Hosted by Bayes Business School & Centre for Charity Effectiveness in partnership with Trussell.
About the Event
Food banks have become an increasingly normalized part of life across the UK—but emergency food provision should not be a permanent fixture. The drivers of food bank need are multiple: rising living costs, job insecurity, physical and mental ill-health, social isolation, and problems with our social security system.
Building a future where no one needs emergency food requires a movement that spans sectors and specialisms. This event marks the launch of A Taste for Change, a new book by Heather Buckingham, published by Policy Press, setting out a practical vision and roadmap for a food bank–free future.
Following a presentation of the book's core insights, a cross-sector panel spanning lived experience, community leadership, business, and policy will share their responses and explore how we can drive change together.
Programme Schedule
18:00 - Arrival & Registration
18:30 - Opening Remarks
André Spicer, Executive Dean, Bayes Business School
Keynote Presentation
Heather Buckingham, Author & Social Change Advisor, Trussell
Panel Responses
Kirstie Mackey OBE – Managing Director, Citizenship UK & Europe, Barclays
Rajesh Makwana BEM, Executive Director, Sufra NW London
Sharron Spice, Author, Playwright & Campaigner
Facilitated Discussion and Q&A
Closing Remarks
Emma Revie OBE, Co-Chief Executive, Trussell
20:00 - Drinks Reception & Networking
21:00 - Close of event
About the speakers
Heather Buckingham –Social Change Advisor, Trussell
Heather is a Social Change Advisor at Trussell, an Honorary Visiting Fellow at Bayes Business School, and a Visiting Lecturer at the Centre for Charity Effectiveness. Holding a PhD in Sociology and Social Policy, she draws on a background in academic research as well as frontline experience as a former food bank volunteer and trustee.
Kirstie Mackey OBE – Managing Director, Citizenship UK & Europe, Barclays
Kirstie leads Barclays' community impact across the UK and Europe. She created the LifeSkills programme in 2013 to address youth unemployment and supports transition initiatives for military veterans. She was awarded an OBE in 2020 for services to young people and financial services.
Rajesh Makwana BEM – Executive Director, Sufra NW London
Rajesh leads Sufra NW London, an organization tackling poverty through food banks, community kitchens, welfare advice, asylum support and other initiatives. He chairs the Brent Food Strategy and brings extensive expertise in building sustainable local food systems and centering lived experience in policy advocacy.
Emma Revie OBE – Co-Chief Executive, Trussell
Emma leads Trussell, a UK anti-poverty charity supporting over 1,400 food bank centres. Since 2018, she has led the organization’s strategic shift from emergency food provision toward tackling the root causes of poverty through values-led, cross-sector collaboration.
Sharron Spice – Author, Playwright & Campaigner
Sharron is a youth support professional specializing in outreach and mentoring for young people facing complex social issues. Drawing from her own experience navigating the social security system, her play The Perils of Universal Credit advocates for welfare reform, and her campaigning work spans national publications, City Hall, and Westminster.
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