
First People - Woodhall Community Centre – A New Hub for Community Resilience and Inclusion
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About our cause
About First People CIC
First People is a Community Interest Company (CIC) dedicated to supporting individuals who have experienced homelessness, substance misuse, and involvement with the criminal justice system. Based in Hatfield, we currently support over 80 men as they rebuild their lives with dignity, purpose, and hope.
We believe everyone deserves a second chance, and that recovery begins with stable housing. Our trauma-informed approach respects each individual’s pace and potential. We empower people to overcome stigma, rebuild trust, and strive towards their personal goals — without judgement or rigid expectations.
Our Evolving Role in the Community
In recent years, we have expanded beyond our core housing and rehabilitation support to provide:
Free general counselling to local residents, delivered by trained practitioners.
Specialist support for men who have experienced domestic abuse — either directly or through childhood trauma — and those at risk of repeating harmful behaviours.
Therapeutic work with historic perpetrators to help them recognise, take responsibility for, and change their behaviours.
This work is essential in breaking cycles of trauma and exclusion, and in promoting safer, more resilient communities.
Current Initiative: The Hatfield Community Garden
We are currently developing a community garden in Hatfield, designed and built by our clients. It will offer a welcoming space for residents to gather, chat, and grow together — reducing social isolation and tackling the stigma surrounding homelessness and mental health. The garden is already sowing the seeds of connection and recovery.
Our Vision: Woodhall Community Centre
To take our mission further, we now seek funding to purchase and transform Woodhall Community Centre in Welwyn Garden City. This building presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a permanent, inclusive hub that serves the whole community.
Our vision for Woodhall Community Centre includes:
Affordable co-working spaces to support local enterprise
Older people’s clubs to combat loneliness
Budgeting and cookery sessions for life skills and wellbeing
Youth and adult learning spaces offering support with education and employment
A welcoming drop-in advice centre and community café
Continuation of our core mental health and counselling services
Collaborative delivery with local agencies to offer a joined-up, one-stop-shop for support
This new hub will be created with the community, for the community. Should our bid be successful, we will invite local residents to share their ideas, needs, and talents to shape what the centre becomes.
Our Commitment
As a non-profit CIC, all surplus we generate is reinvested into community services — enabling us to support more people, more effectively. We do not seek profit. We seek transformation.
Why We Need Your Help
First People already plays a vital role in the local community — but we believe it’s time to grow.
With your support, we can secure Woodhall Community Centre and offer more support, more space, and more opportunities to those who need it most.
This is about more than a building. It’s about creating a centre of belonging, empowerment, and recovery for generations to come.
🙏 Please help us make this vision a reality.
Thank you for your support — and your belief in second chances.
Next draw prizes
£25,000 jackpot
Next draw
Sat 2 August 2025
Draw results
£25,000 Jackpot
- Winner! Mx H (Welwyn Garden City) Won 3 extra tickets!
- Winner! Mr L (Stevenage) Won 3 extra tickets!
- Winner! Ms M (Hatfield) Won 3 extra tickets!
- Winner! Mx M (Welwyn Garden City) Won 3 extra tickets!
- Winner! Ms S (Welwyn Garden City) Won 3 extra tickets!
- Winner! Ms G (Welwyn Garden City) Won 3 extra tickets!
- Winner! Mr R (Welwyn Garden City) Won 3 extra tickets!
Mr S was selected at random and won a £1,000 Sainsbury's eGift Card
How the lottery works
£1 per ticket
That's right, unlike many other lotteries, our lottery tickets are only £1 per week.
Help us do more
For every ticket you play 80.0% goes to good causes and prizes.
£25,000 jackpot prize
Match all 6 numbers and you win the JACKPOT!
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