Meet the new community champion for Northampton’s vital charity of nearly a decade The Lewis Foundation
Meet the new community champion for Northampton’s vital charity of nearly a decade, The Lewis Foundation.
This year the admirable organisation celebrated nine years of providing free gift packs and support to adults going through cancer treatment in hospitals across the Midlands.
Founded by Lee and Lorraine Lewis, the need for the charity emerged when Lee’s mother was diagnosed with the cruel disease – and it opened the pair’s eyes to what people went through during treatment.
The main aim was to ensure patients do not feel alone, and more than 2,000 gift packs are now delivered to adult cancer patients every month.
The Lewis Foundation has continued to expand – with a coffee shop at The Elgar Centre in Upton and two stores, including one at the heart of the town in the Grosvenor Centre.
The latest addition is the takeover of The Link Cafe at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery in Guildhall Road since November last year, immersing them further into the community than ever before.
Jayne Catherine, known to many members of the community as Latte Lady, joined The Lewis Foundation team in line with the opening of The Link Cafe. She could not turn down the opportunity to lead the new team.
Less than a year later, Lorraine requested that Jayne change roles to community champion and she began in this vital position in mid-August.
She is now much more involved with the wider community and this role is the perfect fit as the team saw how easy Jayne found it to interact with customers at The Link Cafe.
“I’ve taken my skillset out of the cafe and into the community,” Jayne told the Chronicle & Echo. “There’s only one of Lee and Lorraine and as the charity continues to grow, with more people willing to fundraise and donate, we needed another point of contact.”
Supporters of The Lewis Foundation are able to easily contact Jayne and they can now guarantee that a friendly face from the charity will be in attendance at all charity events.
“I love the fact that this charity is all for helping people, and making them feel more comfortable and important,” said Jayne. “It brings humanity back and ensures their basic needs are met.
“The packs come in all different shapes and sizes to meet different needs with necessary items. Some people might not have family or friends to bring it to them, or the luxury to afford it. We give people what they need at that particular time.”
Jayne reiterated how close this charity is to Lee and Lorraine’s hearts, and how much of a difference it makes. People who have benefitted from The Lewis Foundation in the past now come to The Link Cafe to show their gratitude.
“A group of impacted ladies now have coffee and cake with us every Wednesday,” said Jayne. “They know what they’re paying for is going straight back into the charity. If you’re going to buy it anyway, why not support an amazing charity.”
An exciting development for The Lewis Foundation is the introduction of afternoon tea with live music Sunday sessions, which are being hosted weekly from The Link Cafe from the end of September.