The Northampton Hope Centre’s inaugural gala dinner on Saturday 2 March has raised over £6,000 for the Charity, which provides support to more than 2,000 homeless, disadvantaged or vulnerable people from across Northamptonshire every year.

MPs, and representatives of Hope Centre and Northampton Borough Council at the Gala Dinner

Just over 150 guests and supporters, including MPs and regional business leaders, attended the black tie event, hosted at the University of Northampton’s Park Campus restaurant.

‘The Hope Centre is taking on the challenge of helping people in need move from dependence to independence’

The occasion marked the official launch of the Hope Centre’s new commercial subsidiary, ‘Hope Enterprises’, which provides business and consumer services including catering, electrical PAT testing and garden tool refurbishment.

Hope Centre Chair, Adrian Pryce, explained:

“The Hope Centre is taking on the challenge of helping people in need move from dependence to independence. With our supporters’ help we are asking people to buy Hope Enterprises’ services, as by doing so they help us to give our clients the skills and confidence they need to re-enter the workplace through training and apprenticeship programmes.”

Guests were shown a video of day-to-day life at the Hope Centre, including case studies illustrating the wide and varied backgrounds of some of those the Charity supports.
Adam Gray, Michelin Star Chef and Hope Enterprises Patron, delivered a sumptuous three-course meal on the night, along with the popular prize of cooking dinner for 14 people at home as part of the evening’s charity auction. There was also frantic bidding for a range of top sporting memorabilia from Northampton Saints and Northampton Town FC.

Adam Gray (left) with Mark Ferguson, More Fire PR

In addition to announcing the launch of a new Hope Enterprises Café, based at the Nene Whitewater Centre, Adrian Pryce added that next year’s Hope Centre Gala Dinner will take place on Thursday 20 March 2014 at Althorp House in the company of Hope Centre Patron, Earl Spencer.

• Find out more about Northampton Hope Centre
• Find out more about Hope Enterprises