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Food banks are very busy at this time of year, and Trussell, which co-ordinates and supplies 1,400 of them in the UK with 36,000 volunteers, is particularly active. Its combination of nationwide scalability and local partnerships shows how voluntary and philanthropic contributions can deliver hope in the face of a welfare state which has failed to break the cycle of deprivation over the past fifty years. Is this the model, combined with a more egalitarian form of capitalism, which can provide a more compassionate society, with participation for all? Background music: 'Soul Food' by Chris Haugen Image Source: Trussell

Energy bills are going up in January and are expected to rise again in April, with the push for net zero being partly to blame: but could the hated standing charge be on the way out? Also, with many people opting for cash this Christmas, half of us are having trouble paying in notes and coins — should the Government step in? The team also discuss neighbourly disputes over fences, the best way to give money, and Lee Boyce continues to hold onto his premium bonds.

Matters of life and death featured strongly in the House of Commons last Friday. thanks to Kim Leadbeater's Private Members' Bill on assisted dying — it's curious how the new UK parliament has developed such a fixation on 'end of life'. The Government's plans for inheritance tax might encourage people towards a serious look at philanthropy — register to join Philanthropy Impact's webinar on Donor Advised Funds, starting at 12 noon this Wednesday 4th December. Background music: 'Wandering Soul' by Asher Fulero Image source: Philanthropy Impact

A fortnight ago Justin Welby announced that he would resign as Archbishop of Canterbury following the Makin report's criticism of the Church's handling of allegations of abuse and Welby's failure to investigate the allegations. We suspect that real reason for this failure to act was not so much the desire to protect someone whose behaviour was evil but rather the chronically damaging cult of inaction in the Church, which can smother even the most urgent priorities. 'Nothing changes here' is a hymn extract which neatly encapsulates the way that inaction has been treated as a virtue for centuries, but in today's world it has become quite the opposite. With reducing congregations and chronic administrative duplication and inconsistency, urgent action is needed to focus on core Christian principles and organisational rationalisation. Background music: 'Requiem In Cello' by Hanu Dixit

Gordon Brown and Ruth Kelly set out a comprehensive plan to tackle child poverty with the Child Trust Fund. We've learnt a huge amount from putting it into practice over the past two decades, and we're now ready for a more focused 'Mark 2' which will embody all of the lessons learnt. But will our new Labour Government have the strategic determination to follow their example? Or will it fall to today's philanthropists, walking in the footsteps of people like Andrew Carnegie, to take up the baton? The encouragement to make significant charitable endowments remains intact in inheritance taxation arrangements, and can support 75% of the commitment necessary to deliver a new scheme. Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads Image source: Telegraph Newspapers

With the '50% matured' stage for Child Trust Funds being reached at the end of October, The Share Foundation hopes the Chancellor will announce introduction of its 'Default Withdrawal at 21' plan in the Budget. This would immediately release c. £250 million of accounts to low-income young adults. Meanwhile The Share Foundation's pre-launch announcement of its forthcoming 'Stepping Forward — Performing Arts for Life' course also caught the eye of BBC news with their webpage article of this major life skills initiative for young people in care, building on the success of its Stepladder Plus course. Background music: 'Hopeful Freedom' by Asher Fulero Image source: Particle6

UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson describes our current system for financing higher education as 'the worst of all worlds', and she's right. The combination of loan funding and universality has generated chronic problems for both students and universities. We need to apply inter-generational logic to address both this problem and the challenges faced by other disadvantaged young people from low-income backgrounds. The Times placed this story on its front page last Saturday, and re-introduction of maintenance grants for these young people will be part of the solution: this issue will clearly get some focus in the UK Budget on 30th October. Hopefully it will also include those other areas where focused help is needed for disadvantaged young people, including starter capital accounts and incentivised learning, with funding to be drawn from IHT receipts. Background music: 'Generations Away' by Unicorn Heads

Just in the United Kingdom alone, it has been estimated that there is £200 billion lying unclaimed as dormant assets. Better analysis is needed, more use should be made of search facilities by families — but the money needs to be put to work, prioritising inter-generational rebalancing. The Dormant Assets Act 2022 is a major step forward by Government, and the Reclaim Fund will enable its provisions to be put into practice. This will become an increasingly important contribution to empowering disadvantaged young people as the birth rate falls. Background music: 'Sea of Ancestry' by Jesse Gallagher.

Adam Cox is joined by Gemma Bourne from Big Society Capital to discuss why the government should reallocate a larger proportion of its existing spend to further scale initiatives that tackle the UK's homelessness and temporary accommodation crisis. With new research showing that these house funds are already having a major impact, it could help us combat homelessness. https://bigsocietycapital.com/

Everyone knows the key ingredients which provide the best opportunity for a young person to achieve their potential in adult life. Love and encouragement are right at the centre but, following close behind, there’s the need for some financial resources and life skills in order to give them the best opportunity for success. For young people in care, the last two of these plus plenty of encouragement are provided through The Share Foundation, which has just published its 2022 annual report. It also operates a major recovery campaign for the Child Trust Fund which focuses attention on supporting young people in low-income families throughout the United Kingdom. Background music: 'Ammo' by Density & Time