University students raise more than £5,000 for Northampton Hope Centre

Northampton Hope Centre which tackles homelessness and hardship has received a £5,165 boost following a fund-raising fun day at Rushden Lakes this month organised by students from the University of Northampton (UON).

The three students, Hope Staines, Caitlyn Kemp-McKee and Denys Garcia are about to graduate with degrees in Event Management and International Tourism Management and wanted to gain some valuable hands-on experience while giving something back to the community before they end their courses.

The two-day event (Saturday 13 and 14 April) featured local performers: Leah Parris and her Theatrical Arts group, Step N Grooves street dance company, the Nene Valley Community Band, Northampton Ukulele Group, KOS Musical Theatre Company alongside games, displays and prize giveaways.

Hope, who was the group leader for the Fun Day said: “All three of us are from Northamptonshire so we have a lot to thank the county for and really wanted to give something back before we venture off into our careers.

“The Hope Centre does amazing work within the community and beyond and we are so grateful to have been able to raise such useful funds for this amazing charity, all thanks to our amazing attendees and stall holders.

“With its central location and big sporting venues like Silverstone, the Saints and the Cobblers, Northamptonshire is a centre for events and events management. And at UON we’ve had lots of chances to take work placements and get the real-life experience employers are looking for.

“A massive thank you to Rushden Lakes for trusting us to host our event at their amazing venue, and thank you to the University of Northampton, specifically Claire Leer (Senior Lecturer in Events Management & Tourism) for her time and guidance within our whole University careers.”

Claire said: “I am immensely proud of Hope, Caitlyn and Denys. This event was assessed as part of their capstone final year project. It was so personally rewarding to observe them putting the skills and knowledge gained on the course into practice. They complete their degree as true event professionals.”

Ivna Reic, UON’s Head of Events, Tourism & Hospitality, said: “’Our events, tourism and hospitality programmes at the University of Northampton are highly applied and offer students invaluable opportunities to gain industry relevant experience throughout their studies.

“We are very grateful to all of our industry partners who enable us to provide such practical opportunities for our students to explore and appreciate the intersection between academic theory and industry practice, making them highly skilled for industry roles they aspire to.”

To find out more about Events, Tourism and Hospitality course, visit the UON website.