About Community First Yorkshire

We provide practical help, expert guidance and a strong voice

CFY pattern backgroundDownload the impact reportOur new report reveals the difference
we’ve made with communities, volunteers
and local organisations.A year of impact
for North Yorkshire Imapact report 2024/5
CFY pattern backgroundDownload our annual report2024 - 2025 Annual report:
A year of Listening, Learning, and LeadingStronger together:
Communities driving change
across North Yorkshire Cover of the Community First Yorkshire Annual Report and Accounts 2024/2025, featuring the title in blue and yellow, with colourful geometric patterns and recycling symbols below.
Four adults sit around a table having a discussion outside a brick building with noticeboards on the wall and a wooden bench nearby, on a sunny day.

Welcome to Community First Yorkshire

Our vision is a vibrant Yorkshire where strong inclusive communities thrive, and everyone has an opportunity to live well.

Our purpose is to champion and connect community and voluntary groups, and social enterprises; providing leadership and practical support, encouraging volunteering and building collaboration.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to grow your impact, we offer practical support, expert guidance and a strong collective voice so you are seen, heard and connected.

Our support 

From tailored training, coaching and consultancy to creating spaces for learning, sharing and collaboration, we unite people to strengthen skills and confidence. Together we can shine a spotlight on the incredible work happening across Yorkshire, build partnerships and open doors to new opportunities to help your community grow.

  • Jane Colthup

    Chief Executive

A group of six adults, standing outdoors in a grassy area near stone buildings, are talking and smiling together on a sunny day. Rolling hills and a partly cloudy sky are visible in the background.

Why our work matters

Yorkshire is a region of contrasts with vibrant towns and cities, sweeping coastline, remote rural communities and everything in between. Alongside its natural beauty lies real inequality, where people face deep social and economic challenges. The VCSE sector provides a vital lifeline for these communities.

By creating the conditions for VCSE organisations to grow, collaborate and lead, we unlock their potential to build a fairer, greener, more connected Yorkshire.

Our work is like dropping a pebble into a pond – the ripple effect spreads far and wide, multiplying impact across communities and amplifying the good that VCSEs do every day.

Download our annual report Download Download

Our work in action

Climate action with Village GreenThe Age Friendly NetworkOur digital inclusion programme Tools Tools Bringing men together Men’s Sheds Megaphone Megaphone Our projects across North Yorkshire
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A group of people garden together on a grassy area in front of stone houses, with some planting flowers and others holding tools. The scene is framed by a person raking in the foreground.

Climate action with Village Green

Village Green is led by Community First Yorkshire in partnership with Howardian Hills National Landscape, North Yorkshire Sport, North Yorkshire Together, North Yorkshire Youth, Rural Arts, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and Yorkshire Energy Doctor.

Together, we’re helping communities across North Yorkshire take meaningful climate action by making it relevant, achievable and part of everyday life. Through creative, practical activities — from arts and sport to youth projects and community events — the programme will inspire over 8,000 people to build sustainable habits, reduce energy use and lower carbon footprint.

Visit the Village Green website
A group of six older adults, three men and three women, stand outside a stone building, smiling and chatting together on a sunny day with green hills in the background.

Age Friendly Network

The Age Friendly Network is helping make North Yorkshire a place where everyone can enjoy healthy, active and connected later lives.

Working with North Yorkshire Council, we bring together older people, community groups and organisations to share views, raise issues that matter, and influence change. From volunteering opportunities to network meetings, newsletters and local partnerships, there are plenty of ways to get involved and have your say.

Find out more about the Age Friendly Network Right Right
An older man and woman sit together at a wooden table, smiling while looking at a laptop. Informational leaflets and papers are on the table, with noticeboards and empty chairs in the background.

Our digital inclusion programme

We’re helping community groups across North Yorkshire bring digital skills to life with funding of up to £20,000 to set up local digital hubs.

These welcoming spaces help people build confidence online — from accessing services to staying connected. Delivered in partnership with York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, North Yorkshire Council and York CVS, the fund also offers free training for Digital Champions and practical guidance to help every hub thrive.

