Calderdale-based community charity concludes 21st anniversary with impact!
Local regeneration charity, Halifax Opportunities Trust (HOT), concluded its milestone 21st anniversary celebrations at its Big HOT Review of the year on 16th November 2023, revealing its impressive impact since launching in 2002.
To date, the Trust has created opportunities so over 50,000 local lives are better and has invested over £70million on place-based community projects. This has been made possible by working with around 200 local, regional and national partners so that over 100 contracts have been delivered through co-designed activities for local people, their families and businesses.
Alison Haskins, CEO of HOT, comments: “Our 2023 AGM and review of the year has been a great way to conclude our milestone 21st anniversary. We’re here so everyone has opportunities to grow and hearing about the experiences of our community through stories from the people we work alongside has motivated us further!
“We’ve created opportunities for 50,000 people so far and we’re committed to increasing this significantly in the next 21 years and beyond – our immediate and future plans are instrumental in ensuring this happens.”
The event, held at Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre, brought together staff, trustees, partners and members of the community to recognise the impactful work of HOT through a series of case story videos, presentations from delivery teams, and a makers-market hosted by participants and volunteers from various HOT groups.
Creating opportunities for 21 years
Alison adds: “In 21 years Halifax Opportunities Trust has become a well-respected community anchor in Calderdale and has stayed firmly rooted within Park ward. While we have evolved and our ambitions may have changed since official operations began, we remain focussed on our purpose for people to grow in a vibrant multicultural and self-sustaining community, with a new vision to create opportunities for a better life.
Halifax Opportunities Trust officially began operating in April 2002, continuing the legacy of the West Central Halifax Partnership, making 2023 the Trust’s official 21st birthday. It first set out to ‘fly the flag for regeneration’ with the ultimate goal of bringing positive change in Halifax. Today the Trust and it’s six delivery areas aim to do just that, creating opportunities for a better life, reaching around 1,700 people each day.
A commemorative video reel of case stories and a live scribe from the event will be available from the Halifax Opportunities Trust website over coming weeks. To learn more about HOT’s impact and its story so far, the ‘Creating Opportunities for 21 Years’ Impact report is now live.
View this here: https://halifaxopportunitiestrust.my.canva.site/hot-impact-2023 or download via the button below:
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More information about Halifax Opportunities Trust
We create opportunities for a better life. We’re people powered and community focused so individuals and families in Calderdale live as well as possible with practical support that builds skills, confidence and aspirations.