Meet The Team
Louise, Nicola, Lindsey, Claire and our FocusFamily of volunteers
Louise Reed
CEO & Founder
Our CEO and founder Louise Reed was inspired to begin Focus4Hope in 2016, after seeing devastating images of the body of a 3 year old Syrian boy named Alan Kurdi, who washed up on a beach in Turkey. He and two other members of his family tragically drowned during an attempt to flee to safety. Hearing his story was even more emotionally resonant because of the fact that Louise’s daughters were around the same age as Alan at the time. She knew that she had to do something to help those impacted by the refugee crisis, and so Focus4Hope was born.
Louise brought together a coalition of friends and professional contacts who were dedicated to making a meaningful impact on people’s lives. Soon after setting to work, Louise realised how much need there was in her own community, and the goal of Focus4Hope expanded to helping the homeless, elderly and vulnerable in West Yorkshire.
After years of tirelessly working in our community and beyond, we were thrilled to receive charity status in November of 2020.
Nicola Freemantle
Hub Manager & Crisis Intervention Support Worker
Originally from Kent, Nic moved to Yorkshire in 2001 and her big heart and straight forward, ‘say it as it is personality’, means that she quickly earned the moniker of “Honorary Yorkshire Woman.’ Her passion has always been to help, whether animals or humans. She worked as a veterinary nurse for fifteen years and then, after taking time out to have a family, joined Focus4Hope.
It’s not been an easy ride for Nic, having faced domestic violence, bankruptcy and being in a situation where she has also needed a food bank and debt assistance. However, this means that she understands, is empathetic but also practical and is the perfect person to assist and advise anyone facing similar difficult circumstances.
Her story is an inspiration. When not keeping us all in check, she’s a mum’s taxi to her three children, loves music, coffee, horses, dogs and a bit of a boogie on a Saturday night!
Lindsey Thompson
Crisis Intervention Support Worker
Lindsey began as a volunteer with the Charity, helping at events and in the social supermarket but recently became our newest support worker at the community hub and has taken the lead with our fundraising events.
Lindsey has a keen interest in mental health and helping people improve their lives, having been through her own mental health recovery journey in previous years.
She is married and is the proud mum of two, not so little children. Spends a lot of her spare time walking with her dog Russell and probably drinking too much coffee.
Claire Price
Replenish Manager
Certified fashion addict Claire fell into the role of Shop Manager at Replenish by accident, but quickly discovered it was the opportunity life had been leading her towards!
As an experienced thrifter and interior stylist, Claire is well accustomed to spotting a trending style or creating a copycat magazine look from thrifted or preloved goods. She prides herself on her ability to turn unwanted cast offs into one of a kind outfits and has transformed her own home and wardrobe by replacing fast fashion fixes with unique and sustainable style choices.
Creating a cool and contemporary charity boutique has been a joy for Claire, along with her dedicated team of volunteers, who now get to treasure hunt on a daily basis. The team, along with their growing community of conscious shoppers, help to Replenish essential funds for FocusHope, priding themselves on turning clothes into kindness.
When she is not scouring thrift stores, Claire loves to indulge her passion for creative writing and was excited to launch her first children’s book, Busy Wizzy in 2023. She also loves music gigs, theatre trips and watching her sons play football.
The Volunteers
All of the important work that we accomplish is made possible by our fabulous team of volunteers, and we are so grateful to work with them all. Whether offering a couple of hours a day, week or month, assisting at the Hub, collecting supplies, working in Replenish our charity shop, at our bi monthly homeless feeds, coffee mornings and beyond, their assistance always accompanied by a cheerful smile, is invaluable.
Our volunteers came up with the moniker, FocusFamily and we are!
If you would like to join the FocusFamily sign up on our volunteer page.
*All of our volunteers are DBS checked and hold Food Hygiene Certificates where required.
