 2025–2026, we predicted that food banks in the Trussell community would provide an emergency parcel every 10 seconds over that period, as the rising costs of essentials – like food, electricity and rent – pushed more families to the brink. At the same time, many food banks expected the level of need to continue to outpace donations, and were braced for spending significant amounts on food.
Working towards our vision remains as urgent as ever, and our new strategy provides the framework for what we will take forward over the next year.
## **Ending hunger today:**
Our community of food banks will continue to work tirelessly and with compassion to support people facing hunger and hardship in their local communities. At Trussell we will continue to stand alongside each and every food bank, helping to ensure that every person needing their support receives a warm welcome, access to advice, and an emergency food parcel – with dignity at the heart of every encounter.
Recognising – and having evidenced – the importance of advice in helping to protect people from hunger and hardship, we will support food banks to deliver increasingly tailored advice journeys for people facing hardship. We will work to ensure our advocacy for person-centred advice cuts through locally and nationally, and that foundations are laid for long-term funding of these vital services.
Alongside this, we will launch a new dedicated phone line for people facing hardship who contact Trussell directly. This will ensure that they receive compassionate support and timely onward help. We will also work in partnership with Citizens Advice, Mind, Turn2us, and others, to ensure the Help through Hardship helpline remains accessible, equitable and vital for people facing hunger and for our food banks.
Our expert operations team will continue to support food banks across the full range of their activity, and we will enhance our support for food banks around sourcing stock and other donations. We will particularly focus on food banks that most need our help in remaining stable in the face of countless challenges, enabling them to provide their vital support for as long as it is needed.
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## **Ending hunger together:**
We will start to deliver bespoke support for anti-poverty leaders – both from food banks in the Trussell community and across the wider charitable food sector, alongside people with lived experience – to further strengthen the leadership capability that is essential to drive meaningful change towards our vision. We will launch our online leadership academy, and we’ll share resources with independent food banks and partners to amplify impact.
We will work with food banks to develop and test a Community Guider model, helping people facing hunger and hardship to access locally available support, preventing the need for emergency food. We will also support food banks to work with local partners, especially churches, to create kind and welcoming community spaces where people can access advice, support, and cash that can help prevent the need for emergency food.
We will also develop our Organising Programme to build community power as a way to prevent the need for emergency food. And we will strengthen support for our collective mission across a wide range of audiences, while expanding the ways in which people can take action to support our vision. This will include refreshing our corporate volunteering offer, strengthening partner engagement and driving long-term engagement.
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Overview
## **Ending hunger forever:**
We will continue to be a leading advocacy voice on the link between deficiencies in the social security system and food bank need. We will drive forward our Guarantee our Essentials campaign, run jointly with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. We will influence policy development and the public and political debate on disability benefit reform and employment support, ensuring that the voices of food banks and people needing their support are front and centre.
We will work to make hunger and hardship key issues in the Scottish and Welsh elections – creating opportunities that spark conversations and keep the pressure up publicly and politically. And we will work to keep hunger and hardship at the forefront of conversations and decision making – both among the public, and key individuals and organisations relevant to our cause. At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, our garden themed around ‘togetherness’ will spotlight hunger and hardship, showing how collective action can drive change.
We will continue to carry out robust and compelling research and generate insights to shape public discourse, influence policy, and support campaigning and storytelling, while building partnerships that will help to shift attitudes towards social security. And we will continue to galvanise our Christian audiences with bespoke church resources and support.
Our new strategy is highly ambitious, but we know it is grounded in the learning and successes from the past five years. We also know that the success of our strategy relies on us working – together – with a wide range of partners, supporters and experts, as well as across our community of food banks and people with lived experience. We are deeply committed to the relational way of working that informed our previous strategy, and which underpins our new strategy. To support the ways of working that achieving our vision requires, we are also committed to continuing to ensure that, as an organisation, we hold and are building the necessary levels of expertise in our staff team, and are best placed to lead and influence in the spaces where we can make change happen.
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## **Financial review**
## **Change in Financial Year-End**
During the reporting period, Trussell changed its financial year-end from 31 March to 30 September to align with our new strategic cycle. As a result of this change, **the current set of financial statements covers an 18-month period from 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2025, rather than the usual 12 months.**
This extended reporting period should be considered when reviewing the financial performance and position, as figures presented are not directly comparable to those of prior periods. Where relevant, additional analysis and commentary have been provided to assist in understanding the impact of this change.
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Overview
## **Where our income comes from**
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3% 2%
4%
10%
Income
£62.8m
22% 59%
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We are reliant upon the generosity of all our supporters to fund our charitable activities. Our income is made up of donations (including Gift Aid) and legacies from individuals, as well as donations, grants and contractual payments from corporate partners, trusts and foundations. This breaks down as follows:
## **Public donations – £37.1m**
## **Investments – £2.1m**
This relates to interest income earnt on our bank deposits during the year.
## **Corporate supporters – £13.8m**
## **Trusts and Foundations – £6.5m**
## **Charity retail and other trading – £1m**
## **Gifts in kind - donated services**
## **– £2.3m**
Reflecting the incredible generosity of our partners, this relates to free media coverage and advertising space gifted to amplify our mission.
The majority of this income relates to funds raised by our small chain of charity shops, selling goods kindly donated to us by members of the public.
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## **Where we spend our income**
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3%
1%
15% 23%
6%
Expenditure
£75.2m
10%
17%
25%
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## **Changing Communities activities – £42.6m**
Investing in our community of food banks continued to be our greatest priority. This year, 58% of our overall expenditure was dedicated to strengthening and supporting their vital work.
In the 18 months to 30 September 2025, we spent £24.0m on grant making to support the Changing Communities strand of our Together for Change strategy. The breakdown of this is as follows:
## **Grants to food banks – £17.0m**
£17.0m of grants were awarded directly to food banks, including the small amount of support costs needed to facilitate this.
## **Helpline and other grant funding – £7.0m**
We invested £5.9m in the Help through Hardship helpline, delivered with Citizens Advice and Mind, and provided £0.9m in additional grants to organisations offering frontline advice and support, including the Advice NI helpline in Northern Ireland, the PACS project in Scotland, and various community-based projects across Wales.
In addition, a grant was made to a startup, BanktheFood, for the development of a mobile app for shoppers donating to food banks.
## **Other Changing Communities activities (excluding grants and helpline funding) – £18.6m**
In addition to the £24.0m in grants and helpline funding figures above, expenditure for the year included £18.6m of nonfinancial support to food banks. This has enabled food banks to deliver their services effectively, with support from Trussell including operational infrastructure, tailored programmes and projects, and expert support staff.
## **Changing Minds activities – £13.1m**
Our investment in Changing Minds as a proportion of our overall expenditure increased from 13% to 17%, reflecting our commitment to shifting the national conversation on hunger and hardship from passive acceptance to collective resolve for change. This additional spend enabled us to deepen public understanding of what drives hardship, strengthen local engagement through food banks, and amplify campaigns such as the Essentials Guarantee. From organising community events to refreshing our brand, and driving media coverage, these efforts are building a movement that equips the public, policymakers, and media with the truth, laying the foundations for lasting change.
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## **Changing Policy activities –**
## **£4.8m**
Costs included here relate to our policy and research work. Together with our partners, including food banks in the Trussell community, people with lived experience of hardship and other antipoverty organisations, we work to
change policy at all levels of government across the UK to address the drivers of food bank use.
Our investment in Changing Policy as a proportion of our overall expenditure increased from 4% to 6%, reflecting our determination to influence systemic change so that everyone can afford the essentials. This additional investment strengthened our research capability, enabling projects such as Hunger in the UK and the Cost of Hunger & Hardship study to provide robust evidence for policymakers. It also supported key influencing activities, from engaging devolved governments to hosting a national lobby day, ensuring that growing calls for change are backed by credible data and a united voice.
## **Fundraising activities – £11.4m**
Like every charity, we must invest in our fundraising activity to secure the funding we require to continue and expand our charitable work.
As a proportion of our overall expenditure, fundraising costs increased from 11% to 15%, representing the increased costs of operating, as well as the challenging fundraising landscape. Economic pressures and uncertainty continue to affect individual giving and reshape the funder environment, while global volatility adds further risk to income generation. In light of these trends, we have invested in diversifying income streams and strengthening engagement strategies.
For further information on the way in which we approach fundraising, see page 84.
## **Charity retail and other trading –**
## **£1.0m**
The majority of this expenditure covers the costs of running our charity shops, including staff, buildings and vehicles (£0.8m) up to 31 October 2024.
## **Gifts in kind utilised (donated services) – £2.3m**
Free media coverage and advertising space gifted to amplify our campaigns (£0.7m) and in support of our fundraising (£1.6m).
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## **Financial performance and position**
The 18 months to 30 September 2025 delivered a planned deficit of £12.4m, reflecting our intentional use of post-pandemic reserves in line with our five-year strategy and mission, supporting people facing financial hardship while driving the long-term change we seek.
Recent years have seen considerable financial uncertainty, which has affected our ability to generate income. In response, we have adjusted our spending priorities to ensure resources are directed where they can most effectively support those facing hardship.
We continue to prioritise in response to the level of need seen across food banks , while supporting an acceleration of anti-poverty work across all areas of our shared Together for Change strategy.
## **Divestment of Charity Retail Operations**
On 31 October 2024, the activities and undertakings of Trussell Retail Limited (Company Registration No. 14870045), which operated a network of nine charity shops in Dorset and Wiltshire, were transferred to Shaw Trust. While Trussell Retail had been profitable, its scale was modest and resource-intensive, requiring significant investment to achieve meaningful growth. Following a strategic review, the decision was made to divest the retail arm to an organisation with a stronger focus on retail operations, ensuring the shops could continue to thrive. This move allows us to concentrate resources on our core mission, supporting our community of food banks and working together to end hunger in the UK.
