A year of connection, collaboration and impact: PRAN in review
This year has been an important and energising one for PRAN. Across events, podcasts and community-building, we have continued to strengthen our role as a space for critical conversations on poverty, inequality and social justice. From bringing people together around key ideas, to supporting early career voices, the past year has laid strong foundations for what’s to come.
Bringing people together through events
We were particularly proud this year to host two key events, each addressing urgent social issues and encouraging meaningful dialogue.
In February, we helped to deliver The Manc Kitchen: A Social Dining Pilot, inspired by MP Ian Byrne’s Scouse Kitchen. Against the backdrop of rising food and fuel poverty - with around 620,000 people in Greater Manchester living in poverty - this event explored how social dining can do more than tackle hunger. By creating a welcoming, public dining space, The Manc Kitchen demonstrated how dignity, community connection and shared experiences can be central to responses to food insecurity.
In April, we hosted the Understanding the Cost-of-Living Crisis: Special Issue Launch Event. This online event brought together researchers, practitioners and stakeholders to reflect on new research and lived experiences related to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. The event provided a valuable space to share insights, debate policy implications, and connect academic work with real-world challenges.
Supporting early career voices
A major achievement this year was the establishment of the PRAN Early Career Forum. Designed by Freya Cole Norton as a supportive, peer-led space, the forum brings together early career researchers, practitioners, civil society workers and activists working on poverty and social justice.
The forum now hosts monthly online meetings, creating regular opportunities for discussion, collaboration and mutual support. These sessions have quickly become a cornerstone of PRAN’s community-building work and reflect our commitment to nurturing the next generation of scholars and practitioners.
Thought-provoking blogs
We would like to revisit five blogs of this year, showcasing diverse perspectives and critical reflections on poverty and inequality:
Rethinking End-of-Life Support by Michael Brennan, which asks how state support could better meet people’s needs at the end of life.
The Class Politics of Debt by Dr Ryan Davey, exploring how debt reinforces class inequality and how working-class people resist it.
Women’s Experiences of the Cost-of-Living Crisis in Northern Ireland by Dr Alexandra Chapman, Siobhán Harding and Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick, highlighting the gendered impacts of economic crises.
What Would the Proposed Basic Income Pilot in Greater Manchester Mean for the UK? by Louis Strappazzon, examining the opportunities and challenges of piloting Universal Basic Income.
The Manc Kitchen – Imagining a Right to Food in Manchester by Adele Wylie, reflecting on food poverty and the case for a legal right to food.
Together, these blogs have helped amplify critical debates and connect research with lived experience and activism.
The Cost-of-Living Chronicles Podcast
We would also like to highlight our recent podcast releases of The Cost of Living Chronicles. The podcast continues to be a space for accessible conversations about poverty, inequality and the cost-of-living crisis. Episode 9, Food For Thought, focused on food insecurity and the wider systems shaping access to food. Episodes 10 accompanied the launch of a special issue on the crisis, helping to bring research findings into conversation with wider audiences
Strengthening our governance
This year also saw the establishment of a PRAN Advisory Board, an important step in strengthening our governance and strategic direction. The advisory board will play a key role in guiding PRAN’s future work and ensuring our activities remain inclusive, relevant and impactful.
Looking ahead to 2026
As we move into the next year, there is plenty to look forward to. In 2026, we will continue the Early Career Forum monthly meetings, host a dedicated Early Career Forum event in May, and launch a new season of the podcast. Alongside this, we have many more activities and collaborations in development.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to PRAN this year - through attending events, writing, listening, sharing ideas and building community. We’re excited to continue this work together in the year ahead.
