Earlier this year, a number of Creating Tomorrow sites came together to begin an inspiring partnership with The Lewis Foundation, a Northamptonshire-based charity that delivers free gift packs to adult cancer patients in hospital.

The Lewis Foundation was founded on the belief that everyone deserves comfort, dignity, and kindness during one of life’s most challenging journeys. By providing gift packs filled with practical items and treats, the charity brings moments of relief and connection to people living with cancer. Their work has touched thousands of lives, and now, our learners are proud to be part of that mission.

Why Community Inclusion Matters to Us

At Creating Tomorrow Trust, community involvement isn’t just an “add-on” — it’s at the heart of what we do. Partnerships like this give our young people real-world experiences that build confidence, skills, and independence, while also showing them that they can make a difference in the lives of others.

Through this project, learners have gained valuable employability skills such as teamwork, planning, and communication, while also strengthening independence through budgeting, cooking, and digital skills. More importantly, they’ve seen first hand the power of kindness, empathy, and social responsibility.

How the Partnership Began

The journey started with a visit to The Lewis Foundation’s warehouse, where staff learnt about the charity’s operations and explored opportunities for our learners to get involved. Each site then took away an individual action plan to work towards fundraising ideas to develop learner-led fundraising plans and pitched their ideas to The Lewis Foundation for feedback.

A Community Effort in Action

Each school embraced the challenge with creativity and determination, and last term we saw:

• Daventry Hill School held a bake sale and silent auction at their on-site café. We also welcomed support from local Daventry Mayor Cllr Katie Thurston to the day.

• Creating Tomorrow College hosted a community event at Chester House Estate, complete with stalls, games, and a raffle. 

Later this year you will see more planned activities to show our ongoing support to The Lewis Foundation.

Together, learners have raised over £600 supporting over 200 people, ensuring that even more patients benefit from The Lewis Foundation’s gift packs.

Looking Ahead

This partnership is just the beginning. With plans already forming for future events and activities, our collaboration with The Lewis Foundation will continue to grow, providing more opportunities for our learners to gain meaningful experiences while giving back to the community.

We’ll be sharing more updates in the coming months, but one thing is certain: together, we are creating change. By working hand in hand with local charities and community groups, we can empower young people, enrich their education, and make a real difference to those who need it most.

Creating Tomorrow Fundraising Day in aid of The Lewis Foundation - JustGiving