A summary of the year’s results can be found on page 123 of this report and accounts.
## **Income**
Thanks to our generous and loyal supporters – the general public, corporate partners, trusts and foundations – we generated income totalling £62.8m in this financial year.
The fundraising environment remained challenging, and like many peers, we experienced a decline over the past 18 months. This was driven by reduced public donations, difficulties in recruiting new supporters, and lower unsolicited community and event income.
A decrease was anticipated following the exceptional response to our emergency appeal in
2023/24 and we prepared for this shift by focusing fundraising efforts, appeals, and external communications on raising awareness of growing need and mobilising support for food banks under significant pressure.
A breakdown of total income by source can be seen on page 123 and further analysis seen in notes 2 to 4.
## **Costs**
Across the 18 months to 30 September 2025, we continued to invest in all areas of our Together for Change strategy, while adjusting spend to reflect income trends and long-term sustainability.
We continued to invest significantly in our Changing Communities workstream during the period (58% of total expenditure), providing
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grants and non-financial support to food banks and community partners to strengthen local resilience and deliver essential services at a time they face the pressures of rising delivery costs, high demand for support and seeing a fall in donated food.
Alongside this, we have increased the proportion of expenditure on our Changing Minds and Changing Policy work, reflecting our commitment to tackling the root causes of hardship and driving systemic change. This investment has enabled us to amplify campaigns, deepen public understanding, and strengthen our evidence base to influence policy ensuring that, while meeting immediate need, we also work towards a future where everyone can afford the essentials.
Outside of charitable activities, we have seen the proportion of our spend on fundraising activities, including the £1.6m of donated media, increase year-on-year to 17%, in light of increased operating costs and external fundraising landscape, and our trading activities reducing to 1% of our total expenditure budget, as we divested
in our charity retail operation.
A breakdown of total expenditure can be seen on page 123 and further analysis in note 5.
## **Reserves policy**
Our reserves policy aims to ensure our work is protected from the risk of disruption at short notice due to lack of funds. It also preserves some incoming resources for future opportunities that may present themselves, while at the same time ensuring we do not retain income for longer than required. Our policy is designed to ensure we are able to honour our grant commitments to food banks and deliver our longterm grant making strategy.
Unrestricted free reserves are not intended to cover a permanent loss of funds. They are intended to provide an internal source of funds for situations such as:
- a temporary fall in income or increase in expenditure, as well as covering working capital requirements
- one-time unbudgeted expenditure, such as uninsured
losses or emergency grants to our food banks
- to allow the organisation time to respond to a permanent fall in income or increase in expenditure to take advantage of new opportunities in strategic priority areas.
The target range for unrestricted free reserves is set in line with a risk-based approach. This approach has regard to the financial impact of risk, working capital and commitments and long-term plans.
At 30 September 2025 our policy provided a range of £12.2m to £15.2m.
## **Funds**
Total funds of the charity as of 30 September 2025 are £15.2m. This includes £2.2m of restricted funds and £13.0m of unrestricted funds. At the year end there are no designated funds.
## **Our designations**
## **Investing for change – £0m**
At the end of March 2022, a total
of £17.4m was designated to our Investing for Change programme, setting aside money to accelerate the delivery of our Together for Change strategy. At the end of March 2024, a balance of £9.6m remained and we have seen this spent down in line with our plans during the 18 months to 30 September 2025.
The fund set aside resources to boost strategic capacity at both a local and regional level for food banks in the Trussell community, with programmes such as financial inclusion, and the supporting of their desire to increase influencing activity and raise the profile of shortcomings in the social security system around the general election in 2024. This fund also included monies to support our digital roadmap, covering the redevelopment of our website, and food bank websites – ensuring the technology we are using is up to date, accessible and enables people in crisis to access the right support.
## **Top-up designations – £0m**
Asda and Tesco top-ups – Trussell has established the practice of
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distributing these top-up donations, which are donations made directly from these companies alongside the instore customer product donations. After the deduction of a small percentage for the charity’s core costs, these are then distributed to food banks in the Trussell community of food banks.
The trustees have reviewed the reserves policy and decided to remove the designation previously applied to the Supermarket Partner Top-Up Fund. This designation was introduced in 2022 to demonstrate the intention to allocate additional contributions from supermarket partners for a specific purpose in the context of a high level of free reserves.
Following the trustees’ annual review of designated funds, it was determined that the substance of this fund is comparable to other amounts held within unrestricted reserves. Accordingly, the fund has been de-designated and transferred to general unrestricted reserves to ensure greater flexibility in advancing the charity’s objectives and to present an accurate reflection of the nature of the donation. The underlying
activities funded by supermarket partners will continue as planned, and the removal of the designation does not affect the charity’s commitment to these programmes.
At 30 September 2025, the charity’s free reserves, being funds neither restricted nor designated, were £13.0m. This figure is in line with the reserves policy in place at the year end. An analysis of net assets between funds can be found in Note 20.
## **Investment policy**
Trussell’s priority is to spend its resources as promptly, as strategically and in as operationally-focused a way as possible and in line with our vision to end the need for food banks in the UK. On occasion and due to significant shifts in income and expenditure trends, the charity may be holding larger than anticipated reserves. At such times the overall objective is:
- to operate within an ethical framework for investment
- to manage counterparty risk of cash holding.
Investment decisions are sought to be made in line with Trussell’s:
- values of compassion, justice, community and dignity
- vision to end the need for food banks in the UK
- ethical standards.
During the period the charity held instant-access cash deposits with CCLA, and short-term fixed deposits with RBS to ensure that we are able to react swiftly to the emergency needs of the Trussell community of food banks. There was no investment in equities, other securities, or long-term fixed deposits.
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Overview
## **Principal risks and uncertainties and our approach to risk management**
Our well-established structures and processes continue to enable us to monitor our key risks and ensure they are appropriately managed. Measures include:
- our long-term strategic plan, annual business plan and annual budget, all of which are approved by Trustees
- monthly reviews of our financial position and delivery against our plans
- ongoing close engagement with our community of food banks to ensure excellent intelligence on emerging issues
- our risk management policy and approach, whereby the Senior Leadership Group regularly reviews risks, controls and mitigations and informs the oversight maintained by the Finance, Audit, Risk and Governance board subcommittee.
As noted by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, the UK charity sector faces an evolving landscape shaped by economic pressures, policy changes, and shifting public expectations. For Trussell, the key risks we face can be broadly categorised as follows:
## **Financial resilience**
As is the case across much of the charity sector in the UK, economic pressures and uncertainty pose risks to income generation and operational sustainability. Trends on individual giving are changing due to the current economic climate and pressure on household incomes, and the funder landscape is changing too. Looking beyond the UK, the risk of economic shocks caused by global volatility remain. In response to this risk, we are actively diversifying income streams and maintaining prudent financial oversight.
## **Stock shortages across the**
## **network**
Food banks across the Trussell community rely on donations of stock so they can provide dignified and nutritious food parcels. However, during 2024-2025, food banks saw a continued decline in food donations, as people who would normally donate continued to face their own pressures. As a result, the proportion of stock
needing to be purchased from April to March rose to 27% (up from 23% in 2023-2024), placing additional financial pressure on local food banks. In response to this growing risk, we continue to support food banks with sourcing strategies, fundraising training and leveraging national relationships to help food banks access the resources they need.
## **Ensuring sustainable funding streams for food bank charities**
Due to the incredible generosity shown during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been able to provide food banks with higher levels of support through grants for specific years within our 20202025 strategy period. This has aligned with our policy of spending down our reserves, to ensure we are maximising the impact of those generous donations while ensuring that we continue to hold the necessary level of reserves in line with the policy set by our Board. As we have always expected to return to a more normal level of grant-giving, we have continued to work with food banks to strengthen their financial sustainability through capacity-building and fundraising support and ensuring that robust exit or handover strategies are in place for time-limited grant-funded activity.
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## **Maintaining a focus on hunger and hardship**
In a climate of fiscal constraint and competing priorities, there is a concern that poverty alleviation may be seen as less important both by political parties and the public . We continue to build relationships with all political parties across the UK and to campaign for the policy changes that will move us closer to our vision, including through working with sector partners to keep poverty reduction on the national agenda.
As poverty is not always at the forefront of public discourse, and other issues receive greater concern and attention, there is a risk that it becomes harder to mobilise broad-based support for our vision. We are addressing this through a targeted communications strategy that uses insight-driven messaging to reach key audiences, and amplifying the voices of people with lived experience and food banks helps to shift perceptions and deepen engagement with our cause.
## **Safeguarding data and information**
## **systems**
As with all organisations, we continue to monitor closely the evolving risks associated with cyber security threats and data protection. The risk of cyber-attacks and data breaches is managed through a framework of strong IT and data governance, regular staff training, and established incident and crisis management protocols. During the period, Trussell further strengthened its approach to managing this risk through the appointment of a Data Protection Officer (DPO) and by achieving Cyber Essentials accreditation. These actions enhance our ability to protect sensitive information, respond effectively to incidents, and maintain operational resilience.
As we monitor and manage the risks we face, we hold close the values that inform all of our work and our relationships – so that the challenges we face are navigated with our strongly-held sense of compassion, community, justice and dignity.
