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Voices from the field: Phoebe the paper protester

Hello everyone,

I want to introduce myself. I’m Phoebe and I’m 1 of 27 papier mache figures made out of the 7,000 messages supporting the investment in child poverty in the UK. I’m purple but some of my friends are yellow and we’re here to remind Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, that 3.9 million children in the UK live in poverty. That’s a shocking 1in 3 children being denied a fair chance in life. Half of the educational inequality in the UK, the gap in attainment between rich and poor, stems directly from differences in income.
Low-income parents put their children’s needs above their own and maintain spending levels on child related goods even when incomes fall. When incomes rise, there is strong evidence to show that most additional resources are spent on basic necessities that directly benefit children, like food and clothing. This means that money invested in low income families in the UK in the Budget can help stimulate the economy.
Low income families don’t have the luxury of saving any extra money for a rainy day. They are constantly juggling what little money they have, so any extra money is spent on providing the necessities for their children.

Send Alistair Darling a message asking him to invest in child poverty.

See our trip to Downing Street

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