Almost one in five charities have closed in North Yorkshire since March, according to a new report that highlights the impact of the pandemic on the voluntary sector.

Community First Yorkshire, which supports voluntary organisations, surveyed not-for-profit groups in North Yorkshire in October to find out how they’re coping with one of the toughest years for charities in memory.

The message was stark: 18% of charities in the county have closed and 28% say they will struggle to survive after March next year.

Charities have also been hit by a 43% decrease in volunteers, due to many older volunteers shielding.

Leah Swain, chief executive of Community First Yorkshire, said:

“Many voluntary sector organisations depend on volunteers to deliver critical services. Without them, many North Yorkshire organisations, and the people they support, are going to struggle.

“Many volunteers need to stay at home because of the coronavirus, but we want to encourage those that can to consider giving their support in any way they are able.”

Read more:

• 20 Harrogate district charities awarded £415,000

• Harrogate district charities receive £200,000 boost

The survey is based on 175 responses from North Yorkshire voluntary organisations.

Community First Yorkshire is running a #DonateLocal campaign encouraging people to support local charities by giving them their time, money or skills.

Meanwhile, charities in Harrogate are gearing up for Christmas.

About 85 meals will be delivered to the doors of older and vulnerable people in the Harrogate district on Christmas Day.

Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels staff and volunteers dressed festively will cook, pack and deliver a traditional Christmas dinner, Christmas pudding, mince pie and a cracker for those in need of a meal and some cheer.

Unpaid carers will be given extra support through the continuing coronavirus crisis thanks to fundraising by a Harrogate group.

Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club has donated £1,500 to the Carers’ Resource Covid-19 Emergency Fund after completing a virtual ascent of Everest in the summer.

The fund was set up to help unpaid carers facing unexpected challenges during the pandemic, such as replacing broken white goods or paying for emergency heating repairs. After appealing for help, Carers’ Resource was chosen to receive the proceeds of the Rotarians’ efforts.

Rotarian Mike Hammond said:

“During the Covid-19 crisis, Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club have been working hard to help charities that have suffered a huge loss of income. Our members have dug deep into their own pockets to supplement our charity account, but much more is needed.

“We are delighted to be able to support Carers’ Resource in this way and we appreciate the work that the charity does.”

Carers’ Resource said the needs of people being cared for by unpaid relatives, friends or neighbours have increased during the pandemic.

Read more:

• Harrogate family hit by childhood cancer urges charity support
• £100,000 emergency charity appeal launched

In September 2020, Carers Trust ran a major survey of unpaid carers across the UK. The results showed that:

• only 12% of unpaid carers agree they receive enough support from social care
• the proportion of unpaid carers providing 50 hours care or more per week for a family member has almost tripled to 64%, compared to 23% in the 2011 census
• 54% of carers have given up, or reduced, paid work because of caring responsibilities
• one in six (16%) reported that lockdowns and closure of local services have forced them into caring for an additional 40 hours or more per week.

Over the last few weeks, Carers’ Resource has launched an advice line for carers to access help, advice and information, as well as continuing to see carers face-to-face in line with covid-safe guidance. Well-being and confidence-building sessions have continued, along with online yoga, quizzes and coffee mornings to combat loneliness and isolation.

Carers’ Resource community fundraiser Claire Macina said:

“The way that the Brigantes threw themselves into raising funds has been amazing.

“Unpaid carers have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic and we frequently get requests for support. At Carers’ Resource we can offer advice and information and we can also support with financial assistance too if need.”

Local charities

The donation to Carers’ Resource was just part of the Brigantes’ efforts this year, which have seen £8,600 raised to give out to good causes. As well as sending £2,200 to Shelterbox for disaster relief efforts and the Rotary Club of Himalayan Gurkhas in Kathmandu to combat the impact of the covid-19 pandemic in Nepal, the group has contributed more than £6,000 to local charities and people in need.

