Exhibition: Fifty years of tackling poverty in Islington

For half a century, Islington People’s Rights (IPR) has been working in the borough to improve people’s lives and prospects. IPR has always retained, at its heart, its vision to help individuals maximise their incomes, enforce their rights and develop their potential as equal citizens. By offering specialist, independent advice on welfare benefits and debt matters, it seeks to alleviate poverty, working hard to reach those on the margins of society whose problems, if left unchecked, can have a dramatic effect on their lives.

This exhibition charts IPR’s development over the past 50 years, from its response to welfare reform to its continued endeavour to meet the changing needs of local residents. Despite Islington’s reputation for affluence, over a third of residents are currently living in poverty. Reflecting on IPR’s successes in leading people out of poverty, the exhibition also serves to highlight the ongoing and growing need for its services.