Dear Partners, Funders, Supporters & Friends!

We couldn’t have done our festive bonanza without you all supporting our Winter Campaign! THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!

Festive Week at The Hope Hub is even busier than usual!  We have served some 75 festive or full Christmas meals across three events all enjoyed by everyone plus the usual drop in crisis work. Across the 3 festive days, there has been entertainment with games, quizzes, creative arts and, folk joining in with warmth and enjoyment.  We said ‘Thank You’ to the amazing Volunteers who cooked throughout the week and had great pleasure in being able to be generous to those without a home, at risk/in precarious accommodation, struggling with mental health, vulnerable, unemployed or in any form of poverty.

The genuine appreciation of everyone for the kindness shown to them was humbling and each person was tangibly touched by the amazing food, gifts and interest in them.  It was a real joy to witness through the week the behaviors and attitudes among Service Users and how they were with one another with almost all of them staying to join in with games and activities on each of the three festive days.

So the stats are:

• Circa 75 festive meals were sourced, cooked and served across 3 separate events
• Hundreds of gifts given including Greggs, & Primark Vouchers, toiletries, clothing and individual gifts for some if in need of a particular item, eg shoes, back pack etc.
• Each person had a visit to Hope Hub – Santa’s grotto where they could fill a bag and choose their additional gifts and surprises such as toiletries, clothing, flasks, chocolate etc
• 21 Hampers donated via Besoms & Churches that are being delivered by our frontline team too.  These are going to housed Service Users who still need our services and are struggling in some/multiple ways.
• Engaging rough sleepers or those who have no recourse to public funds will be placed in hotels for either 3 nights or 10 nights this year from 23/12/24 to 2/1/25.
• Food supplies for 3 nights or 10 nights whilst staying at the hotel.

Generally, access to our day services is up 30% across the year and mental health needs continue to rise among the vulnerable in our society and our Winter Campaign is additional to delivery of all our other ongoing services, so it is a full team effort across the charity.

Please know that your contribution to our Winter Campaign whether large or small, ALL made the difference because, if you weren’t all contributing as you have, we would not be able to deliver and fund our festive bonanza week – so a heartfelt THANK YOU to each of you.

On behalf of all our Service Users, Trustees, Staff and fabulous Volunteers, I hope you all have a peaceful and happy Christmas and all good wishes for the New Year!

 Mags Mercer

Chief Executive – The Hope Hub