Among those receiving support are Wellspring Therapy, Harrogate Easier Living Project, Supporting Older People, Horticap, Parkinsons UK, Dementia Forward and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Meanwhile, although its usual Santa’s Grotto in Asda, Harrogate, has not been possible this year, the supermarket is working with Rotarians to put together Christmas packages for clients of the charities the group supports. Brigantes president David Hayes said:

“All this is possible only through the generosity of those who have supported our fund-raising efforts and helped us to give away some £18,000 for Covid relief since the start of the pandemic. I should like to say a very big thank you to them all: members of the public who have supported our new ventures such as the Lockdown Poetry Competition and our virtual trek up Everest; visitors to the Valley Gardens who have given at the Wishing Well; Club members who have made donations including those in lieu of what they would have spent on club meetings and meals; and the families and friends of members.”

For more information about Carers’ Resource, click here or call 0808 591 5939. To find out about Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club and how to become a member, click here.

Tucked away down Church Lane in Knaresborough is every child’s dream: rooms full of toys to pick from.

Based in St Mary’s Church, the Harrogate and Knaresborough Toy Library has been around for decades but still remains unknown to some parents and guardians across the district.

Stacked high with doll houses, dinosaurs and board games, the library’s store room would make any child’s imagination run wild.

Before the pandemic, children could come in and pick two new toys to take home every other week. The toys were then returned and swapped for others.

It meant they can play with new and fun toys in a sustainable way.

Now, the toys are picked via the online library and picked up using click and collect.

The library has hundreds of toys ready to be enjoyed by local children.

For a £30 membership fee each year, the charity offers something for every child no matter their age, gender or interests, with the main aim being for them to have fun.

The charity also wants to help people who may be struggling to buy their children presents, especially this Christmas.

Lauren Rogerson has been working for the charity for three years. She said:

“If someone was struggling we’d try our best to help. We’re really passionate here about helping everyone in our community.”

Over lockdown, it has received toy donations and says it can put together bundles for children based on their age and interests to give as presents on Christmas Day.

A handful of the donations ready for new homes.

Lauren and her colleague, Rachael Bolton, run the toy library with a board of trustees. It is clear to see the pair are passionate about what they do.

Rachael added:

“We want to make sure out toys are educational too. Parents can pick up story packs with a book inside and toys to match or one of our pre-school packs.”

Read More:

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As well as the toy library the charity offers play sessions for parents and children, but these have been suspended due to covid.

Lauren identified a gap in social support for new mums during the pandemic. She set up a new mother and baby group to help women socialise and feel supported.

The group is running from Chain Lane Community Hub in Knaresborough and she hopes it will continue in the new year.

Prior to lockdown, the charity’s members enjoyed play sessions.

The charity buys most of its toys second-hand or from online sellers with a few being bought brand new. The duo are hoping to go from strength to strength and become a real community hub for parents and guardians.

To donate to the charity, click here, or to become a member click here.

A Harrogate family is urging people not to forget vital charities this Christmas.

The Riley family found out first hand just how important support from a specialist charity can be when it is needed, after daughter Rosie was diagnosed with cancer.

Rosie – aged just six at the time – was found to have acute myeloid leukaemia just before Christmas 2015. Suddenly, the family was thrust into a world of tests and treatment, and found the support of children’s cancer charity Candlelighters invaluable.

Mum Lisa said:

“During her treatment, we lived at the LGI for five months and Candlelighters made Rosie smile every day. They would visit her room when she was too poorly to go to the playroom, they would bring little gifts to cheer her up and they always had time for a chat.

“The sweetie trolley was a weekly highlight and the presents on Christmas Eve were very exciting – and Santa’s visit of course!”

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Candlelighters has continued to support families this year and said it will make Christmas special for them. Children spending Christmas in hospital will be able to enjoy gifts, themed events and a virtual visit from Santa.

Read more:

• Harrogate cancer charity holds virtual comedy night this Friday
• £100,000 emergency charity appeal launched

The charity’s support for children does not end when they leave the hospital, either. This year, it has adapted its work to support families facing the additional complications of covid, from worries about keeping their children safe from the virus to dealing with even more financial pressure.

Like many charities, Candlelighters’ fundraising opportunities have been limited this year by the pandemic. Reliant on donations from the community to continue supporting families, it is appealing for people to keep contributing towards its efforts this Christmas.

Rosie had successful treatment in 2016, with four rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, before returning home and getting back to school. Now aged 11, she continues to be helped by Candlelighters, which says its support lasts a lifetime.

Lisa added:

“If you are thinking of raising money for Candlelighters, I absolutely urge you. They make a rubbish day a good day and turn a sad face into a smiley face.

