Hope for Belper

Hope at Eastertide

Easter is first and foremost a time of hope, and we want to be able to spread some of that sense of hope abroad in our town over the coming days and weeks.

On Good Friday morning, the Hope 08 Belper team will be out and about, taking part in the annual Walk of Witness through the town organised by local churches and handing out Easter Eggs to passers-by, another small “act of kindness” which we hope will be appreciated!

Afterwards there will be the chance to see the Manchester Passion, which tells the story of Jesus’s cruxifixion to the music of the Stone Roses, the Smiths, New Order and other leading Manchester bands. It will be shown at the Salvation Army Hall on Market Place from 11am.

Food will be available during the showing and as an added bonus, Belper recording artist James Christie Brown will be playing live outside the Hall both beforehand and afterwards.

These Good Friday activities are the start of a series of Hope 08 events over the course of Easter and the school holidays next month.

On Saturday 5 April, around 100 young people are being given the chance to see the film Evan Almighty at the Ritz Cinema. Free tickets for this are being distributed by the town’s five junior schools.

Before that, on Sunday 30 March, Hope Cafe is launching in the Salvation Army Hall . Hope 08 is pleased to be able to support this initiative by the local Salvation Army which aims to provide a chance for young people to meet friends and discuss issues of concern in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

It will take place from 7-9pm each Sunday evening and the typical “menu” will include live music, a quiz, a discussion – and really great coffee! Look out for more news about this on the site next week.

Litter pickers have got it in the bag

Around 30 young people gathered on Belper’s Three Cornered Rec on a blustery Saturday morning to take part in the latest Hope 08 project – a litter pick.

It’s a simple idea – but that’s what Hope o8 Belper is all about – small, practical acts of service to our community.

The day started ay 10am with a game of rounders on the Rec before everyone split into two teams which were each assigned an area of the town to cover.

Among the areas tackled was the Three Cornered Rec itself and the area around the Tesco Express store on Gregory’s Way. In all, 20 black bin bags were filled.

One of those who took part was Pottery school pupil Jack Greenwood, aged eight.

Said Jack: “I hope the people who play in the Three Cornered Rec will notice the big difference. On the first of March we did a big litter pick there.

“Altogether we we filled 20 black bags full of rubbish. I was surprised how much rubbish there was when you looked carefully. It was really fun and eco-friendly!!!”

Some pictures of the litterpick will be published on the site soon.

Belper Youth Serving Belper

One of the aims of Hope 08 Belper is to get young people involved in acts of kindness and practical service which make a difference to the community. Litter-picks are a simple, but hopefully effective means of doing this, and we will be holding one on the Saturday, 1 March.

It will start at the Three Cornered Rec, Laund Nook off Far Laund at 10 am. It will end three hours later at Belper Leisure Centre where chips will be on the menu as well as a prize for the most litter collected.

The event is open to anyone under 18. If are aged 11-18, come along and bring a friend. If you are younger than 11, bring an adult with you. Litter kits – bags, pincers, gloves – will be provided.

For more information about this project, contact James Brown on 01773 827964 or Andy Paisley on 01773 880602.

Hot Chocolate Surprise

Midnight came, the fireworks went off and the market place began to fill up!

Some people emerged from the pubs for a breath of fresh air and a leg stretch, whilst others headed for chips or a kebab; some were in high spirits others were heading home. Common to all though, was the look of happy surprise as we offered them a hot chocolate and a Happy New Year.

Sixteen intrepid (some might say crazy!) folks, brought a smile to the faces of revellers in the Market as jugs of hot chocolate were brought out from the Sally Army building and served from a table set up by the pedestrian crossing.

As you can see from the picture many folks accepted the free gift and joined with us in the sense of fun that this ‘Cup of Kindness’ generated. Thanks to the publicans who joined in by providing the biscuits – you know who you are!

All in all it was felt that this event had set a great tone for Hope 08 and that our presence on the Market Place had been a really positive influence.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for the success of this endeavour.

Gareth Greenwood

Starting as we mean to go on

Welcome to the weblog for Hope 08 Belper. Here you will be able to read about everything that’s happening locally as part of this national initiative designed to demonstrate God’s love for our towns, villages and communities by providing practical help for those around us.

We hope you will not only become a regular visitor here, but also that you will feel inspired to get involved yourself in one or more of the projects we are planning. You may even want to help put together a new project! A list of ideas can be found here on our Go for it! page.

At our Projects page you will find listed all the activities that are being planned in Belper for the forthcoming year.

More information about what Hope 08 Belper is all about can be found here. On this site you will also be able to check out what is happening in Hope 08 nationally and also within the wider Derby Diocese.

Finally, we would welcome your feedback both on this site and on Hope 08 Belper as a whole. You can leave your comments on this post below, or go to our Contact Us page.