Category

• Promising Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Prevention
• Mitigation
• Awareness

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Poverty driver

• Provide benefit in-kind (material)
• Provide benefit in-kind (experience)
• Non-driver - improving quality of life

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Keywords

• Community activism
• Educational Attainment Gap
• Children
• Sustainability
• In-work poverty

Aim

The project aims to improve the lives of children living in Moray and lighten the financial burden of families facing hardship and poverty.

Summary

The project operates with a small team of paid part-time staff and volunteers. Initially focused on providing school uniforms for impoverished children, the project expanded its scope to address broader educational access and closing the attainment gap. Evolving to meet community needs, it runs initiatives like No Worries in Moray, a community garden, a beach hut, a driving project, and a pop-up shop. Its growth reflects a commitment to supporting children’s education and the community's well-being.

What difference does it make?

The project helps address a hidden form of poverty in Moray by providing access to activities and material support to families experiencing financial hardship in the Bank’s catchment area. The Bank’s provision helps alleviate some of the financial strain put on the families as the funds reserved for the school essentials provided by the Bank can be freed up for other necessities like utilities. The associated social and volunteering opportunities facilitate the reduction of social isolation. The project also positively impacts the educational attainment gap by promoting access to education and removing barriers to participation.

Key take-aways

• Designing and adapting the service directly in response to the need of service users is important in having an impact on the most pressing issues.
• The demand for the support of the third sector has increased in Moray since the COVID-19 pandemic, and especially from people with a source of income who constitute a majority of those the School bank supports.
• School banks can help families experiencing forms of hidden poverty, such as in-work poverty, especially in areas thought of as affluent and therefore potentially filling a gap in provision of support services.

 

Organisations

Moray School Bank

Location

Moray (throughout)

Contact