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What if the most practical path to justice starts with listening harder than we speak? We sit down with Judith Moran, director of Quaker Social Action, to trace a journey from Victorian philanthropy to community-led solutions that protect dignity in the face of poverty, grief, and homelessness. Grounded in a clear definition of poverty as a lack of resources to meet minimum needs—including social participation—Judith shows how co-creation leads to services that work in the real world.

We unpack how QSA uses unrestricted funding to test ideas and build what’s missing. Down to Earth grew from a single story of bereavement and debt into the UK’s leading support for funeral poverty, guiding families through affordable, meaningful choices while driving sector-wide change. That frontline credibility powered the Fair Funerals campaign, cross-party support in Parliament, and a Competition and Markets Authority investigation that set the stage for tighter industry regulation and improvements to funeral expenses payments. Alongside policy wins, we explore Turn a Corner, a mobile library for people experiencing homelessness that restores agency and human connection through books, learning, and conversation.

Judith’s leadership lens—think it possible you may be mistaken—runs through everything: building blame-free culture, choosing consensus over ego, and treating integrity as a daily practice. We talk honestly about the cost of living crisis, the lingering shock of the pandemic, and a growing poverty of hope. We look at equity, diversity, and inclusion as unlearning and learning rather than a checklist, and we name the sector’s hardest questions: how to fund responsibly, who should lead, and when to collaborate or step aside. If you care about social justice, nonprofit innovation, bereavement support, homelessness, and policy change rooted in lived experience, this conversation offers a practical roadmap and a dose of courage.

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Credits

Produced by Henry Chukwunyerenwa

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