Charity Corner: Giving Harrogate’s homeless people dignity again

Lifeline is a Harrogate-based charity that houses people who have been homeless, acting as a crucial stepping stone between sleeping rough and independent living.

It was set up by Carl Good and his wife Georgie in 2012 after they met a homeless man in need of help in Bower Road’s tunnel.

They partnered with a Christian social enterprise called Green Pastures that buys properties and leases them to Lifeline. The charity’s volunteers also help residents learn new skills and overcome issues that led them to sleep rough in the first place, whether that be an addiction, mental health problems or debt.

They now have five three-bedroom homes across Harrogate, four for men and one for women, and they are looking for a sixth.

80 people have been housed over the past eight years and 60% of its residents have gone on to live independently with paid work.

The Stray Ferret visited one of Lifeline’s five properties in Harrogate to meet Mr Good and a former homeless man who is living there. Lifeline prefers to keep the location of their properties private.

Stability

Liam has been living in a Lifeline home in Harrogate for four months after moving from Harrogate Homeless Project’s hostel on Bower Road.

He said he enjoys the privacy and freedom it offers.

“It’s given me stability and hope to push myself more.”

Liam hopes to stay there for a year while he continues to build his confidence and learn new skills.

“I’m learning gardening skills. I’d like to learn a language, perhaps Polish or Spanish”.

He said he particularly enjoys looking after the home which he shares with two other people.

“I like taking pride in it”.

Read more:

County lines

Mr Good says homelessness has increased in Harrogate since the charity was formed due to a range of factors including drugs, housing and the benefits system.

He said hard drugs have become much more prevalent over the past ten years with county lines drug dealers specifically targetting vulnerable people living in Lifeline homes.

He said:

“Drugs are used much more in Harrogate than they used to be”.

Another issue is many people moving into the homes have a low level of financial resilience. Mr Good had a 20-year career as a financial advisor before setting up Lifeline and said navigating the Universal Credit system is as complicated as inheritance tax or capitals gains tax.

Sky’s the limit

Lifeline hopes to give its residents some dignity back after they’ve experienced often chaotic and traumatic experiences living on the streets.

Mr Good added:

“It’s brilliant because they have their own front door key. It gives them that dignity.

“A change of mindset is sometimes what is needed, then the sky’s the limit. They first have to feel safe and have a roof over their head.

“They need someone to believe in them. We all need support and it doesn’t mean they can’t succeed in life. We all need that leg up.”

Knaresborough men trek 900 miles in wheelchair and on foot to raise £2m

Two Knaresborough men are on day five of an epic 70-day John O’Groats to Lands End challenge.

This is no ordinary challenge because one of the men, Lucas Schofield, aims to complete the route in his wheelchair — which will add miles to the usual 874-mile distance.

Lucas has Friedreich’s Ataxia, a genetic, progressive, neurodegenerative movement disorder, but insists it won’t slow him down.

His best friend, Dan Stott, will carry most of the pair’s luggage on his back.

The pair, who aim to complete about 15 miles a day, are no strangers to insane challenges. The pair have been planning this for two years and have found a route suitable for them both.

Lucas will be pushing himself most of the way but when he does need a helping hand Daniel will be there to push him.

The usual challenges of uneven terrain and weather are compounded by the wheelchair, which has meant adjusting the route to avoid the A9 in Scotland and therefore extending the journey to over 900 miles.

Lucas Schofield

Lucas Schofield on route on day three.

Lucas said:

“Our spirits are still high. People are honking their horns and giving us money.

“I was looking for some huge physical feat and this looked like just it. You’ve got to be a bit crazy to do something like this.”

Read more:

The pair have set themselves an ambitious fundraising target of £2 million. The money will go to Ataxia UK, Butterfly Thyroid Cancer Trust and CALM (Campaign against Living Miserably).

They are currently on £5,000 and with over 60 days to go are optimistic of achieving it. You can donate here.

The pair have been offered free hot drinks and asked for pictures on route. After being featured on BBC Look North they’ve even been asked for autographs.

The two men have no plans to slow down — they are already thinking of an even tougher challenge after this one.

 

Leading the Harrogate cancer charity fighting to save 2,000 lives a year

It’s a little known fact that 2,000 more people die of cancer each year in Yorkshire than the national average.

