charity Archives - Page 35 of 40

One incredible Harrogate man cooks 6,000 charity meals

An incredible Harrogate man who really stepped up to the plate has single handedly cooked more than 6,000 meals for charity since the start of the pandemic.

Paul Welch started by cooking meals for his daughters who both work in the NHS. But he wanted to help more people so partnered with Supporting Older People (SOP).

Those behind SOP were delighted to work with Paul. The small and local charity was able to use its connections and experience to distribute the meals to those most in need.

Kate Rogata, the director of SOP, told the Stray Ferret:

“There is a lot of hidden poverty in Harrogate. The coronavirus pandemic has really excacerbated the problem. For some people Paul’s meals have been a lifeline. It’s not just older people that we help but anyone who is vulnerable and in need of a helping hand.”

The Supporting Older People team celebrating with Paul Welch as he passed the 5,000 meal milestone. Photo: Ernesto Rogata

There is no sign of stopping for 58-year-old Paul who uses a wheelchair after a paragliding accident 20 years ago. He spends 10 hours every day preparing, cooking and freezing food.

He has recently been reinvigorated after a major donation of £10,000 from Techbuyer, which has its UK base in Harrogate. That money will help him cook many more meals.

It will also go towards one of his new projects. With Christmas looking like it will be particularly difficult for many this year, he wants to cook a three course dinner for more than 250 people.

He said, on reaching his major milestone, that he has “been thrilled to help people, particularly older people, then it’s definitely worthwhile.”

Supporting Older People had to adapt at the start of the pandemic. Instead of its usual meet ups and home visits the charity had to move online and by phone.

The charity also used its network of volunteers, which has grown to 200 during the pandemic, to deliver free weekly Asda essential hampers.

It also hopes, in the next couple of weeks, to establish coronavirus secure afternoon tea for up to six people.

Mrs Rogata added that while telephone calls help with loneliness that many still miss meeting up with people face to face.

Art event will raise money for Harrogate hospital charity

Local artist Jos Haigh will sell her work at a preview event to raise money for Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity.

The event, at the Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate on November 27, will showcase Ms Haigh’s vibrant wildlife art while also generating funds for the charity.

One hundred percent of the sale prices will go to the charity, which funds specialist equipment, training and services at Harrogate District Hospital outside what the NHS provides.

The charity recently funded colouring and art materials for patients at the hospital during the pandemic.

People who attend the preview event will have the opportunity to meet Ms Haigh, who lives in Harrogate and exhibits all over the country, as well as enjoy mince pies and mulled wine.

Christmas gifts and the charity’s newly launched 2021 calendar will also be on sale.

Ms Haigh told the Stray Ferret her works of art had been in a gallery in York for three weeks but lockdown had restricted viewings so she decided to donate them to the charity. She added:

“I chose to donate these paintings after the extremely tough year HDFT has had dealing with a global pandemic as well as the usual challenges that healthcare brings.

“I wanted to say a rainbow thank you to my local NHS trust for all it has done and continues to do.”

Sammy Lambert, business development, charity and volunteer manager at HHCC, said:

“We are so grateful for this incredible donation of paintings from Jos. They are beautiful and will brighten up people’s homes, even more so in the knowledge that they are supporting their local NHS.”

The preview evening is free to attend but tickets must but pre-booked. To get one, email hdft.hhcc@nhs.net.

If you can’t make the evening, Ms Haigh’s paintings are available to view and purchase here.

Harrogate International Festivals cuts more than half of jobs

Harrogate International Festivals has laid off more than half of its staff after missing out on an estimated £850,000 due to covid.

The arts charity, which was set up in 1966, now has just four staff remaining.

in a statement today, it warned of “further difficult decisions ahead”.

The charity was forced to cancel its entire summer season of events in March, causing a huge loss of income from ticket sales and sponsors.

Fiona Movley, the chair of HIF, said:

“Whilst we are often recognised as an extremely resilient organisation, agile and adaptable for over 50 years, times are still extremely challenging and HIF unfortunately did not qualify for the recent emergency Arts Council England grants that have been reported in the media.”

