17 Harrogate district community groups celebrate grants

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Seventeen Harrogate district community groups have celebrated winning grants worth a combined £37,000.

The grants were awarded by the Local Fund for the Harrogate District, which is administered by Two Ridings Community Foundation.

The fund generates income from an endowment given by the former Harrogate Borough Council, the Local Lotto and various foundations.

It awards grants of up to £3,000 each year to small, community organisations that tackle isolation, support young people, and strengthen community wellbeing.

Representatives from this year’s successful applicants attended a celebratory event at the charity Artizan International's café in Harrogate last night (November 12).

Celia McKeon, chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, said:

“We’re thrilled to support 17 community groups whose work uplifts wellbeing across the district.”

Liz Cluderay, chief executive at Artizan, spoke about the importance of collaboration among community groups.

Food waste charity Resurrected Bites provided food and drink as part of its new outside catering venture.

Grants ranged from £3,000 to Inspire Youth Yorkshire to run bi-weekly girls’ sessions, to £250 for a coach trip for members of Hampsthwaite Wednesday Group.

Here is a list of beneficiaries and what they are using the funds for.

• Chain Lane Community Centre is launching a new community gardening service. The funds were used to purchase equipment, including a lawn mower, hedge cutter, strimmer, safety goggles, and gloves.
• Dancing for Wellbeing runs gentle exercise classes for people over 60. The grant allows it to continue running two Monday sessions in Boroughbridge.
• Darley Cricket Club will use the grant to help fund new windows and doors, making the building more comfortable and accessible for wider community use.
• Gracious Street Methodist Church, which hosts activities for older residents in Knaresborough, will use the grant to support ongoing costs for initiatives including Lunchlink (home-cooked meals and social dining), Memory Café (dementia-friendly events), Men’s Club (briefings and breakfasts), CAMEO (group discussions), digital skills training, social games, and a book club.
• Hampsthwaite Wednesday Group provides a social lifeline for rural women over 50, many of whom live alone.
• Harrogate & District Community Action received funding for its initiative to encourage young people to volunteer for 10 hours.
• Harrogate & District Over Fifties Forum will use the funding to support two group day trips, one to Kiplin Hall near Northallerton and another to Breezy Knees near York.
• Harrogate Baptist Church provides young people a safe place to connect, be heard, and work on their wellbeing.
• Headway Harrogate & District has purchased promotional items (gazebo, flag, 6ft pull up banner, folding table and tablecloth).
• Inspire Youth Yorkshire used the funds to run bi-weekly girls’ sessions.
• Knaresborough Connectors will use the funding on three group outings.
• Lifeline Harrogate will spend the grant on the costs of an annual seaside outing.
• Markington Memorial Institute is improving its community hall.
• Ohana, which supports families of children with SEND in Ripon and the surrounding areas, will launch two new sessions in a dedicated space: one for baby sensory activities and another for a parent/carer support group.
• Pinewoods Conservation Group is creating a signed circular nature trail through local woodlands for pushchairs and wheelchairs in fair weather.
• Taking Baby Steps CIC, which supports individuals affected by birth trauma, perinatal anxiety, pregnancy and baby loss, and fertility issues, will deliver 46 sessions over 12 months thanks to this grant.
• The Village Harrogate (Part of Hope Church Harrogate) is launching four 12-week wellbeing group sessions for new mums struggling with anxiety and loneliness.