“We absolutely can’t thank Candlelighters enough, we would have been lost without them”.

A £100,000 appeal has been launched to help small charities in North Yorkshire survive the winter.

Two Ridings Community Foundation, which coordinates giving in North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire, is running the Surviving the Covid Winter appeal until January 26.

Donations will fund grants of up to £10,000 to voluntary organisations.

Two Ridings Community Foundation usually runs a winter fuel appeal but has altered its plans this year to help charities struggling on the frontline in the battle against covid.

Not-for-profit groups based in North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire with annual turnover of less than £500,000 will be eligible to apply for grants to use as unrestricted funding.

Read more:

• Harrogate district charities receive £200,000 boost
• 20 Harrogate district charities awarded £415,000

Jan Garrill, chief executive of the foundation, said:

“There is seemingly no precedent for these times. What I do know is now is the time to give. Whether you are able to donate £10 or £10,000 we urge you to support this campaign.

“In these times, it is important that we look out for one another and stand shoulder to shoulder with people and communities”.

Information on how to donate is available here.

The coronavirus pandemic has badly affected the Guide Dog’s programme to train new dogs and the charity’s ability to raise money.

So the fundraising group of the Harrogate branch has combined with 400 other groups to support the ’12 Guide Dogs of Christmas’ event.

From today to December 12 the Guide Dogs charity will showcase a different dog online each day. The aim of the event is to fund twelve new life-changing guide dogs for those in the waiting list across the UK.

Within Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough there are five guide dog owners with a further four people waiting for their special companion. Funds raised from activities such as these go towards dog training.

In 2016 Kate Hammond, from Harrogate, was matched with her guide dog Sheba. She says the support from Guide Dogs and its local branches has meant her and Sheba “bonded very quickly”.

She said:

“Four and a half years ago I hardly ever left my home because my confidence had been shattered by my rapidly deteriorating vision.

“Then I was matched with Sheba. She has been an absolute life changer! Sheba quickly learnt my usual routes and we go for long walks every day with Sheba moving me out of the way of obstructions such as low hanging branches, wheelie bins and even puddles.

“Sheba has given me my independence back and with it a much, much happier life. I am eternally grateful to the Guide Dogs Charity for matching us together.”

This Christmas fundraiser will support owners across the UK.

During the pandemic, the Harrogate branch has adapted its services using online platforms to support its users. It says the pandemic will have a knock-on effect. It’s meant some people have to wait longer to get the right dog for them.

Nicola Ridgway, fundraising relationship manager for the Harrogate area, said:

“Fundraising groups have been unable to carry out the thousands of collections planned across the UK which could equate to a loss of £870,000 in 2020. That is why campaigns like our 12 Guide Dogs of Christmas which we are launching on the 1st December are so important to us right now and we are very grateful for any support people feel able to give to this.”

To support the appeal, click here.

The staff and trustees at Harrogate Mind are walking 1932 miles next month to raise money and awareness for the importance of your mental health.

This festive challenge will see the team walk the distance from The Acorn Centre, central Harrogate, to Lapland between December 1 and December 25.

There are 15 staff members and trustees taking part, meaning each of them has to walk, run or cycle almost 130 miles in 24 days.

The charity said it hopes to promote the benefits of exercise for a person’s mental health through this fundraising campaign.

Tina Chamberlain, CEO of Mind in the Harrogate district, said everyone had worked really hard during the pandemic and even they can sometimes forget to work on their own mental health.

She said:

“We are often too busy taking calls from people to take a lunch break and the long days mean that you don’t feel like exercising when you leave work either. I noticed it was all starting to take its toll on staff.

“We came up with the idea that we would walk the 1932 miles from Harrogate to Lapland. Having this goal has really galvanised the team.”

Read more:

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Despite the COVID-19 lockdown and its limitations on the festive season, the special spirit of Christmas is being maintained in Pateley Bridge this year.

The annual Christingle Service, that has been held at the Parish Church of St Cuthbert for more than 30 years, is going virtual and can be seen online at 6pm on Christmas Eve.

In the meantime, a video showing how Christingles are made, has been posted on the St Cuthbert Facebook page.

Organiser Mrs Joyce Liggins told the Stray Ferret:

“Many local people view the Christmas Eve service as their start to the festive season and the church is usually packed.

