Ghosts star Charlotte Ritchie: ‘It’s a tragedy people can’t afford their essentials’

Charlotte Ritchie looks at me with deep concern when I walk into the warehouse of Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank with the bottom of my jeans soaked with rain. “Are you cold?” she asks with sincerity. “Do you want to borrow my scarf?” I smile as I reassure her I’m fine. It is such a kind and genuine offer, I feel convinced Ritchie is here for the right reasons.

We’re meeting because the star of Ghosts and Fresh Meat has thrown her support behind Trussell, which supports the UK’s largest network of food banks, including this one in West London. The charity has just revealed that hundreds of thousands of people have had to turn to food banks for the first time this year, as the impact of the cost of living crisis rattles through the country.

“It sometimes feels a bit unfathomable,” Ritchie admits, as we sit down with cups of tea in Trussell mugs. She’s wearing the signature green Trussell fleece. “I’ll be really honest: it’s far away from my daily experience. Sometimes when you read something, it doesn’t quite go in. But speaking to people who work here and understanding the work they do, it’s a different thing.

“That’s why it’s great that Trussell is doing so much to raise awareness. It’s one of the many shocking sides of our society, that we can’t seem to get this shit together. When you think of what we can achieve, it feels disappointing. But the other side of it, that brings me a lot of hope, is that there are loads of people working really hard to make things better. It’s not just doom and gloom. It is a tragedy that people are unable to afford their essentials, but there are people trying to change that.”

• ‘This cannot go on’: Hundreds of thousands of people turning to food banks for the first time
• More than 16 million people in poverty, report finds – with deprivation at highest level in decades

The warehouse is piled high with crates full of food, toiletries and other basics. Phil Storey, who runs Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank, tells me that during the height of the cost of living crisis when the cold hit, demand doubled. They were suddenly helping 2,000 people a month. They had to double the number of food and volunteers, and fundraise for a new van.

Numbers have leapt up to 2,500 people now, as winter has crept up. Storey explains they now purchase in bulk, to fill a gap of around seven tonnes between donations and need. Through buying wholesale, they have managed to shave their food costs by half, and with the help of harvest donations, they now have enough stock to last them until January.

“There will always be hope,” Storey says, “because there has to be, otherwise we couldn’t keep doing the job. But as a food bank our passion is not about food. Food is a conduit to having a conversation about the root cause. And there are solutions.”

Charlotte Ritchie says she was “struck by how much it goes beyond food” when talking to Storey. “Food brings people in, but actually what they get is so much deeper than that,” she adds. “There is so much need beyond a food parcel. Many people are drawn in because of that need for community, and for someone to guide them through this bureaucratic nightmare that it seems to be to get support.”

The TV star stresses she is not talking from experience, but if it can help to put her name and face next to the cause, she wants to do it. Her journey with Trussell started during lockdown – her flatmate was helping a local food bank and Ritchie joined her, delivering food parcels on her bike in Mile End, East London, where she was living at the time.

Although she no longer has the capacity to volunteer since her career has picked up, Ritchie is keen to use her platform to back organisations like Trussell calling for change.

“I think there is an ideological divide,” Ritchie says. “I think some people think the government shouldn’t be involved and that it should just be charities. I do believe, simply based on how many resources there are to go round, that the government should provide a basic level of provisions for people. Food is such a fundamental need.”

Trussell is calling for universal credit to be increased so people can afford the basics they need to survive – it currently falls short by around £120 every month. And it’s this kind of support which Charlotte Ritchie feels is a no-brainer.

“I would like to see less people having to use a food bank, but more services that do what food banks do more fundamentally supported by governments and councils, giving people a place to come together and seek support but without it having to come from such an extreme place – so people’s essentials are covered without question,” Ritchie says.

The 35-year-old adds that she has people in her family who have been directly affected by issues facing the country over the last few years, but she wants to respect their privacy.

Still, it is pretty far removed from her professional life. Earlier this month BBC sitcom Ghosts, in which Ritchie joined the Horrible Histories troupe, won a Radio Times award for being the show to make people the most happy. There is often a warmth to her characters, and I don’t feel embarrassed to tell her that I have never cried more at a show than when Barbara died in Call the Midwife (she too was devastated).

Charlotte Ritchie took on a more steely personality in glossy Netflix series You, and you might also recognise her from Fresh Meat, Dead Pixels, Feel Good or her brief appearance in blockbuster Wonka.

“The older I get, the more I’m seeking out things that give me a bit of optimism,” says Ritchie. “I think it’s essential to remind people how bad things are, and unfortunately we have to face the terrible things that are happening. But I’m very privileged that a lot of the shows I’ve done have been very uplifting. I think we need optimism because, without that, it’s a nightmare.”

Christmas is probably one of the times of year in which people are most looking for hope, and it is also a time when charities are most in need of help to support people. Ritchie will be seeing family and spending time with friends at Christmas, but she is aware others won’t be so lucky.

She is set to help Trussell again by hosting the charity’s annual carol concert at Southwark Cathedral on 11 December, for the second year in a row. “It was the first time I’ve ever hosted anything I think,” Ritchie says. “It is an unbelievable venue. It’s just gorgeous. It has a massive organ and it was beautiful to sing carols there. The atmosphere is very warm and Christmassy.”

There will also be personal stories from people with experience of poverty, and those who work at food banks to highlight the incredible work being carried out to support people facing poverty. Actor Hugh Bonneville will also make an appearance.

“Christmas is a time of giving and being aware of things. But this isn’t just a Christmas problem. It is all year round. It’s a long-term issue,” Charlotte Ritchie says. “I could easily get very preachy. Every year I watch a Christmas Carol, and that’s so good, isn’t it? Let’s not forget the moral of that. It’s such a nostalgic time of year but also, just don’t be a Scrooge.” 

Find out more about Trussell here and buy tickets for the carol concert at Southwark Cathedral here.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. This Christmas, you can make a lasting change on a vendor’s life. Buy a magazine from your local vendor in the street every week. If you can’t reach them, buy a Vendor Support Kit.

Big Issue is demanding an end to extreme poverty. Will you ask your MP to join us?