Ipswich drive-in movie goers raise funds to tackle homelessness

Ipswich drive-in movie goers raise funds to tackle homelessness

Ipswich Drive in For Hope, which took place on Friday 9 October, raised over one thousand pounds to tackle homelessness. 

The event was held to mark the launch of new charity Hopestead which aims to end homelessness in the East of England;

The charity – established by Flagship Group – has already delivered an initiative awarding over £350k to 700 families at risk of losing their homes.

 An Ipswich drive in cinema event has raised funds to help tackle homelessness.

The event – which saw family favourite ‘The Greatest Showman’ shown – took place to mark the launch of Hopestead, the new charity from Flagship Group with the aim of ending homelessness in the East of England.

Marie-Claire Delbrouque, Managing Director of Hopestead said: “This was such a positive event that brought people together – safely – to not only enjoy a much-loved movie, but raise funds too as we launch our new charity.

“We are so grateful for the support and generosity of everyone who came along: simply by watching a movie, you have helped us to tackle homelessness.

Although this weekend marked its official launch, Hopestead began an initiative earlier this year, offering support to Flagship Group customers during the pandemic when it became clear that Covid-19 had the potential to increase homelessness.

Hopestead has since awarded in excess of £350k to support nearly 700 families who might be at risk of losing their homes. Some of those who received this support shared their stories in a moving film which was also shown at the Drive in for Hope on Friday.

Marie-Claire Delbrouque explained: “Now more than ever we are seeing people at risk of losing their homes. Doing nothing is not an option for us and we feel we have a fundamental responsibility to tackle this problem in our region.

Which is why we have launched Hopestead. We believe everyone deserves a place to call home. We want to end homelessness in the East of England

“This is an ambitious goal. But by tackling the causes of homelessness and working in partnership with likeminded organisations already working hard to eradicate homelessness, we believe we can achieve this together.”

 Claire Staddon, Chief Executive of Emmaus Suffolk said: “We were excited to be invited to join the celebration for Hopestead in Ipswich at their amazing drive in Cinema event. We took our residents to experience not just the film but the whole experience. They were overwhelmed with the professionalism and generosity of the whole thing.

“Emmaus Suffolk is deeply impressed with Hopestead’s extraordinary focus and intentions regarding homelessness in the Eastern region. Working together in partnership, focusing on kindness, will enable us all to deliver this ambition and make real change to those whom most need it.”

Patsy Johnson-Cisse  of Fresh Start New Beginnings commented: “It was my first drive-in and I was so pleased to be invited. It was a great way to introduce the charity to people, and the actual messaging about Hopestead really brought home to us what they will be doing.

“We are really excited about working with Hopestead in the future. I believe they are going to help by not only preventing people becoming homeless but getting people off the streets too. I believe our relationship with Hopestead will be really quite special.”

 The Ipswich Drive-In for Hope was mirrored by a similar drive-in movie showing in Norwich on 10 October which raised over two thousand pounds. With donations across both sites, the total raised to tackle homelessness in the East of England over the weekend was nearly £4,000.

Find out more about Hopestead by visiting there website 

 

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