We are delighted to share the second in a series of Church Related Community Work (CRCW) interviews, featured in Reform magazine.

In the December/January issue, Editor Stephen Tomkins talks to CRCW Rosie Buxton. Rosie, who is the CRCW for the New Life Project, which includes Moldgreen, Waverley, Brackenhall and Stainland & Holywell Green United Reformed Churches, tells the story of creating financial inclusion in Huddersfield. Rosie says:

'During lockdown, we’ve found people who have never been on a benefit in their lives have lost their job overnight and are having to negotiate universal credit. The fact that that system is centralised now and not local, makes things really difficult and uncomfortable. There are also people who don’t manage very well with money at the best of times, through no fault of their own. And we’ve got a lot of problems with loan sharks. It seemed to me a shame that the loan sharks were the one’s saying: ‘If you've got a problem, I can help you,’ so we are looking at enabling people to be mentors in the area of financial inclusion.'

Read the article in full via Reform magazine or view it as a PDF here: Community Stories; Rosie Buxton.

You can read an overview of 'New Life Project' in Huddersfield on our CRCW projects page.