Harrogate Theatre received £250,000 from Arts Council England. Also, £238,590 was awarded to Deer Shed Festival near Topcliffe, £117,500 to Ripon Museum Trust and £54,339 to Ripon Amateur Operatic Society.

HIF has said it will need to raise funds to “secure its future”, having used its reserves to support individuals and the creative community.

Sharon Canavar, chief executive at HIF, said:

“We are more than a series of events; we are at the heart of Harrogate’s cultural life and have been a magnet and income generator for local tourism for more than 50 years.

“If we are to survive we urgently ask for your continued support and appreciation of Harrogate International Festivals and its crucial role in our town’s cultural, economic and social future.”

Charity Corner: The charity offering ‘New Beginnings’ for female survivors of domestic abuse

New Beginnings is a charity based in the Harrogate district offering support to female survivors of domestic abuse.

Its founder Lindsay Oliver has experienced domestic abuse first hand and recognised a gap for women after the initial support from crisis care services ends.

Lindsay fled 220 miles with her baby boy in June 2018 from the perpetrator after a two-year abusive relationship.

Once women are settled in new houses and often new areas the crisis care teams withdraw, Lindsay noticed they were then left feeling alone and confused.

Lindsay said:

“I didn’t have anyone that understood.

“New Beginnings is all about giving these women a network of people who get it. This week in the WhatsApp group someone asked ‘Have you experienced this?’ and we were able to help.”

The charity offers a number of different workshops for its clients and their children.

New Beginnings was set up in February 2020, with the help of Harrogate Borough Council officer Mel Milner, to offer women one-to-one peer support and to be part of a community of women who had similar experiences.

Over the years, New Beginnings has built relationships with local businesses and the food bank to offer their clients all the necessary support. The charity also works with therapists to offer workshops and coaching sessions for the women.

It currently supports 16 women, who have 34 children between them. The women are also offered help with family court processes and dealing with social services.

Lindsay added:

“For some, the abuse is still happening. Some of our clients’ children still see their other parent so they’re seeing their perpetrator week in, week out, and that is why they need ongoing support.”

Lindsay is passionate about education and works with her clients and their children to demonstrate what a healthy relationship looks like. The relationship she fled from wasn’t her first abusive relationship – she had experienced abuse in other relationships too.

Lindsay understands about changing a women’s mindset on what a relationship should look like, and her own experiences encourage her to work one-to-one with women to ensure they don’t fall into another negative relationship.

She said:

“It all starts with our kids, and if we can educate our own generation at the same time, then it’s even better.

“It’s important they all understand what a healthy relationship is – this is something we’re really determined about.”

With further funding the charity hopes to expand and grow its team.

The charity is currently looking for premises which can offer office space and a dry storage area to keep goods ready for clients who come with emergency needs.

It is also hoping to grow its team. It currently works with three therapists and four volunteers but hopes to bring on more paid members of staff in order to expand to other areas in the district.

To support the charity you can visit its GoFundMe page here.

Where to go for further support

If you are in a physical or emotionally abusive relationship, click here to contact IDAS.

If you’re out of an abusive relationship but need further support you can self-refer to the New Beginnings charity. Email enquiries@newbeginningspeersupport.com or find them on Facebook here.

This is the first in the Stray Ferret’s ‘Charity Corner’ series. In this monthly feature we want to highlight the stories behind some of our small, local charities to raise their profiles. Get in touch with us if you know of a small charity in the Harrogate district working hard to fundraise for a worthy cause.

Ripon saves Santa’s sleigh from scrap heap

Charitable Ripon people have stepped up to save Santa’s sleigh from the scrap heap after coronavirus cancelled this year’s tour.

Lions Clubs International spreads Christmas cheer every year with its sleigh, festive music and Mr and Mrs Claus.

The group also collects money for the Ripon community but, with tight social distancing rules, the event is not viable this year. Without the means to collect money the sleigh would burn a hole in their finances, with running costs around £1,000 a year.

To try and cut the losses Ripon Lions decided to “send this sleigh to the big sleigh park in the sky”. However, support from the public has helped to put the annual fundraising on ice, ready to return in future.

