The original Poverty Truth Commission started in Glasgow 17 years ago. It inspired a UK-wide movement that to date has seen Commissions operate in more than 50 locations, and the original Commission has evolved into the Poverty Truth Community which is still going strong in Glasgow today.

The Poverty Truth Community has been working with researchers at Edinburgh University for the last 2 years to bring its archive to life. The result was unveiled in May at a public exhibition titled ‘Come Away In’ at the Byres Centre in Glasgow.

Commissioners and members of the Community from over the years were invited to donate an object and a voice note reflecting on the original Commission and what it means to people. This has been curated into a ‘living room’ (with many cups of tea!), a digital quilt and a sound archive.

There is a section on the Kinship Care Act, which was directly inspired by the Commission, and throughout there are testimonies about how the ‘relational approach’ of poverty truth has given people hope, solidarity and friendship.

The exhibition ran for a week in May (2026) and the Poverty Truth Community hopes to find another venue to showcase it later in the year. We will keep you up to date. In the meantime you can view the digital quilt and explore the archive here.