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Hope Week 17 - 22 August 2010
Published Monday 16th August 10
Hemmingwell’s week of family activities and community work starts on Tuesday 17 August and runs until Saturday 22 August.
The week, known as Hope Week, is run by Hemmingwell's Hope Project in partnership with Wellingborough Council and is based in Guillemot Lane.
The activities are open to all Hemmingwell residents and previous years have seen up to 200 children taking part each day. The cost of each day's activities is just £1 per person, although families with three or more children will only pay £3 in total for the day.
Each morning is spent taking part in community work, such as clearing pensioners' gardens or doing community litter picks. In the afternoons, the families can enjoy various activities such as the art zone where they can take part in craft workshops. There is a stage which each day sees activities such as street dance workshops, DJing, and performances from local talent. There are also team games and sports, where families compete on different teams to win points with prizes being given out on the Saturday. Tag rugby, and basketball and football coaching are also available.
The council offers financial and practical support to the residents throughout the week, helping with the litter picks, clearing the rubbish generated by the week, and offering tables and chairs free of charge. The council also helps with funding applications and the residents have successfully applied for several grants including £2,500 from the Money4Youth scheme, and a summer playscheme grant. Councillor Graham Lawman, a Hemmingwell councillor, has also added his £1,000 ward support money to the activities.
Maria Thomas, Wellingborough Council's Neighbourhood Development Coordinator, said: "This week is something the residents of Hemmingwell look forward to, and it gives them the opportunity to access activities they may not be able to enjoy otherwise. It brings the whole community together and gives them a sense of pride - this is shown by the fact that the community provides their own security for the event and none of the equipment ever goes missing from the marquees overnight. In past years antisocial behaviour and vandalism have been non-existence during the week and greatly reduced for weeks after. We are delighted to be working with the people of Hemmingwell to help them achieve such fantastic results for their community."