With the £100 scrap price to beat, the group opened up bidding to the community on the Facebook group “Blow Your Horn Ripon”. Within hours the bids had reached £800, and the sleigh was eventually sold for that price.

Helen Mackenzie, one of the volunteers, told the Stray Ferret:

“We can’t go knocking on doors or park up on Market Place so it would be difficult to take any donations. It is a disappointment but we hope with this money we can put it towards some great causes and towards a new sleigh for Santa so we can come back bigger and better next year.”

With many of the volunteers for Ripon Lions in the older age category, they are more at risk of coronavirus. However, they still hope to hold some form of festive tour this year even if they cannot collect donations.

Harrogate Hospital releases charity calendar

To recognise the hard work of NHS staff during the coronavirus pandemic a Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity calendar is being released.

Now on sale, the calendar is raising money for the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT).

The calendar showcases the winning entries of a photo competition run by the charity. The selection includes uplifting images of staff at work, as well as photos of the Harrogate district.

The HHCC team with some of the new calendars.

Ben Windass, materials management procurement officer at HDFT, took the winning image on the front of the calendar. He said:

“I named this piece of work ‘Rainbow’ because of the general theme around national support for the NHS and I feel this picture really encapsulates this. Incidentally, these crocheted rainbows were kindly donated to the Trust, which also reinforces the theme of support and positivity towards HDFT, and the NHS as a whole.

“Any money raised by the sale of these calendars would be greatly appreciated. On a personal level, it feels warming that I have been able to contribute towards this project and hope that it will in turn contribute to supporting our fabulous Trust and all the communities we serve.”

Sammy Lambert, business development, charity and volunteer manager, said:

“We are so proud to be launching the 2020/21 calendar. The images used to develop it are absolutely amazing and really capture the spirit of the NHS in the north and what it means to be a part of team HDFT.

“It’s been a tough year for both colleagues and service users at the Trust, and we are really keen to raise as much as we can following the success of last year’s calendar in order to continue improving what the Trust can do for its local communities.”

The calendars are available for a suggested £10 donation, with all proceeds going to HDFT. This is thanks to sponsorship from Living and Home, a homeware store based in Manchester, whose director has strong ties to the trust after his daughter was born at Harrogate District Hospital.

The Trust will use the funds to provide electronic tablets for patients to video call relatives while in hospital. It will also use them to improve its services, training and facilities.

Firms get moving to raise money for local hospices

Two businesses in the Harrogate district are challenging themselves to get moving in order to raise money for charity.

Harrogate firm, High Street TV, is aiming to cover 500km in two hours today. Fifty members of staff will take part- walking and running however far they can to make the total distance.

Their ‘Keep on Moving’ challenge has raised £2,450 so far for Saint Michael’s Hospice, 163% of their original target.

Speaking about why the company chose to do this challenge, fundraising coordinator Lisa Dallas said:

“We haven’t been able to fundraise recently because of the current covid situation, so we needed to do something a little bit different. We had to think outside the box, because we had to do something where we wouldn’t be in a group.”

Over the years, High Street TV have raised £41,710 for Saint Michael’s Hospice and are a member of their Guild of Patrons.

Staff from Yorkshire letting agent Linley & Simpson have already begun their attempt to get “Around the World in 80 Days”, which is raising money for Martin House Hospice.

To reach their target of covering 40,075km, staff from the Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough branches are running, walking or cycling. A combined daily distance of 505km will have to be recorded via a smartphone tracking app in order for them to make their goal.

Martin House, based in Boston Spa, supports families North, West and East Yorkshire. They provide palliative care to children and young people with life limiting conditions.

Will Linley, left and Nick Simpson.

Will Linley, Linley & Simpson chief executive and co-founder, said:

“Because Covid has denied us the opportunity of taking part in a series of planned fundraising activities for Martin House, we have now devised this challenge as our grand sponsored finale of 2020.

“Martin house is an incredible charity, and one that we are delighted to be supporting for at least another 12 months. Over the last five years we have raised more than £100,000, and to mark our 24th year in business we have now set ourselves a £24,000 target over the next 12 months.”

To donate to the High Street TV “Keep on Moving” challenge, click here.

