The Poverty Alliance is aiming to create a new generation of anti-poverty activists

Hundreds of campaigners from across Scotland will gather in Glasgow today (Thursday 19 October) to help build a new generation of anti-poverty activists.

A conference to mark the fifth annual Challenge Poverty Week has been organised by the Poverty Alliance to learn the lessons from past campaigns and to give participants the practical tools to help them make a bigger impact in the future.

A host of workshops will be led by a wide range of organisations including the Frameworks Institute, Oxfam Scotland, Marie Curie, Shelter Scotland and the Scottish Refugee Council, with around 200 visitors expected.

The Poverty Alliance marks its 25th anniversary this year, and the conference will look at where the organisation and others have had successes over the past quarter of a century and what still needs to be done.

With more than a million people living in poverty in Scotland, alliance director Peter Kelly said it is more important than ever that people are aware of the facts and equipped with the tools to tackle it.

"Over the past 25 years the Poverty Alliance has been a part of many successful campaigns, and there are lessons that we can learn from these and even from those that were not successful,” he said.

"This conference is about building a new generation of anti-poverty campaigners who are able to talk about the realities of poverty in Scotland and the solutions to it.

"Poverty is a large and growing problem in Scotland, but we know that with concerted action at the local and national levels we can make a difference. This conference will help give people the tools and develop the strategies to have a real impact.”