Lewis Foundation in Northampton gets almost £6,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund

The Lewis Foundation's charity hub in Northampton is set to get a facelift after the National Lottery Community Fund awarded them £5,990.

The foundation sources, packages and hand delivers free gifts and support packs to adult cancer patients in hospital every week. This includes items the patients might find difficult to buy themselves or simply cannot afford.

Recently, the charity obtained a new hub with funding from the People's Postcode Lottery, marking a major step forward for the foundation.

Lorraine Lewis is the co-founder of the Lewis Foundation along with her husband, Lee. She said that the hub was the first place the charity could call 'home' and they use as their base, but it felt like an 'empty shell' since they never had such a space before.

So, after some costings, the charity applied to The National Lottery (TNL) for funding and were delighted by the result.

Lorraine said: "It was amazing news for us when we found out we had been successful.

"This will create a hub for us that will fully support us in doing our work and make it a great space to work from for all those who attend.

"We wanted to create a welcoming space that would bring the community together to help others during their cancer journey. Receiving this fund will help us to do this.

"We will be able to upgrade our heating, decorate the walls, install nice flooring, which we currently don't have, in addition to things such as a coffee machine and fridge. We are excited to see when it is finished.

"Our charity is passionate about not only helping people through cancer treatment, but bringing people together. That is why the fund from The National Lottery Community fund is so important to us. We are proud to continue to make a difference to others in our community through the work we do."

This contribution to the Lewis Foundation makes up just some of the reported £30 million raised from the National Lottery, which The National Lottery Community Fund distributes using local funding teams based in communities across the UK, including Northamptonshire.

Claire Jopling, senior head of regional funding for the Midlands at The National Lottery Community Fund, added: “We’re delighted to be supporting The Lewis Foundation Hub to create a welcoming community space, where local people and volunteers can come together to create care packages for adults undergoing cancer treatment.

"Thanks to National Lottery players, the local community will be able to build friendships and connections, boosting their mental wellbeing, as well as access training and volunteering opportunities so they can learn new skills.

"We look forward to seeing the positive impact this funding will have on the lives of people in Northampton, supporting them to prosper and thrive.”

If anyone is thinking of also applying to TNL, they can visit the website here.

The Lewis foundation is also looking for business and corporate partners to sponsor and support their work. For more information, visit their website.