'Signing the pledge' really did work! Survey confirms lifelong impact of being a Band of Hope member
'Fun, friendship and faith' were key ingredients in influencing former members of the Band of Hope to stick with their decision to live a drug-free lifestyle. A recently published survey by Kettering-based drug education charity, Hope UK, has revealed that most people who joined the Band of Hope in childhood or youth, and 'signed the pledge' to abstain from alcohol, continued with that choice throughout their lives.
The impact of involvement with the most influential organisation within the largely Christian-led temperance movement of the 19th and early to mid 20th centuries, has been investigated in a survey of 65 former members.
Published in 2025, the survey invited former members and those with some contact in their childhood or youth to complete a questionnaire about their involvement with their local group, which was affiliated to the national body. It then explored the choices made throughout their lives regarding alcohol consumption and to a lesser extent, tobacco and other drug use.
Most participants were clear that their attitudes towards alcohol and smoking were influenced by their involvement in the Band of Hope; it was where they learned about alcohol and other drugs. For many youngsters, their local group was part of their church activities, and it helped them to grow in faith. A key motive for continuing with the group was enjoyment of the recreational activities offered – fun and friendship was a common theme and left a deeply embedded impression in the minds of people many decades on in their lives.
Within their local groups, young people received life skills training and developed leadership roles, which in turn boosted their self-esteem and self-confidence. Competitions, for example in public speaking and ‘temperance exams’ enabled young people to grow in knowledge and competence. Friendships formed were significant in maintaining drug-free choices in their youth and adulthood and in helping people to successfully manage peer pressure. The challenge of living a different lifestyle from their peers created lifelong bonds for some members – and led to romantic attachments for others!
The Band of Hope’s focus was mainly on the prevention of alcohol harms. According to the survey only 11% of former members currently drink alcohol, compared to 82.5%*of the general population. Those who do drink stay within the government guidelines for lower risk drinking. Only 8% of those surveyed said that they would have decided not to drink without the Band of Hope’s influence.
Former member Sandra shared vivid memories of her time as a ‘Temperence Queen’: “It gave me the opportunity to speak up for the movement and a way of life that I would encourage others to look at. I remember travelling to the Free Trade Hall in Manchester in my role... to speak to a rather large crowd! I was encouraged to write my own speeches and from there on I became a lay preacher in my church.”
Romance blossomed for Kevin and Jackie, who met through their involvement in the Youth Temperance Council, the youth wing of the Band of Hope.
“It was a very important and influential time of my life which continues to influence me to this day,” said Jackie.
Kevin explained: “The time spent involved with holidays, leading holidays, helping with exhibitions and the social side of meeting up with people at events were an essential part of my boyhood and youth.”
The Band of Hope may be credited with producing generations of citizens who went on to contribute positively to their communities and wider society.
In 1995, the Band of Hope changed its name to Hope UK, to better reflect the charity's role as a modern drug education and prevention organisation. Kettering was a thriving temperance town in the 19th century. In 2014 Hope UK moved its headquarters to 50, Gold Street, into the building that was once the home of the Kettering Temperance Society.