Northampton charity that brings comfort and happiness to cancer patients nominated in national entrepreneur award

A Northampton-based charity has seen off thousands of applicants to be shortlisted as a finalist in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2022.

The Lewis Foundation has been recognised as one of the best charities in the UK in the highly acclaimed category, Entrepreneur for Good Award.

The charity – which provides free gifts to adult cancer patients across 15 hospitals in the Midlands – was selected out of more than 5,300 business and charity leaders from across the nation, and praised by the judges for having gifted over 75,000 support packs, the range of essential gifts they now source to meet the specific needs of individuals, and for delivering motivational and awareness-raising talks in schools and community groups.

Lorraine Lewis, co-founder of The Lewis Foundation, said: “We can’t believe it. This is an incredible achievement for our charity with the work we do to bring comfort and happiness to adults undergoing cancer treatment.

“We are up against some really worthwhile causes and the number of entries is just astonishing. We really are making a difference and gaining national recognition like this showcases that as we push towards helping more people.”

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, in partnership with Starling Bank, acknowledges and champions the hard work and uplifting stories of business and charity owners across the UK, with an emphasis on their journey and resilience over financial achievements.

Winners from previous years include Social Chain founder Steven Bartlett, who went on to become the youngest ever investor on BBC’s Dragon’s Den.

Founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, Francesca James, said: “The quality of applications is consistently excellent year on year, but we have been especially blown away by the innovation, drive and determination demonstrated this year. Shortlisting from so many inspiring contenders has been more challenging than ever, with many deserving cases put forward and an ever-growing business community thriving across the country.

“This year’s finalists should be so proud of what they’ve already achieved being shortlisted for an award. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the Finals and unveiling the winners!”

The announcement comes after a series of successes for The Lewis Foundation, with the charity striving to reach its rapid growth targets to support thousands more cancer patients UK-wide by 2027.

Lorraine added: “We’ve had a run of unbelievable other achievements lately. We hosted our biggest ever fundraiser in June, and West Northamptonshire Council have said they will fund our hub for 12 months – the space where we pack our gifts – which is a massive saving to our core costs as a charity, and means we can use the money we save to invest in other aspects of our work, like our community projects we are planning.

“The Northamptonshire Community Foundation have also announced they will be funding our gift packs for cancer patients staying in Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital too. We are making real strides towards making more impact.”

The Great British Entrepreneur winners will be announced at a Grand Final, held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on November 21.

For more information on The Lewis foundation – to sponsor, donate or volunteer – visit www.thelewisfoundation.co.uk