“In normal years the congregation make up their Christingles during the service with a candle and an orange and they make their donation to the Children’s Society in a box provided.

“Unfortunately, with the coronavirus crisis, we cannot hold the service this year, but we didn’t want the charity to lose out, so Gillian Yeadon and I asked St Aidan’s students Jasmine, Eve and Amy to sing for us and with the help of The Rev. Darryl Hall and Sue Hickson, who did video recordings, we were able to capture two Christingle events.”

An image from a Christmas past of St Cuthbert’s in Pateley Bridge (photograph courtesy of Geoff Liggins)

The Christingle tradition has, like the bringing of an evergreen tree into a house, its roots in Germany and dates back to the 18th century, when it was introduced by Moravian Bishop Johannes de Watteville.

Since 1968 Christingle services have been held across the UK to raise money for the Children’s Society charity, which helps vulnerable young people.

Read more:

• See our gallery of Christmas lights in Pateley Bridge
• Will a Nidderdale home win our prize for best festive decorations?

In 2018, St Cuthbert’s was one of 6,000 locations throughout the country to support the society’s #Christingle50 campaign, which raised more than £1.2 million.

Anybody who would like to support the Pateley Bridge Christingle this year and donate to The Children’s Society, can obtain a Christingle Collecting Candle or go to the fundraising page and give a donation online.

Collecting candles and Christingle kits can be obtained from joyce.m.liggins51@gmail.com

Donations can be made through our online fundraising page at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Joyce-Liggins1

Two women from Knaresborough have shaved their heads to fundraise for The Forest School in Knaresborough – the school supports children with additional needs.

Sarah Bennington and Michelle Czupcyck both work at the school and wanted to do their bit to raise much needed funds. The school is in need of new playground equipment and additional sports facilities.

The women shaved their heads today at the school.

The pair had hopes to raise £500 but have already surpassed that by raising an additional £100.

To support their efforts, click here.

Children at The Forest School, Knaresborough.

Sarah Bennington sacrificed her blue locks for the cause. She has worked at the school for eight years, she said:

“We decided to do Brave the Shave to raise money for the playground equipment. The kids at this school are fantastic and deserve everything we can raise money to get for them.

“The many questions we get asked are why shaving your hair? My answer to that is you only live once; my hair will grow back and for me I will be interested in what colour it will grow back as my hair is always different colours.”

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• One Harrogate charity is offering internships to members of the deaf community for its cafe opening next year. 

The school’s headteacher, Michelle Farr, thanked the women for their efforts saying the impact on the children with access to the new equipment will be “immense”.

She said:

“The staff never cease to amaze me with their dedication and support for our pupils. Sarah and Michelle decided they wanted to help our fundraising campaign by Braving the Shave and I am extremely grateful to them.

“Some of our play equipment failed a safety test and had to be removed, and some of our playground was reduced due to building additional classrooms. The redevelopment will allow the children to play and socialise independently in a safe environment.”

A charity supporting people with disabilities is offering members of the deaf community the opportunity to work in its cafe next year.

Artizan International is a Harrogate-based charity offering art and crafts workshops for differently-abled people. It also sells crafts made by disabled artisans in Ecuador and Peru in its Oxford Street store.

In Spring 2021, the charity has plans to open a cafe offering supported internships to members of the deaf community. Those involved will be trained in barista work and general hospitality.

The hope is the training the interns receive will allow them to pursue a career in the catering industry. The long term visions is for the cafe to be completely deaf run.

Artizan International isn’t able to run its usual workshops during the pandemic.

“At Artizan as we look forward, we want to create valued opportunities for those living with disabilities in our community. The cafe would be an ideal opportunity for those in the deaf community to either train and volunteer or develop the experience further into potential careers in hospitality locally.”

Read more:

• Take a sneak peek inside Artizan International’s new shop. 
• Kirkby Malzeard supports campaign for young girl’s fundraising efforts for a new wheelchair. 

Susie Hart, the charity’s founder, opened a cafe run by the deaf community in Tanzania previously so has experience in running similar projects successfully.

The charity opened its shop three weeks before lockdown two hit but it says it has stayed “busy” with online orders and prepping new products for the shop when it is allowed to reopen next week.