This story is sponsored by Newcastle Building Society.

In many towns and cities just like Knaresborough, the growth of online shopping and the popularity of out-of-town retail outlets has changed the face of our high streets over recent years. And it’s hard to ignore the fact that the rise of digital banking is having an impact on the number of bank branches and the availability of financial services in our communities. 

With more than 5,000 bank branches across the UK closing since 2015, people who don’t have access to digital banking, or those who prefer to manage their money in person might well worry about the future of the once-familiar bank branch. 

However, one building society is gaining attention in the region by bucking the national trend of branch closures and for coming up with new ways to restore access to financial services in its communities.  

Newcastle Building Society has 31 branches across the North East, North Yorkshire and Cumbria – a number which has actually grown over recent years with the recent addition of the Knaresborough branch – and despite the number of branch closures by others around the UK, says its commitment to face-to-face financial services is only getting stronger. 

Michael Conville, chief customer officer at Newcastle Building Society said:

“Customers tell us again and again that they’re worried about the future of branches. As an organisation owned by our members we’re constantly thinking about how to better serve our communities and we’re absolutely committed to investing in our branches and growing access to local financial services.  

“Branches are expensive to run, but instead of admitting defeat and pulling down the shutters, we’re taking a fresh approach, working with local people and finding new ways to make branches work for our communities. That includes rethinking what the branch might look like and showing what can be achieved when you’ve got customers’ best interests at heart.” 

How has Newcastle Building Society bucked the trend?

One of the ways Newcastle Building Society has been able to open more branches when others around them close is through its innovative community partnership branch. Since 2016 the Society has opened in four new locations – Yarm, Hawes, Wooler, and Knaresborough, each time working with local partners to open a new branch in a space shared with other local services.

In Knaresborough, the Society’s branch sits inside the local library, taking up a fraction of the space of a traditional branch but offering all the same services and making it easy for people checking out the latest books to check out the latest savings interest rates.  

The Newcastle Building Society branch is a part of the library and information centre.

The Society is also investing in its presence in Newcastle city centre, with plans to open a brand new flagship community branch at Monument in summer 2024. 

Michael added:

“There’s a real risk of financial exclusion in places where banks have left town. Often that impacts the most vulnerable and makes people more reliant on others to help manage their money. The community partnership branch works when there is a real need for financial services and a clear desire from local people and leaders to work together to bring those essential services back to the high street. It’s been a success for us in four places already and we’re working on more community branches all the time.” 

Banking for everyone

As well as its commitment to branches, Newcastle Building Society is sticking with some of the more traditional ways of keeping up to date with your savings, such as the savings passbook, which many banks and building societies are phasing out.  

But the Society is also investing in the latest technology to hand the power of choice to its customers and help restore access to cash and basic banking services in places where the banks have left. In its Knaresborough and Gosforth branches, a UK-first pilot of a multi-bank kiosk allows customers of any bank to withdraw and deposit cash from their current account – whoever they bank with – under the Society’s roof, free of charge without the need to be a customer of the society. For small businesses in particular, it means less time spent travelling to their nearest bank and more time running their business. 

Michael concluded:

“Technology is probably the biggest driver of change in financial services and by working with OneBanx and their multi-bank kiosk, we’re helping to restore basic banking services which are especially important for small businesses and the wider health of the high street economy. We’re also investing in our digital offering, including our online savings portal and app, because we believe customers deserve the best of both worlds – the convenience of online services and the reassurance and comfort that only comes from a friendly conversation on your local high street.”

To find out more about what we can do for you, pop into your local branch at 40 Market Place or visit the branch page by clicking or tapping here.  

Harrogate’s John Shackleton, 83, is hoping to deliver an ambulance to war-torn Ukraine in September.

Local hero John has delivered almost 40 ambulances to hospices and hospitals in Eastern Europe since 1990 through his charity Aid to Eastern Europe.

He is no stranger to Ukraine, having previously delivered ambulances there in 2014 and 2016. He described it as “such a beautiful country”.

He said if the situation with the war improves, he will buy an ambulance from auction in Amsterdam and drive into Ukraine so it can be used by people injured in the conflict.

If he’s not able to enter the country, he has a backup plan to deliver the ambulance to a hospice in Georgia.

John said:

“Its very sad, I’ve been trying to contact my pals there but haven’t been able to get through. The situation is terrible.

“Ukrainians are exceedingly friendly, lovable people and they are very devoted to their country. They are so powerful in their thinking, they will die for their country”.

Read more:

• Harrogate student busking for Ukraine
• Ukrainian couple in Harrogate speak of fears for family under Russian fire

To raise money to buy the vehicles, John chops down trees, cuts lawns, mends bicycles — anything to raise the £12,000 to £15,000 it costs to purchase an ambulance.

But he is currently under doctor’s orders to rest after suffering a heart attack last month.

It happened while he was chopping a tree down at the Oval in Harrogate last month whilst he had his chainsaw in hand.

