Claire Donnelly

A Bolton scrapyard and car-washing project run by Genuine Futures CIC has helped young people previously excluded from education and employment regain confidence, learn practical and business skills, and move into work or training. Luis Green says the project gave him purpose after years of isolation and depression, while Cameron Hughes-Richardson describes gaining a future and enjoying work. Founder Sam Smith argues that education reform alone will not solve Britain’s NEET crisis, which affects more than one million young people nationally and around 1,700 in Bolton; prevention, trusted adults, community organizations and long-term support are also needed. The article highlights the project as an example of how grassroots intervention can reduce disengagement and prevent young people from entering cycles involving care, exclusion and prison.

The Fasi family, among 24 Syrian families resettled on the Isle of Bute a decade ago, rebuilt their lives after fleeing the destruction of Damascus. Zakarya established a barbershop, while his children learned English, worked, played football and contributed to island life. Abdul is engaged to local woman Abbie Cameron, who has embraced Syrian language and culture, and Yahya now owns a café while playing football in Greenock. Although the settlement initially prompted hostility and sensationalist media coverage, local residents helped the families integrate. Their story presents Scottish identity as belonging, participation and affection for the country rather than birthplace, while also highlighting the sacrifices and resilience involved in refugee resettlement.

Community members and campaigners highlight the rise of UK food deserts, where residents struggle to access fresh food while unhealthy options remain readily available. The Citizen Advisory Council, working with Defra, has issued a report calling for a fairer food system, supported by polling showing broad cross‑party support for government action on healthy, affordable food. Local initiatives such as the Queen of Greens mobile greengrocer bus demonstrate community‑led solutions, while participants stress the need for systemic change to address inequality, support farmers and improve national access to nutritious food.

Parents describe traumatic NHS maternity experiences involving delayed or inadequate treatment, poor communication, exclusion of partners and serious health consequences, including infection, internal bleeding and lasting psychological distress. The findings of the Nottingham Maternity Review and Baroness Valerie Amos’s inquiry identified avoidable harm, staffing pressures, discrimination and the marginalisation of fathers and other partners across NHS services. The UK Government responded by announcing England’s first maternity commissioner, a national action plan and £41 million for safety improvements, but affected families and advocates argue that stronger accountability, more compassionate care and greater partner involvement are needed to prevent birth trauma rather than manage its aftermath.

Andy Burnham's decisive victory in the Makerfield by-election is presented as a major test of his ability to revive Labour and defeat Reform UK in traditionally challenging northern communities. Residents describe Burnham as relatable and hopeful, while some Reform voters say they will judge him by his performance. The result is portrayed as creating a broad coalition of Labour supporters, former Labour voters and anti-Reform residents, while increasing pressure on Keir Starmer and shaping a wider contest for Labour's future.

Women voters in the Makerfield by-election have strongly criticised Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon over misogynistic social media posts and his refusal to apologise. Residents say his views do not represent local working-class men and could cost Reform support among women. A Survation poll shows Andy Burnham leading among women, while Reform performs better among men. Voters also raise concerns about Reform policies affecting maternity and reproductive rights and disability benefits, making the contest a significant test of women’s influence in the constituency.

HM Pasties founder Lee Wakeham, who rebuilt his life after prison, runs an Oldham bakery that employs ex-offenders and supports them with counselling, training and help overcoming addiction and trauma. The social enterprise supplies pies, pasties and sausage rolls to venues including Liverpool's Anfield and Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, has grown to 15,000 products a week and £1.2 million in turnover, and employs 13 prison leavers. Wakeham argues that secure work and broader support can reduce reoffending and cost less than imprisonment; the business contributes 25% of its profits to its foundation and has helped employees rebuild family relationships and recover from substance misuse.

The Million Acts of Hope campaign is highlighting a million acts of kindness across the UK, celebrating charities, community groups and volunteers who build solidarity amid social and economic pressures. People profiled include Bradford volunteers providing food and companionship, Birmingham’s Naima Ali helping migrant women overcome language barriers, Hatfield Foodbank supporting a bereaved family, Cardiff’s inclusive Pedal Power project helping a disabled cyclist regain confidence, and Mencap Tameside users benefiting from community-based activities. Their experiences illustrate how practical support and everyday connection can reduce isolation, strengthen local communities and offer hope during difficult times.

