A dozen strong team including a couple of our friends from the Riverside Hostel delivered a really positive contribution to the Town Council’s first Winter Food Fayre.
Dozens of youngsters crowded in to the gazeebo to try their hand at making Christmas cards, angel tree decorations and more.
There was a great community feel to this event and it was great to be able to be of service to families with tired young ones.
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Dreamscheme: The 2011 Slideshow
At long last here’s our pictorial record of this year’s summer Dreamscheme project which involved Belper School students from years 7, 8 and 9 restoring areas of allotment garden to the rear of the Strutts Centre and giving a fresh look to a room at the centre used by the Dandelion Clock Day Nursery.
Young People Can Do Wonderful Things!!
During the summer break, 20 young people took part in the 4th Hope for Belper Dreamscheme. Dreamscheme is an international youth project that gives an opportunity for young people to show what they’re made of.
Each year a community based project is identified as a vehicle for 11 to 14 year olds to learn new skills, build their self confidence and esteem and at the same time contribute to the community in which they live.
This year Belper School students from years 7, 8 and 9, restored areas of allotment garden to the rear of the Strutts Centre and also freshened up the room used by the Dandelion Clock Day Nursery. Everything from painting walls to erecting fence panels was enthusiastically taken on by a very determined group of young people, keen to turn around the sometimes negative image of young people in the media.
As in previous years, the week concluded with a community BBQ in celebration of the work carried out. This event was planned and run by the young people themselves and was attended by parents, local residents and others.
We would like to thank the Strutts Trustees for allowing us to host the scheme at the Centre and our thanks also go to all those who contributed their money and time to the week; a particular thank you should go to the Baptist Church who gave a very sizeable donation to enable this year’s scheme to go ahead.
Finally, the team would like to say a great big thank you to the young Dreamschemers themselves – you should be very proud of what you achieved over the week and we hope and pray that you continue to value your community and find your place in it.
Year 4 and Hope’s alive in Belper!
This year for some might already feel gloomy and even hopeless, with job losses and financial hardship. However, the opportunities to practically love our neighbours as ourselves, have never been so numerous.
The Basic Idea has been going for two years now and has helped over 100 families get through tight financial circumstances. Right at the moment we are short of one very simple thing – delivery boxes!
This is the sort I mean…
Most offices have piles of these everywhere, so we’d be very grateful if you could drop by with one or two from time to time… the food store is open from 3:00 pm till 4:30 pm on the fourth Sunday of each month (excluding this April as it happens). Simply go down the side of Boots the Chemist and ring the Basic Idea bell by the white side door next to Hacketts Bar – we may take a few moments to open up, so please be patient.
If you can supply us a couple then JUST THE BOTTOMS – NO LIDS PLEASE thanks
If you want to know more about the project, go to ‘THE BASIC IDEA’ page.
You may also be interested to know that Hope for Belper are looking at working with the Police and the Town Council to provide some practical help and a listening ear on the streets on a Friday night through the national Street Pastors initiative.
Research is at an early stage, but if you would like to know more then go to ‘Street Pastors’ – alternatively, if things start to move positively on this project we will put further info on the projects page through the year.
We’ll take a cup of kindness….
Hope for Belper were once again asked if we would like to bless the people at the Christmas Eve Carol Service in the market place.
We were fortunate to be able to use the Salvation Army kitchen again and also to have the loan of many large catering pump flasks.
Around 800 cups of steaming hot chocolate were served on a very cold night to some very appreciative people. It was great to see some new faces helping out this year including the Belper Baptist Church Youth Group and their leaders.
There were some good opportunities for conversations whilst people were stood having there hot chocolate and we felt it was a great way to spend a couple of hours at the beginning of the festive season!
Caroline Stoddart
Hope for Belper 