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Written submission template – Activism (Project Step 1)

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BBC: Food bills on course to rise by £275 a year as prices jump

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BBC: Food bills on course to rise by £275 a year as prices jump

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5kvv9n10go

The average household spend on food and drink is on course to rise by £275 this year, prompting shoppers to buy cheaper groceries or prepare simpler meals at home to cut costs.

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Ealing tenants experience steepest rise in rent

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Ealing tenants experience steepest rise in rent

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly2yrd6wp7o

Private tenants in Ealing have faced the largest rent increases in London over the past five years, new figures suggest.

The data also suggested Londoners spent the highest proportion of their income on rent of any region in the UK at 37.9%, with the average being 32.6% - indicating the higher wages paid in the capital did not counter the increase in rent.

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Police officers take second jobs to pay the bills

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Police officers take second jobs to pay the bills

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj613213wjko

Police officers in Sussex are taking on second jobs to make ends meet, according to the latest data released by the Sussex Police Federation.

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Sana Iqbal, @SanaIqbalDesign

"We’re living in a real-life Robin Hood world. The pandemic has seen the wealth of billionaires double whilst the incomes of 99% of humanity fell. Our government fought to protect oil and gas profits whilst increasing taxes on front-line workers. We have leaders, like the Governor of the Bank of England, who earns £575,538, telling working people to not ask for a pay rise at a time when families are choosing to heat or eat. So I say, rise for a raise, and demand an end to this injustice. Don’t accept this mistreatment and don’t wait for things to change, instead make it happen."

"Use these posters to create your own placard and join the march. If you can’t make it, then print off these messages and place them in your window to rekindle a fighting spirit for a better and fairer future."

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Mike Andrews, mandrews.studio

"I was struck by the abstract way in which the 'cost of living crisis' is too often described — like it's just something that's just happening to us. In reality it's something our government is actively allowing to happen, so I wanted to communicate that we're having to live with this because of the Tories, as well as a sense of urgency and a visual link to capitalism in the imagery of sales stickers and the "everything must go" language."

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Kevin Kennedy Ryan, kevinkennedyryan.com

I took inspiration from the cliché "hello my name is" stickers that you only ever really see in American movies. I'm not sure if they actually exist in real life. The rationale behind the design was that because the cost of living crisis affects everyone in such a myriad of different ways; it gives people a chance to tell their personal stories.

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Peter Brawne, matterdesign.co.uk

"Though it's a phrase much bandied about, 'the cost of living crisis' affects different people differently. As always, those who are least able to, bear the brunt of the crisis, while those with the most won't even notice. The focus, rightly, has been on those struggling now. But this leads our gaze away from the extremely rich. Just three real-life examples of what such wealth may buy are shown in the poster. Implicit is the suggestion that while a minority are immune to the crisis and can make privileged decisions about 'how to spend it', millions of others are making stark choices between eating or heating. The intention is to reveal the obscenity of a society where such disparities can co-exist and suggest that solutions lie in adopting redistributive policies that make the rich pay for the crisis they created."

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As energy bills and food prices continue to rise across the UK – an art student is using her creative talents to highlight the impact of the cost of living crisis as part of a University of Sunderland exhibition.

Laura Clark’s ‘Food for Thought’ installation features a pyramid of tinned food which she has relabelled with various statistics, such as 1 in 10 parents skip meals to afford food for their children and 1 in 7 people were employed whilst they were using a foodbank.

Laura, 18, from County Durham, hopes her project will inspire people to reflect on the seriousness of the cost of living crisis and be more empathetic to those who are struggling.

Visitors to the installation, which is being displayed as part of the University’s final year Degree Shows, can also take away a tin and any leftover will be donated to the foodbank at Bethany City Church in Sunderland.

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PA Media. (2024) “Hundreds gather in London to protest against capital’s ‘soaring’ rents”, The Guardian,[news], 14 Dec. Available At: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/dec/14/hundreds-gather-in-london-to-protest-against-capitals-soaring-rents(Accessed: 2 Aug 2025)

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4 Uncovered. (2025)”The Cost of Living Crisis In The UK | Dispatches | Channel 4”,[online video], 2 Mar. Available At:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNRuXtj3UbE(Accessed: 2 Aug 2025)

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Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). （2025）“Cost of Living Payments Evaluation”，[report of research], 27 January. Available At: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-living-payments-evaluation/cost-of-living-payments-evaluation(Accessed: 2 Aug 2025)

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First, I will describe what I did. I made a Padlet about activism and the cost of living crisis. I collected news, posters, and examples to show how this crisis affects people. For example, I added reports about food prices, police officers taking second jobs, and posters calling for action. I also included a hot dog van as a way to spread a message in public space.

Next, I think about my feelings. At the beginning, I felt a bit unsure, because I was not sure how to connect activism with the cost of living. When I found real stories and posters, I felt more confident and interested.

In the analysis stage, I can see that activism often uses simple but strong images and clear words. The posters I found showed that people want to raise awareness by using bold colours and direct slogans.

My conclusion is that I learned activism can be creative and also practical. It is not only about protest but also about sharing ideas in new ways.

Finally, my action plan is to improve my poster by making the message even clearer.