Northampton charity excited for first ever fun day and says six months of community cafe has been a success

An event to look out for this weekend is The Lewis Foundation’s first fun day of this kind – with all money raised being invested in the work of the charity.

The Lewis Foundation plays an important role across Northampton, by providing free gift packs and support to adults going through cancer treatment in hospitals across the Midlands.

This Saturday (June 17), the charity welcomes everyone to join them at The Elgar Centre in Upton for games, a mini pop up shop, a raffle, inflatable slides, and their coffee shop will be open.

Taking place from 12pm until 4pm, The Lewis Foundation’s chief executive Lorraine Lewis hopes the community will join the team for the first event of this kind – which they have wanted to put into action for quite some time.

With The Elgar Centre having been the base of their cafe since the start of the year and where the majority of their events are held, Lorraine wants the day to not only raise vital funds but awareness of the work they do among the community.

“This year the cost of living crisis has made it difficult for people to donate in the way they usually would,” said Lorraine. “But people want to support as much as they can.

“They could purchase a drink in our coffee shop, or take part in the raffle or tombola. You will be supporting us by coming along on Saturday.

“We want to provide alternative ways to support without the pressure.”

Talking about the importance of bringing the community together for events like these, Lorraine says it is a “lonely process” for the cancer patients they support.

“Knowing there are people thinking of them keeps them going mentally and physically,” she said.

Saturday will also be an opportunity for members of the community, particularly in Upton and Duston, to get to know one another and meet people they know they can reach out to.

For those who may not be able to support financially, spreading the word about The Lewis Foundation in the workplace may lead to additional support from businesses.

This could also encourage products to be donated that can be sold in the charity’s pop up shops and new volunteers to reach out – as the charity is always looking for help from willing individuals.

Since opening their cafe at The Elgar Centre at the start of the year, Lorraine says things have been “going really well”.

They now have a number of regular customers and it gives the patients they help the opportunity to meet the team behind the charity.

“It has been nice for the community to have something local where they know everything goes back into the charity,” said Lorraine.

The Lewis Foundation has continued to host their pop up shops twice monthly in the Grosvenor Centre, with businesses generously donating their surplus stock for them to sell.

This enables customers to purchase items they already planned to buy, but knowing the money is helping adult cancer patients.

The Lewis Foundation’s Water Dash five kilometre fun run is also making an exciting return for its second year this July.

For more information on The Lewis Foundation’s upcoming events and how you can get involved, visit the charity’s website here.