Social Justice

BetterPod: Will Poulter and Aneita Lewis on the cost-of-living crisis

Will Poulter and Aneita Lewis on BetterPod

Photos by Louise Haywood-Schiefer

We’re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. As we cover every week in The Big Issue and every day here on bigissue.com, increasing numbers of people cannot cope. And rising numbers of people have had enough. Hollywood celebrity – and star of the superb Midsommar and The Revenant – Will Poulter is among the latter.

Ahead of taking his place in the Marvel universe, as Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Poulter has decided to use his influence to take a stand against rampant unfairness by supporting charity Turn2us.

Turn2us helps people in financial hardship to gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and support services. They’ve seen demand for their services rocket in recent years. In the last year, they awarded £3.6 million in grants. They help more than two million people a year find out what benefits they’re eligible for.

Through his involvement with Turn2us, Will Poulter has made friends with Aneita Lewis. Aneita is a 49-year-old single mother from London, and has experienced financial hardship herself. Her story – which she shares with us on BetterPod – shows just how easily someone can find themselves in that situation, even when working a full time job. She found help from Turn2us and now advises the charity from her own lived experience.

BetterPod is brought to you by The Big Issue’s Future Generations team. Through the Future Generations team, we offer a platform for exciting young journalists from underrepresented backgrounds to address the biggest issues facing us today.

If you are worried about your financial situation, you can find out more about Turn2us at turn2us.org.uk

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
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