Explore our digital inclusion programme Right Right
Four men are in a workshop filled with tools. Two are working with wood at a bench, while two others stand and talk in the background. The workspace is cluttered with tools, wood, a mug, and a notebook.

Men’s Sheds

A Men’s Shed is a bit like a shed at the end of a garden. Some of the activities are the same, but the space is often bigger and for the benefit of a community of local men.

When men come together to connect, converse and create, they stay healthier for longer, both mentally and physically.

Invariably Men’s Shed activities involve making, mending or repairing things, such as bikes, cars, woodworking, engineering, or boat renovation etc. Similarly reclamation, reuse and restoration all feature strongly (some say this is true for the men too!).

We work in partnership with local organisations to support the development of a number of Men’s Sheds across the region. Our Development Officer, Andy Ryland, is currently supporting the development of Men’s Sheds in the Bradford District Council area.

Find out more about Mens Sheds Right Right
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Other projects

Our projects bring together partners, communities and organisations to respond to local needs and create positive change across North Yorkshire.

From supporting specific groups and places to tackling wider challenges, each project is shaped by listening to communities and working collaboratively to deliver practical, meaningful outcomes.

Together, these projects reflect our commitment to strengthening the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, amplifying local voices and building more resilient, connected communities. While each project has its own focus, they are all united by a shared aim – to help people and communities thrive, now and into the future.

Find out more about our other projects Right Right

Our impact

We’re making a practical difference alongside charities, volunteers and community groups across Yorkshire. From unlocking funding to improving community spaces, our support helps organisations build confidence and long-term resilience.

Together, we’re creating stronger, better connected communities where people have access to the skills, opportunities and support they need to thrive.

Take a look at our impact Right Right
Imapact report 2024/5
920

organisations supported

£1.6m

funding secured to strengthen local groups

3,000+

people helped to build digital skills and confidence

250+

digital champions trained to support their communities

200

volunteering opportunities promoted to help charities thrive

100s

village halls and community buildings improved with investment in sustainability and accessibility

Testimonials

“A quick note to say a huge thank you to you and your wonderful team for the event yesterday. It was thought-provoking, energising and moving – a real tour de force of all the wonderful work and opportunities out there in North Yorkshire. Greatly appreciate the opportunity to be part of it.”

“I can’t thank you enough for your support and advice. The information and resources you provided are incredibly helpful. I didn’t realise how many things I was missing. Your insights will be invaluable as I continue to shape the document. Thank you once again, and I truly appreciate your help.”

“We have been successful in two bids for grant funding. They will make such a difference to the hall, ensuring more affordable running costs and making the hall a much more comfortable and welcoming community space.”

“Taking part in the programme gives you a sense of having someone to talk to, space to work through challenges and that was invaluable.”

“I am very happy and I wouldn’t have been able to download and register without your help. It’s a brilliant app and I now use it for everything.”

“The network provides me with the opportunity to meet people in similar roles, hear what they’re doing and get ideas for where I can go. It’s useful to hear from speakers about the different ways of engaging different groups in volunteering and gives me ideas for how to implement these in my day to day job.”

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Meet our team

Bell Bell Management Phone Phone VCSE Support Chart-bar Chart-bar Finance Heart Heart HealthMarketing Alert Alert ProjectsTrustees
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Each team contributes to our shared mission of supporting VCSEs and communities across Yorkshire. By combining expertise in advice, finance, health, communications and projects, we create a strong foundation for organisations to flourish.

Contact the relevant team to find out more and discover how Community First Yorkshire can help your group grow and succeed. 

Jane Colthup

Jane Colthup

Chief Executive

Contact Jane for: ideas, momentum and meaningful support – a direct connection to someone who understands the sector, champions your work and helps turn possibilities into progress.

Victoria

Victoria

Programmes Manager

Contact Victoria for: information and collaborative working on the wide range of projects delivered at Community First Yorkshire.

Jo

Jo

Impact Communications Manager

Contact Jo for: media enquiries, publicity, website, communications and marketing.

Dena

Dena

Deputy Chief Executive / Head of Health Collaboration

Contact Dena for: information on building equitable and impactful partnerships between voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations and the NHS, Local Authority and Public Health teams.

