“We run it through some paid staff , plus volunteers and we
also work with SEN schools to give young people with learning disabilities the chance to get experience working in retail. “And it’s good for the environment. A lot of people are aware
about waste and what happens to returned or unwanted items, and so it’s better to be putting them to good use. Businesses often contact us if they have stock they don’t need. Anyone with items we can use just needs to box them up or put them on a pallet and we’ll come and collect it free of charge. “I’m really proud when I think how this charity, which came from
such a simple concept, is part of so many positive things.” Where food and drink items are supplied, they are used wherever
possible in the charity’s coff ee shops – mugs, coff ee beans, tea and snacks have all been repurposed over the years – and where they can’t be, they go on sale in the shop. Having started holding regular coff ee mornings at the Elgar
Community Centre, the charity was eventually asked to set up a regular coff ee shop. Lee’s background is in hospitality and his experience in setting up and running coff ee shops paid off in Upton and then last year when T e Lewis Foundation successfully tendered to run the coff ee shop in Northampton Museum. “T at was a big thing for us,” said Lorraine, “because we had to
show we could run it properly and grow the business. It wasn’t an invitation to run it because we were a charity, we were up against other businesses in the tender process, but we won it. “We had to show how we could develop it and now we run events
such as afternoon teas with music, and we have a lot more things planned including Night in the Museum events with music, to get more people coming through the door and fi nding out more about Northampton’s fantastic museum.”
Find out more about T e Lewis Foundation at
www.thelewisfoundation.co.uk
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