Refocusing our resources

New Hope has always responded to the needs of the people we work with – it is how we began and how we have grown. Today, there is an unprecedented number of people sleeping rough in our town – you may have noticed more people begging on Watford’s streets – and very limited housing options for people ready to leave our accommodations.

For this reason, we have decided to focus our resources on meeting these two needs and are closing our HopeWorks service to enable us to do so. Offering opportunities for development remains a key part of the support we offer, and we are extending the range of activities available at the Community Market Garden. We recently ran a bricklaying course at the garden, which received overwhelmingly positive feedback, and are due to run this again shortly. Bricklaying is a skill very much in demand by employers, and we look forward to offering more vocational activities at the garden this year. In addition, we will soon be launching HopeCollege, an online one-stop-shop to enable people to access a wide variety of courses and other development opportunities.

All of us at New Hope would like to thank everyone who has supported HopeWorks, whether by donating items, paying for our Portable Appliance Testing service or shopping. We will be unable to accept any more donations of electrical goods and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions or concerns, please call 01923 210 680.

Our neighbours at Debra (49/53 Queens Road), a great charity supporting individuals and families affected by EB, will happily accept your donated electrical items. Get in touch with Debra in Watford on 01923 804 241 or email watford@debra.org.uk. 

If you would like to give someone the opportunity to develop their skills and confidence at the Community Market Garden, please click here. Thank you.