More smoking, less exercise, pockets of deprivation and variable screening rates are among the causes.

Dr Kathyrn Scott, chief executive of Harrogate-based Yorkshire Cancer Research, is leading the fightback:

“We currently have 14,000 deaths a year. It could be 12,000 if we just had better funding and infrastructure.

“”We’ve got this hidden tragedy happening in Yorkshire and we are determined to change it.”

Dr Scott, a scientist, joined Yorkshire Cancer Research in 2008 as an office junior and worked her way up to chief executive four years ago. She’s far from the archetypal scientist, laughing a lot and joking that “I actually like people”.

Yorkshire Cancer Research, which is the largest voluntary organisation in the Harrogate district, has had remarkable financial success in recent years: income has soared from £6.2 million in 2016 to £18.7 million in 2020 and is expected to increase again this year.

By contrast, covid has decimated many charities’ finances — cutting donations, cancelling fundraising events and closing charity shops.

New Harrogate headquarters with wellbeing centre

Yorkshire Cancer Research’s coffers are bearing the fruits of royalties from a drug called Lynparza that it funded Sheffield University to develop.

Royalty income alone increased from £6.7 million in 2019 to £12 million in 2020, which is enabling the charity to press ahead with plans to expand and tackle cancer.

It has opened more shops, employed more staff and is set to announce a move to new Harrogate headquarters, which will include a wellbeing centre where people with cancer can exercise as part of their recovery.

Read more:

Wellbeing has become a major focus of the charity’s work and it hopes to open similar exercise facilities across Yorkshire. Dr Scott says:

“For years people with cancer were told to rest, sit down and have a cup of tea and although there’s still a place for that you need to exercise. It can halve the chances of some some cancers coming back.”

The charity, which is currently based at Grove Park Court, expects to reveal its new headquarters in autumn. Dr Scott says:

“We’ve found the perfect site but it’s definitely a secret for now.”

Recruiting more staff and opening more shops

The number of staff has grown from about 40 when Dr Scott took charge to 53 now and is expected to rise to 65. From September, it will trial a hybrid system whereby employees work two-thirds of the week in the office and one-third from home.

The charity, which is the largest regional cancer research charity in England, opened its fourth charity shop in Ripon this year and hopes to have 20 shops within five years.

The charity’s strong financial position has also ensured it hasn’t had to cut funding to research programmes — unlike some other cancer charities during covid. It funds £10 million of cancer research each year.

But for all its success, Dr Scott admits Yorkshire Cancer Research’s overarching ambition to save 2,000 Yorkshire lives by 2025 might not happen on schedule because of the wider impact of covid on cancer services.

Hospital services have been scaled back and people who have discovered symptoms, such as blood in their poo, have felt less inclined to bother their GPs.

But she says people in the Harrogate district have been luckier than most in Yorkshire:

“Harrogate District Hospital has been one of the more resilient hospitals in the sense that it has got a lot of services up and running again quickly. It feels like it’s been an agile organisation.”

Dr Scott, who was born and bred in Bradford but has lived in Harrogate for about 20 years, is a keen cyclist who nominates Norwood Edge and Greenhow Hill as among her favourite rides.

They’re two of the most notorious climbs in the area — Dr Scott will be hoping the charity can continue to avoid such uphill struggles in the years ahead.

Harrogate children’s street sale raises £650 for Saint Michael’s hospice

Six schoolchildren have raised £647 for Saint Michael’s by baking cakes for a street sale in Harrogate.

Louisa (age 9), Chloe (10), Yasmin, Sophia, Annalise (all 11), and Ben (12) sold the cakes along with bric-a-brac to help the local hospice. They even made dog biscuits so four-legged visitors didn’t miss out.

The bake sale has become an annual fixture on Harrogate’s Valley Mount, after sisters Yasmin and Louisa started it in 2015 when they were aged just 5 and 3, along with friends Ben and Chloe.

In 2019 the group was invited to visit Saint Michael’s headquarters at Hornbeam Park to see where their funds had gone — which gave them an extra incentive to continue fundraising.

Yasmin said:

“Saint Michael’s is a really good charity because it helps people who are ill and their families too. We have a charity shop at the end of our street and we wanted to help.

“The first time we only raised £8, and every year we’ve wanted to keep beating how much we raised the last time. Last year we couldn’t do it because of covid, so we wanted to raise even more this time to make up for it.