More than 100 health visitors employed by Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board in South Wales have been on strike for seven weeks over their Band 6 classification, which they say leaves them £8,000 to £9,000 a year worse off than equivalent Band 7 health visitors in Scotland. The predominantly female workforce argues that its specialist qualifications, large caseloads and safeguarding responsibilities warrant Band 7 status. Unite supports the action and says the workers have been undervalued, while the health board says a jointly reviewed job description was correctly evaluated at Band 6, consistent with health visitors elsewhere in England and Wales. Further protests against NHS job and service cuts are planned outside Parliament.

The UK Labour government’s Employment Rights Act gives more than 10 million workers access to Statutory Sick Pay from their first day of illness and makes 1.7 million additional workers eligible. Cleaner and campaigner Sofia Torres welcomed the reform after being forced to borrow money when she needed surgery without sick pay. The article also recalls campaigner Alan Barton, who died after facing financial hardship during cancer treatment. Employees at London cleaning company Clean for Good describe how day-one sick pay has allowed them to recover without financial crisis, while the company argues that fair treatment improves morale and productivity. The changes are presented as a major advance for low-paid workers and a challenge to employers to treat cleaning staff as valued professionals.

Stephanie Hansen was murdered by her flatmate Sheldon Rodrigues after he became obsessed with her, monitored her using hidden cameras and listening devices, and sent her thousands of threatening and coercive WhatsApp messages. Rodrigues stabbed Hansen more than 60 times and was convicted in March 2024, receiving a minimum 25-year sentence. Hansen’s mother, Glenda, says her daughter concealed the escalating stalking because she believed she could manage it herself, and is urging people to recognize that stalking can occur through digital surveillance and within shared homes. The case is featured in an ITV documentary.

The Together Alliance is organizing a major anti-far-right demonstration in London, backed by more than 500 groups and numerous public figures. Five participants from across the UK explain that they are marching to oppose racism and hate crime, challenge online misinformation and far-right influence, defend multicultural communities, and demonstrate solidarity. Organizers argue that far-right protests have grown by exploiting genuine economic grievances and scapegoating migrants, Muslims and refugees, while participants say collective action can protect the country’s diversity and prevent division from becoming normalized.

After Jo Furnival-Doran helped Mo, a 19-year-old Palestinian asylum seeker who had become lost near the former Penally Army Barracks in Wales, he became part of her family and formed a close bond with her daughter Molly. Inspired by Mo’s dangerous journey from Gaza and his separation from relatives, Molly plans to cycle about 4,800 kilometres from Brighton toward the Rafah border, adapting her route because of regional instability. The three-month fundraiser will support the Free Gaza Circus Company, Delia Arts Foundation and Gaza Sunbirds, while highlighting the contrast between Molly’s protected, legal journey and the risks faced by refugees. Mo, who now has settled status in the UK, supports the plan but remains concerned for her safety and continues to endure separation from his family.

The final witness statements in the UK COVID-19 Inquiry’s investigation into the pandemic’s human cost highlighted lasting trauma among bereaved families and frontline workers. Witnesses described unsafe working conditions, shortages of PPE and oxygen, inadequate protection for teachers and low-paid workers, and intense fear during the pandemic. Bereaved Families for Justice said ordinary people had forced the inquiry to happen, while the TUC called for sustained investment in health and social care, stronger public services and improved sick pay to prepare for future pandemics. Further inquiry reports are expected through 2027.

The People’s Kitchen in Newcastle is marking its 40th anniversary after being founded by Alison Kay in response to the death of a homeless man in freezing weather. What began with Kay distributing coffee evolved into a charity that provides more than 1,000 meals a week, alongside showers, clothing, toiletries, phone charging and companionship. The service now relies on 300 volunteers and supports a broader group of people, including families and workers unable to afford food after paying their bills. Rising poverty, food-bank use and homelessness in Newcastle underscore the continuing need for the charity, while Kay’s daughter and volunteers describe its enduring community impact.

The Daily Mirror launches A Million Acts of Hope, a national campaign planned for May 13–20, 2026, to celebrate everyday acts of kindness, volunteering and community solidarity across Britain. The feature profiles Chris Keene, who has volunteered full-time at Burnley’s West End Community Centre since austerity cuts threatened its closure in 2018. Supporting charities and civil-society groups say the campaign will highlight often-overlooked work helping children, protecting nature and strengthening communities amid social division and pressure on charities.

