The Lewis Foundation
Generosity at the heart of a charity that never fails to deliver
Behind the hard work carried out by T e Lewis Foundation on behalf of cancer patients lies a host of positive stories of generosity, sustainability, community support and helping others. The charity, founded in Northampton but now delivering
to hospitals across the Midlands, provides gift packs to those undergoing cancer treatment, either as inpatients or outpatients. T e packs can include anything from a change of underwear and toiletries for those who have been taken into hospital with little warning, to magazines and puzzles for those facing long stays. Inpatients are invited to choose from a list provided by T e Lewis
Foundation and the packs are made up and delivered to them in hospital. Outpatients can choose from a selection of gifts when they visit their hospital. Regular gift pack items include toiletries (including toothbrushes and toothpaste), underwear, eye masks and neck pillows, hard-boiled sweets, adult colour books and pencils, playing cards and board games. Businesses and individuals support and fundraise for the charity
on a regular basis, but key to its revenue stream are a retail outlet in the Grosvenor Centre in Northampton, and two coff ee shops – one in the Northampton Museum and the other at the Elgar Community Centre in Upton.
T e charity was started by Lorraine and Lee Lewis after Lee’s
mother spent months in hospital being treated for cancer. Realising how much patients often needed essential items, or how welcome a new craft set or book was to while away the hours, Lee and Lorraine began fundraising. “During the early years of the charity we met Barry Tong from
Stephensons Online, who wanted to know more about what we were doing and what he could do to help,” said Lorraine. “He ended up donating £40,000 of end-of-line beauty products to help us fundraise. We started using them in tombolas and raffl es, but there’s only so much of those you can do, and so we approached the Grosvenor Centre and asked if we could do a pop-up unit.” T e likes of Amazon and Synergy Retail on Brackmills followed
Stephensons Online’s lead and began donating items, as did businesses that had unwanted stock that would otherwise be disposed of. All items are new and unused, often products found in high street stores, and food or drink products are well within their use-by dates, but on off er at the Lewis Foundation Outlet at a fraction of the price. Such was the success of the pop-up shop that it became clear it
could run full time and in 2023, the permanent Outlet store opened on the fi rst fl oor of the Grosvenor Centre, selling all kinds of items, from beauty products and cleaning products to clothing, stationery, toys and children’s items, jewellery and accessories. Lorraine said: “We can’t guarantee what brands we’ll have but
customers who are looking for bargains on their favourites come in regularly to check what we have. With the cost-of-living crisis, people are looking to save money wherever they can and when they can pick up new and unused products at a fraction of the price, it’s a win-win for us and for them.
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