TALKING BUSINESS


WE ARE MORE THAN JUST A CUP OF TEA AND A BOWL OF SOUP


Chamber Charity of the Year The Northampton Hope Centre provides a lifeline for the local community. InBusiness explores the historic charity’s plans for the future.


The Northampton Hope Centre is known for providing a warm place to go, comforting food, and refreshment to Northampton’s homeless and other marginalised people. It is not as well known for the other incredible work it does throughout the region for the hundreds of ordinary people living in poverty; as the Chamber’s Charity of the Year 2020, the team are thrilled for the opportunity to involve the wider Northamptonshire business community in their vital work. Louise Danielczuk, fundraising manager for the charity, said:


“What the team at the Hope Centre does isn’t just giving people a cup of tea and saying everything will be ok. We are giving people routes out of poverty and homelessness, and offering people a real chance of a positive future. “We don’t just try and put a sticking plaster over the


problems people have, we work hard to support and help those in need, and give them a clear and successful pathway out.” Established by local Catholics in 1974, although not a Catholic


charity, The Hope Centre started life as a traditional soup kitchen giving warm soup to those who were homeless. The charity has developed since those early days to serve a much wider community, and now operates on the principals of offering a hand up, not a handout and strives to provide opportunities for those accessing their services to build a better future for themselves. In normal times, the charitable arm of Hope operates a day


centre, training, and move-on support for the most marginalised, alongside separate services for people on benefits, as well as activities offering therapeutic and relaxation – sports, gardening arts and creative writing - that are open to anyone on low incomes. Louise continued: “We base our ethos around the


model of ‘give a person a fish and they will feed themselves for one day, give them the skills to fish and they will feed themselves for ever.’” These services work alongside the social


enterprise business, which consists of a food club, catering team, tool workshop, shop, and allotment. These social enterprises enable people to gain valuable hands-on experience which sits alongside vocational and employability training. As a community charity the Hope Centre


A volunteer of The Northampton Hope Centre And the legacy of the pandemic is something that weighs


heavily on the team, as they look ahead to the support that will be required to ensure no-one is left behind by circumstances they couldn’t have prepared for. Louise said: “It would be easy as the pandemic subsides to


revert back to the old ways of doing business, and the generous support to communities, charities and vulnerable people to stop. This would be a mistake. More than ever, given the ongoing legacy of poverty and unemployment, we implore those companies that are still able to support us to continue, and work hand in glove with local community groups to help our community get back on its feet and look after those who have lost work.” Prior to the pandemic, the charity had set


‘WE IMPLORE


THOSE COMPANIES THAT ARE STILL


ABLE TO SUPPORT US TO CONTINUE’


receives no statutory funding, relying on an increasing network of business and individual support to continue providing their essential services. The drive to provide people with a better future is ingrained in all their activities and the team are determined to succeed, despite the exponential pressure the recent Covid-19 lockdown has put on demand for their help. During the Covid-19 crisis, the Hope Centre has responded


rapidly to the changing Government guidance and provided the homeless with physical, emotional and wellbeing support. Separately, as the amount of people no longer able to afford to feed themselves and their families increases, the Hope Centre have hugely expanded their Food Club Service to a wider customer group. Popular in normal times, it is now an essential service which


is feeding over 500 people each week, up from 150 per week prior to the crisis.


2020/21 as an exciting year of growth as part of the launch of a five-year plan to expand the services they offer. The intention is to raise capital in order to renovate or build their own premises, allowing the team to ensure the security of their facilities for the future. Working with a variety of businesses across multiple industries, the Hope Centre


understands that every organisation is different and within every organisation individuals want to support and engage with charities in various different


ways. Whether volunteering either as individuals or a team, running


an activity at the day centre, getting involved at the allotment, sharing professional skills, setting up a food donation point, running a marathon, advising on business strategy, or walking over Lego, there are almost no end of ways and opportunities to get involved. The Hope Centre works to improve the lives of anyone


affected by poverty, especially homelessness, through services, training, campaigning and advocacy. As the Chamber’s Charity of the Year 2020, we look forward to being part of their success.


To discuss ways to get involved, contact Louise Danielczuk directly: louise@northamptonhopecentre.org.uk


AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 inbusiness 21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32