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Mey
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HOPE 2017 was an outstanding success. Between July 30th and August 6[th ] 300 children and 106 volunteers experienced an action packed week filled with Faith, Fun and Friendship. HOPE started back in January and the HOPE 2017 year ends with tonight’s meeting. After the launch of the website, designed by Piotr Zietala, we had 200 enrolled in 10 minutes.
HOPE COMMITTEE
Our committee met regularly. Attendance was extremely good. We kept the meetings short and we always started on time. The talent of this group cannot be underestimated. The positivity and dedication of this committee drove HOPE 2017. WE were able to organise a number of successful parish events which were well attended and good fundraisers. The Voice at Christmas was a huge success and tickets were sold out in hours.
I cannot thank the committee enough for all their work and support.
FUNDRAISERS
Family Bingo A huge success. Always well attended
Duck Race TA large crowd came along to the Country Park for the races.
Golden Guttie Succesful but a drop in numbers this year
Friends Of HOPE. Hugely successful with over 40 local businesses lending their financial support
INCLUSION
HOPE attracts children from every school in the area and from all socio economic backgrounds. Keeping the entrance fee low makes the programme accessible to all. The volunteers come from all age groups and a variety of backgrounds. We had 5 autistic children in HOPE this year and we had the expertise on site to give them a memorable week.
GRANTS
This year we were only able to access grants from the council (approx. £700) and a £1000 Community Grant from HSBC
HOPE Week
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The Faith Formation was well planned and delivered with enthusiasm. Fr Philip, Mattie and Ursula gave their testimonies. The confession session was excellent.
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Our launch night was superb, the two guest speakers set the tone for the week
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The sports top was beautiful and the support for Action For Hunger was well received within the community.
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All activities went as planned and all were very successful.
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The new activities went down well especially Call Of Duty. The planning that went into this event was incredible. The tented Village was also very successful.
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Drama was very well organised and the Talent Show benefitted from this.
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Our excursion day was brilliant. Foyle Atena was a new addition and the older children really enjoyed this.
Volunteers Special mention must go to our volunteers. Over 106 signed up this year and their boundless enthusiasm, talent and good humour made HOPE 2017 the success it was. Over 40 of our volunteers have a recognised First Aid Accredited Qualification.
Gift Aid
This year we managed to get Gift Aid Status. This is an area we can explore fully in the future.
GOING FORWARD
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HOPE is the envy of every parish in the diocese. Other parishes are taking notice and some will be keen to take on the project. The Charter we established last year remains key. Parishes must follow this charter to be able to use the name and the logo.
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HOPE 2018 proposed dates would be July 31[st] – August 6[th]
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Our mantra for next year is It Can Only Get Better. We cannot get any bigger. Next year we could easily provide 3 choices each day and have FoyleHover for all kids. We need both schools to do this.