Festive fundraisers raise over £3,800 for Hopestead

Hopestead fundraising manager Chris Elliott and Gasway contract administrator Francesca Chambers taking part in the homelessness charity’s Christmas fundraiser

From pie-throwing to pet dress-ups, staff at a housing provider have pulled out all the stops to raise money for people experiencing homelessness.

Seven teams from Bromford Flagship raised over £3,800 for homelessness charity Hopestead through a festive fundraising challenge across November and December.

Fundraising events included raffles, bake sales, sponsored bike rides and walks, a car wash and Christmas carolling. Staff also organised pet dress-up competitions, desk decorating contests, and the chance to throw a pie in a manager's face.

Chris Elliott, fundraising manager at Hopestead, said: "The enthusiasm and creativity from everyone has been brilliant. It's wonderful to see so many people getting involved and having fun whilst raising money for such an important cause. Every pound makes a real difference to someone's life."

Among those volunteering to wash cars for Hopestead’s fundraiser were, front, Martin Allen and Piers Bird, and back, Claudiu Senchiu and Naomi Hawkins, from Flagship’s neighbourhood team

Teams from Gasway, neighbourhoods, capital works, Flagship Homes, the academy, and Samphire and Newtide housing associations competed to raise the most money.

Lucy Parish, director of operations at the Norwich-based charity, said: "We're incredibly grateful for this support. The money raised will go directly to helping people who've experienced homelessness rebuild their lives and move towards a brighter future. At Hopestead, we believe everyone deserves a place to call home, and this fundraising brings us closer to making that a reality."

More than 26,000 people are experiencing homelessness in the east of England. About 24,000 of them are living in temporary accommodation and of these, nearly 12,000 are children. They are often in cramped, damp and unsafe properties. 

Money raised will support Hopestead’s programmes including Hope at Home, which provides household essentials to people moving into a new home from homelessness, and Hope Funds, which provides grants to charities and social enterprises tackling homelessness across the east of England.

Hopestead has also been running an online fundraiser through the Aviva Community Fund which has so far netted more than £650. This fundraiser, which will run into January, will support Hope at Home and money raised is match funded by Aviva.

Visit the fundraising page here to donate: https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/hopesteadxmas#