Twenty three community organisations have shared £55,000 in the latest round of grants awarded by The Local Fund for the Harrogate District.
The successful applicants are small organisations that can use the funding to make a big difference on a range of initiatives, including helping older people participate in activities and addressing loneliness.
They include fortnightly lunch club Lifeline Harrogate, Knaresborough Museum Association, Jennyruth Workshops in Ripon and Boroughbridge and District Community Care.
The Local Fund was created in 2017 to fund local voluntary organisations.
It is supported by North Yorkshire Council, Harrogate and District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation. It also receives at least 10p from every ticket sold by the Local Lotto.
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Celia McKeon, chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, said the grants would “make a huge impact on the wellbeing of local people all over the district”. She added:
“This round of funding has been really interesting and far reaching, distributing grants to address rural isolation alongside activities and support in the local towns.”
Ms McKeon urged local people and businesses who wanted their charitable giving to benefit the communities they live in to invest in the fund.
Here are details of the successful applicants.


Grants up to £3,000 available to Harrogate district community groups
Community groups in the Harrogate district are being invited to apply for grants of up to £3,000.
The Local Fund for the Harrogate District opened today for applications to its latest round of awards.
The fund is a three-way partnership between Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate & District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation.
it focuses on small organisations with charitable aims where a small amount of money can make a significant difference.
The guidance notes say:
“Local groups can apply for activities and services that support people, keeping them connected to their community and with each other.
“This may be particularly important during the cost-of-living crisis, you may want to run more activities throughout the winter months, so people have a warm space to access.
“We cannot support overheads alone but encourage you to include them as part of your application and our commitment to full cost recovery.”
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A total of 14 groups received a total of £40,688 in the last funding round, which was celebrated at an event at West Park Hotel in Harrogate last night.
Successful applicants included Boroughbridge and District Community Care, Nidderdale and Pateley Bridge Men’s Shed, St. Andrew’s Church in Burnt Yates, Pannal Ash Junior Football Club and Harrogate District of Sanctuary.
A total of £84,681 was given to 29 groups in the previous year.
The deadline for the new funding round is January 9. Decisions will be made by mid-February.
Grants from £200 to £3,000 are available.
Applicants must be based in and/or working in the area served by Harrogate Borough Council.
Further details are available here.
Jan Garrill, chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, said:
“It is five years since The Local Fund was launched and since 2018, 88 projects have been supported and £237,266 paid out in grants.
“These grants have supported activities around mental health, inequality, hidden poverty and loneliness. More recently they have assisted in the response to and recovery from covid and now the impact of increases in the cost of living.
“Despite the local government changes in 2023 the fund will remain for the long term, supporting local grass roots community action across the whole of the district and with local people involved in decisions about the awards.”
Pic shows: Harrogate borough mayor, Councillor Victoria Oldham (centre), with voluntary sector representatives at last night’s event.
£41,000 given to 14 community groups in Harrogate districtA total of £40,688 has been given to 14 community groups and charities by The Local Fund for the Harrogate District.
The grants of up to £3,000 each will fund activities for young people and older people, sports clubs, mental health and wellbeing groups, and help people affected by the cost of living crisis.
Some of the projects funded by the grant include:
- Lifeline Harrogate, which received £2,600 to fund a lunch club for local people who have recently been homeless
- Ripon Community Link, which was given £3,000 for a sensory garden that improves the mental health of people with disabilities or neurodivergency
- Harrogate & District Community Action, which used the £2,688 grant on a friend and exercise club for isolated people over the age of 65
The fund is a joint initiative between Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate & District Community Action, and Two Ridings Community Foundation, with donations from the Harry Bolland Trust Fund, The Local Lotto and businesses and individuals.
Two Ridings Community Fund has found that many community groups are still struggling after the pandemic with funding, turnover of key staff, poor mental health, and the cost of living crisis.
Jan Garrill, chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, which administers the funding, said:
“We are delighted that 14 small community groups benefit, because we know they make a huge impact on the wellbeing of local people all over the district.”
Councillor Sam Gibbs, who is a panel member for The Local Fund, added:
“The work these numerous organisations and charities do makes such a huge difference so I’d like to thank everyone involved in providing this on-going support.”
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The Local Fund has been running in Harrogate since 2017, and last year it donated over £80,000 to 29 different community groups in the district.
