Elmbridge Poverty Forum unites local voices building community solutions
29 October 2025
On Friday 17 October, to mark the UN’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we brought together over twenty organisations, plus foodbank volunteers and clients with lived experience, to discuss our collective responsibility to tackle poverty and inequality.
The energy in the room was inspiring, and we reignited crucial conversations about the hidden pockets of deprivation in our borough.
“It was great to see that we all the same thing in common - wanting to tackle poverty and inequality in one of the most unequal boroughs in the country. ”
We were pleased to be joined by the Good Company who introduced the End Poverty Pledge, as well as Home-Start Elmbridge, CSVA, Stripey Stork, and Elmbridge Borough Council, who spoke about why they signed (or are hoping to sign) the pledge. Good Company also hosted a conversation between their commissioners who took part in their East Surrey Poverty Truth Commission (PTC) - a project that brought together people with lived experience of poverty with civic and business leaders to find joint solutions to pressing problems.
“I was really proud that Walton Charity was able to host the Elmbridge Poverty Forum, bringing together such a diverse range of organisations from many local charity partners, as well as Elmbridge Borough Council, Surrey County Council, and representatives from Monica Harding MP’s office, as well as those in the cultural and business sectors. ”
Following on from this, we announced Walton Charity’s plans to solidify and further our commitment to tackling poverty in our local area. We were proud to sign the End Poverty Pledge, and most excitingly, launch our own Elmbridge Poverty Truth Commission.
Signing the End Poverty Pledge!
From left to right: Jonathan Lees (Good Company), Sarah Tomkins (Chair of Trustees, Walton Charity), Rob Mills (Chief Executive, Walton Charity)
“To support our Elmbridge Poverty Truth Commission, we’re now on the look out for community commissioners to share their experiences of financial hardship.”
The launch of our own PTC sits alongside our other policy work, such as the recent publication of our foodbank client survey, and the development of our community hub, which is moving to its next phase. Our hub is expanding its services to offer more wraparound support and make it a more accessible, dignified experience for local people experiencing poverty.
We are also Living Wage Employers and Funders, meaning we are committed to providing our employees with the right wage that ensures a decent standard of living, and we encourage the organisations we fund to do the same.
We also announced that we will annually publish a review on our own initiatives to tackle poverty every 17 October.
Jonathan Lees (Good Company) joins Carol Hodges (Chief Executive of Home-Start Elmbridge) to sign Home-Start up to the End Poverty Pledge.
To conclude our event, we asked our guests to write down their thoughts about what they learnt from our presentations and what they plan to do in their organisations as a result. One person learnt that “everyone involved in supporting people in poverty should be talking to people in poverty”. Other guests learnt that “lived experience is powerful” and that “small actions can make a big difference”. Many people also wrote that they would sign up to the End Poverty Pledge, and some even proposed their own initiatives such as a poverty roundtable, poverty awareness training for staff, and participation in our upcoming Elmbridge Poverty Truth Commission.
“Poverty is such a key subject that often gets ignored. This event was a great opportunity to raise the challenges that too many people in our society face alongside looking at ways of how we can begin to address some of these issues and support people to get out of poverty.”
The Elmbridge Poverty Forum was a great opportunity to discuss and raise awareness of key issues and commit organisations to tackling poverty in our local area.
We are very grateful to the Good Company for supporting this event, and to everyone who attended. We are delighted that Elmbridge-based organisations have signed up to the End Poverty Pledge as a result of Friday, including Families Thriving Together. They join the growing list of people committed to tangible actions that reduce poverty.
You can find out more about our Elmbridge Poverty Truth Commission by clicking here.
Article by Amy Dixon, Walton Charity’s Policy and Communications Officer