“Our aim this time was to get £80 – so we’re actually quite surprised, we didn’t think we’d get this much!”

Chloe, Ben, Louisa and Yasmin visited Saint Michael’s to deliver the money.

The youngsters drummed up support for their event by sticking posters on lamp posts and knocking on doors to invite people to sample their baking and make donations.

Saint Michael’s Hospice helps people in the Harrogate district living with a terminal illness or bereavement.

Tony Collins, chief executive of Saint Michael’s, said:

“Each year, we spend more than £6 million pounds providing our vital services, and the majority of our work is funded thanks to the generosity and support of our local community.

“We were delighted to hear of the recent fundraising stall by Louisa, Chloe, Yasmin, Sofia, Annalise, and Ben, which has raised more than £600. The generosity and thoughtfulness of these children is heart-warming and we are very grateful to them for their continued support. This is a wonderful example of community support in action.

“Fundraising such as this helps us to continue to make a huge impact locally, ensuring families living with terminal illness and bereavement get the care and support they need at the most difficult of times in their lives.”

Read More:

 

Second tap terminal in Harrogate to help homeless people

Harrogate District Street Aid has launched a second contactless tap terminal to help homeless people.

The second terminal is at the Victoria Shopping Centre and follows in the footsteps of the first at Marks and Spencers on Oxford Street.

With each tap of a bank card, £3 goes to Harrogate District Street Aid. Since the launch in October 2019, people have donated more than £14,000 to the project.

Harrogate Borough Council is behind the project which provides financial support for those in need. Homeless people can apply for grants up to £500.

Read more:

To date the Harrogate District Street Aid has given out 16 grants for training courses, clothing for job interviews and wellbeing support.

Cllr Mike Chambers, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, said:

“Harrogate District Street Aid is about making a real change to people who find themselves on the street and I am delighted that we have been able to provide a second tap terminal in Harrogate town centre.

“Some people assume that giving a few pounds to a beggar is helping them. Sadly, in some instances it may actually keep them on the street.

“Through Harrogate District Street Aid, we can work with our partner organisations to make best use of the money that has been kindly donated, work with homeless people and make a real difference to their lives.”

£22,000 fundraising campaign launched for Ripon Walled Garden

The charity that runs Ripon Walled Garden has launched a £22,000 fundraising campaign to buy new facilities for the disabled people it helps.

Ripon Community Link, which provides day support services for people with learning difficulties, operates from two sites in the city area — St Wilfrid’s Bungalow and Ripon Walled Garden.

Many of the people it helps work at the walled garden. The fundraising campaign will help to finish and furnish a new building on the site which they will use.

The building, which includes four classrooms, a reception and toilets, has already been paid for by grants and donations.

Victoria Ashley, Ripon Community Link chief executive, said:

“The new building is the next phase of our improvements for the walled garden to benefit members, customers, staff and volunteers.

“The opening of the toilet block was a major step for us, and now we are setting our sights on this new building, specifically aimed at benefitting our members. Our aim is to have this new facility fully opened in autumn”

Read more:

A charity gold day at Rudding Park on August 19 is among the events planned to support the fundraising campaign.

To donate, click here.

Harrogate district charities receive £45,000 from Local Fund

Nineteen not-for-profit organisations in the Harrogate district have been awarded a total of £45,000 to help restart their activities after covid from The Local Fund for the Harrogate District.

The fund, which is a partnership between Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate and District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation, was established in 2017 to provide grant funding to local voluntary organisations.

Successful applicants include Boroughbridge and District Community Care , which will use the grant to fund the running costs of providing a new minibus service to a farm shop and Nidderdale and Pateley Bridge Men’s Shed, which will spend the money on power tools.

This was the third round of funding from the Local Fund.

Jan Garrill, chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, said:

“All the projects funded are working so hard to help local people safely reconnect, get active and be social again, whatever their circumstances.”

Sam Gibbs, chair of Harrogate Borough Council’s voluntary and community sector liaison group and a member of the Local Fund grants panel, said it had been an incredibly tough year for charities, adding:

“Now, more than ever, it is critical these charities receive vital funds to ensure they can restart their activities and continue supporting as many people as possible.”

Read more:

Full Circle Funerals contributed to the sum of funding awarded.

