A Place at the Table is an exhibition of poster poems, bringing focus to the voices of Manchester people during the cost-of-living crisis. This exhibition is part of a programme of work showing throughout the year in our purpose-built new community exhibition space for the Inspire Gallery on the Ground Floor at HOME.
Working collaboratively with poet Phil Davenport and artist Christine Johnson, 100 Manchester people, many affected by homelessness, made poems together at Caritas Salford’s Cornerstone Day Centre. They ate and then wrote, evoking warmth, cursing the cold and dreaming on paper. These poems are acts of joy in adversity; wishes stirred into word stews. Walter, one of the project participants, said: “Can you put your sadness down on paper, out of your heart? If you really put yourself into this thing, it brings joy always.”
A third of Manchester households are “food insecure”; nearly half of households with children are struggling to eat.* The poems are a small part of a much bigger story, of resilience against social injustice during the cost of living crisis. Across the UK, approx. 11 million adults suffer food insecurity (Trussell Trust report 2023). Artist Christine Johnson said: “I hope this project will spotlight the human experience behind the statistics, letting our creative selves speak.”
Supported using public funding by Arts Council England, the poems were developed over a year of one-to-one conversations and workshops themed around food, warmth and togetherness. Poet Phil Davenport said: “Poems see our inner life, the subtle links between us all, rather than splitting us up into haves and have-nots.”
People residing at the neighbouring Caritas Morning Star supported accommodation also took part, along with Cornerstone staff. As well as providing hot meals for those who need them, the team at Cornerstone support people affected by homelessness, finding safe accommodation, helping health and wellbeing, and many other services. Poetry has been an unexpected but valued extra service.
Project Participant Steve said: “Poems tell us the truth and the truth resonates with everyone.”
You can access a digital copy of the complete poetry collection below.
A PLACE AT THE TABLE complete poetry collection
* Statistics and insight reference from Hunger In The UK Trussell Trust Report 2023-The-Trussell-Trust-Hunger-in-the-UK-report-web-updated-10Aug23
More Information
About Caritas Salford and Cornerstone Centre
Caritas Salford is a charity which, despite its name, supports people from right across Greater Manchester and Lancashire who are experiencing poverty, homelessness and discrimination, and its services are embedded in the local communities it supports. The Cornerstone day centre is one of the services run by the charity, and works with people experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless – not just in preventing them from becoming homeless, but also ensuring that people who do become homeless are helped to secure safe accommodation, and that no one has to sleep rough. The team also aims to enable people to improve their health and wellbeing, access specialist support services, and take up education, training, volunteering opportunities, and employment, as a means of sustaining positive housing outcomes.
With many decades of experience, the charity is proud to work alongside local people to develop its services and ensure that they are embedded in the local communities it works alongside.
For more information on Caritas Salford and its services, visit www.caritassalford.org,uk
For more information on the Cornerstone day centre, or to make a donation in support of its work, please visit www.caritassalford.org.uk/cornerstone