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## **Environmental, social responsibility and governance**
## **Environmental sustainability**
Trussell recognises the climate crisis as a critical global issue with direct and indirect impacts on the people we support. While we are committed to reducing our own environmental footprint and understanding the intersections between climate and poverty, we do not see environmental campaigning as a core strategic priority. Instead, we will integrate environmental considerations into our existing workstreams where relevant, particularly where they intersect with hunger, hardship, and inequality.
In addition to being compliant with government guidance, Trussell continues to actively work to reduce
its impact on the environment, where this is commensurate with meeting Trussell’s objectives as an anti-poverty charity and while maintaining the safety and wellbeing of our employees.
Steps we have already taken that reduce our environmental impact include:
- Reducing emissions from commuting and reducing the impact of maintaining multiple office premises by giving all staff the opportunity to work remotely.
- Subscribing to a green tariff for our electricity, reducing emissions through the use of renewable energy sources.
• Encouraging staff to use the most environmentally friendly modes of transport in the course of their work, while ensuring their safety and wellbeing. Travel is a necessary part of our work, with in-person visits to food banks an invaluable way of building effective relationships, providing support and gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges they and people using food banks face. However, our travel management platform allows staff to view estimated CO2 emissions prior to booking travel, thereby informing travel choices where this is practicable.
Following development of an environmental strategy in 20232024, an Environmental Working Group (EWG) was established in 2025 with a remit to review Trussell’s environmental progress to date, challenge in areas where this might be improved, and to suggest how Trussell might continue to minimise its environmental impact, while balancing this commitment with the requirements inherent in delivering our core function as an anti-poverty charity. Members of the EWG strengthened their understanding and commitment to climate change action and achieved their Climate Literacy accreditation.
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Overview
|As part of our commitment to
sustainability and responsible
stewardship, we commissioned
groundbreaking environmental
research to explore the links
between environmental issues and
the drivers of food bank need.
The key insights from this work:
• Environmental degradation
disproportionately affects people
on low incomes.
• Climate-related risks (e.g.
fooding, heatwaves, pollution)
intersect with key drivers of food
bank use.
• A poorly managed transition to
a post-carbon economy could
worsen hardship.
• People with lived experience
of hunger and hardship
support environmental action
but emphasise the need for
equity and inclusion in policy
responses.
We will be publishing the executive
summary of this research to share
our learning and support wider
sector dialogue.|**UK Greenhouse gas emissions and energy use data for**
**the period**
**2024-2025**
**(18 months)**
**2024-2025**
**(12 months to**
**30 September 2025**
**for comparison**
**purposes)**
**2023-2024**
**(12 months)**|
|---|---|
||Energy consumption used to calculate emissions (kWh)
557,214
343,124
526,812|
||Energy consumption breakdown (kWh) (optional)
Gas
–
–
79,700
Electricity
67,222
32,407
157,022
Transport fuel
375,295
237,432
290,090
Other Business & Travel
114,697
73,285
–|
||Scope 1 emissions in metric tonnes CO2e
Company owned transport
1.81
0.08
3.57
Gas consumption
–
–
14.58|
||Scope 2 emissions in metric tonnes CO2e
Purchased electricity
13.92
6.71
32.51|
||Scope 3 emissions in metric tonnes CO2e
Business travel in employee-owned vehicles
84.65
54.56
63.34
Other Business Travel (train & aeroplane)
124.29
79.51
–
Hotel Stays
22.64
14.59
–
Totalgross emissions in metric tonnes CO2e
**247.31**
**155.45**
**114.00**|
||Intensity ratio:
Tonnes CO2e per employee with Scope 3
**0.79**
**0.50**
**0.37**
Tonnes CO2E per employee with Scope 3 (excluding
other business travel and Hotel stays)
**0.32**
**0.20**
**0.37**|
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Overview
## **Streamlined energy and carbon reporting**
Under the Companies Act 2006, Trussell is required to disclose its annual energy use, and associated greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) regulations. This is the second year that Trussell has fallen within the scope of SECR, allowing comparisons to be made with prior year.
In February 2024, thanks to the generous support of a corporate partner, we rolled out a new travel management platform. This enables tracking of the CO2 emissions associated with travel on public transport and hotel stays, giving us a better picture of our environmental impact and how we can reduce it. This is the first period for which we are disclosing the data as we didn’t have complete data for the prior year. _(Disclosure of indirect emissions from public transport use is not mandatory under SECR; we have chosen to disclose it for full transparency.)_
The figures capture all activities undertaken directly by Trussell and its wholly owned subsidiary
companies, including our charity shops (prior to their disposal in October 2024) and the Salisbury food bank lease (prior to the transfer to the food bank in January 2025).
_NB: The activities of the food banks in the Trussell community of food banks are governed independently and are outside the scope of this report._
The report shows that Trussell continues to make progress reducing its carbon footprint:
- This year, we have expanded our Scope 3 reporting to include public transport and hotel stays for the first time.
As a result of this broader scope:
- The 2024-2025 intensity ratio is 0.79 for the 18 months to 30 September 2025.
- On a 12-month basis to the same date, the ratio is 0.50.
These figures appear higher when compared with the 2023/24 intensity ratio of 0.37 (12 months to 31 March 2024), because last year’s data did not include these additional emission sources.
- Excluding these scope 3 emissions and using the 12-month data to 30 September 2025 the directly comparable ratio is 0.20 vs 0.37 (2023-2024), a reduction of almost 50%.
- This reduction reflects the estate reductions and van disposals following the sale of Trussell Retail and transfer of the Salisbury food bank lease, and the move of our Salisbury offices to run on 100% renewable electricity, replacing gas.
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## **Quantification and reporting methodology**
Energy consumption at our Salisbury office and charity shops has been recorded from utility bills. Where we rent serviced office space in London and Manchester, our share of the premises’ energy consumption has been estimated by scaling our Salisbury energy usage to the serviced offices’ respective floor areas. A record is kept of distances covered by our retail vans, and by staff travelling in their own cars on Trussell business.
The CO2 emitted by Trussellowned vans has been calculated from the emissions rates for the model of vehicle. To estimate the emissions from utilities and employee-owned vehicles, we have applied UK Government-approved average conversion factors. Our actual emissions from electricity are likely to be lower than stated, as we subscribe to green tariffs which make use of renewable energy sources; data to quantify this accurately is however unavailable.
## **Intensity ratio**
We have chosen to present the CO2 emissions per (full-time equivalent) employee, on the basis that the number of employees is the key driver of our total level of emissions, via staff travel and office occupancy.
## **Measures taken to improve energy efficiency**
The measures we are taking to improve energy efficiency include:
- Continuing to reduce our estate footprint with the disposal of our shops as a going concern and transferring the lease for Salisbury Foodbank* to the food bank during 2024-2025 and further reduction planned in Salisbury 2025-2026.
- Increasing the recycling opportunities at our Salisbury office; as well as paper and cardboard recycling, food waste and glass are now recycled.
- Increasing our investment in video conferencing kit at our Salisbury and London offices – providing robust hybrid meeting capability, which has reduced the need to travel for in-person meetings.
- Renewing our energy tariff so that 100% of the energy consumed is generated from renewables.
- Creating a place for safe bike storage at our London office, encouraging cycling to work.
- Updating our investment policy to embed environmental and ESG considerations, ensuring our approach aligns with sustainable practices and responsible stewardship.
- In renewing our pension provider, we embedded ESG and climate considerations into the selection process, ensuring the chosen product offers a strong commitment to environmental sustainability and robust ESG integration.
* Salisbury Foodbank is an independent charity within our wider network. It previously sub-leased its building from Trussell; in 2025 the lease was formally assigned to Salisbury Foodbank, and Trussell no longer holds any rights over the property.
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## **Social responsibility**
## **Public benefit disclosure**
The Trustees confirm they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims and objectives, and in planning future activities. Trussell is a public benefit entity. The Trustees refer to public benefit throughout this report. The Trustees, who are also directors of Trussell for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the 18-month period ended 30 September 2025.
In preparing the report, which also serves as the Strategic Report for the purposes of Company Legislation, the Trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
## **Stakeholder engagement**
Trussell’s trustees have a duty to promote the success of the charity and, in doing so, are required by section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006 to have regard to various specific factors, including:
## **The likely consequences of any decision in the long term**
We consult with people with lived experience of financial hardship, our community of food banks, our colleagues, volunteers, supporters and partner organisations to ensure that we shape our future with the people and communities we are here to serve. Long-term sustainability is considered by the trustees through our risk management systems and setting of our financial policies (such as reserves and investment policies). The Finance, Audit, Risk and Governance Committee and the executive team regularly review management information, budgets and reserves projections and progress against budget.
## **The interests of the organisation’s employees**
Our aim is to foster an environment that celebrates similarities and differences – and to create an environment in which all individuals have equal access to opportunities and resources.
Trussell recognises Unison as the trade union representing our employees. Through a formal Joint Negotiating and Consultation Committee, Unison engages directly with our Senior Leadership Group and Staff Council to negotiate on matters such as terms and conditions of employment, pay reviews, and pensions. This collaborative approach ensures that employment practices remain aligned with our values and supports our commitment to excellence in workforce management in service of our wider vision and mission.
In 2024-2025 a full benefits review was carried out to ensure our benefits package was aligned to our values, prioritising the wellbeing
and protection of our people. Please see Our People & Remuneration Policy section on page 113 for more details.
We actively promote flexible working practices to foster a healthy work-life balance and routinely measure employee wellbeing through regular surveys and engagement with the Staff Council. Feedback from these processes informs continuous improvement in our people strategy. The Board receives regular workforce updates, ensuring oversight and accountability in maintaining a positive and supportive working environment.