Carole

Carole

Head of VCSE Support

Our VCSE Support team supports voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to grow and thrive. Our experienced team provides advice, guidance and training for trustees, employees and management committees. We are here to strengthen organisations across North Yorkshire, ensuring they have the skills and confidence to deliver effective services and make a lasting difference.

Sue

Sue

Head of Finance

Contact Sue for: all things finance for Community First Yorkshire.

Mike

Mike

Leadership Development and Training Manager

Contact Mike for: Leadership Development and Training programmes.

Deb

Deb

Chief Executive Support Officer

Contact Deb for: getting in touch with our Chief Executive. Deb acts as a liaison for key communications with our Chief Executive and stakeholders and partners.

Each team contributes to our shared mission of supporting VCSEs and communities across Yorkshire. By combining expertise in advice, finance, health, communications and projects, we create a strong foundation for organisations to flourish.

Contact the relevant team to find out more and discover how Community First Yorkshire can help your group grow and succeed. 

Andy R

Andy R

Development Officer/Bradford Men’s Shed Officer

Our VCSE Support team supports voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to grow and thrive. Our experienced team provides advice, guidance and training for trustees, employees and management committees. We are here to strengthen organisations across North Yorkshire, ensuring they have the skills and confidence to deliver effective services and make a lasting difference. Andy also runs our Bradford Men’s Shed project.

Andy S

Andy S

Development Officer

Our VCSE Support team supports voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to grow and thrive. Our experienced team provides advice, guidance and training for trustees, employees and management committees. We are here to strengthen organisations across North Yorkshire, ensuring they have the skills and confidence to deliver effective services and make a lasting difference.

Carole

Carole

Head of VCSE Support

Our VCSE Support team supports voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to grow and thrive. Our experienced team provides advice, guidance and training for trustees, employees and management committees. We are here to strengthen organisations across North Yorkshire, ensuring they have the skills and confidence to deliver effective services and make a lasting difference.

Claire

Claire

Junior Development Officer

Our VCSE Support team supports voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to grow and thrive. Our experienced team provides advice, guidance and training for trustees, employees and management committees. We are here to strengthen organisations across North Yorkshire, ensuring they have the skills and confidence to deliver effective services and make a lasting difference.

Emma

Emma

Support Officer

Our VCSE Support team is the first point of contact for the VCSE sector and provides efficient administration to Community First Yorkshire, supporting organisations to achieve their aims. As well as handing initial enquiries, this includes our DBS service, events and project support.

Kathryn

Kathryn

Support Manager

Our VCSE Support team supports voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to grow and thrive. Our experienced team provides advice, guidance and training for trustees, employees and management committees. We are here to strengthen organisations across North Yorkshire, ensuring they have the skills and confidence to deliver effective services and make a lasting difference.

Lara

Lara

Support Officer

Our VCSE Support team is the first point of contact for the VCSE sector and provides efficient administration to Community First Yorkshire, supporting organisations to achieve their aims. As well as handing initial enquiries, this includes our DBS service, events and project support.

Mike

Mike

Leadership Development and Training Manager

Our VCSE Support team supports voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to grow and thrive. Our experienced team provides advice, guidance and training for trustees, employees and management committees. We are here to strengthen organisations across North Yorkshire, ensuring they have the skills and confidence to deliver effective services and make a lasting difference.

Nicky

Nicky

Senior Development Officer

Our VCSE Support team supports voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to grow and thrive. Our experienced team provides advice, guidance and training for trustees, employees and management committees. We are here to strengthen organisations across North Yorkshire, ensuring they have the skills and confidence to deliver effective services and make a lasting difference.

Michael

Michael

Development Officer

Our VCSE Support team supports voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to grow and thrive. Our experienced team provides advice, guidance and training for trustees, employees and management committees. We are here to strengthen organisations across North Yorkshire, ensuring they have the skills and confidence to deliver effective services and make a lasting difference.

Rebecca

Rebecca

Development Officer

Our VCSE Support team is the first point of contact for the VCSE sector and provides efficient administration to Community First Yorkshire, supporting organisations to achieve their aims. As well as handing initial enquiries, this includes our DBS service, events and project support.