Those that received funding were:

Harrogate Clothes Bank to reduce services after losing premises

Harrogate Clothes Bank will be without a permanent home at the end of this week, meaning services will be cut.

The charity provides free clothing for local people in need but its lease on a unit at McCarthy’s Storage World on Ripon Road, Harrogate is coming to an end.

It means the organisation will no longer be able to offer in-person appointments or accept public donations. It will, however, provide home deliveries.

Mike Procter, the charity’s co-ordinator, said the charity was likely to move its stock to a number of temporary locations until it found a permanent solution.

The clothes bank has already called for new accommodation but with no success. It is in need of a 1,200 square foot unit at an affordable rent.

The space also needs to be in an easily accessible location, ideally on a main bus route.

A Harrogate Clothes Bank Facebook post today said:

“Changes are coming at the clothes bank: Saturday 31st July is our last day at McCarthy’s Storage World before we move into temporary premises. Please call in to see us between 10.30 and 12.30 if you need our service, it will be your last chance to visit in person for a few weeks.
“We are unable to accept donations at the moment.”

Read more:

The clothes bank, which is run entirely by volunteers, was set up in 2016. Families in financial difficulty in Harrogate can get in touch on Facebook and inform the charity of its needs.

Mr Procter previously told the Stray Ferret:

“There are many reasons why people may need our help, it could be due to long-term financial issues or a crisis situation causing critical need such as escaping an abusive relationship.

“We will continue to help as many people as we can.”

Scotton girls run 24 hours to raise funds after vandals strike

A junior football team from Scotton that was targeted by vandals has completed a 24 hour fun run to raise money for repairs.

Vandals damaged the goals used by Scotton Scorchers under 14s girls team during lockdown.

This prompted the team to raise money towards creating safe storage for the goalposts and upgrading the clubhouse kitchen.

So at 2pm on Saturday the players set off, helped by coaches and parents, on the run in an attempt to raise £1,000.

At least two people were running at all times during the challenge, which was successfully completed yesterday.

The team beat its £1,000 target — at the time of publication the fundraiser is at £1,255. You can click or tap here to donate to the gofundme page.

Tinker the horse, an unlikely team mascot who wears the Scotton Scorchers’ number 10 shirt, even helped by guiding the runners home.

Read more:

It will cost more than £5,000 to complete the works so the club has more fundraising events planned.

Wayne Latimer, the under-14s girls coach, told the Stray Ferret:

“It has been a difficult year for the team but they have come back and not only have the under-14 girls team won their league but so have the under-16 girls team.

“I am sure quite a few of them will still be resting up in bed today but I am incredibly proud of all of the girls who took part in the 24-hour fun run.

“They have absolutely smashed the target of £1,000 and it will make a big difference for the club.”

Anyone who would like to join the team can find out more information on the club website. Or send an email to the club secretary Mike Collier.

Harrogate and Knaresborough to get community grocery shops

Resurrected Bites is set to reopen its cafes for the first time in more than a year and launch what it calls community grocery shops.

The volunteer group, which specialises in turning food destined for the bin into nutritious meals, has delivered food to more than 15,000 people during coronavirus.

Michelle Hayes, the founder of Resurrected Bites, is proud of what her team has achieved but she feels that now is the right time to re-open its cafes.

While the group is well-known for turning food into meals, it is now preparing to launch its own shops at Harrogate’s New Park Primary Academy and at a yet-to-be-finalised location in central Knaresborough.

Read more:

The shops are intended to help anyone struggling to buy food. For between £3 and £5, people who sign up as members of the shop will be able to pick up a large amount of fresh and frozen food.

If the shops, which will be opening around September to October, go well then Ms Hayes has plans to open a third in the Fairfax area of Harrogate. She told the Stray Ferret:

“Community groceries are different from food banks because people pay a small amount rather than relying on vouchers.

“Anyone who needs it can pay a small amount for quite a lot of food. That small costs also gives people dignity.”

To get the projects off the ground, the group has started a fundraising campaign with a target of £2,000. Click or tap here to donate.

Resurrected Bites’ cafes are expected to return in the second week of September.

The cafe at Gracious Street in Knaresborough will be open on Tuesday and Friday from 10am to 2pm. The group has also moved the Wednesday cafe in Harrogate from St Mark’s Church to West Park United Reformed Church.