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## **The need to foster the organisation’s relationships with suppliers, customers and others**
The charity works to ensure all of the organisation’s stakeholders are able to participate in its development. We have structures and programmes to ensure that our key stakeholders are at the heart of decision-making, including a panel of people with lived experience of financial hardship, and strategic consultation groups with representatives of circa 10% of the community of food banks.
We work closely with partners across the sector, including representatives of anti-poverty charities and other charitable food providers, to co-ordinate operational and advocacy activity. Trussell is accredited under the Good Business Charter and complies with the Ethical Trading Initiative base code.
## **The impact of the organisation’s operations on the community and environment**
Through our Together for Change Strategy across our Changing Communities, Changing Minds and Changing Policy workstreams, we have been able to support the incredible work of our community of food bank charities to affect positive change in their local communities across the UK, the impact of which is evidenced throughout the strategic report (pages 22-116).
Trussell’s environmental approach, in compliance with the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting guidance, is detailed on page 107.
## **The desirability of the organisation maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct**
Trussell recognises that its reputation and the confidence placed in us by the public are fundamental to achieving our vision of a UK without the need for food banks. Upholding the highest standards of business conduct is therefore central to our operations.
Our organisational values underpin recruitment, training, and the engagement of both employees and volunteers. These values are embedded through a comprehensive framework of policies and controls designed to promote corporate responsibility and ethical behaviour. This includes policies on the acceptance, refusal, and return of donations, management of conflicts of interest, safeguarding, environmental responsibility, dignity and respect at work, oversight of external political and policy interests, and whistleblowing. All policies are subject to regular review to ensure they remain robust and effective.
## **The need to act fairly between members of the organisation**
The Trustees, as directors of the company, are members of the company and understand the need to avoid and manage potential conflicts of interest as required by the Charity Commission.
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## **Governance**
## **Organisational structure**
Our Trustees are ultimately responsible for the overall control and strategic direction of the charity and the protection of its assets. Day-to-day management is delegated to the Chief Executive Office and the Senior Leadership Group. Our Trustees meet regularly to set the vision, strategic framework, and budgets under which the charity operates and to manage risks.
In 2024-2025 under new chair a governance review was carried out, with some changes to Trussell governance structure.
The board was expanded to bring in a greater diversity of membership, and the governance framework reviewed and streamlined.
The Board has established four subcommittees with delegated authority for certain matters and to ensure key matters are given increased time and scrutiny.
## **Finance, Audit, Risk and Governance:**
- ensures that the charity operates within the financial guidelines set out in current legislation, by the Charity Commission, by the charity’s governing documents and by the Board. This includes review of the current and forward financial situation, oversight of internal and external audit activities, and oversight of organisation-wide risk strategy
- reviewing the actions that the board is taking to uphold good governance.
## **Strategy, Impact and People:**
- monitors the progress of Trussell’s organisational strategy and ensures that there is a robust and effective process for capturing and understanding evidence relating to our strategic objectives, approaches and values of Trussell and the wider community of food banks.
- advises the Board on effective governance and oversight of strategic HR actions and policies to enable recruitment, development, engagement and retention of the best staff, volunteers, and Trustees. This includes reviewing and approving key policies and oversight of priority areas of people-focused activity, such as safeguarding, equity, diversity and inclusion, and the participation of people with lived experience of financial hardship in our work.
## **Nominations:**
- leads on the recruitment and selection for appointments to the Board, its subcommittees and its subsidiaries. This includes regular Board appraisals and skills audits to inform future Board development or composition.
## **Remuneration:**
- oversees the remuneration policy and strategy of the organisation and agrees the salaries and any other payments to the Co-CEOs and Senior Leadership Group members.
The full Board formally meets at least three times a year. The subcommittees also meet at least three times a year. Our governance is underpinned by the Charity Governance Code and put into action via regular performance reviews for trustees and key management personnel.
The Trustees set the strategic direction of the organisation and are regularly updated on a wide range of activity, including progress against our strategic plan, grant-making to the community of food banks, public relations and fundraising campaigns, and the effective implementation of our safeguarding, data protection and health and safety policies. Trustees receive regular financial updates
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which form the basis of the routine financial monitoring.
The Co-CEOs hold regular accountability meetings to monitor and control the organisation and reporting processes are in place. Oversight groups for our key areas of activity ensure that any issues are escalated and resolved as needed.
## **Governing document**
Trussell is a charitable company limited by guarantee, constituted under a trust deed dated 12 January 1997 and transferred into the charitable company (05434524) on 19 September 2005 and is a registered charity, number 1110522. The company also registered as a charity in Scotland on 5 September 2013, number SC044246. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of
the company being wound up, members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £10.
## **Recruitment and appointment of new Trustees**
The company directors also serve as charity Trustees under charity law. Trustee appointments are made on merit, with a focus on attracting candidates who bring diverse backgrounds, skills, and experience to strengthen Board effectiveness. Diversity remains a priority to ensure a range of perspectives informs decision-making.
During the period, Stephen Hicks completed his second term as Chair in June 2024 and was succeeded by Natalie Campbell.
Five new Trustees joined the Board in September 2025 following a rigorous selection process led by the Nominations Committee, while three Trustees stepped down at the end of their tenure. All new Trustees underwent DBS checks where appropriate and completed a comprehensive induction covering governance, legal duties, financial oversight, and visits to food banks. Ongoing training is provided as required.
To further enhance Board capability, two Co-Opt Committee
Members were appointed during the year, bringing specialist expertise in safeguarding and service delivery in challenging settings and technology, including data and AI.
## **Our People and Remuneration policy**
Our pay principles ensure that our pay at all levels are aligned to our values and commitment to EDI. These principles are that:
- we pay competitively
- we pay the mid-point in our market
- we are committed to equity
- we are transparent.
In 2024-2025 an extensive pay review was completed to ensure that our staff remuneration structure was appropriate and aligned with these pay principles.
We continue to ensure through our pay principles that we are a fair, equitable and competitivepaying organisation. While there is still progress to be made, these principles are reflected in our
gender pay gap, which is a median of 3.9%, significantly lower than the UK median of 12.8% (ONS data, 2025), demonstrating the impact and effectiveness these principles have in delivering equitable pay outcomes.
In addition, in 2024-2025 the Joint negotiation and consultation committee (JNCC), that consists of union representatives, staff council representatives and senior management, carried out an extensive review of the total benefits package offered to all staff.
The aim of the review was to ensure our policies provide support, financial stability, work-life balance, and career success while being fair, realistic, and mindful of our responsibilities as a charity. Trussell strives to be an employer of choice by caring for our people and helping them overcome challenges they may face at different stages of their lives. While not seeking to lead the industry, we want to remain as a median with the focus on being supportive and equitable, in line with the shared vision and intent of Senior Leadership Group, Unison, and the staff council.
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We continue to be accredited as a Living Wage employer, and our employee benefits encourage the wellbeing, mental health, and financial resilience of our staff in keeping with our charitable aims. We also hold accreditation under the Good Business Charter.
## **Modern slavery**
Trussell complies with the Ethical Trading Initiative base code, and we expect our suppliers and their supply chain to comply with this code. There is no modern slavery or human trafficking in any part of our business. When we review our contracts, and develop new ones, we assess the possibility of modern slavery. We continue to monitor and improve how we manage contracts and provide training to staff and our community of food banks to raise awareness.
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## **Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities**
The Trustees (who are also the directors of Trussell for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year that give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the income and expenditure of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
- observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose the reasonable accuracy at any time of the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In so far as each of the Trustees are aware:
- There is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware;
- and each of the Trustees has taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information, and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.
Approved by order of the Board of Trustees on 19 May 2026 and signed on its behalf by:
**N Campbell MBE** Chair of Trustees
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## **Our charity details**
## **Registered Company Number**
05434524 (England and Wales)
## **Registered Charity Number**
1110522 (England and Wales) SC044246 (Scotland)
## **Registered Office**
Unit 7, Ashfield Trading Estate, Ashfield Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP2 7HL
## **Trustees**
N Campbell MBE (Chair) (joined 25.06.24)
Mr S Ariaratnam
Mr T Gibbs
Ms S Morgan
Mr D Shrubsole
Revd B Thomas
Ms S Elliott
Mr E Matthews (joined 23.09.25)
Mr R Maloney (joined 23.09.25)
Mrs E Galloway (joined 23.09.25)
Mr A Reaney (joined 23.09.25)
Ms V McKie (joined 23.09.25)
Mr S Hicks CBE (Chair) (until 01.07.24)
Mr D Gordon (until 27.11.24)
Mr P Morrison (until 27.11.24)
Dr L Hickman (until 26.11.25)
## **Company Secretary**
Mrs C Leeper
## **Co-Chief Executive Officers**
Mrs E Revie
Mr M van Duyvenbode
## **Bankers**
The Royal Bank of Scotland, 36 St Andrews Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2YB
## **Investment Managers**
CCLA Investment Management Limited, 1 Angel Lane, London, EC4R 3AB
## **Auditors**
Buzzacott Audit LLP, 130 Wood Street, London, EC2V 6DL
## **Lawyers**
Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP, trading as Bates Wells, 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1BE
Overview
Strategic report
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**Independent auditor’s report to the trustees and members of The Trussell Trust**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of The Trussell Trust (the ‘charitable parent company’) and its subsidiaries (the ‘group’) for the 18-month period ended 30 September 2025 which comprise the group statement of financial activities, group and charitable parent company balance sheets, the group statement of cash flows, the principal accounting policies and the notes to the financial statements. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the charitable parent company’s affairs as at 30 September 2025 and of the group’s income and expenditure for the period then ended
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group and charitable parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
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Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other information**
The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
## **Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006**
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
- the information given in the trustees’ report, which is also the directors’ report for the purposes of company law and includes the strategic report, for the financial period, for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
- the trustees’ report , which is also the directors’ report for the purposes of company law and includes the strategic report, has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and the charitable parent company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the trustees’ report including the strategic report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- proper and adequate accounting records have not been kept by the charitable parent company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
- the charitable parent company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
## **Responsibilities of trustees**
As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the group’s and the charitable parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern
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and using the going concern basis of accounting, unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the group or the charitable parent company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and noncompliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:
- The engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
- We identified the laws and regulations applicable to the charitable company through discussions with management, and from our commercial knowledge and experience of the sector.
