New film Fresh Hope premiered for 3,000 Hope Street residents
30 November 2007
This week3,000 residents of Hope Streets across the UK in locations from Aberdeen to Winchester received a personal invitation to the on-line premier of Fresh Hope- a new film put together by Watering Can Media who have previously produced films for Vodafone, O2,and Channel Four.
This is all part of a new website based project www.hopeinfo.co.uk created by Church Army and the Christian Enquiry Agency as a focus for a year long conversation with the public about what it means to live hopefully. In what is believed to be the first project of this kind, the hopeinfo site acts as the national public face of the Hope 2008 initiative launched earlier this year. It is backed by the leaders of all the major churches in Britain and Ireland.The project also has a presence on You Tube Fresh Hope and Facebook (link to hopeinfo page) websites.
The 3,000 Hope Street residents have also been asked to express their hopes for the coming year by text, email or post.Hope Street residentswere encouraged to be creative and send in words, poetry, art work or even short movies describing their hopes and dreams.
The initiative was welcomed by the Bishop of Liverpool James Jones, whose own Cathedral is located on Hope Street. The Bishop comments; "The Christian Gospel is all about Hope, and here in Liverpool with our two cathedrals located at either end of Hope Street we want to be a beacon for that hope. I am delighted that over 3,000 residents of Hope Streets right across the UK will be asked about their hopes for the coming year by this initiative.Church Army and the Christian Enquiry Agency have developed an imaginative project and I wish www.hopeinfo.co.uk every success in generating a year-long conversation about what it means to live hopefully."
Visitors to the site ,which islaunched on 1st December to coincide with the beginning of Advent, will also have the opportunity to test their "hopefulness score" and sign up for "Secrets of Hope" – a weekly email designed to help peopledevelop a more optimistic outlook about the future.
The site was the idea of Gareth Squire Director of the Christian Enquiry Agency who says, "We want hopeinfo.co.uk to be a central place of inspiration and information about the faith that drives Christians to serve their communities - but equally importantly, we want it to be a place where people of all faiths and none can express their hopes and dreams and engage in a conversation about the true nature of hope."
David Coleman Church Army's Communications Manager who is a partner in the project adds; "Everyone hopes for something and this projects is designed to start where people are and encourage as many people as possible to share their hopes."
More information about the project can be found from 1st December at www.hopeinfo.co.uk
