Founder of Children With Voices, Michelle Dornelly, with chef Elaine Chalmers. - Credit: Courtesy of Elaine Chalmers Even before the pandemic, Hackney had the third highest child poverty rate in the UK, according to a Child Poverty Action Group study, and this has only worsened over the course of 2020. Elaine and her group were inspired to act by anger and frustration at the current situation, and by Marcus Rashford’s free school meals campaign. “Let’s face it, the government isn’t going to do it,” she said. At a time of increased isolation and its profound impact on mental health, the initiative aims to make people feel good.