The Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal will come to an end this weekend after almost two months of raising vital funds for Dementia Forward.

You can still donate to the appeal until midnight on Sunday, January 7.

So far we have raised around £8,000 for the charity, which will go towards funding a new minibus.

Jill Quinn MBE, chief executive at Dementia Forward, said:

“We really value the support that The Stray Ferret and all your readers have given us this Christmas.

“The stories and videos have shone a light on our services, and we really hope that everyone has a good understanding of what Dementia Forward offers to people in the local community, and knows where to turn if they ever they need us.

“It is exciting that we have received enough donations to be able to lease a new minibus for the next two years, so that we can continue to provide vital transport for people living with dementia in the Harrogate District.

“Once again, huge thanks and we wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2024!”

We didn’t reach our target, but we know times are tough and the money raised will still make a huge difference to the lives of those living with dementia and the people struggling around them.

Director of The Stray Ferret, Tamsin O’Brien said:

“We’d like to thank VIDA Healthcare for its wonderful support of our Christmas Appeal. As someone who’s family has experienced the heartbreak of Alzheimers, this was an appeal close to my heart.

“Thank you to everyone who donated. Please give generously this weekend — you never know when you may be in need of Dementia Forward’s help too.”

The appeal was kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is to raise money for a minibus for Dementia Forward in the Harrogate district. 

The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.

Please give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. Let’s not forget who needs our help this Christmas.

During the Christmas period, the Stray Ferret has been raising money to buy Dementia Forward a new minibus, which provides a lifeline to those struggling with dementia.

Our Christmas Appeal is coming to an end this Friday (January 5) but we still need YOUR help.

We’re still a long way off our target and, without the charity’s vital minibus service, many people living with dementia in the Harrogate district run the risk of becoming isolated and alone.

It’s a saviour for so many families and for the carers that deserve a much-needed break from caring for their loved one.

The bus service takes those living with dementia on trips out.

We know times are tough – and January only adds to that strain – but please dig deep this week and donate whatever you can to our appeal. Every penny will go towards funding a new vehicle and helping to better the lives of those living with this awful condition.

Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and tired and urgently needs replacing. The charity would seriously struggle to afford a new one, which is why they need your help to keep this vital service going. Without it, many people living with dementia wouldn’t be able to access the help and support they need.

Click here to donate – you never know when you, your family or your friend may be in need of Dementia Forward’s help too.

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal aims to raise money for a much-needed minibus for Dementia Forward in the Harrogate district. 

The appeal is kindly sponsored by Vida Healthcare.

Please give generously to support local people and their families living with dementia. Let’s not forget who needs our help this Christmas.

Dementia Forward is a saviour for hundreds of families across the Harrogate district.

Today, we hear from people the charity continues to help.

The Stray Ferret hopes to raise £30,000 to buy the charity a new minibus but we’re still a long way off our target – and we need your help.

We know times are hard, but please donate whatever you can to this vital cause.

Every donation to our campaign will go directly to Dementia Forward. It will fund a new minibus and improve the lives of people living with dementia and those around them.

Dementia Forward’s current bus is old and urgently needs to be replaced. The charity would seriously struggle to afford a new one, which is why they need your help to keep this vital service going. Without it, many people living with dementia wouldn’t be able to access the help and support they need.

Let’s not forget those who need our help this Christmas.

Thank you.

Our readers will soon be able to plan 2024 with the Stray Ferret charity calendar, however we need your help to decide which images will be included!

Using our photo of the week entries, we will be creating a calendar that showcases the beauty of the Harrogate district.

From our furry friends enjoying the snow to misty mornings on the Stray, vote for your favourite images to be included in the winter months.

See the contenders in our gallery below and vote for your winner via our competition page!

The Stray Ferret is launching its inaugural charity calendar to raise money for our Christmas appeal and showcase the beauty of the Harrogate district.

As many of you know, we post our photo of the week feature on our website and social media every Sunday, inviting local people to send in their images of the district.

Now, we need your help to decide which photo of the week entries will feature in our calendar!

From cherry blossom on the Stray to furry friends and ferris wheels, the winning images will be included in our 2024 desk calendars.

Keep an eye out for each season’s gallery of shortlisted images and vote for your favourites via our competition page.

Calendars will be available to buy later this year as part of our Christmas appeal.

To send in your entry for photo of the week, email letters@thestrayferret.co.uk .

This year’s Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is for Resurrected Bites in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Today, Vicky gives an update on the fundraising, with five days left of the appeal.

Please give generously to support local people who are struggling this Christmas. They need your help. 