- The identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of noncompliance throughout the audit.
- We focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the accounts or the activities of the charitable company. These included but were not limited to the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), those that
relate to fundraising and are overseen by the Fundraising Regulator, and those that relate to data protection (General Data Protection Regulation).
- We assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management, inspecting legal correspondence, and reviewing Trustees’ meeting minutes.
We assessed the susceptibility of the charitable company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:
- making enquiries of management and those charged with governance as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud
- considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.
To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:
- performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships
- tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions
- tested the authorisation of expenditure as part of our substantive testing thereon
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- assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates set out in the accounting policies were indicative of potential bias
- used data analytics to identify any significant or unusual transactions and identify the rationale for them.
In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:
- agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation
- reviewing the minutes of meetings of the Trustees, as well as the Finance, Audit, Risk, Governance & Operations Committee
- enquiring of management and those charged with governance as to actual and potential litigation and claims
- reviewing any available correspondence with HMRC and the Charity Commission.
There are inherent limitations in our audit
procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws
and regulations to enquiry of the trustees and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.
Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
## **Use of our report**
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and to the charity’s trustees as a body, in accordance with Section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and Regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit
work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
## **Katharine Patel**
(Senior Statutory Auditor)
For and on behalf of Buzzacott Audit LLP, Statutory Auditor 130 Wood Street London EC2V 6DL
27 May 2026
Buzzacott Audit LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.
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## **Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities**
(incorporating an income and expenditure account)
**For the 18-month period ended 30 September 2025**
|||||**18-month**
**period**
**ended 30**|Year ended|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**September**|31 March|
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**2025**|2024|
||Note|£‘000|£‘000|**£‘000**|£‘000|
|**Income from**||||||
|**Donations and Legacies**|2|||||
|Fundraising Income||45,814|11,619|**57,433**|48,540|
|Donated Goods & Services||–|2,258|**2,258**|1,237|
|**Other trading activities**|3|988|–|**988**|1,395|
|**Investment Income**|4|2,134|–|**2,134**|2,880|
|**Total income**||48,936|13,877|**62,813**|54,052|
|**Expenditure on**||||||
|**Raising funds**|5|||||
|Fundraising activities||11,209|1,859|**13,068**|7,744|
|Other trading activities||983|–|**983**|1,285|
|**Charitable activities**|5|||||
|Grants Expenditure||15,843|8,126|**23,969**|30,967|
|Changing Communities||15,127|3,467|**18,594**|11,301|
|Changing Minds||12,652|1,141|**13,793**|8,134|
|Changing Policy||4,623|155|**4,778**|2,531|
|**Total expenditure**||60,437|14,748|**75,185**|61,962|
|**Net (Expenditure)**||(11,501)|(871)|**(12,372)**|(7,910)|
|**Reconciliation of Funds**||||||
|Total funds brought forward at 1 April 2024|21|24,461|3,147|**27,608**|35,518|
|Total funds carried forward at 30 September 2025|21|12,960|2,276|**15,236**|27,608|
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## **Balance Sheet**
**As at 30 September 2025**
|Note|**Group**
**Charity**|
|---|---|
||**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000|
|**Fixed assets**
Intangible assets
12
Tangible assets
13
Investments
14|**255**
–
**255**
–
**242**
38
**242**
38
**–**
–
**–**
–|
||**497**
38
**497**
38|
|**Current assets**
Debtors
15
Cash at bank
16|**3,343**
5,247
**3,651**
5,671
**19,512**
49,472
**19,204**
49,055|
||**22,855**
54,719
**22,855**
54,726|
|**Creditors:**Amounts falling due within one
year
17|**(8,055)**
(20,637)
**(8,055)**
(20,644)|
|**Net current assets**|**14,800**
34,082
**14,800**
34,082|
|**Total assets less current liabilities**|**15,297**
34,120
**15,297**
34,120|
|**Creditors:**Amounts falling due after more
than one year
18
**Provisions for liabilities**
19|**(52)**
(6,445)
**(52)**
(6,445)
**(9)**
(67)
**(9)**
(67)|
|**Total net assets**|**15,236**
27,608
**15,236**
27,608|
continued opposite
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## **Balance Sheet continued**
**As at 30 September 2025**
|Note|**Group**
**Charity**|
|---|---|
||**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000|
|**Funds**||
|Unrestricted
General
21
Designated
21
Restricted
21|**12,960**
14,695
**12,960**
14,695
**–**
9,766
**–**
9,766|
||**12,960**
24,461
**12,960**
24,461
**2,276**
3,147
**2,276**
3,147|
|**Total funds**|**15,236**
27,608
**15,236**
27,608|
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 19 May 2026
And were signed on its behalf by:
**N Campbell MBE** Chair of Trustees
Trussell is the operating name of The Trussell Trust. Company Registration Number: 05434524
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## **Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows**
**For the 18-month period ended 30 September 2025**
|||**18-month**
**period ended**|**Year ended**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**30 September**|**31 March**|
|||**2025**|**2024**|
||Note|£‘000|£‘000|
|**Cash fows from operating activities**||||
|Cash used in operating activities||**(31,432)**|(11,874)|
|**Net cash used in operating activities**||**(31,432)**|(11,874)|
|**Cash fows from investing activities**||||
|Purchase of intangible assets|12|**(318)**|–|
|Purchase of tangible fxed assets|13|**(344)**|–|
|Interest received|4|**2,134**|2,880|
|Decrease in short-term deposits||**–**|9,000|
|**Net cash from investing activities**||**1,472**|11,880|
|Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting
period||**(29,960)**|6|
|Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the
reportingperiod||**49,472**|49,466|
|Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting
period||**19,512**|49,472|
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## **Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows (continued)**
**For the 18-month period ended 30 September 2025**
## **Reconciliation of net expenditure to net cash used in operating activities**
|Note|**18-month**
**period ended**
**30 September**
**2025**
£‘000
**Year ended**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000|
|---|---|
|Net (expenditure) for the reporting period
Adjusted for:
Amortisation
12
Depreciation
13
Loss on disposal of fxed assets
Interest received
4
Less movement in provisions
19
Decrease in stocks
Decrease in debtors
15
Decrease in creditors
17 & 18
Net cash used in operating activities|**(12,372)**
(7,910)
**63**
–
**140**
226
**–**
55
**(2,134)**
(2,880)
**(58)**
(121)
**–**
9
**1,904**
259
**(18,975)**
(1,512)|
||**(31,432)**
(11,874)|
## **Breakdown of cash and cash equivalents**
|**Breakdown of cash and cash equivalents**||
|---|---|
|Note|**30 September**
**2025**
£‘000
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000|
|Cash at bank
16|**19,512**
49,472|
||**19,512**
49,472|
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## **Notes to the financial statements**
**For the 18-month period ended 30 September 2025**
## **Note 1: Accounting Policies**
## **Basis of preparing the financial statements**
The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)’, Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for investments which are included at market value, as modified by the revaluation of certain assets.
The consolidated Statement of Financial Activities and consolidated Balance Sheet consolidate the financial statements of the charitable company, the Trussell Trust, and its subsidiary
undertakings, Trussell Retail Limited and Trussell Trading Limited. The results of the subsidiaries are consolidated on a line by line basis.
The charity company has taken advantage of the exemption allowed under section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 and has not presented its own Statement of Financial Activities in these financial statements.
The financial statements are presented in sterling, rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.
## **Going Concern**
The trustees have considered both the charity’s financial position at the year end and the impact of future activities. The trustees have made this assessment in respect to a period of one year from the date of approval of these financial statements.
In making this assessment, the trustees have taken into account the continued pressures arising from the sustained demand for food bank services, inflationary pressures on costs, and ongoing uncertainty in the wider economic and funding environment. Trussell continues to manage key risks through our well established risk management
processes which have been embedded and have proved robust; for more information, please see page 104.
A risk-based reserves policy has been adopted; more details of this can be seen on pages 102. The trustees therefore have a reasonable expectation that there are no material uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue its operations, including to meet its liabilities, for the foreseeable future. As such, the charity continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.
## **Income**
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably.
Income is only deferred when:
- the donor specified that the grant or donation must only be used in future accounting periods, or
- the donor has imposed conditions which must be met before the charity has unconditional entitlement.
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## Investment income is recognised on a receivable basis.
Income from charitable activities includes income received under contract or where entitlement to grant funding is subject to specific conditions. Contract income is recognised as earned (as the related goods and services are provided). Grant income included in this category provides funding to support activities and is recognised where there is entitlement, probability of receipt and the amount can be measured reliability.
Income from the sale of donated goods via the charity’s shops is recognised at the point of sale.
## **Volunteers and donated goods and services**
The value of services provided by volunteers is not incorporated into these financial statements.
Where goods or services are provided to the charity as a donation that would normally be purchased from suppliers, this contribution is included in the financial statements at an estimate based on the value of the contribution to the charity.
