We stand at a once-in-a-generation crossroads.
Earlier this week a thought-provoking poem called ACCEPTABLE?, by the Anonymous Mother judged for needing a food bank to feed her child, started a nationwide debate about whether the world’s fifth-richest country should need food banks to feed children.
This conversation needed to happen as our food bank position has become critical.
Last year, food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network handed out 980,000 emergency food parcels for children in the UK. This surely cannot be acceptable.
However, fate has given us a rare opportunity, as history shows us that the best time to create a brighter future is after times of great darkness.
The pandemic has been the most devastating event to hit our country since the Second World War, but it also brought out the very best in our nation.
We recognised our real community heroes, we protected the vulnerable, we didn’t stand by when kids went hungry.
But now, as we prepare to wake up from the pandemic nightmare, millions of British families still cannot afford food on their table.
As the Anonymous Mother poetically says – it doesn’t need to be this way.
In 1945, Britain woke up to its new dawn at a similar crossroads – go back to the old broken way, or use this golden opportunity to make things better.
That great generation chose hope and created a better, fairer society for all, including the founding of the NHS.
This pandemic has been our generation’s darkest hour. This is now our new dawn, our choice. Will we choose the old broken way, or use this golden opportunity to eradicate hunger in the UK?
I urge you to do just one thing today and that is to seek out the poem that started all of this, and reflect.
If afterwards you agree with me and the hundreds of thousands of other supporters of the Trussell Trust that we can do better, join us as we collectively create a Hunger Free Future.
Len Goodman, supporter of the Trussell Trust.
Gems best left alone
Regarding the report saying the Aberdeen Beach masterplan will create an “opportunity for footfall”: I love our beachfront as it is and it would be a shame to mess with it.
As for Pittodrie, I want it to stay where it is. There’s nothing like seeing all the football fans milling about King Street and town when there’s a home game on.
KL.
City needs makeover
There is so much we could do to make our beach and surrounding area more attractive and encourage more people to the area.
Why are we so fearful of change in our city? All we hear from people is how great Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow are, yet we down every new idea for improvement at home.
DS.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.