An incredible £22,000 has been raised for Resurrected Bites in less than four weeks thanks to the generosity of Stray Ferret readers.

As well as contributions from individuals across the district, many businesses have donated to the Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal.

Taking us over our £20,000 total this week was a fantastic £5,000 from Windsor Private Office Financial Planning, based in Harrogate.

Every penny from those donations goes directly to Resurrected Bites. Click here to see the latest total.

The Stray Ferret chose to support Resurrected Bites after it warned in autumn that it faced significant financial challenges in running its community groceries and pay-as-you-feel cafes, all using food that would otherwise go to landfill.

It costs £7,500 each month to keep the organisation going, and its income was falling short by £3,000 every month.

Michelle Hayes, founder of Resurrected Bites, said:

“A massive thank you to the Stray Ferret for running the appeal and to everybody who has donated.

“This money is going to give us security for about eight months, covering the shortfall we have. We’re in a much stronger position starting 2023 than we were a few months ago.”

We launched the appeal on November 29 to run for four weeks until Christmas. With an initially modest target of £5,000, we soon realised we were going to pass that in a matter of days.

We increased the target to £20,000 and your donations continued to roll in.

Knowing the challenges of the cost of living crisis and the extra strain on many household budgets these days, we have been overwhelmed by just how generous our readers have been in supporting Resurrected Bites.

It’s all down to the willingness of its members and volunteers to be open about the challenges facing them. From the young Ukrainian family working to build a new life in Knaresborough to the single mum and full-time NHS employee whose circumstances changed dramatically, they have illustrated how vital Resurrected Bites is to so many local people.

Their powerful stories have also highlighted how easily many of us could end up in the same situation.

It’s often said that many households are just one pay day away from being in serious financial trouble. If you were to lose your job, or find yourself unable to work, could you cover your bills and still put food on the table?

Read more:

• Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: ‘I shouldn’t need this – but it’s a lifesaver’
• Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: ‘We had good jobs but we were still struggling’
• Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal: ‘My life collapsed like a wicket’

That situation is facing new people every day. Michelle said just this week, there have been more people coming through the doors of the community groceries, looking for support to get them through the toughest of circumstances.

She said:

“It has been heartbreaking this week, with people who haven’t heard of us before getting in touch very late in the day saying they have nothing for Christmas, no presents for the kids.

“The situation is certainly not improving.”

Resurrected Bites is there to support people with dignity, providing affordable groceries – and reducing food waste at the same time – for as long as people need them.

While calls for help have continued to come in, so have donations of food. Resurrected Bites is often chosen as the recipient of ‘reverse advent calendars’, where organisers put an item in a box every day through December and donate it all at the end of the month.

Anyone wishing to give food can do so at Resurrected Bites’ warehouse at the rear of Disability Action Yorkshire on Hornbeam Park Oval, Harrogate, on Wednesday, December 21 or Thursday, December 22, between 9am and noon.

Meanwhile, we may have passed our £20,000 fundraising target, but our appeal continues right up until Christmas.

Later this week, we’ll bring you stories about how Resurrected Bites is helping to make Christmas magical for everyone, ensuring people are fed and children don’t go without presents.

Please keep donating to the appeal. It really will make all the difference to local people this Christmas and beyond.

Nobody in the Harrogate district should go hungry this Christmas. 

It costs £300 to run the community grocery for one day. Please help to keep it open for everyone who relies on it. 

Click here to contribute now. Thank you. 

A thief has stolen a laptop and cash from food waste community group Resurrected Bites.

The culprit took the items from the organisation’s give as you can cafe at West Park United Reformed Church in Harrogate on Wednesday while volunteers were helping people in need.

Resurrected Bites works with local businesses and suppliers to divert food from landfill and converts it into meals in its cafes in Harrogate and Knaresborough. It also operates a community groceries scheme.

Michelle Hayes, founder and director of Resurrected Bites, said:

“We are gutted and hope the person will do the right thing and return what they took.”

Read more:

• Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal 2022: Help ensure nobody goes hungry this Christmas
• Food waste organisation Resurrected Bites warns it could close

Ms Hayes said no personal data had been compromised but added the incident had been a “wake-up call”:

“It was an opportunistic thief at lunchtime. We will have to be a lot more vigilant on security going forward.

“We are a naturally trusting group of people and it’s very sad that someone would steal from us.”

The Stray Ferret is running a Christmas appeal to raise money for Resurrected Bites, after it issued a plea for funding to keep its services alive.

The target was originally £5,000, which was achieved in days, and has since been raised to £20,000. The current total is £12,800. You can donate here.