Prior to 1 March 2024, Brent Foodbank was operated by Trussell. Food and toiletries, donated to the charity and held as stock for distribution by Brent Foodbank, were recognised as income within voluntary income when received and as stock; an equivalent amount was included as expenditure when the stock was distributed. On 1 March 2024, Brent Foodbank transferred to an independent charity within the Trussell community and therefore this accounting policy only applies to the prior year comparative figures in these financial statements.
## **Expenditure**
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. In the case of grants payable, these conditions are met when the amount of grant awarded has been communicated to the recipient, and there are no conditions attached to the grant which give the charity discretion to
avoid this commitment. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings, they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
## **Provisions**
Provisions are recognised when the charity has a legal or constructive obligation, but for which either the timing or the amount of the future expenditure required to settle the obligation is uncertain.
## **Irrecoverable VAT**
All expenditure is classified under activity headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Irrecoverable VAT is charged against the category of expenditure for which it was incurred.
## **Raising funds**
Raising funds includes all expenditure incurred by the charity to raise funds for its charitable purposes, such as fundraising activities and events, and the costs of
charity retail trading (under the subheading ‘Other trading activities’).
## **Allocation and apportionment of costs**
Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs have been allocated based on staff time and the split is shown in Note 6: Support Costs.
## **Tangible fixed assets**
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life:
- Short leasehold improvements – over the term of the lease.
- Fixtures and Fittings – 25% on cost.
- Motor Vehicles – 25% on cost.
- Computer Equipment – 25% on cost.
Individual fixed assets costing £10,000 or more (£500 or more for computer equipment), plus individual assets purchased as part of a capital project costing in excess of £10,000, are capitalised at cost.
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## **Intangible assets**
Software and digital assets are recognised as intangible assets when it is probable they will generate future economic benefits for the charity. The total cost attributable to the development phase of the asset’s creation is capitalised.
During the period ended 30 September 2025, the charity’s donation gateway, the mechanism by which online donations are received, was capitalised as a new intangible asset. Amortisation is provided on a straight-line basis to write the asset off over its expected useful life of 75 months.
## **Taxation**
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
## **Fund accounting**
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of these funds is included in the notes to the financial statements.
## **Leasing commitments**
Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight-line basis over the period of the lease.
## **Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits**
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charity’s pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.
## **Accounting estimates and judgements**
In preparing the financial statements estimates and judgements have been made when applying the accounting policies. These are evaluated on an ongoing basis and are based on historical experience. The only areas where estimates or judgements have a material effect on the values within the financial statements are:
- depreciation on tangible fixed assets, and amortisation on intangible assets
- the allocation of costs across expenditure categories in the Statement of Financial Activities
- the value of services donated to the charity
- the assumptions used in respect of forecasted income and expenditure for the purpose of concluding that the charity is a going concern.
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## **Note 2: Donations and legacies**
## **Note 3: Other trading activities**
||**Group**|
|---|---|
||**18-month**
**period ended**
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
**Year ended**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000|
|**Fundraised income**
Donations and Grants
Gift Aid
Legacies|**51,066**
42,524
**5,324**
4,257
**1,043**
1,759|
||**57,433**
48,540|
|**Donated Goods and Services**
Food (Brent Foodbank)
Services and other goods|**–**
96
**2,258**
1,141|
||**2,258**
1,237|
||**59,691**
49,777|
||**Group**|
|---|---|
||**18-month**
**period ended**
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
**Year ended**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000|
|**Charity retail - shop sales**
**Other income**|**644**
1,026
**344**
369|
||**988**
1,395|
Trussell’s Charity Retail operations, including all nine local charity shops in Dorset and Wiltshire, were transferred to Shaw Trust on 1 November 2024.
## **Note 4: Investment income**
Brent Foodbank transferred to an independent charity within the Trussell community of food banks as of 1 March 2024.
During the 18-month period the charity received free media and advertising to the value of £2,258,000 (2024 - £1,141,000).
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Group
18-month
period ended Year ended
30 September 31 March
2025 2024
£‘000 £‘000
Interest on investments 2,134 2,880
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## **Note 5: Total expenditure**
## **Group**
||**Group**|
|---|---|
||**18-month period ended 30 September 2025**
**Year ended**
**31 March**
**2024**|
||Remuneration
Costs
£‘000
Offce
Costs
£‘000
Project
Costs
£‘000
Support
Costs
£‘000
**Total**
**£‘000**
Total
£‘000|
|**Raising funds**
Fundraising
activities
Other trading
activities|3,321
190
8,116
1,441
**13,068**
7,744
437
174
295
77
**983**
1,285|
||3,758
364
8,411
1,518
**14,051**
9,029|
|**Charitable activities**
Grants payable
Changing
Communities
Changing Minds
Changing Policy|276
47
23,492
154
**23,969**
30,967
10,272
691
3,723
3,908
**18,594**
11,301
6,666
633
3,846
2,648
**13,793**
8,134
2,351
110
1,424
893
**4,778**
2,531|
||19,565
1,481
32,485
7,603
**61,134**
52,933|
||23,323
1,845
40,896
9,121
**75,185**
61,962|
Remuneration costs shown above plus those included within support costs (as shown in note 6 below) relate to the various remuneration costs set out in note 10.
Office costs include costs relating to employees, office expenditure and communications.
Project costs relate to expenditure on specific activities; for grants payable this figure equates to the grants made as detailed in note 7.
Support costs represent indirect costs which provide the organisational structure that enables the charitable activities to take place. An analysis of support costs in provided in Note 6.
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## **Note 6: Support costs**
## **Group**
||**Group**|
|---|---|
||**18-month**
**period ended**
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
**Year ended**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000|
|Remuneration
Agency & contract staff
IT (software,
consultancy &
equipment)
Premises
Staff recruitment
General consultancy
& professional fees
Training & other
staff-related costs
Governance
Miscellaneous|**4,575**
2,627
**467**
227
**1,534**
1,583
**711**
594
**116**
146
**393**
214
**872**
681
**285**
236
**168**
128|
||**9,121**
6,436|
||**18-month**
**period ended**|**Year ended**|
|---|---|---|
||**30 September**|**31 March**|
||**2025**|**2024**|
|**Governance costs**|**£‘000**|£‘000|
|Auditor’s remuneration|||
|Statutory Audit|**52**|46|
|Tax services|**41**|48|
|Trustee costs|**17**|36|
|Accountancy, legal and
professional advice|**175**|106|
||**285**|236|
The increased costs reflect this being an 18 month reporting period, including cost of living pay increases in both April 2024 and April 2025, as well as the Government’s increase to employer’s National Insurance contributions in April 2025.
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## **Note 7: Grants payable**
||**Group**|
|---|---|
||**18-month**
**period ended**
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
**Year ended**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000|
|Providing support & advice on money matters
for people facing hardship
Learning how to reduce local need*
Warehousing/Facilities
Volunteering support
Organising & Local Mobilisation
Food collection top-up
Other grants to food bank charities|**13,165**
15,134
**2**
4,409
**690**
808
**360**
410
**554**
2,808
**2,320**
1,712
**6,401**
5,329|
|**Total Grants**
The following was a recipient of material grant
funding during the year:
Citizens Advice|**23,492**
**30,610**
**£5,942,000**|
Grants were awarded to approximately 400 charities operating food banks in the Trussell community, based throughout the UK. A grant was made to Citizens Advice to increase our shared Help through Hardship helpline to enable more people facing hardship to access advice and support on money matters, as well as receive a food bank referral where required.
## **Note 8: Net expenditure is stated after charging**
||**Group**|
|---|---|
||**18-month**
**period ended**
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
**Year ended**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000|
|Auditor’s remuneration
Statutory Audit
Tax services
Depreciation – owned
assets
Operating leases|**52**
46
**41**
48
**140**
226
**592**
492|
## **Note 9: Trustees’ Remuneration & Benefits**
During both the current and prior period, no trustees received any remuneration or benefits in their role as trustee. The Memorandum and Articles of Association of the company permit payments to trustees where certain criteria are met.
## **Trustees’ expenses**
During the period ended 30 September 2025, eight trustees were reimbursed for out of pocket expenses totalling £4,490 (year to 31 March 2024: seven, expenses totalling £6,421). These expenses relate primarily to travel costs incurred on behalf of the charity.
*The Pathfinder grants programme, which supported 55 UK food banks with funding and strategic guidance, concluded in March 2025. (See page 29 for more details.)
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## **Note 10: Staff costs**
## **Staff costs for 18-month period in accordance with SORP; note these do not reflect annual salaries.**
The average monthly number of employees during the period, on both a headcount and a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis, was as follows:
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Group Headcount FTE
18-month 18-month 18-month
period ended Year ended period ended Year ended period ended Year ended
30 September 31 March 30 September 31 March 30 September 31 March
2025 2024 2025 2024 2025 2024
£‘000 £‘000
Raising Funds 45 48 41 45
Wages and salaries 23,340 13,923 Changing Communities 120 118 112 108
Social security costs 2,856 1,585 Changing Minds 79 63 76 61
Other pension costs 1,515 858 Changing Policy 27 27 26 25
Other benefits 187 111 Charity Retail 10 26 7 20
27,898 16,477 Support 50 44 47 43
Grants 4 5 4 5
The increased costs reflect this being an 18-month 335 331 313 307
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**The increased costs reflect this being an 18-month reporting period, including cost of living pay increases in both April 2024 and April 2025, as well as the Government’s increase to employer’s National Insurance contributions in April 2025.**
Trussell’s Charity Retail operations, including all nine local charity shops in Dorset and Wiltshire, were transferred to Shaw Trust on 1 November 2024. All staff employed within our Charity Retail team transferred to Shaw Trust on this date. This movement is reflected in the headcount and FTE figures shown above.
