The High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, James Shepherd-Cross, held a successful awareness and fundraising event for one of his chosen local charities, The Northampton Hope Centre, at his home – Bengal Manor – in Towcester on Tuesday 23 July.

The High Sheriff of Northamptonshire with supporters, staff and volunteers from The Northampton Hope Centre

Over 100 guests attended, including John Holbrook, Bishop of Brixworth, David Kennedy, Chief Executive of Northampton Borough Council, and Stephen Davies, Principal at Moulton College.

The reception showcased the work of Northampton Hope Centre, which provides day centre services and support to over 1,000 homeless and vulnerable people each year, and its commercial trading arm, Hope Enterprises, which re-skills and helps people back into employment. The Charity also provides services including catering, garden tool refurbishment and electrical (PAT) testing.

James Shepherd-Cross said: “I have been most impressed by the work carried out by staff and volunteers at The Northampton Hope Centre.

“Many of us may think we live in quite an affluent society, but there is just as much deprivation now as there was 30 years ago. I would encourage individuals and businesses to contact the Charity and see how they can get involved in tackling these challenges.”
Adrian Pryce, Chair of The Northampton Hope Centre and Hope Enterprises, added: “We very much welcome donations to fund our work, but we also recognise a need to become more strategic in our approach.

‘Charities can no longer rely purely on hand outs’

“Charities can no longer rely purely on hand outs and so we are reaching out to other organisations to see how we can work together and cut operational costs.

“We are also looking to engage with businesses who want to make a social impact through long-term corporate social responsibility initiatives, which could include training, apprenticeships, job opportunities, or simply utilising our catering and PAT testing services.”

The event also marked the announcement of a major social and fundraising event for the Charity to be held on Thursday 20 March 2014 at Althorp with the support of Earl Spencer, Patron of The Northampton Hope Centre.

Find out more about The Northampton Hope Centre: www.northamptonhopecentre.org.uk