Former Labor Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams say: “The UK’s faith and voluntary sector are as precarious as the people they help.” In a foreword to a report published Monday by the Christian thinktank Theos, the pair write: “Compassion, of course, does not run out, but cash does. Donors who had little and gave generously to those who have nothing are now unable to give at all, and some of those who donated to food banks now rely on them themselves. “Even churches, who have selflessly offered their heated rooms to help the vulnerable stay warm, know they will struggle to pay their fuel bills… “The shocking reality is that this winter, we are likely to see charities forced to stop feeding the hungry to help the hungry, to cut back on support for the sheltered poor to focus on the rapidly growing number of homeless people. and give up helping the needy because their priority should be the needy.” The Theos report, “A Torn Safety Net: How the Cost of Living Crisis Threatens Its Own Last Line of Defense,” says churches and other community institutions play a vital role in offering support to millions of people. But they themselves face a “perfect storm”, according to Hannah Rich, editor of the report. “As the economy has evolved, we have seen these very institutions become less secure. Rising energy costs threaten the ability to manage vital community spaces. At the same time, the capacity of volunteers is decreasing and financial donations are drying up.” Dozens of community figures, mainly in Wolverhampton, Glasgow, Cornwall and London, were interviewed for the report. A church leader in Wolverhampton said: “We’ve seen a lot of long-term volunteers take back… Even before the demand for what we do increased, more people just decided not to take things back post-Covid. How we fuel our community outreach from a human perspective will be much more difficult.” A food bank co-ordinator in Glasgow said: “There is an increase in demand for food, obviously, but trying to find a way to collect it and get it to people is difficult when volunteers are tired.” A large mosque in Birmingham has said it is considering significantly cutting community activity after being told its energy bills could quadruple from £60,000 to £250,000 a year. The report concludes: “There is a risk that churches and other religious groups will close, not because of declining attendance or religious beliefs, but because they cannot afford to keep the lights on.” Without action to tackle the rising bills, the financial viability of buildings such as churches will be threatened, according to the report. The closure of community hubs such as village halls, scout huts, pubs would leave “economic and social scars on the community”. Among the report’s recommendations are tax relief for volunteering, an increase in the gift aid rate on charitable donations and a cap on energy prices in community spaces. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
“The need has become much greater”
The Reverend Heston Groenewald broke away from cleaning an oven after a packed lunch at his church’s pay-what-you-can cafe to say the challenges facing All Hallows in Leeds were scary and beautiful. The Anglican church’s twice-weekly Rainbow Cafe uses food waste to create meals for around 70 people. Another 100 households are helped by the food sharing service – usually called a food bank, but Groenewald prefers a more dignified term. People from the local, multicultural, multi-faith community also come to the church for sessions, live music, mental health support and financial advice. Those with specific problems, such as housing, are directed by volunteers to the relevant official agencies and helped with paperwork. Groenewald plans to offer his building as much as possible in the winter as a welcoming warm space, contacting the nearby mosque and Hindu temple to ensure that one of them is open every day. But he worries about the rising cost of providing all of this. The church spends around £500 a week on fresh fruit and vegetables for the cafeteria and food bank, an amount which has almost doubled as prices rise. It relies on donations and a grant from the local council to pay the bill. All Hallows’ energy bills have been fixed for now, but that will end this winter. The prospect of rising bills is terrifying, he says. “We are trying to plan for a future that will become more and more difficult. Meanwhile, the need has become much greater.” But, he adds, something quite beautiful is also happening. Despite the financial pressures that also weigh on donors and volunteers, “underlying, there is incredible kindness and generosity. We will find a way to overcome it. There is so much to hope for.”