Fortunately, he had his team with him and they took him straight to Harrogate District Hospital.

Amazing adventures

In January, The Stray Ferret met John at his home to discuss his amazing charity adventures and life.

Since then, he’s been featured on BBC News and had offers from Japanese, German and Gibraltar TV to come on his next trip.

He added:

“I don’t know how to deal with this, never had this publicity!”

The founder of a Harrogate domestic abuse charity has blamed coronavirus for an increase in domestic abuse after the number of referrals tripled in a year.

Lindsay Oliver is chief executive of New Beginnings, which provides comfort and support to abused women when they have settled into new homes and the crisis team has withdrawn.

This time last year the charity took two referrals a month. More recently it has been receiving on average six a month.

The number of active clients over the same period has also more than doubled, from 15 to 35.

That increase in referrals and clients, Ms Oliver believes, is the after-effects of coronavirus lockdowns this year and last year. She told the Stray Ferret:

“We are just now starting to see the outcome of coronavirus. Many people need support but the Harrogate district has been so generous.

“It’s very difficult, particularly at Christmas. Part of the abuse is financial so these women often have lots of debt so struggle to buy gifts and a nice meal.

“With donations from the community and businesses we work with Roots and Fruits (Harrogate greengrocers) to provide our families with a big hamper of food and a turkey.

“Not only are we able to provide food with the support of our amazing community but we are also able to give them gifts, not just for the children but for the women too.”

Some of the donations for the Christmas campaign.

Read more:

• The charity offering ‘New Beginnings’ for female survivors of domestic abuse
• Harrogate charity speaks out after recent violent crime against women

Where can I go for further support?

If you are in a physical or emotionally abusive relationship, click here to contact IDAS, which is the largest charity in Yorkshire supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.

If you’re out of an abusive relationship but need further support, you can self-refer to New Beginnings. Email enquiries@newbeginningspeersupport.com.

A community grocery has opened in Knaresborough today to help people in need put food on the table.

Resurrected Bites, an organisation which battles food waste, is behind the new shop at Gracious Street Methodist Church.

It will be open on Tuesdays and Fridays between 9.30am and 3.30pm. The last people will be let in at 3pm.

It is the second community grocery set up by Resurrected Bites, which opened its first at New Park Community Hub in October.

Both operate in the same way. People who are struggling to make ends meet pay a small sum to become members an can then shop at the grocery.

It costs £5 a year to sign up as a member. You then pay £3, £6 or £9, depending on the size of your family, to shop for goods that would usually cost about £30 in supermarkets.

The majority of the food available would have gone to landfill but is too good to be wasted.

The stores have a wide range of tinned, fresh food and frozen food. They also stock toiletries, sanitary products and nappies in various sizes.

Read more:

• Harrogate mum who struggled to feed kids wants to break stigma
• Community grocery for people in need opens in Harrogate

Carolyn Aitken, the grocery manager, said

“So many people are struggling with rising food and fuel prices on top of all of the cuts to people’s income.

“We want to ensure that everyone can afford to eat a healthy diet so please let people know about our service if you know they are struggling.”

Michelle Hayes, the founder of Resurrected Bites, said:

“We are really grateful to Gracious St Methodist Church for giving us this dedicated room in the church for us to run the grocery from.

“We partnered with the church initially in January 2020 when we started a pay as you feel community café there.

“This means that people who become members of the grocery, can also come in for a drink and something to eat when they come to do their shopping.”

Resurrected Bites will continue to run its café in the Bridge cafe at the centre on Gracious Street from 10 am until 2pm every Tuesday and Friday.

Charity fundraising events in the Harrogate district have been slowly returning.

But whilst the smaller events have successfully returned, such as HELP‘s Nidderdale walk or Saint Michael’s ‘Go Purple’, the big set-piece charity balls are yet to return.

The balls play a vital role in the annual fundraising calendar for many charities – often raising significant amounts of money. Such as the Firecracker Ball, which raised over £250,000 in 2019.

Claire Mills who’s partner, Tony Furlong, received end of life care from Saint Michael’s Hospice, has organised one of the first balls to return.

The event named ‘The Tony Furlong Memorial Ball’, will take place at The Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, on Friday, November 5. It has already sold over 150 tickets at £60 per person.

Ms Mills said:

“I am looking forward to welcoming friends, family and colleagues of Tony to the ball, I am hoping that we raise a huge amount for St. Michael’s Hospice whilst remembering Tony and sharing some great memories. Tony loved to attend a black tie ball, particularly as he spent his career managing hotels and I am sure everyone attending will do him proud by having a fantastic evening, particularly after such a challenging year, I think everyone is ready for a party.”

Read More:

• Saint Michael’s urges Harrogate district to ‘go purple’
• Race for Life returns to Harrogate today

Other annual charity balls, such as the Barnardo’s Firecracker Ball, Martin House’s Glitter Ball, and the Candlelighters Ilkley Ball – have not been confirmed to be returning this year.

