North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership is supporting the National Working Group to highlight the National Child Exploitation awareness raising day on 18 March 2024. As part of this collaboration, the NYSCP is holding 10 free masterclasses focusing on safeguarding for you to join.

Click this link to view more information on the classes, which will be running from 18-22 March.

Corinne Pluchino, an experienced leader with a lifelong interest in rural affairs will join Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) in May.

She replaces Richard Quallington who announced his departure last year, having spent 8 years in the role.

Corinne is currently Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications at WWT, the charity for wetlands and wildlife. She has previously served as Chief Executive of Campaign for National Parks and has held senior roles with SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity and Hill & Knowlton, the global communications consultancy. She is also a former trustee of CPRE, the countryside charity. With expertise in communications, public affairs, and stakeholder engagement, her experience includes housing and development, environmental, farming, health, and social care issues. She aims to put the needs and interests of rural communities firmly on the next government’s agenda.

Thrilled to be supporting rural communities

Speaking of her appointment, Corinne said: “I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to join ACRE, and to work with its network of thirty-eight member organisations that are dedicated to supporting rural communities across England. It is essential that the significant challenges faced by many people living in rural areas are better understood and they are not disadvantaged by where they live. There are also real opportunities to achieve change through positive action. I am looking forward enormously to working with the ACRE team, the wider network and our partners to deliver these ambitions.”

James Blake, Chair of ACRE said, “We are delighted to be welcoming Corinne to ACRE at this important time for our organisation. With the prospect of a new government on the horizon, it is essential we have someone of Corinne’s calibre in post to build our reputation for championing the needs of rural communities, as well as continuing to deliver for our members.”

Corinne will be joining ACRE at a time of adaptation in its network where members have stepped up to help rural residents through the cost-of-living crisis; delivering new projects to improve health and wellbeing, supporting individuals with fuel poverty, and developing a new network of Rural Housing Enablers to help communities secure more affordable homes.

Corinne will take up her appointment at the end of May.

Notes

ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is a charity speaking up for and supporting rural communities. It is the national body of the ACRE Network, England’s largest rural grouping of community support charities which support of initiatives that equip people with the knowledge, skills, and connections needed to improve their local community. Community First Yorkshire is the ACRE Network member for North, South and West Yorkshire.

The Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership has launched a set of free, virtual training sessions, focusing on several areas surrounding the menopause, and how you can navigate through it.

Here are the different sessions as below:

The Importance of Ethnicity in Menopause – Thursday 7 March, 12-1pm

The average age of women experience menopause in the UK is 51 – in women of colour it is earlier. This webinar will explore how ethnicity and menopause interact as well signpost information sources and management tips.

Book now.

Menoyou ‘Pause and Balance’: Menopause in South Asian Communities – Thursday 4 April, 12-1pm

A session specifically designed for those from the South Asian community. This webinar will explore the hormonal and biological differences as well as some of the perceptions and attitudes around menopause within the South Asian communities.

Book now.

Menoyou ‘Pause and Balance’: Menopause in African Caribbean Communities – Tuesday 14 May, 12-1pm

A session specifically designed for those from the African Caribbean community. This webinar will explore the hormonal and biological differences as well as some of the perceptions and attitudes around menopause within the African Caribbean communities.

Book now.

Menoyou: The Menopause as a Neurodiverse Experience – Tuesday 11 June, 12-1pm

This session will look at what exactly neurodiversity is and explore how it interacts with experiencing menopause. This session will also focus on what to do if you are neurodivergent and how we support neurodivergent people experiencing menopause in the workplace.

Book now. 

Click here for more information about the webinars.

North Yorkshire Council wants to hear your experiences, so that they can look at how to reduce the amount of food waste and make healthy food more accessible.

They want people living and working here to be involved – please fill in the Let’s Talk Food survey.

The Let’s Talk Food survey is part of the wider conversation that has been taking place about food in North Yorkshire, looking at the whole food system – from how we grow food, what we grow, to what we buy and eat and how much we throw away

There are several ways you can take part in Let’s Talk Food:

  • You can fill in an online survey here  – the survey is on Commonplace, which is a safe and easy-to-use online tool used to engage with communities, by over 250 organisations including neighbouring councils in Leeds and West Yorkshire.
  • If you would prefer, you can pick up a paper copy from your local library, leisure centre or main local office and return it in the envelope provided.
  • You can also email letstalk@northyorks.gov.uk or call 0300 131 2 131 (please say ‘Let’s Talk’ when prompted) to request a survey.
  • You can write to: Let’s Talk, North Yorkshire Council, County Hall, Northallerton DL7 8AD

Accessible formats of the survey are available on request. Please share your views with the council and encourage your colleagues, friends and family to do the same. The survey closes on 1 April 2024.

Questions from members of the public?

Please ask residents to email LetsTalk@northyorks.gov.uk or call the number above if they want to speak to someone.

Defra funded grant scheme reopens for those managing rural community buildings, this time with a lower award threshold of £2,000 to support smaller projects and make it accessible to more groups.

In 2023, a £3 million village halls fund was launched to provide support for the modernisation and improvement of village halls in England.

Managed by Action with Rural Communities in England (ACRE), the fund has already awarded over £1 million to rural communities, helping them undertake ambitious improvements to their building. Works undertaken or scheduled to take place include new roofs, insulation, extensions, and more energy efficient heating systems.

The grant fund is today [1  February 2024] re-opening to new applicants who wish to undertake smaller projects such as disability access, toilet upgrades and new kitchens. Grant awards of between £2,000 to £5,000, and up to 20 per cent of eligible project costs, are on offer. Project expenditure must take place before 31 March 2025.

A streamlined on-line application process and simplified eligibility criteria will make it easier for smaller projects to come forward for support. The scheme will remain open during 2024 until available funding is fully allocated.

Deborah Clarke, Village Halls Manager at ACRE said: “We hope the smaller grants on offer will help even more village hall management committees make much needed improvements to their buildings.

“With increasing energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis, the need to have warm, welcoming and accessible spaces open to everyone has become ever more important in the countryside. Often village halls are the only place where people can meet and socialise locally, and they provide a venue from which many self-employed people earn a livelihood.

“The availability of grant funding from government supports the continued use of these important rural assets.”

Apply for a small grant

Notes

ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) is a charity speaking up for and supporting rural communities. It is the national body of the ACRE Network, England’s largest rural grouping of community support charities which support of initiatives that equip people with the knowledge, skills, and connections needed to improve their local community. Community First Yorkshire is the ACRE Network member for North, South and West Yorkshire.

Details about how to apply to the small grants scheme can be found here.