'Hope is alive and well'

Hope House, in the grounds of the beachside St John’s Church, has a vision of being a place “that our young people can call home and be proud of. A place where people have fun, develop friendships, explore, grow and share their faith.”

Radipole and Melcombe Regis parish leaders put in a bid when the building came onto the property market four years ago, and their vision is becoming a reality.

Reporting to a parish council meeting this week, the Revd Tom Coopey, Vicar of St John’s Church who has prime responsibility for the project, declared:

“The Hope House project is alive and well. The pandemic has certainly slowed down the pace of development and progress, but we are now in a position to take some significant steps forward.”

Having committed substantial church funds to buy the building, the management team needed to ensure they could undertake major renovative work to make it suitable for its numerous purposes.

They achieved this by renting out the four existing first floor rooms to local businesses and organisations, along with numerous group bookings for the ground floor meeting spaces that continue to expand.

One of the tenants, the Weymouth Area Development Trust, assumed management duties initially, but these devolved back to the parish last month (June 2021). This now requires the employment of a part-time caretaker, who will also have responsibility for drumming up more business revenue.

In addition, the PCC agreed to begin a recruitment search for a full-time Youth Worker to, in Tom Coopey’s words, “develop Hope House into the Parish’s hub of youth and community work that we have long envisaged,” hopefully beginning from September.

Summing up for the PCC, Tom said the aim was to create “a fun, friendly and supportive environment where young people’s faith is nurtured through discipleship, worship, mentoring and evangelistic groups and initiatives.”

This, he said, could include “regular drop in sessions, building relationships, working alongside children’s and family workers, health visitors, schools, local authority and other service providers in order to provide support and resources for families.”

Hope for the future, for Weymouth youth!