Eighty-year-old Wigan resident Bill Houghton handmakes hundreds of wooden toys each year for children from families struggling with poverty. He began the project after hearing about a three-year-old boy who had no toys, and now works with the Daffodil Dreams charity, which will distribute toys to hundreds of children. Houghton continued the work after the death of his wife, Pat, who had helped decorate the toys, and his efforts have gained local and social-media recognition while raising funds and spreading awareness of child poverty.

Pastor Mick Fleming, a former drug dealer and gangland debt collector who overcame addiction, trauma and severe mental-health difficulties, now runs Church on the Street in Burnley. The church provides food, clothing, recovery programmes and NHS treatment support to people affected by poverty and homelessness. Its annual Coats and Shoes appeal supplies winter coats and boots to hundreds of children in an area where child poverty is reported at 40%, while rising food, energy and living costs are leaving even working families without essentials. Fleming, who recently moved into a motor home to continue his outreach work, says the church aims to serve vulnerable people wherever they are most in need.

Britain’s social clubs, which serve around one million members, are facing a severe funding crisis: four in five report poor or only fair financial health, more than a third have borrowed to continue operating, and nearly three quarters expect to need further credit. Visits to clubs in Guiseley, West Yorkshire, and Bilston, Scotland, show their role as affordable, intergenerational spaces that provide companionship, activities, mental-health support and community ownership. The Co-operative Party and Labour MP Kirsty McNeil are campaigning for stronger fundraising support, resources and guidance, with the government’s £5 billion Pride in Place strategy and a new Co-operative Development Unit identified as potential sources of help.

The UK’s two-child benefit limit requires survivors whose children were conceived through sexual assault to provide evidence and repeatedly recount their experiences to access support. Maria says this process has retraumatized her despite a 2021 discrimination settlement in which the DWP promised reasonable adjustments, including a single point of contact; her lawyers are now pursuing judicial review, alleging breaches of equality and human-rights duties. The DWP acknowledges the sensitivity of the case and says the Child Poverty Taskforce is reviewing the policy. Campaigners and affected parents are urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to scrap the cap in the 26 November Budget, citing child poverty, childcare costs and severe financial and mental-health pressures.

Refugees and local residents in Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees describe the fear caused by anti-refugee harassment and the 2024 riots. The Flower Patch, a community gardening project supported by Refugee Futures and Action Asylum, brings people together to restore vandalised green spaces, address trauma and build confidence. Refugees including Riada Kullani, Abubakarr Conteh and Shirley describe how the project has helped them create safer, more meaningful lives, while local supporters highlight its role in strengthening community ties.

The Posh Club, an arts and cabaret event for people over 60 in Cardiff, brings older residents together through performances, food and dancing while challenging assumptions about racism, age and social division. Moroccan LGBTQ+ performer Rahim el-Habache initially feared rejection in the largely white working-class St Mellons community, but found a warm welcome while confronting shame surrounding gender expression and belly dancing. The event also offers companionship to isolated pensioners and gives performers such as Liana Harding a platform. Organizers say it counters the stigma historically attached to St Mellons and demonstrates that older communities can embrace diversity and inclusion.

Andy, who became homeless after his 2014 marriage breakdown and spent three months living in a church acquaintance’s garage, rebuilt his life through volunteering, museums and training with Invisible Cities. He now leads Manchester walking tours that combine local history with firsthand insight into homelessness. The charity, founded by Zakia Moulaoui Guery in 2016, employs 158 guides with lived experience across several UK cities, aiming to replace stigma with understanding and provide meaningful work. Andy says the role restored his purpose and safety, while the tours help visitors see overlooked places and recognize that homelessness can affect anyone.

Annecy is presented as an increasingly popular destination for British visitors, offering a medieval old town, Alpine scenery, strong transport links and access to Lake Annecy, described as one of Europe’s cleanest freshwater lakes. Suggested activities include kayaking, paddleboarding, cycling, picnicking, boat trips and visiting the Pont des Amours. The guide also highlights local Alpine dishes, Michelin-starred restaurants, artisan ice cream and the town’s history, including its role in the French Resistance during World War II.