The face of financial hardship is changing. Meet David - data analyst by day, heavy metal musician by night - who embodies a troubling economic trend that's sweeping across the UK.David and his wife both work full-time professional jobs...

Meet Tracy, whose metal heart valve ticks audibly throughout our conversation - a constant reminder of the life-threatening surgery that became a turning point in her already challenging financial journey.Tracy's story offers a rare gli...

Vic and Mark welcome Hayley, Assistant Chief Executive at Citizens Advice Manchester, for a candid conversation about the changing face of financial hardship in Britain today.The discussion reveals a troubling shift in who's seeking sup...

The stark reality of our broken food system comes to life as Anna Taylor, Executive Director of the Food Foundation, sits down with Mark and Vic to unpack the findings from their eye-opening Broken Plate report. What emerges is a troubling pict...

Not only is it National Volunteer Week but it's also our 50TH EPISODE(!) so we had to make it an extra special one. This week, it's all about Erin, sign language interpreter by day, community hero by heart. She’s not only founded a food bank in...

Behind every food bag at Bread and Butter is a dedicated volunteer like Zosia. Having escaped living under martial law in Poland, Zosia arrived in the UK in 1982 and immediately took on multiple jobs without seeking government support. This sel...

Singer, vocal coach and part-time carer, Colette doesn’t fit the typical image of someone needing food support. After a divorce in 2021, she faced sudden financial strain but has slowly rebuilt her life. Despite juggling three jobs, a mortgage,...

As part of our Slice of Life campaign and our mission to make life more affordable for working families, this week’s episode focuses on James. James is a support worker and devoted young dad doing everything he can to make sure his little boy i...

From hospital wards to hub volunteering, Sarah bulldozes her way through life with tonnes of energy, honesty and humour. Despite working 12-hour shifts as a healthcare assistant, she makes time every Saturday to volunteer at our Neon hub in Old...

Tucked away in leafy Cheshire, Broken Cross Primary's Headteacher Donna is leading a quiet revolution in how schools support struggling families. Like so many schools these days, it offers so much more than education.  With nearly half of ...

"Smell it, smell it, use your eyes and use your nose!" declares James, this week's entertaining podcast guest. After precisely "50 years, 9 months and 13 days" in engineering across the Merchant Navy, Army, and food production industries, James...

Penny Walters tells it like it is. It's this Northern grit, honesty and fearlessness that's made her the go-to community figure in Byker that she is today. Join Mark and Alex as they chat with Penny about her incredible journey from working 70-...

The final in our Team Talk mini series takes you behind the scenes to hear directly from the team at Bread and Butter HQ. Whilst these guys might not be out in our hubs everyday, they're busy making sure that things get to where they need to be...

What happens when affordable food becomes the catalyst for community connection? In the second of our Team Talk podcast mini series, we catch up with some of the seasoned veterans of Bread and Butter and our Chair of Trustees to unpick the magi...

This week's podcast lands with a bit of a difference. Mark and Vic are joined by guest host, Frazer McKinstry from Swissport along with a few of our newest team members for a noisy sharing of life stories. And of course there's a special appear...

 Ahead of this week's government announcements, Mark and Vic catch up with Kath, who is living with multiple chronic health conditions and the fear of financial ruin if welfare reforms cut her benefits. Relying on her wife Viv as a full-ti...

Ever wondered why a banana curves? Or how long it takes for a pineapple to mature before its voyage to the UK?  Join Mark and Justin as they get geeky about tropical fruit with Sophie and Shania from Fyffes.  Enjoy a glimpse behind th...

This week, Mark and Alex sit down with Marie, a dog-loving, community-driven retired nursery nurse who’s only recently discovered pension credits after months of financial struggle. Tune in as we chat about the importance of being a good neighb...

Welcome to the second part of our Slice of Bread and Butter podcast Impact specials! Once again, we’re joined by the brilliant Dr. Megan Blake, Senior Lecturer and Food Insecurity Scholar from the University of Sheffield. This time, we’re chatt...

Welcome to the first edition of our Impact special two-part Slice of Bread and Butter podcast! This week, we are joined by our friend and all round accessible food expert, Dr. Megan Blake from the University of Sheffield. As part of ou...

Meet Kelly, a spirited WASPI woman whose life took a life-altering turn after a carjacking incident. We caught up with Kelly about being at the mercy of government sudden shift in pension age, the aftermath of a traumatic event, chocolate blanc...

This week we talk to Deano, a former pub manager whose life was unexpectedly turned upside down by the pandemic. At 66, Deano found himself unemployed after a lifetime of hard work in various roles. With no family and few friends to rely on, hi...

Kiera juggles the demands of being a young single mum and part-time care work but still finds time to volunteer with Bread and Butter at Broken Cross Primary School. Join Mark and Vic as they chat to Kiera about why community is so important to...

As everyday life becomes more entwined with AI, Alex and Mark catch up with Salford pensioner and grandmother Gill (and her little dog Jesse), to chat about the feeling of being left behind in an increasingly online world. Not one to let these ...

Twenty years ago,  single mum Aga made the brave move to relocate from Poland to the UK in search of a better life with her children. After a 26-hour bus ride, a brief stint in South Wales, she eventually moved to Oldham. Join Mark and Vic...