Sneak peek: Colourful charity crafts store opens in Harrogate

With a story behind each and every product on the shelves, a colourful new charity shop is preparing to open its doors in Harrogate tomorrow.

Artizan International’s debut store on Oxford Street will sell crafts made by disabled people from the UK, Peru and Ecuador.

The charity, which was previously known as Craft Aid International, was founded by Susie Hart when she returned to Harrogate from Tanzania 10 years ago.

The shop sells bright cushions, lampshades, jewellery, headbands and more made by disabled people. The charity trains them in crafts and gives them a living through the sales.

A new shop in Harrogate on Oxford Street in the former Harrogate Hub.

Picking up a pair of pink earrings off the shelf, Ms Hart explained to the Stray Ferret how the charity changes lives:

“They were made by a young man in Peru called Steven who uses a wheelchair. He had never had a job before and had never been able to support his girlfriend. Things were really desperate for him before he joined us.”

The pink earrings made by Steven.

The new shop on Oxford Street is the former home of Harrogate Hub, which no longer needed the space so offered it to Artizan at half the price.

When an anonymous donor heard about this, they stepped in with £200,000 to help Artizan buy the building.

Juggling the new shop with the charity’s existing work has been a huge challenge over the last few months.

The coronavirus lockdown meant all of the craft sessions and tutorials abroad and at home needed to stop or move online.

Bright and colourful headbands on the shelves.

It also meant all of the Artizan teams in Peru and Ecuador had to stop production. They still have some stock leftover from before the pandemic but Harrogate Scrubbers also stepped in to help fill the shelves.

Artizan plans to open a cafe in the building at the start of next year staffed solely by people with hearing disabilities.

Would you like to spread the word about your shop opening? No matter how small the shop get in touch with the Stray Ferret.

Community spirit thrives despite covid crisis

Coronavirus has devastated many lives this year but for one Harrogate street, the pandemic has at least brought neighbours closer together.

Since lockdown in March, residents of St Helen’s Road have been using a WhatsApp group to help each other out.

People have used the group to offer help with shopping, look out for neighbours who are shielding or share unwanted items.

Six months on the group, set up by Holly Jones, continues to foster community spirit during these dark times in the street, which is near St Aidan’s Church of England High School.

Colette Lain, who lives on St Helen’s Road, said:

“The street has gone from a fairly anonymous place before lockdown to a really lively and supportive neighbourhood.

“It gave you the security that there were people that cared, and that was fantastic.”

Ms Lain decided to make the most of the community spirit by organising a street charity raffle to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Ms Lain volunteers for the charity but was unable to do so during the pandemic.

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Friends and neighbours donated prizes, and residents bought tickets by posting money and their addresses through Ms Lain’s front door.

Colette Lain, picking the winner of the raffle.

She raised £250 for the air ambulance, and has plans to generate more through a bumper Christmas raffle in December.

Jane Kennerly and Holly Jones have also set up a book swap in a telephone box on the street in another move to bring neighbours together.

The Stray Ferret wonders how many other streets in the Harrogate district have come together in this way during the pandemic.

Knaresborough netballer aims to break world record for charity

A Knaresborough woman will attempt to break a world record tomorrow for the most netball goals scored in one hour.

To set the record, Sue Hobson, who plays goal shooter for the Hawks netball club in Harrogate, needs to shoot more than 756 goals – more than 12 goals a minute.

Sue is aiming to reach more than 900 goals in total and has already raised more than £1,100 for Saint Michael’s Hospice in the process. To support Sue, click here.

Speaking about why she has chosen to fundraise for the charity, Sue said:

“It just felt too unusual or quirky an activity to not try and use it for something positive, especially when there’s not a lot of positivity in the world at the moment.

“Living in the Harrogate and Knaresborough area I know people that have been helped by Saint Michael’s Hospice, and it seems like a great local charity.”

Sue has been training for this challenge since the beginning of lockdown, when her regular netball training sessions and matches stopped.

After setting herself challenges in her back garden, such as scoring 100 goals in a row, she began researching world records for netball.

Sue said the support from other local organisations, such as King James’s School and Harrogate Netball League, have spurred her on to complete the challenge.

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Where to go for further support

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