More than 300 people gathered to mark homelessness charity New Hope’s 25th anniversary with a birthday celebration service at St Mary’s parish church in Watford.

Following the charity’s theme of 2015, “Together, we are New Hope”, the focus for the evening was celebrating and thanking the different groups which make up the New Hope team.

The service was a time to celebrate the hundreds of lives transformed through the work of New Hope and to remember those who have passed away.

It featured a video including footage from the official launch in 1990, a drama which told the stories of three service users, times for worship and remembrance and an address by the Bishop of St Albans the Rt Rev Alan Smith.

New Hope chief executive Matthew Heasman said: “It was so wonderful to see so many people come together to celebrate 25 years of New Hope.

“St Mary’s was such an apt venue, as it was here, over 25 years ago, that Janet Hosier and Sheila Meaning met and were called to help the men and women they saw around St Mary’s who were homeless.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been a part of the New Hope team, whether staff-member, volunteer, supporter or service user, over the past 25 years, and to thank everyone who played a part in the celebration service.”

A collection was taken during the service, which raised £3,271.88 for the work of New Hope.

A further £300 was raised through the sale of anniversary mugs and new editions of Entertaining Angels, the story of the beginnings of New Hope written by the charity’s late co-founder, Janet Hosier.

This funding will enable New Hope to continue to support people who are homeless or vulnerably-housed in the local area.

Further mugs and copies of the book are available for purchase from New Hope’s Fundraising and Communications Team.

For more information regarding New Hope, visit www.newhope.org.uk.