It is a well-known and bleak reality that foodbank use has skyrocketed in recent years. Trussell Trust figures show an increase in the number of people using foodbanks from 61,000 in 2010/11 to 3.1 million in 2023/24. Mary Bunner, a money guidance manager at Clarion Futures, a charitable foundation which is part of Clarion Housing Group, has seen this surge firsthand. 

Reflecting on when she joined Clarion Futures in 2010, she says that, “with a bit of tweaking, you could balance someone’s budget”.

“Now, it’s really, really hard.”

The money guidance team at the foudnation has grown from just two staff members in 2010 to 18 officers and three team leaders. According to the Clarion Futures website, it is now one of the biggest social investment programmes in the UK. 

As financial pressures have mounted and local authorities and charities have become increasingly stretched, Bunner and her team have had to adapt to meet growing levels of need and predict future challenges.