The Poverty Forum is a group of people representing the various churches plus concerned individuals from other groups in the town. It meets every two months, usually two weeks before the Churches Together Forum meeting.
Chairperson: Andrina Cossey
Our current concerns include:
Homelessness and Vulnerable People
St Mary’s Tuesday Luncheon Club: A free soup and dessert and support for those in need at St Mary’s Church Hall. Run by church volunteers. Open Tuesdays, 12–1.30pm. Those in need can obtain half-price ‘Dracaena’ vouchers from St Mary’s Luncheon Club.
Wednesday Drop In/Community Cafe at the Dracaena Centre: Open Wednesday mornings 10.30am–12.30pm. A full breakfast and similar hot foods are served at basic prices. Aims to provide further services and help for vulnerable people. Run by volunteers from the churches and the town.
The Skills Bank provides practical care, support and skills to families who are having difficulties due to a lack of money, support or time.
How to bake a cake, deal with a damp patch on the ceiling, tidy up the garden or fill in a form. These are just some of the challenges Skills Bank can help with. Participants give a small donation. There’s a free telephone number to call for help, available from the Chairperson. The Skills Bank also works with agencies supporting the family.
Members of the Poverty Forum are working to develop an appropriate Christian response to climate change and fuel poverty.
We seek to encourage congregations and clergy to become better-informed about climate change and to engage with the challenge of reducing our carbon footprints at home and at church.
Falmouth is officially a Fair Trade town and most member churches are also Fair Trade churches. The Poverty Forum works with other local groups to promote Fair Trade in the town especially during Fairtrade Fortnight (usually the last week of February and first week in March). We also work on issues of Trade Justice for farmers locally as well as globally.
The Poverty Forum has concern for the plight of the Dalits especially those in this country.
Site credits
FPCT is associated with Churches
Together in England
© Falmouth & Penryn Churches Together 2010
