Our Story
Our Story
How We Started
Hopewell Trust began in 2016 around a kitchen table, when a small group of neighbours started putting together food parcels for families they knew were struggling. What started as a handful of boxes a week has grown into a registered charity supporting hundreds of families across the region every year.
Nine years on, our approach hasn't changed: no red tape, no judgement, and support that meets people where they are — whether that's a food parcel this week, or a mentor for their child over the next year.
Our Journey
A group of local volunteers began distributing food parcels from a church hall to a handful of families in need.
Demand outgrew our volunteer network, so we formalised as a registered charity and opened our first drop-in centre.
We moved into our current community hall, giving us space for food storage, workshops, and volunteer training.
We scaled food deliveries fourfold in weeks to reach isolated and vulnerable households during lockdown.
We launched one-to-one mentoring for young people, expanding beyond emergency support into long-term change.
We passed our biggest milestone yet, supporting more families in one year than in our first five combined.
What We Believe
Every person who comes to us is treated with warmth, patience, and respect — no exceptions.
Support shouldn't come with shame. We remove barriers, forms, and judgement wherever we can.
We're powered by local people helping local people — that's what makes the support last.
We publish where every pound goes, because trust is the only thing that keeps a charity running.
The People Behind Hopewell Trust
One of the original founders in 2016, David now chairs the board and leads our long-term strategy.
Priya joined in 2019 and oversees day-to-day operations, funding, and partnerships across the region.
Tom designs and runs our Food Support, Youth Mentoring, and Winter Appeal programmes.
Aisha keeps our 46-strong volunteer network trained, supported, and connected to the community.
Every donation, volunteer hour, and shared post helps us reach more families sooner.
Get Involved