Vicki

Vicki

Development Officer (Learning & Development)

Our VCSE Support team supports voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to grow and thrive. Our experienced team provides advice, guidance and training for trustees, employees and management committees. We are here to strengthen organisations across North Yorkshire, ensuring they have the skills and confidence to deliver effective services and make a lasting difference.

Each team contributes to our shared mission of supporting VCSEs and communities across Yorkshire. By combining expertise in advice, finance, health, communications and projects, we create a strong foundation for organisations to flourish.

Contact the relevant team to find out more and discover how Community First Yorkshire can help your group grow and succeed. 

Sue

Sue

Head of Finance

Contact Sue for: all things finance for Community First Yorkshire.

Jeanette

Jeanette

Finance Assistant

Contact Jeanette for: enquiries about invoicing and payments to and from Community First Yorkshire.

Each team contributes to our shared mission of supporting VCSEs and communities across Yorkshire. By combining expertise in advice, finance, health, communications and projects, we create a strong foundation for organisations to flourish.

Contact the relevant team to find out more and discover how Community First Yorkshire can help your group grow and succeed. 

Dena

Dena

Deputy CEX / Head of Health Collaboration

Contact Dena for: information on building equitable and impactful partnerships between voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations and the NHS, Local Authority and Public Health teams.

Each team contributes to our shared mission of supporting VCSEs and communities across Yorkshire. By combining expertise in advice, finance, health, communications and projects, we create a strong foundation for organisations to flourish.

Contact the relevant team to find out more and discover how Community First Yorkshire can help your group grow and succeed. 

Jo

Jo

Impact Communications Manager

Contact Jo for: media enquiries, publicity, website, communications and marketing.

Cat

Cat

Information Officer

Contact Cat for: information to be included in our weekly enews, Community First Yorkshire News and for funds for our monthly Funding Bulletin.

Rachael

Rachael

Impact Communications Officer

Contact Rachael for: marketing information about the website, e-news, social media and all aspects of marketing with Community First Yorkshire.

Matt

Matt

Impact Communications Officer

Contact Matt for: marketing information about the website, enews, social media and all aspects of marketing with Community First Yorkshire. Matt is also the communications lead for our Village Green project.

Each team contributes to our shared mission of supporting VCSEs and communities across Yorkshire. By combining expertise in advice, finance, health, communications and projects, we create a strong foundation for organisations to flourish.

Contact the relevant team to find out more and discover how Community First Yorkshire can help your group grow and succeed. 

Charles

Charles

Village Green Project Manager

I’m Charles, the project manager for Village Green. I manage project delivery, budgets and reporting, working with partners to help communities take climate action. My background includes environmental work in river catchments and woodland restoration. Outside work, I enjoy walking, cycling, gardening and singing with the Yorkshire Bach Choir.

Ria

Ria

Climate Action Officer

I’m Ria, a Climate Action Officer for Village Green. I help communities and community buildings create practical, accessible climate action activities that support carbon reduction. I previously coordinated an urban greening project in Greater Manchester. Outside work, I co-run a Brownie unit and enjoy netball, the gym and watching football.

Patrick

Patrick

Climate Action Officer

I’m Patrick, a Climate Action Officer for Village Green. I help communities and VCSE groups organise climate action activities, develop a countywide network and complete energy surveys for community buildings. I previously supported regional climate action plans. Outside work, I chair Yorkshire Netball and run an inclusive touch rugby club in York.

Catherine

Catherine

Monitoring and Evaluation Officer / Age Friendly Network Coordinator

Contact Catherine for information about all aspects of monitoring and evaluation for Village Green project, as well as information about the Age Friendly Network.

Victoria

Victoria

Programmes Manager

Contact Victoria for: information and collaborative working on the wide range of projects delivered at Community First Yorkshire.

Sarah

Sarah

Nidderdale Community Led Housing Officer

Contact Sarah for: any information about our Nidderdale Community Led Housing project.

Robyn

Robyn

Community Data & Impact Officer

Contact Robyn for: how we strengthen data collection, reporting and impact measurement across North Yorkshire’s VCSE sector. Robyn helps organisations to capture and share their impact through data and stories, promote the Impact Together Hub, and champions inclusive, collaborative, and evidence-based approaches.

