£41,000 given to 14 community groups in Harrogate district

Newsroom

May 27, 2022

Samaritans of Harrogate and District

A total of £40,688 has been given to 14 community groups and charities by The Local Fund for the Harrogate District.

The grants of up to £3,000 each will fund activities for young people and older people, sports clubs, mental health and wellbeing groups, and help people affected by the cost of living crisis.

Some of the projects funded by the grant include:

Lifeline Harrogate, which received £2,600 to fund a lunch club for local people who have recently been homeless
Ripon Community Link, which was given £3,000 for a sensory garden that improves the mental health of people with disabilities or neurodivergency
Harrogate & District Community Action, which used the £2,688 grant on a friend and exercise club for isolated people over the age of 65

The fund is a joint initiative between Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate & District Community Action, and Two Ridings Community Foundation, with donations from the Harry Bolland Trust Fund, The Local Lotto and businesses and individuals.

Two Ridings Community Fund has found that many community groups are still struggling after the pandemic with funding, turnover of key staff, poor mental health, and the cost of living crisis.

Jan Garrill, chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, which administers the funding, said:

“We are delighted that 14 small community groups benefit, because we know they make a huge impact on the wellbeing of local people all over the district.”

Councillor Sam Gibbs, who is a panel member for The Local Fund, added:

“The work these numerous organisations and charities do makes such a huge difference so I’d like to thank everyone involved in providing this on-going support.”

The Local Fund has been running in Harrogate since 2017, and last year it donated over £80,000 to 29 different community groups in the district.

This year, the groups receiving funding are: