Behind the hard work carried out by The Lewis Foundation on behalf of cancer patients lies a host of positive stories of generosity, sustainability, community support and helping others.
The charity, founded in Northampton but now delivering to hospitals across the Midlands, provides gift packs to those undergoing cancer treatment, either as inpatients or outpatients.
The packs can include anything from a change of underwear and toiletries for those who have been taken into hospital with little warning, to magazines and puzzles for those facing long stays.
Inpatients are invited to choose from a list provided by The Lewis Foundation and the packs are made up and delivered to them in hospital. Outpatients can choose from a selection of gifts when they visit their hospital. Regular gift pack items include toiletries (including toothbrushes and toothpaste), underwear, eye masks and neck pillows, hard-boiled sweets, adult colour books and pencils, playing cards and board games.
Businesses and individuals support and fundraise for the charity on a regular basis, but key to its revenue stream are a retail outlet in the Grosvenor Centre in Northampton, and two coffee shops – one in the Northampton Museum and the other at the Elgar Community Centre in Upton.
The charity was started by Lorraine and Lee Lewis after Lee’s mother spent months in hospital being treated for cancer. Realising how much patients often needed essential items, or how welcome a new craft set or book was to while away the hours, Lee and Lorraine began fundraising.
“During the early years of the charity we met Barry Tong from Stephensons Online, who wanted to know more about what we were doing and what he could do to help,” said Lorraine. “He ended up donating £40,000 of end-of-line beauty products to help us fundraise. We started using them in tombolas and raffles, but there’s only so much of those you can do, and so we approached the Grosvenor Centre and asked if we could do a pop-up unit.”
The likes of Amazon and Synergy Retail on Brackmills followed Stephensons Online’s lead and began donating items, as did businesses that had unwanted stock that would otherwise be disposed of. All items are new and unused, often products found in high street stores, and food or drink products are well within their use-by dates, but on off er at the Lewis Foundation Outlet at a fraction of the price.
Such was the success of the pop-up shop that it became clear it could run full time and in 2023, the permanent Outlet store opened on the first floor of the Grosvenor Centre, selling all kinds of items, from beauty products and cleaning products to clothing, stationery, toys and children’s items, jewellery and accessories.
Lorraine said: “We can’t guarantee what brands we’ll have but customers who are looking for bargains on their favourites come in regularly to check what we have. With the cost-of-living crisis, people are looking to save money wherever they can and when they can pick up new and unused products at a fraction of the price, it’s a win-win for us and for them.
“We run it through some paid staff, plus volunteers and we also work with SEN schools to give young people with learning disabilities the chance to get experience working in retail.
“And it’s good for the environment. A lot of people are aware about waste and what happens to returned or unwanted items, and so it’s better to be putting them to good use. Businesses often contact us if they have stock they don’t need. Anyone with items we can use just needs to box them up or put them on a pallet and we’ll come and collect it free of charge.
“I’m really proud when I think how this charity, which came from such a simple concept, is part of so many positive things.”
Where food and drink items are supplied, they are used wherever possible in the charity’s coffee shops – mugs, coffee beans, tea and snacks have all been repurposed over the years – and where they can’t be, they go on sale in the shop.
Having started holding regular coffee mornings at the Elgar Community Centre, the charity was eventually asked to set up a regular coffee shop. Lee’s background is in hospitality and his experience in setting up and running coffee shops paid off in Upton and then last year when The Lewis Foundation successfully tendered to run the coffee shop in Northampton Museum.
“That was a big thing for us,” said Lorraine, “because we had to show we could run it properly and grow the business. It wasn’t an invitation to run it because we were a charity, we were up against other businesses in the tender process, but we won it.
“We had to show how we could develop it and now we run events such as afternoon teas with music, and we have a lot more things planned including Night in the Museum events with music, to get more people coming through the door and finding out more about Northampton’s fantastic museum.”
Find out more about The Lewis Foundation at their website here.
