We are delighted to announce that four more Trustees have joined our Board. Their recruitment has added to the wealth of knowledge, skills and experience on our Board. Nick Thomson is a retired Civil Engineer and former President of the Rotary Club of Leicester. He has a history of raising funds for FOCUS from his…
July 2025 marked our third annual ‘FOCUS Does Summer’ Scheme. For the first two weeks of the Summer Holidays, we ran an exciting programme of free activity-days for young people aged 13-25. This year, 33 young participants joined us for free activities, trips, and even a residential stay. They were supported by 23 newly-trained adult…
On 19th June 2025, eleven teams joined us for a 6-a-side football tournament to raise funds for FOCUS. The Football FOCUS Fundraiser was born from the hugely-positive perception of our Walking Football tournament and fundraiser in 2023. Each team played out fantastic games at The Cedars Academy, Birstall to show their support for our work…
We are delighted to welcome two new members to our Board of Trustees. Priyanka Shah and Colin Roach bring a wealth of experience, knowledge and skills to FOCUS. We are delighted that they have, following our thorough selection procedure, agreed to join us. Like all of our trustees, Priyanka and Colin’s role involves ensuring that we meet our…
‘For the youth; by the youth’ On Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd February, FOCUS’ Leicestvial project turned Haymarket Shopping Centre into the LEICESTIVAL Festival – a vibrant celebration of young voices in Leicester. The event highlighted the importance of giving young people opportunities to express themselves through music, mental health awareness, and community engagement. LEICESTIVAL was born…
During the October Half-Term break, our Inspire project held its annual half-term scheme. The project’s young people – including some new faces – took part in four memorable days of activities. To make it even better, this year saw the return of the Inspire Residential at Beaumanor Hall. Led by a team of dedicated adult…
Catherine is team leader at a city centre restaurant, and this year will give birth to her first child. She took time to reflect on her FOCUS journey with us, which began in 2017. Catherine: “I found out about Inspire from my mate in school, who knew Gavan and Michelle [former Leicestival Assistant Manager] from…
Stephen is presently one of our most dedicated and long-standing adult volunteers. We sat down earlier this year to talk about his journey with FOCUS – from young beneficiary to volunteer today supporting other young people. “Before coming to FOCUS I hadn’t left the house. I struggled in college and school with bullying. I couldn’t…
“In 2023, my support worker at Leicester College, Wendy, handed me a leaflet about FOCUS and the Leicestival Project. She thought it may benefit me. I came to FOCUS for the first time in May. Since coming here I have learnt heritage skills such as researching festivals, film-making, and how to present correctly. I’ve also…
Darren McWilliams, Project Manager for Inspire, met with ‘Kaz’ to discuss her experiences with Inspire, FOCUS, our work and reflecting on what worked and the impact upon her life. Darren: “What did you think of the Inspire Project during your first few sessions?” Kaz: “At first, I thought it was boring…like, really boring. We’d do…
