Event Description
Child poverty remains one of the most urgent challenges facing the North East, with more than one in three children growing up in hardship. Many families are facing impossible choices between food, heating and other essentials, with school holidays often intensifying that pressure.
This event brings together business leaders, policymakers and community organisations to explore the realities of food insecurity and the wider economic factors driving child poverty. Through a panel discussion hosted by Feeding Families’ CEO, Wayne Dobson, we will examine what action is needed, and how businesses, communities and policymakers can work together to create lasting solutions.
What to Expect
● Insight into the North East policy landscape from the North East Chamber of Commerce
● A spotlight on Feeding Families’ Childhood Matters: End Holiday Hunger campaign
● Expert perspectives on food insecurity, child poverty and systemic change
● A panel discussion with leading voices from policy, academia and frontline delivery
● Opportunities to connect with others working across the sector
● Refreshments provided by Gateshead College catering students
Our Speakers
Wayne Dobson
Chief Executive Officer, Feeding Families
Wayne Dobson is a strategic leader working across food insecurity, poverty and community resilience. As CEO of Feeding Families, he leads the organisation’s regional response to crisis, supporting tens of thousands of households each year through a network of over 200 partners.
Wayne brings extensive experience across the third sector, with a strong focus on operational delivery, partnership working and community development. He is driven by a belief that no family should face hardship alone, and is passionate about creating solutions that go beyond emergency support to deliver long-term, sustainable change.
Dr Jessie Kelly-Baxter
Policy Manager, North East Chamber of Commerce
Dr Jessie Kelly-Baxter leads policy work at the North East Chamber of Commerce, working closely with employers to shape the region’s economic future. Her work focuses on skills, economic inactivity and inclusive growth, ensuring that business voices are central to regional policy.
She plays a key role in the Chamber’s Unlocking the North East Economy plan, highlighting how tackling poverty is essential to building a strong, resilient workforce. Drawing on employer insight and research into skills and literacy, Jessie brings a clear perspective on how barriers to work — including health, caring responsibilities and access to opportunity — impact families, children and the wider economy.
Professor Greta Defeyter OBE FAcSS FRSM FRSA FHEA FBPs FA4C PhD CPychol
Dean of Social Mobility and Policy Engagement, Professor of Developmental Psychology, and Director of the Healthy Living Lab, Northumbria University
Professor Greta Defeyter is a leading expert in children and young people’s wellbeing, food insecurity, and school food provision. She has published extensively on topics including school breakfast clubs, affordable food clubs, school meals, and the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, and has led co-design projects with the UK Government to ensure young people’s voices shape policy and practice.
In 2023, she led the development of HAF Plus, a holiday food programme co-designed with young people, now recognised by the UK Government and adopted by local authorities nationwide, supporting over 250,000 young people in London alone.
In 2025, she was named President Elect of the RSM Food and Health Section and awarded an OBE for services to education, as well as being included in Who’s Who.
Andrew Forsey
National Director, Feeding Britain
Andrew Forsey has led Feeding Britain since 2019, working to develop community-led solutions to food insecurity across the UK.
Previously, he served as Secretary to the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Hunger in the United Kingdom and worked closely with Frank Field MP to develop national policy responses to food poverty. He played a central role in the campaign that led to the creation of the Holiday Activities and Food programme in England.
About Feeding Families
More than food. A way forward.
Feeding Families is a North East charity working with over 200 partners to reduce crisis, relieve poverty and support families with dignity. We provide more than just food - every interaction is an opportunity to connect people to wider support and help prevent deeper crisis.
From emergency food provision to tackling holiday hunger, our work ensures that no family faces hardship alone.
Who Should Attend
● Businesses and employers
● Policy and public sector professionals
● Charities and community organisations
● Education and youth sector professionals
● Anyone interested in tackling child poverty in the North East
Why Attend
This is an opportunity to better understand the realities facing families in our region, and to be part of a collective conversation about what needs to change. By bringing together insight, lived experience and policy expertise, we aim to inspire practical action and stronger collaboration across sectors.
