First Harrogate Christmas Fayre set to showcase local charities

The new Harrogate Christmas Fayre is set to showcase local charities when the festive market comes to town next month.

Organisers Market Place Europe have set aside a stall for 10 charities, which they can use to raise awareness and fundraise.

Across the 10 days, Samaritans of Harrogate and District, Harrogate Town AFC Community Foundation, Bilton and Woodfield Community Library, Dementia Forward, Harrogate Skills 4 Living Centre, Harrogate Easier Living Project, Citizens Advice Craven and Harrogate Districts, Harrogate International Festivals, Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity and Horticap will also use the stall.

A press release today by Harrogate Borough Council, which is organising the event in partnership with Market Place Europe, said the charities ‘were identified through the council’s Local Lotto initiative’, which conducts weekly prize draws that generate money for local charities.

Nick Rhodes, chief executive of Market Place Europe, said:

“Almost 50 coach companies are set to arrive across the 10 days, along with the thousands of Harrogate district residents and regional visitors, so it is anticipated that traders, local businesses and charities are going to benefit from the additional footfall the fayre will bring.”

The organisers hope the stall will help fill the void left by the original Harrogate Christmas Market on Montpellier Hill, which over the last five events contributed more than £90,000 to local charities.

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Gemma Rio, Harrogate Borough Council’s head of destination management, said:

“There is a lot of excitement building for the market, and we are anticipating thousands of people visiting Harrogate this festive period, so I’d like to thank Market Place Europe for donating a stall that will no doubt raise the profile of local charities and The Local Lotto.”

Location and dates for new Harrogate Christmas Fayre

The Harrogate Christmas Fayre will feature around 50 stallholders on Cambridge Street, Market Place, Station Square and Cambridge Crescent.. They will be spaced out wider than usual to encourage social distancing.

Ripon dementia charity wins royal award

Ripon based charity Dementia Forward has won The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The charity has won the accolade, which is given for outstanding work towards the local community, along with 241 others across the UK.

More than 200 people volunteer with Dementia Forward, including minibus drivers, public speakers and coordinators who run activities for people struggling with the illness, such as gardening and baking sessions.

During the pandemic the charity adapted to offer virtual support including a ‘café in a box’ service delivering activities to people’s doorsteps.

It reported more than 1,000 calls to its dementia helpline every month over lockdown. The helpline covers a range of services including advice for early dementia and deploying specialist support workers.

Jill Quinn, CEO of the charity since it was founded nine years ago, said;

“We have never looked back from that first step in 2012 and have grown the charity from supporting just 200 families in the first year to now supporting over 4,000 families and this award is certainly a red letter day for everyone involved.

“We are blessed to have a team of over 200 volunteers and so many supporters across the county.”

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The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was set up in 2002 as a celebration for the golden jubilee and has given awards to thousands of charities each year.

Representatives from Dementia Forward will go to a ceremony to receive the award crystal and certificate later this year. Next summer they will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace gardens along with the other winners.

The awards ceremony for last year’s winners took place this week and saw Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels receive its service award. It provides a ‘meals on wheels’ service around the area, delivering to those who are unable to cook and checking on their wellbeing.

If you or a loved one has been affected by dementia, you can call the Dementia Forward helpline on 03300 578592.

Ripon charity uses robot cats to help dementia sufferers

Dementia sufferers in North Yorkshire have received a new gift to keep their spirits up during lockdown — robot cats.

Knaresborough Rotary Club funded 50 cats for Dementia Forward, a Ripon-based charity that supports people with dementia.

Each robot weighs about the same as a cat and interacts in a lifelike way, creating a calming effect.

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Jill Quinn, chief executive of Dementia Forward, said people had become attached to the cats after the charity trialed them.

She said:

“They are very lifelike and purr and react when they are stroked.

“They can provide comfort for a person with dementia who is anxious or unable to settle by providing a calming effect.

“One example we witnessed was a woman who was very into arts and crafts, but her dementia meant that she would get anxious and wasn’t able to stay involved in any activity.

“But once we placed the cat on her knee she sat and stroked it – it created a calming distraction which enabled her to stay focussed and enjoy the activity.”

The cats are part of a wider effort to find innovative ways to help people during the pandemic and lockdown.

Dementia Forward, which is funded by North Yorkshire County Council to provide dementia support in the county, has launched a ‘cafe in a box’ scheme.

The initiative involves delivering boxes tailored to each individual interests, for instance puzzles, jigsaws, books, games, laminated jokes and sheets with activities.

Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate has donated teabags and biscuits to the boxes, hence the ‘cafe’ name.

Marie-Ann Jackson, head of stronger communities at North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“Like many local organisations across the county who are unable to deliver their normal support services due to the current restrictions, Dementia Forward have come up with some wonderfully innovative and alternative ways to support people.

“The café in a box is such a great idea, especially as they are personalising the boxes so they are really tailored to be an individual’s interests.”

Dementia charity warns of impact of second lockdown

The chief executive of Ripon charity Dementia Forward has warned that a second national lockdown would heighten distress for people with dementia and their families.

Jill Quinn, whose charity provides services across North Yorkshire, acknowledged the government faced difficult decisions about how to respond to rising levels of infections.

But she said the impact of the first lockdown and ongoing restrictions had already had serious implications for dementia sufferers.

Jill Quinn, chief executive of Dementia Forward.

Speaking on World Alzheimer’s Day today, Ms Quinn said:

“Dementia is a progressive illness but the restrictions have caused faster deterioration.

“People are also struggling to get a diagnosis.

“There isn’t a solution – or if there is I can’t see it. We’ve just got to keep going.”

Ms Quinn said Dementia Forward had lost between £50,000 and £100,000 of fundraising this year due to events being cancelled.

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Fundraising accounts for about half of the charity’s income. The other half is derived from providing services for North Yorkshire County Council.

The charity, which had 4,000 families on its books at the time of lockdown, furloughed six of its 29 staff.

It has had to postpone weekly pop-up wellbeing cafes and day services.

This loss of services has had detrimental effects on beneficiaries, many of whom don’t understand the rules on social distancing and hand hygiene.

Ms Quinn said:

“We are receiving more and more calls from people in distress. We just have to keep doing what we can, which is really limited right now.

“But there’s no doubt we are stashing up problems for the future.”

Harrogate council donates £10,000 through cremation metals

Harrogate Borough Council has donated £10,000 to Dementia Forward through money it made recycling cremation metals.

The council makes money twice a year through the recycling programme with consent from the bereaved families. It then chooses a different charity for each six-month period.

When a person is cremated the process leaves behind metals from implants like hip and knee replacements as well as from the construction of the coffin.

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Councillor Andy Paraskos, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“I’d like to thank those families who, during a difficult time, have consented to us recycling metals recovered. By raising this money, everyone involved has done their bit to helping local charities such as Dementia Forward.”

Jillian Quinn, CEO of Dementia Forward, said:

“We would like to thank Harrogate Borough Council for this very generous donation, which has come at a really important time. Our services are needed more than ever and many of our fund raising events are on hold at the moment. We have extended our help line team and this will keep the service going strong. We rely heavily on local support and we are very grateful.”