Josephine Butler trust supports Faith in the City
Social justice movement The Josephine Butler Memorial Trust has donated £4,000 to support a Faith in the City 40th anniversary event for Liverpool City Region, which will take place in November 2025.
Based in Liverpool, the Josephine Butler Memorial Trust works to raise awareness of Josephine Butler’s legacy, highlighting how her Christian faith and dedication to service inspired her tireless efforts in social justice.
For some, Josephine Butler may not be a household name today, but she deserves widespread recognition for her fearless advocacy in confronting violence against women and children.
The Trust has generously contributed £4,000 to support the November 2025 celebration commemorating the 40th anniversary of the landmark Faith in the City Report. This will be hosted by Together Liverpool in partnership with Churches Together in the Merseyside Region.
Faith in the City refers to a 1985 UK report by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission, addressing urban poverty and the Church's role in deprived areas. It highlighted six key indicators of deprivation and made 61 recommendations - 38 for the Church of England and 23 for the government - urging both to respond to God’s challenge in tackling urban hardship.
This celebration event will seek to engage stakeholders and civic leaders, to reflect on the report’s enduring impact on urban ministry and social engagement within church communities across the Liverpool City Region.
Fran D’Arcy, Together Liverpool and CTMR’s Faith in the City Lead Development Officer, said: “We are delighted to receive this generous financial contribution to this special 40th anniversary Faith in the City project. This grant will enable us to host a celebration event, at which we will share details of our manifesto, “A vision for the city.” Many thanks to The Josephine Butler Memorial Trust for this support.”
Together Liverpool is calling on faith communities and community organisations across the Liverpool City Region to share stories of action and impact. Whether tackling poverty, addressing housing challenges, or confronting inequality, we want to showcase the incredible work happening in our communities. These stories will help form the foundation of our ‘Vision for the City’ manifesto, capturing the lived experiences of faith and community groups, and exploring how we can move from charity to solidarity while reimagining faith’s role in social justice, as well as having a clear call to action for future collaboration towards real change.
The Trust’s donation underscores its ongoing commitment to faith-led initiatives that address social inequality and promote justice, in the spirit of Josephine Butler’s legacy.
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