A bit about us

Our chairman, John Anderson, has been involved with alleviating homelessness and poverty in Burton for many years before Burton Hope was founded. He collected food and distributed it to individuals and aid groups, helped with identity and housing documents, legal issues, healthcare and much more.

John’s wife Rachael and son Lewis became involved and the operation became known affectionately as Anderson Aid.  Rachael and Lewis are both on the Burton Hope committee.

John used to go out alone on outreach, taking food and clothing to places where homeless Burtonians slept, often into the early hours. Lewis joined him on many occasions. John admits it could be dangerous and at times very upsetting. He has witnessed homeless people dying on our streets, others being attacked, many illnesses and one man was even set on fire by mindless thugs. He often had to administer first aid. On one such outreach session during mid 2017 some upsetting experiences caused him to publish pictures onto social media. The pictures went viral. Helen Knight, a reporter from The Burton Mail asked if she could use the photos. 

The interest was so great that John used the momentum to call a meeting at The de Ferrers Academy at which Burton Hope was formed.

2023 was our busiest year yet; with the ever increasing need for our services, we had no choice but to expand to meet these demands. We took on our new premises, Crossley House, to provide us with a base and making us Burtons biggest and busiest food bank. We have a committed team of over 80 volunteers led by a team of 8 trustees and various coordinators, who oversee the operation.