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About Us

Two Sites. One Hope.

Life & Hope

The Hope Centre, St Helens is a multifaceted charity hub of support, advocacy & practical support. We are dedicated to serving those in our community who are most in need through our various projects, courses and training opportunities and as we continue to grow, we do all we can to help as many people as we can.

Find information on all our services & projects using the buttons below.

mission

Bring life and hope to our community through various social action projects and courses.

vision

Change the landscape and culture of St Helens by bringing about genuine hope to people’s lives.

Aim

Be a voice, light & place of safety for those who need us, when they need us most.

Projects
Courses

Hope Centre

The Hope Centre is our main base site. We run our admin for our projects from here as well as accepting physical donations to our projects. St Helens Foodbank central admin is also based in our building.

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Hope House

Hope House is our homelessness drop in centre, located in the Town Centre. Hope House is available as a support and advocacy service to those who are homeless or at risk of homelessnes.

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“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

Desmond Tutu

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear.

Hope Centre

The Hope Centre is the central base of operations for many projects including Baby Basics, Foodbank, Make Lunch, Breathe and IT Courses.

The projects from the Hope Centre are extensive and varied but all with one key ingredient that binds them together. Bringing hope is the root of what drives what Hope Centre do on a daily basis. Below is a list of current projects, please click on each one for more information.

Baby Basics is a project that supports new mums who may be struggling with some essential supplies, such as a moses basket with clothes and essential toiletries.

The Breathe Course helps people who are struggling with mild/moderate mental health issues in building confidence. Find our more on our courses page, here.

Foodbank provides emergency food packages for those in need. These packs contain enough food for 3 days meals.

Make Lunch is a holiday hunger programme that is hosted at The Hope Centre, and provides a hot meal and activities to families during the School Holidays.

Our Digital Skills Courses help to develop and grow IT skills from beginner to intermediate levels to aid CV’s for job seekers. Starting with the basics, we also run an add on service looking at Microsoft products.

Hope House

Hope House exists to support those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in St Helens by providing advice, advocacy and support.

Hope House is a drop in service running Monday – Sunday every week and also providing holiday provision.

It provides a basic needs and personal care service for local homeless and those at risk of homelessness and offers advice, advocacy and support to support those in need. Our aim is to move our service users towards independence and help them reach their personal goals, ranging from; accessing food, personal care, benefits and accommodation.

  • Tenancy Support
  • Correspondence address - for those of no fixed abode
  • IT Access & Help with Online Benefits
  • Access to Phone Calls
  • Support to complete documentation
  • Advocacy support – including support to appointments
  • Signposting or referral to partners agencies and other specialist organisations
  • Proof of Identification Service

Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future

Bringing Life & Hope Since 2004

Our History

Since 2004, the Hope Centre has provided high quality support and training for those most removed from society. The charity grew out of a church initiative to support people challenged by unemployment, skills shortages and social deprivation and have provided courses, advice and guidance to hundreds of people in the borough. We were a major recipient of ESF funding which enabled us to provide training, advice and support to the unemployed.

In 2006, our work grew to include the town’s only soup kitchen, supporting the homeless in the centre of the town. Since then the service has been developed and transformed into a fully functioning drop in centre. ‘Hope House’ now provides a basic needs service with food and personal care alongside advice, advocacy and support, creating a safe space for those who are homeless and at risk of homelessness. Hope House is often the first point of reference for those who need it, giving us the opportunity to signpost people to engage with other agencies, treatment services and other community support in the borough.

Meet the Team Meet the Trustees

Angela Metcalfe

Project Director

It was Angela’s vision that brought the Hope Centre to life in 2004. She loves that each team member serves the clients with an open heart and without judgement. Her greatest joy is knowing that we make a real difference to those who need our support.


She loves nothing better than sitting in the garden with a good book.

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Sarah McDonagh

Development & Quality Manager

Finding herself at a loose end 6 years ago Sarah started volunteering at the foodbank, a year later she joined Hope Centre staff and is now Development & Quality Manager and loves the many challenges the role brings


Outside of work, she is never happier than when she’s knitting or pottering in the garden

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Janice Macleod

Foodbank Team Leader

Janice has worked at the foodbank for the past 8 years and attends the Christian Life Centre Church, of which the Hope Centre is a part.

Janice is married with 3 children and one grandchild and in her free time, I enjoy walking my dog, gardening and reading.