This year, the groups receiving funding are:
- Wellspring Therapy & Training
- Harrogate & District Community Action
- Mind in Harrogate district
- Lifeline Harrogate
- Harlow Hill Community Centre Association
- The Trauma Centre Community Interest Company
- Little Ouseburn village hall CIO
- Jennyruth Workshops
- Pine Street Allotments
- Ripon Community Link
- Samaritans of Harrogate and District
- Harrogate Town AFC
- Yorkshire Yoga
- Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington
Representatives of about 30 voluntary organisations joined councillors and civic dignitaries this week to celebrate the Local Fund for the Harrogate District, which awarded £85,000 to 29 community groups this year.
The fund, which will be issuing more grants in the new year, awards up to £3,000 to small voluntary organisations that have a positive impact on the wellbeing of people in the Harrogate district.
It helped Resurrected Bites launch a community grocery store for low income people and enabled Wellspring Therapy and Training to offer reduced costs on counselling.
Other successful applicants this year included Harrogate Clothes Bank, Artizan International, the Wesley Centre, Masham Town Hall Community Charity, Harrogate Bowling Club, Chain Lane Community Centre and Harrogate & Knaresborough Toy Library, Nidderdale & Pateley Bridge Men’s Shed and Boroughbridge and District Community Care.
The fund is a three-way partnership between Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate & District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation.
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At least 60% from each ticket sold on the Local Lotto, which has a weekly £25,000 jackpot, goes towards the fund.
Harrogate Borough Council has made a £200,000 endowment donation, which will help the fund provide sustainable long-term funding.

This week’s celebratory event at West Park Hotel.
Jan Garrill , chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, told the gathering at Harrogate’s West Park Hotel that it would match fund any donations to the Local Fund by individuals or businesses.
Karen Weaver, strategic lead at HADCA, which supports charities in the district, said:
“The Local Fund is all about addressing the hidden needs in our district, like loneliness and mental health.
“It’s so important that there is a dependable fund for small groups that make such a massive impact in the district.”
Further details of the fund are available here.
Harrogate district groups can bid for grants up to £3,000
Voluntary organisations can apply from today for grants of between £200 and £3,000 from the Local Fund for the Harrogate District.
The fund, which has opened for its second funding round, will award about £30,000 to £40,000 in total.
Not-for-profit groups in the Harrogate district running projects or wanting to restart their activities and services after covid are eligible to apply.
Applications need to be received by June 21 and grants will be awarded in late July.
The fund, which is a partnership between Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate and District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation, was established in 2018 to provide grant funding to local voluntary organisations.
Harrogate firm Full Circle Funerals has boosted the amount available in this funding round by contributing £10,000.
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Sarah Jones, chief executive of Full Circle Funerals, said:
“We have been very keen to do something positive to help activities and projects resume after covid and the Local Fund seemed like the perfect opportunity to offer far-reaching support where it is most needed.”
Jan Garrill, chief executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, said:
“The Local Fund in this round will focus on supporting community-inspired and led projects, activities and events.
“We know many local groups are keen to re-start activities once the current covid restrictions are lifted and we want to be able to support them with grants.”
Councillor Sam Gibbs, chair of Harrogate Borough Council’s voluntary and community sector liaison group and Local Fund grants panel member, said:
“The Local Fund provides continuous support for our local voluntary and community sector organisations and charities across the Harrogate district and the residents they support.
“It has been an incredibly tough year for them. And now, more than ever, it is critical these charities can access funds for projects.
Further details are available on the Two Ridings Community Foundation website and the HADCA website.
Harrogate district charities receive £200,000 boostLocal charities received a £200,000 boost last night from Harrogate Borough Council.
The council agreed to make a one-off payment for the sum to the Local Fund for the Harrogate District, which was set up in 2018 to encourage long-term, sustainable income for voluntary organisations.
The council currently allocates £30,000 a year to the fund, which it set up in collaboration with Harrogate and District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation.
But at last night’s cabinet meeting, the council agreed to give a one-off lump sum of £200,000, which will be placed into an endowment.
This will replace its £30,000 annual contribution.
Interest from the endowment, along with private donations and contributions from the Local Lotto and dormant trust funds, will be awarded to charities.
The Local Fund’s latest funding round allowed not-for-profit organisations to apply for grants of up to £5,000.
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The council’s £200,000 will be used to attract match funding, with council leader Richard Cooper suggesting this could potentially double its value.
In 2018/19, the Local Fund distributed £70,000 to 23 different projects.
At last night’s meeting, council leader Richard Cooper called the fund a “brilliant initiative”.
He said:
“This is an opportunity to establish a permanent fund for good causes in the Harrogate district.
“We expect to double our money from match funding, so our investment could potentially grow to be £400,000.”
