Local drug education charity steps back in time to celebrate 170 years

Kettering-based charity, Hope UK (formerly the Band of Hope) is celebrating 170 years of drug education by hosting a special historical event, on Thursday 22nd January 2026 at its Gold Street headquarters.

The audio-visual evening will give an insight into alcohol education through time – as it was during the decades when the temperance movement was at its height in the Victorian era and during the early 20th century, through to modern methods of delivering alcohol and drug education today. The evening will include an introduction to the magic lantern show, which was a forerunner to the age of cinema. Its popularity meant that these touring shows were a great way to promote sobriety and temperance values.

The Kettering Temperance Society, affiliated to the UK Band of Hope Union, was a significant and influential organisation in the town during the 19th century and historical documents relating to it will be on display, alongside other archive material from the Band of Hope.

The event will also host the book launch of ‘Prevention is better than Cure’, a history of the Band of Hope, written by John Lander and published by Austin Macauley. John will be at the event to sign copies of his book, which will be available for purchase at £10.99.

Spearheading a culture of sobriety

The Band of Hope became hugely influential and spearheaded a national movement to change attitudes towards alcohol consumption in the second half of the 19th century. But more importantly, although the Band of Hope in its original form no longer exists, the work continues. The organisation changed its name to Hope UK in 1995 and pivoted its focus towards drug prevention work.

Today Hope UK continues to offer relevant drug education to children and young people in keeping with its original purpose. Although there is some good news, in that youth drinking has declined steadily over recent decades, we are seeing worrying trends in the use of other substances by young people, including vapes and illegal drugs.

According to CEO Sarah Brighton, “We know that drugs affect every community – that’s why we are keen to reach out to churches, youth organisations and schools, because they need to equip children and young people with relevant skills and knowledge to make healthy choices, and ultimately, we hope, to choose drug-free lives.”

Hope UK’s audio-visual history evening takes place from 3.30-5.30pm or 6.00-8.00pm on Thursday 22nd January 2026 at 50, Gold Street, Kettering. Anyone interested in attending can book at https://hopeuk.org/events - tickets cost £10 (£5 concessions).

Hope UK offers a wealth of drug education resources, many of which are freely available on its website.