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Beryl Barton

PA & Project Lead

Beryl’s journey began by volunteering at the Hope Centre and in 2002 when she became a staff member.  Beryl is the PA to Hope Centre Director and Project Coordinator for both Baby-Basics & Make Lunch.

Beryl love seeing each filled Moses basket, as it shows a new addition to our community is being blessed and is so rewarding seeing families get the support they need.

Beryl enjoys holidays, card making and knitting.

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Sophie O'Neill

Foodbank Volunteer Coordinator

I started volunteering at the foodbank in March 2020 and was delighted when an opportunity arose to formally join the team.


I now help run the five foodbanks across St Helens, making sure the volunteers are as happy as they can be!

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Sarah Barton

Hope House Manager

Sarah manages the team at Hope House who support people who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness.

Sarah is also the Safeguarding Officer for the Hope Centre.

She enjoys reading and sewing.

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Rachael Connolly

Hope House Support Worker

Rachael is a support worker at Hope House, supporting service users to apply for housing and benefits, and access mental health and drug and alcohol services. She also runs The Hope Centre’s social media accounts.

In her spare time, Rachael enjoys going to gigs and festivals.

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Lisa Cheshire

Hope House SUPPORT WORKER

Lisa has worked as a support worker at Hope House for over 10 years and believes that working with the homeless is not just a job, it is a vocation.

Lisa loves soul and Jazz music, dancing and going to live gigs. Her family are her world.

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Miles Cheshire

Administrator (Hope House)

Miles is a University of Liverpool graduate, with a passion for helping others and improving the experiences of those around him, in the workplace and in his personal life.

In four years’ time Miles aims to hold a PhD in Philosophy.

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Philip Fell

Chair of Trustees

Philip has a background in nursing, with 2 years nursing leprosy patients in Africa (Congo), before moving back to the UK to nurse and teach nursing students until 1998.

Philip became senior minister of CLC in 2002, and with Angela Metcalfe, set up the Hope Centre that year, becoming Chair of Trustees on the charity’s incorporation in 2004 continuing to date.

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Jonathan Cooper

Trustee for Business Development

Jon is a Business graduate, and has fulfilled senior positions for several blue-chip organisations including Pilkington and Tyco, where I have led the drive to achieve improvement in business performance.

Jon has been married for over 30 years and three children and four grandchildren.

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Craig Lawrenson

Trustee

Craig is the Senior Leader of St Helens CLC and has a  passion for the town of St Helens and value greatly the work of the Hope Centre as they serve our town.

He is married with two children and loves mountain walking and cooking. 

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Tom Kelly

TRUSTEE

Tom is retired, after a career as an external auditor. He is committed to his local community and giving something back, particularly in the financial arrangements of the Hope Centre. He hopes his contribution to the Charity helps in its provision of direct help and in showing the love of Christ.

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Julia Webster

TRUSTEE

Julie is currently working for the Stroke Association, following on from 17 years at Age Concern St Helens and was also involved with the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Just Finance initiative and was responsible for the project across the Diocese of Liverpool.

Julia is married to the long-suffering Keith and have two sons, Daniel and James, a lovely daughter-in-law Siobhan and a slightly bonkers dog called Lottie.

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Hope Centre

  • The Hope Centre
    Atherton Street
    St Helens, WA10 2DT
  • 01744 26414
  • info@hopecentre.org.uk
HOURS

Hope House

  • Hope House, 103 Church St, St Helens, WA10 1AJ
  • 01744 20032
  • info@hopecentre.org.uk
Hours

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The Hope Centre.

Bringing life and hope to our community.

The Hope Centre is registered in England and Wales as a Registered Charity No. 1103903 and a Company Limited by Guarantee No. 5089663.

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Hope Centre Hope House
Day Time
Monday 9:00am - 4:00pm
Tuesday 9:00am - 4:00pm
Wednesday 9:00am - 4:00pm
Thursday Closed
Friday 9:00am - 4:00pm
Saturday/Sunday Closed
The Hope Centre, Atherton Street, St Helens, WA10 2DT
Day Time
Monday 9:00am - 8:00pm
Tuesday 9:00am - 7:00pm
Wednesday 9:00am - 7:00pm
Thursday 9:00am - 8:00pm
Friday 9:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday 9:00am - 1.30pm
Sunday 9:00am - 1.30pm
Hope House, 103 Church Street, St Helens, WA10 2DT
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