Other benefits relates to costs of providing income protection and life assurance, and health plans, which are offered to all employees on an equal basis.
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Overview
## **Note 10: Staff costs (continued)**
## **Staff costs for 18-month period in accordance with SORP; note these do not reflect annual salaries.**
Under SORP requirements, we are required to disclose the number of employees whose total benefits (excluding employer National Insurance contributions and employer pension costs) exceed £60,000 for the full length of the reporting period.
As this year’s reporting period covers 18 months, the figures in the leftmost column reflect the number of staff in each band and their total benefits for the 18 months. **These amounts therefore should not be interpreted as annual salary figures.**
To support clarity, we have also provided the equivalent numbers for a standard 12-month period, the year to 31 March 2025.
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2025 2025 2024
18-month 12 months
period ended ended Year ended
30 September 31 March 31 March
2025 2025 2024
£60,001 – £70,000 34 22 23
£70,001 – £80,000 78 19 8
£80,001 – £90,000 22 7 7
£90,001 – £100,000 13 2 –
£100,001 – £110,000 19 3 2
£110,001 – £120,000 12 – 1
£120,001 – £130,000 3 1 –
£130,001 – £140,000 5 – –
– – –
£140,001 – £150,000
£150,001 – £160,000 1 – –
£160,001 – £170,000 1 – –
£170,001 – £180,000 1 – –
– – –
£180,001 – £190,000
£190,001 – £200,000 1 – –
190 54 41
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## **Note 10: Staff costs (continued)**
Staff were employed in all areas of Trussell’s work, including the charity shops and associated supporting activity, to enable the charity to meet its responsibilities. The lowest rate of pay is aligned to the living wage as set by the Living Wage Foundation.
## **Key Management Personnel**
The key management personnel (KMP) of the charity comprise the Trustees, the joint Chief Executive Officers, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Programme Officer and the Company Secretary.
The total KMP employee benefits for the 18 months to 30 September 2025 were £876,686 (12 months to 31 March 2024: £430,748). To support clarity, we have also provided the equivalent amount for a standard 12-month period: £603,727 for the year to 31 March 2025.
Two changes affected these figures: the creation of the Chief Programme Officer role in April 2024, and the Chief Operating Officer role being vacant between January and September 2025.
Using available pay data for the end of the period to 30 September 2025, the CEO/median pay ratio is 3.1 (for the end of the year to 31 March 2024 - 3:1). That is to say that the CEO earns 3 times the rate of the median paid employee on a full time equivalent basis, accounting for all salary related benefits.
We believe that this is a reasonable ratio for our organisation and sector, reflecting our commitment to fair pay for our entire staff team and our alignment with the aims of the Good Business Charter following our accreditation in August 2020.
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## **Note 11: Comparatives for the consolidated statement of financial activities (For the year ended 31 March 2024)**
|||**Year ended 31 March 2024**|
|---|---|---|
|||**Unrestricted**
£‘000
**Restricted**
£‘000
**Total**
**£‘000**|
|**Income from**|||
|**Donations and legacies**|Fundraising Income|38,103
10,437
**48,540**|
||Donated Goods & Services|96
1,141
**1,237**|
|**Other trading activities**||1,395
–
**1,395**|
|**Investment income**||2,880
–
**2,880**|
|**Total income**||42,474
11,578
**54,052**|
|**Expenditure on**|||
|**Raising funds**|Fundraising activities|6,840
904
**7,744**|
||Other trading activities|1,285
–
**1,285**|
|**Charitable activities**|Grants Expenditure|21,347
9,620
**30,967**|
||Changing Communities|8,709
2,592
**11,301**|
||Changing Minds|7,575
559
**8,134**|
||Changing Policy|2,340
191
**2,531**|
|**Total expenditure**||48,096
13,866
**61,962**|
|**Net Income / (Expenditure)**||(5,622)
(2,288)
**(7,910)**|
|**Reconciliation of funds**
Total funds brought forward at 1 April 2023
Total funds carried forward at 31 March 2024||30,083
5,435
**35,518**|
|||24,461
3,147
**27,608**|
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## **Note 12: Intangible Assets**
## **Note 13: Tangible Fixed Assets**
||**Group and Charity**
Software and
digital assets
£‘000
**Total**
**£‘000**
43
**43**
318
**318**
–
**–**
361
**361**
43
**43**
63
**63**
–
**–**
106
**106**
**255**
**255**
–
**–**||**Group**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||Leasehold
improvements
£‘000
Fixtures
and fttings
£‘000
Motor
Vehicles
£‘000
Computer
equipment
£‘000
**Total**
**£‘000**|
|**Cost**
At 1 April 2024
Additions
Disposals||**Cost**
At 1 April 2024
Additions
Disposals|440
–
28
115
**583**
–
17
-
327
**344**
(308)
–
(28)
(115)
**(451)**|
|At 30 September 2025||At 30 September 2025|132
17
–
327
**476**|
|**Amortisation**
At 1 April 2024
Charge in period
Disposals||**Depreciation**
At 1 April 2024
Charge in period
Disposals|402
–
28
115
**545**
26
–
–
114
**140**
(308)
–
(28)
(115)
**(451)**|
|At 30 September 2025||At 30 September 2025|120
–
–
114
**234**|
|**Net book value**
At 30 September 2025||**Net book value**
At 30 September 2025|**12**
**17**
**-**
**213**
**242**|
|At 31 March 2024||At 31 March 2024|38
–
–
–
**38**|
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## **Note 13: Tangible Fixed Assets (continued)**
||**Charity**|
|---|---|
||Leasehold
improvements
£‘000
Fixtures
and fttings
£‘000
Motor
Vehicles
£‘000
Computer
equipment
£‘000
**Total**
**£‘000**|
|**Cost**
At 1 April 2024
Additions
Disposals|440
–
–
115
**555**
–
17
-
327
**344**
(308)
–
–
(115)
**(423)**|
|At 30 September 2025|132
17
–
327
**476**|
|**Depreciation**
At 1 April 2024
Charge in period
Disposals|402
–
–
115
**517**
26
–
–
114
**140**
(308)
–
–
(115)
**(423)**|
|At 30 September 2025|120
–
–
114
**234**|
|**Net book value**
At 30 September 2025|**12**
**17**
**-**
**213**
**242**|
|At 31 March 2024|38
–
–
–
**38**|
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## **Note 14: Investments**
## **Investment in subsidiary companies**
The charity has two wholly owned subsidiaries:
**Trussell Trading Limited** , a company incorporated in the UK from 1 April 2021 (Company Registration No. 13310114), whose principal activity is the management of corporate sponsorship activities on behalf of the charity. As at 30 September 2025, the charity’s investment in Trussell Trading Limited was £1. The results of Trussell Trading Limited for the 18-month period ended 30 September 2025 are summarised below.
**Trussell Retail Limited** , a company incorporated in the UK from 15 May 2023 (Company Registration No. 14870045), and which commenced trading on 1 August 2023, whose principal activity was to raise funds for the Charity to use for its charitable purposes, primarily by operating a network of charity retail shops. On 31 October 2024, the company’s activities and undertakings were transferred to Shaw Trust. As at 30 September 2025, the charity’s investment in Trussell Retail Limited was £1. The results of Trussell Retail Limited for the 18-month period ended 30 September 2025 are summarised below.
||**18-month**
**period ended**
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
**Year ended**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000
**325**
337
**(86)**
(60)
**239**
277
**(93)**
(60)
**146**
217
**7**
4
**153**
221
**(153)**
(221)
**-**
-||**18-month**
**period ended**
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
**Year ended**
**31 March**
**2024**
£‘000|
|---|---|---|---|
|||Turnover
Cost of sales
Gross proft
Administrative expenses
Other operating income
Operating proft
Interest receivable
Proft for the period
Donation to The Trussell Trust
under Gift Aid|**556**
656
**(6)**
(3)|
|Turnover
Cost of sales
Gross proft
Administrative expenses
Operating proft
Interest receivable
Proft for the period
Donation to The Trussell Trust
under Gift Aid||||
||||**550**
653
**(490)**
(580)
**4**
5|
||||**64**
78
**2**
1|
||||**66**
79
**(66)**
(79)|
|Retained proft||Retained proft|**-**
-|
At both 30 September 2025 and 31 March 2024, Trussell Trading Limited had net assets of £1, made up of called up share capital of £1 and retained earnings of £nil.
At both 30 September 2025 and 31 March 2024, Trussell Retail Limited had net assets of £1, made up of called up share capital of £1 and retained earnings of £nil.
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## **Note 15: Debtors**
||**Group**
**Charity**|
|---|---|
||**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
31 March
2024
£‘000
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
31 March
2024
£‘000|
|Trade debtors
Gift Aid due
Amounts owed from Subsidiaries
Prepayments and accrued income|**196**
974
**166**
973
**452**
1,000
**452**
976
**-**
-
**360**
497
**2,695**
3,273
**2,673**
3,225|
||**3,343**
5,247
**3,651**
5,671|
## **Note 16: Cash at Bank**
## **Cash at bank**
The cash balance at 30 September 2025 represents the balance on restricted funds and cash required to meet grant commitments to the Trussell community of food banks for the coming year, in addition to the working capital required for the charity’s core operations. All monies are held in interest bearing accounts.
