Hope Street May 2024 Update

WE WELCOME A NEW HOPE STREET COMMUNITY DIRECTOR!

We are delighted to welcome Laura De Franco as Hope Street Community Director!

Originally from Nicaragua, Laura has lived in the UK for the last 16 years. Her academic background includes a double BA in Psychology and Criminology & Law Studies from Marquette University, a MSc in Criminal Justice Policy from The London School of Economics, and diploma in Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice from the Korean Legal Research & Training Institute. Laura also has a MSc in Business Management & Marketing from the University of Winchester.

In her early career, Laura served as Violence Prevention Advisor to the Nicaraguan Minister of Family Affairs and as a consultant in the development of a high-risk youth family programme. She also worked as a Social Peace Consultant for the Nicaraguan Ministry of Interior (equivalent to the UK Home Office).

Since moving to the UK, Laura has held a variety of roles with YMCA, Catch22 - where she held the operational responsibility of the “Through the Gate” resettlement service in Hampshire and Surrey, and Hestia. Before taking on the Community Director role at One Small Thing, Laura designed and developed The Lookout, a first of its kind crisis house in Hampshire offering 24/7 support in a recovery-based community environment.

We are looking forward to having Laura in our team, and excited about the wealth of expertise she can bring to Hope Street!

IN OTHER NEWS…

The garden at Hope Street has burst into life. During Spring our beautiful cherry blossoms have been in full bloom and we had daffodils sprouting up in the garden. As the weather gets warmer, we have been busy planting in our kitchen garden, which is an opportunity for women to learn horticultural skills, including growing fresh produce for our on-site cafe. At the moment we are growing fresh herbs, broad beans, tomatoes, squash, courgettes, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, chillis, and pumpkins. We also have dwarf apple, pear and plum trees on the go.

Watch this space for some beautiful fruit and veg this summer!


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