The Glitter Ball, though, is scheduled for May next year at Rudding Park. 

Sara Cracknell, senior events fundraiser at Martin House Children’s Hospice, said:

“We are excited to announce that the Martin House Glitter Ball will return to Rudding Park Hotel on Friday 6th May 2022, hosted by Bargain Hunt star Charles Hanson.”

“The Glitter Ball is our most glamorous fundraising event, and also our biggest – in 2019 it raised over £172,000.”

The Ilkley Candlelighters Ball, will not return in 2021, with 2022 still under review. In past years the ball has raised upwards of £52,000 in donations.

Alison Clay, chairman for the Ilkley Candlelighters Ball, said:

“With rising costs and dwindling returns, year on year, and the current situation we all find ourselves in, we are fearful this type of event will ever happen again! I sincerely hope and pray that this is not the case as the charity provides an invaluable resource for patients and their families in the most dire of circumstances and I urge all our supporters, past and present, to do their utmost to make sure that the Ilkley Candlelighters Ball continues for many years to come.”

For more information about the ‘The Tony Furlong Memorial Ball’, contact: cmills@classiclodges.co.uk and to support Claire’s fundraising for Saint Michael’s click here.

Sales of face masks have resulted in a donation of £2,500 to a Harrogate charity this Christmas.

The Brora shop on Prospect Crescent has raised £10 from the sale of every £19 Liberty print face mask. It chose local charities Harrogate Homeless Project and Harrogate Easier Living Project (HELP) to receive the proceeds from the sales.

The money will be used to fund the latter’s Here to HELP covid-19 response service, providing practical and emotional support to people in Harrogate and Ripon who are struggling at home during the pandemic. Anna Woollven, Project Development Worker at HELP, said:

“With many people struggling in the wake of Covid-19, we are seeing lots of people turn to our trusted services. This fantastic donation will help ensure we can continue to be ‘Here to HELP’ those who need us at this challenging time. Thank you to Brora and its customers for their incredible generosity.”

HELP has seen a significant rise in demand for its support during the pandemic, with more than 5,000 calls for help received since March. The charity’s volunteers have assisted with tasks including shopping, collecting prescriptions and phone befriending.

Meanwhile, most of its usual fundraising opportunities have been called off.

Read more:

• Club donation to support unpaid carers hit by covid challenges
• One in five North Yorkshire charities have closed since March

Across the country, Brora’s mask sales have raised £250,000 for charities chosen by each local shop. Victoria Stapleton, founder and creative director of Brora, said:

“So many of our communities across the UK have been really impacted by Covid-19. We felt it was particularly vital to support smaller charities so we could make a real difference to their work.

“Kate Heyworth from our Harrogate store identified HELP and the Harrogate Homeless Project as two charities who would really benefit from our donation. We are delighted to be able to contribute to their frontline work.”

The charity face masks are still available at Brora’s shop in Harrogate or on the website. For more information about HELP’s support services and volunteering opportunities, visit www.helpharrogate.org.uk  or call 01423 813096.

Harrogate Easier Living Project (HELP) is preparing for an increase of calls for help from people after coronavirus.

Requests to the charity for food bank and supermarket vouchers have already increased. It says help for practical jobs could also increase as people struggle financially.

From April to June it has supported over 500 families and individuals. Over lockdown it provided a variety of help including dropping off books and puzzles to those isolating and moving beds for covid patients returning from hospital.

The charity was initially “overwhelmed” at the beginning of the pandemic but it was able to recruit over 200 volunteers to help it as demand increased.

Lizzie Hughes, Project Development Worker, said that as lockdown eases people will still need their help:

“Whilst we are receiving fewer urgent requests for support and emergency food shopping now, we are still carrying out on average around 120 tasks every week for people in Harrogate and Ripon. A number of people are struggling financially and we’re seeing a lot more people needing to access the food banks or asking us to apply for supermarket vouchers for them.

“Physical and mental health may prevent some local residents from being able to fully participate in community life for some time to come. We also anticipate an increase in demand for practical help with jobs that have built up during lockdown and need arising from economic hardship exacerbated by the virus.”

Gill, a HELP volunteer, took her pony Maple for a socially distant walk round the houses of some of HELP’s isolating clients to cheer them up.

Read more:

• Ripon charity planning for further expansion despite the pandemic. 
• Open Country, a disability charity in Harrogate, has found a way to bring the outdoors into people’s homes during lockdown. 

The organisation offers a support network for those in need of help across Harrogate and Ripon. Over lockdown HELP has been working with the most vulnerable to assist them in any way they need.

Lizzie added:

“From April to June, we supported an additional 501 families and individuals, carried out 822 shopping trips and 112 people received befriending phone calls. We appreciate that doing someone’s shopping isn’t going to be the answer to all their problems so we have been making welfare calls to all our clients offering them additional support.”