Beyond Food Banks is a special two-part podcast collaboration between Trussell and The APLE Collective exploring the relationship between disability, hunger and hardship in the UK’s anti-poverty sector, and food banks in particular.

Together, people with lived experience of poverty, disability rights activists and food bank leaders come together to ask important questions: How can food banks embed dignity and accessibility for disabled people visiting their centres? And what wider systemic issues are driving hunger in the UK in the first place?

About this episode

In this first episode, the conversation focuses on beyond the food parcel to explore how food banks and community organisations can support people with dignity while also challenging the systems that drive people into hardship.

Hosts Natalie (Trussell) and Steve (APLE Collective trustee) are joined by contributors from the APLE Collective and leaders from the Trussell community of food banks to explore how disability and poverty intersect and how food bank teams are responding to the realities people face.

You will hear perspectives from:

• Brian, Chair of the APLE Collective and member of the Glasgow Poverty Truth Community
• Christopher, APLE Collective artist in residence and learning disability rights activist
• Alimany, APLE Collective member and representative from RAPAR, a refugee and asylum seeker campaigning organisation
• Drew, Manager of Portsmouth Foodbank
• Zoe, Manager of Newquay Foodbank

Together they discuss barriers disabled people face when seeking support, how food bank teams are trying to improve accessibility, and understand why lived experience must shape solutions to poverty.

Why listen

This episode offers an honest conversation between people with experience of poverty, disability rights activists and those working in frontline support. It highlights practical challenges food bank teams face today while also asking bigger questions about the systems that leave people without enough to live on.

Context

The podcast conversations were recorded in November 2025, so some statistics or policy references discussed may have changed since then.

Trussell works with a community of food banks operating from more than 1,400 locations across the UK. Each food bank adapts its approach to the needs of the local community it serves.

Who are we?

The APLE collective is a national collective of individuals and organisations with lived experience of poverty. APLE stands for Addressing Poverty by Lived Experience, their core values sit around being led by lived experience, being grassroots and equality and diversity. Welcome to APLE! -

Trussell is an anti-poverty charity and community of food banks. We work together to ensure that no one in the UK needs a food bank to survive whilst providing food and practical support to people left with enough money to live on. What we do: Ending hunger together | Trussell

Further support

If you are experiencing hunger or financial hardship, visit:

Get emergency food | Trussell

Links and resources mentioned in the episode can be found at:

www.trussell.org/podcast

Beyond Food Banks is a two-part podcast collaboration between Trussell and The APLE Collective exploring the links between disability, poverty and hunger in the UK.

Bringing together people with lived experience of poverty, disability rights activists and food bank leaders, the series asks how dignity and accessibility can be embedded within emergency food support — and how the UK can move towards a future where food banks are no longer needed.

About this episode

In the second episode, the conversation moves to dignity in action: practical ways that foodbanks and other community organisations can offer a dignified experience for everyone when they access emergency food.

Hosts Natalie (Trussell) and Steve (APLE Collective trustee) continue the discussion with contributors, reflecting on what’s worked in their food bank settings and the changes needed across society to tackle hunger at its roots.

You'll hear from:

• Brian, Chair of the APLE Collective and member of the Glasgow Poverty Truth Community
• Christopher, APLE Collective artist in residence and learning disability rights activist
• Alimany, APLE Collective member and representative from RAPAR
• Drew, Manager of Portsmouth Foodbank
• Zoe, Manager of Newquay Foodbank

The episode closes with a creative piece from Christopher featuring a fictional character, Leah Rose, presented through speech-reading technology. The piece reflects the experiences of people who communicate using speech apps or assistive technology, ensuring their voices are represented in the conversation.

Christopher explains:

“It’s important not to tolerate poverty and instead aim for a planet without poverty. Science fiction has always allowed us to show what a better world we could have. Instead of living in poverty and having to use food banks people could be doctors and explorers.”

Why listen

This episode explores how food banks can create more inclusive and dignified environments while also imagining a future beyond emergency food. It highlights the importance of lived experience, accessibility and creative storytelling in shaping a better anti-poverty response.

Context

The conversations in this podcast were recorded in November 2025, so some figures or policy references may have changed since then.

Trussell supports a community of food banks operating from more than 1,400 locations across the UK, each responding to the needs of its local area.

Who are we?

The APLE collective is a national collective of individuals and organisations with lived experience of poverty. APLE stands for Addressing Poverty by Lived Experience, their core values sit around being led by lived experience, being grassroots and equality and diversity. Welcome to APLE! -

Trussell is an anti-poverty charity and community of food banks. We work together to ensure that no one in the UK needs a food bank to survive whilst providing food and practical support to people left with enough money to live on. What we do: Ending hunger together | Trussell

Further support

If you are experiencing hunger or financial hardship, visit:

Get emergency food | Trussell

Links and resources mentioned in the episode can be found at:

www.trussell.org/podcast