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## **Note 17: Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year**
||**Group**
**Charity**|
|---|---|
||**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
31 March
2024
£‘000
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
31 March
2024
£‘000|
|Trade creditors
Taxation and social security
Other creditors
Amounts owed to group
undertakings
Deferred income
(See below)
Accrued expenses
Accruals for grants payable|**540**
979
**540**
958
**476**
473
**472**
458
**164**
186
**164**
182
**–**
–
**9**
51
**–**
500
**–**
511
**726**
911
**721**
896
**6,149**
17,588
**6,149**
17,588|
|**Deferred Income**
Brought forward
Amount released to income
Amount deferred at
period / year end|**8,055**
20,637
**8,055**
20,644
**500**
944
**511**
900
**(500)**
(944)
**(511)**
(900)
**–**
500
**–**
511|
|Carried forward|**–**
500
**–**
511|
Deferred income relates to grants where cash has been received but the recognition criteria for income were not met during the period.
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## **Note 18: Creditors: Amounts falling due after more than one year**
||**Group**
**Charity**|
|---|---|
||**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
31 March
2024
£‘000
**30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**
31 March
2024
£‘000|
|Accruals for grants payable|**52**
6,445
**52**
6,445|
||**52**
6,445
**52**
6,445|
## **Note 19: Provisions**
## **Note 20: Analysis of net assets between funds**
## **Group & Charity**
||**Dilapidations**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|
||**£‘000**|**£‘000**|
|At 1 April 2024|67|**67**|
|Additions during the period|1|**1**|
|Released during the period|(59)|**(59)**|
|At 30 September 2025|**9**|**9**|
Provisions have been made for the expected dilapidation costs on the property leases held by the charity.
||**General fund**|**Designated**|**Restricted**|**30 September**|**31 March**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**reserve**|**funds**|**funds**|**2025**|**2024**|
||**2025**|**2025**|**2025**|**Total**|**Total**|
||**£‘000**|**£‘000**|**£‘000**|**£‘000**|**£‘000**|
|Fixed assets|497|–|-|**497**|38|
|Current assets|17,367|2,625|2,863|**22,855**|54,719|
|Current liabilities|(4,843)|(2,625)|(587)|**(8,055)**|(20,637)|
|Long term liabilities|(52)|–|–|**(52)**|(6,445)|
|Provisions|(9)|–|–|**(9)**|(67)|
||12,960|–|2,276|**15,236**|27,608|
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Overview Strategic report Independent auditor’s report Financial statements
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## **Note 21: Movement in funds**
||**Group**|
|---|---|
||**At 1 April**
**2024**
**£‘000**
**Income**
**£‘000**
**Expenditure**
**£‘000**
**At 30 September**
**2025**
**£‘000**|
|**Unrestricted Funds**||
|General fund reserve|14,695
48,936
(50,671)
**12,960**|
|Designated Funds:||
|Investing for Change|9,571
–
(9,571)
**–**|
|Top-up funds|195
–
(195)
**–**|
|**Total Unrestricted Funds**|24,461
48,936
(60,437)
**12,960**|
|**Restricted Funds**||
|Supporting the operations of the Trussell community of food banks|942
5,338
(6,039)
**241**|
|Providing support & advice on money matters for people facing hardship|1,856
5,999
(6,044)
**1,811**|
|Cost of Destitution research project|38
–
(38)
**–**|
|Youth Participation project|189
–
(189)
**–**|
|Services donated by corporate partners|–
2,258
(2,258)
**–**|
|Supporting frontline staff and volunteers|122
282
(180)
**224**|
|Total Restricted Funds|3,147
13,877
(14,748)
**2,276**|
|**Total funds**|**27,608**
**62,813**
**(75,185)**
**15,236**|
**Together for change:** A new journey **146**
Overview
## **Note 21: Movement in funds (continued)**
## **Comparative information for the year ended 31 March 2024**
|**Note 21: Movement in funds (continued)**
**Comparative information for the year ended 31 March 2024**||
|---|---|
||**Group**|
||**At 1 April**
**2023**
**£‘000**
**Income**
**£‘000**
**Expenditure**
**£‘000**
**At 31 March**
**2024**
**£‘000**|
|**Unrestricted Funds**||
|General fund reserve|10,823
41,149
(37,277)
**14,695**|
|Designated Funds:||
|Changing Policy|761
–
(761)
**–**|
|Investing for Change|17,400
–
(7,829)
**9,571**|
|Top-up funds|1,099
1,325
(2,229)
**195**|
|**Total Unrestricted Funds**|30,083
42,474
(48,096)
**24,461**|
|**Restricted Funds**||
|Supporting the operations of the Trussell community of food banks|1,028
7,630
(7,716)
**942**|
|Providing support & advice on money matters for people facing hardship|4,109
2,377
(4,630)
**1,856**|
|Cost of Destitution research project|–
110
(72)
**38**|
|Youth Participation project|168
150
(129)
**189**|
|Services donated by corporate partners|–
1,141
(1,141)
**–**|
|Supporting frontline staff and volunteers|–
170
(48)
**122**|
|Supporting the work of Trussell’s policy and research team|130
–
(130)
**–**|
|Total Restricted Funds|5,435
11,578
(13,866)
**3,147**|
|**Total funds**|**35,518**
**54,052**
**(61,962)**
**27,608**|
**Together for change:** A new journey **147**
Overview
## **Note 21: Movement in funds (continued) Fund descriptions**
## **Designated funds**
This fund represents an expression of Trussell’s broadening work to change the landscape which makes food bank use a necessity for people in the UK. This package of initiatives builds on the success of core programmes by extending the reach of the Pathfinder programme, seeks to Investing for Change empower food banks to become self-sustaining and earmarks significant funds to advocate for change in the UK’s social security system to enable everyone to afford the essentials. The fund was fully expended by 30 September 2025. Donations made by Tesco and Asda, to ‘top up’ the generous donation by customers of long-life Top-up funds products in store. During the period ended 30 September 2025, the Trustees decided to dedesignate these funds, as explained on page 102. Funds designated for the purpose of magnifying and accelerating the delivery of Trussell’s Together for Change strategic plan, enabling us to provide increased funding and support to our community Changing Policy (comparative information of food banks and to expand our impact throughout this challenging period and during the recovery only) from it. The Changing Communities and Minds funds were fully expended by 31 March 2023, and the Changing Policy fund by 31 March 2024.
## **Restricted funds**
|**Restricted funds**||
|---|---|
|Supporting the operations of the Trussell|An aggregation of funds restricted to direct support for food banks in the Trussell community, via|
|community of food banks|both grant funding and the provision of central infrastructure and expert support.|
|Providing support & advice on money
matters for people facing hardship|An aggregation of funds restricted to providing support and advice on money matters for people
facing hardship, including via the Trussell community of food banks and also with other partner
organisations such as Citizens Advice.|
|Cost of Destitution research project|Funding for a research project investigating the economic and social impact of destitution in the UK.|
|Youth Participation project|Funding for a project involving young people in Trussell’s work on addressing poverty.|
|Services donated by corporate partners|Donated services as detailed in Note 2 of these fnancial statements.|
|Supporting frontline staff and volunteers|Funding training and support for staff and volunteers, across Trussell and the Trussell community of
food banks, who work directly with people facing hardship.|
Supporting the work of Trussell’s policy and research team
Funding for Trussell’s work addressing the causes of hunger and hardship in the UK.
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## **Note 22: Related party disclosures**
## **Note 23: Ultimate controlling party**
During the 18-month period ended 30 September 2025, Mr S Hicks (a Trustee of Trussell until July 2024) was also a Trustee of Greenwich Foodbank. As a member of the Trussell community of food banks, Greenwich Foodbank receives both financial and non-financial support from Trussell, under the same terms as other members of the Trussell community. This includes grant funding, applications for which are considered in accordance with Trussell’s grant-making policy (see page 20 for further details), and judged on an equal basis to applications from other members of the Trussell community.
Grants paid to Greenwich Foodbank during the 18-month period totalled £93,459 (year to 31 March 2024: £117,689). At 30 September 2025, grants awarded and scheduled for future payment totalled £nil (at 31 March 2024: £88,465). Greenwich Foodbank received £3,250 for hosting corporate volunteering events (2024: £nil).
Ms S Elliot, a Trustee of Trussell, was until September 2025 the CEO of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), and a Director of NCVO Trading Limited. During the 18-month period Trussell paid £6,416 (year to 31 March 2024: £918) to NCVO in relation to membership fees and training courses, and £1,674 (year to 31 March 2024: £nil) to NCVO Trading Limited for room hire.
The charitable company is not under the control of another entity or any one individual.
## **Note 24: Lease commitments**
At 30 September 2025 the charity had total commitments under noncancellable operating leases as follows:
## **Group & Charity**
||**At 30**
**September**|31 March|
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|2024|
||**£‘000**|£‘000|
|**Operating leases payable:**|||
|Within one year|**128**|406|
|Between two and fve years|**12**|422|
|Beyond fve years|**–**|157|
||**140**|985|
The trustees and key management personnel of the charity donated a combined total of £950 before Gift Aid to the charity in the period (2024: £1,063).
## **trussell.org.uk**
## **TrussellUK**
Trussell is the operating name of The Trussell Trust, a registered charity in England & Wales (1110522) and Scotland (SC044246). Registered Limited Company in England & Wales (5434524). Photography: ©Trussell images / Hannah Maule-ffinch / Chris Lacey / Martin Phelps / Robert Stothard / Lee Brown / Benny J Johnson / Richard Haydon / Georgie Scott / Jess Hurd / Dan Prince / Johnny Millar / Trevor Ray Hart / Peter Schiazza / Fabio De Paola / Eleanor Church / Emma Fletcher