Each team contributes to our shared mission of supporting VCSEs and communities across Yorkshire. By combining expertise in advice, finance, health, communications and projects, we create a strong foundation for organisations to flourish.

Contact the relevant team to find out more and discover how Community First Yorkshire can help your group grow and succeed. 

Adrian Willis

Adrian Willis

Trustee

Adrian has been involved with the Young Farmers movement for over 50 years. In 1990 Adrian became chair of the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Development Committee, responsible for the central training requirement for over 650 clubs. Adrian has also been secretary of the Yorkshire Federation’s Staffing Committee for 25 years and in 2000 he was elected a life member of the Yorkshire Federation of Young Farmers. He was further honoured in 2015 when he was elected as the first person from Yorkshire to become a life vice president of the National Federation of Young Farmers.

Adrian currently works in the clothing industry, is a director of several companies and has a young son and daughter. Additionally, Adrian is a AAA qualified tug-of-war judge and officiates across England.

David Sharp

David Sharp

Chair

David Sharp has been chief executive of North Yorkshire Youth (NYY) since November 2011. His main responsibility is for the strategic direction of the organisation and the oversight of all major functions of the organisation.

He is also a trustee of the Regional Youth Work Unit as well as chair of Community, and finds time to fit being a councillor for Brompton on Swale Parish Council into the mix. Through his day job he sits on the Executive Board for Safeguarding, the Corporate Parenting Group and the Children and Young Peoples Overview and Scrutiny Committee as the voluntary sector representative for North Yorkshire Council. This along with his volunteering roles means that he receives a vast amount of information which relates to young people, the voluntary sector, local government and on running an organisation.

David Watson

David Watson

Trustee

David Watson is the chief executive of North Yorkshire Sport Ltd, the Charity and Active Partnership for Sport and Physical Activity in North Yorkshire. Formerly an employee of Harrogate Borough Council, he has over 30 years of experience in the Sport and Physical Activity industry, the last 15 years of which have been with North Yorkshire Sport, including launching the organisation as an independent charity in 2014, and is a qualified youth worker.

David is an active member of a number of strategic groups within the county representing sport and physical activity.

As a volunteer, he is a member of the Swim England, chair of Swim England North East Ltd, a governor at Harrogate High School and is currently studying for a Doctorate of Professional Practise in Sport at Leeds Beckett University.

Laura Mason

Laura Mason

Trustee

Information to follow soon.

Louise Terzza

Louise Terzza

Trustee

Louise Terzza is the CEO of Time Together, a small charity supporting disabled and autistic people across Harrogate to live life well. Alongside her executive role which includes the responsibility of CQC Registered Manager, she has held a number of voluntary governance positions and currently serves as a Safeguarding Trustee for a Multi Academy Trust and Director of a workplace wellbeing CIC. She brings strong experience in social care and charity leadership, safeguarding, and community engagement, underpinned by qualifications in psychology, leadership, and coaching and mentoring (she is a voluntary leadership mentor with Community First Yorkshire). Louise is keen to join the board to represent the voice of smaller charities and is known for asking clear, thoughtful questions that others may hesitate to raise.

Rebecca Buckley

Rebecca Buckley

Vice Chair

Rebecca is a scientist, with a PhD in geology, and worked as an executive for over 20 years in the international energy industry. She has extensive business experience, analytical skills, and a strategic perspective that comes from working in a business with long timelines, huge investments, significant uncertainty and ever-changing external factors. She is interested in the net zero transition, including within the voluntary, social enterprise and community sector and the sector’s role in the transition in communities.

She lives with her family within the National Park and enjoys the nature, landscapes and heritage on her doorstep. She volunteers with local community groups and is a Trustee of Community First Yorkshire.

Richard Jones

Richard Jones

Trustee

Richard has been a Finance Director for several large companies and is experienced in corporate restructuring, business acquisitions and sales. He has run a commercial finance brokering company since 2012, specialising in raising debt finance for SMEs and property developers. Alongside this, Richard has continued to be a part time Financial Director for clients and a Non Executive Director for a number of social enterprise support organisations, social enterprises and charities. With over 30 years of finance experience, Richard will help blend the commercial and charitable aims of Community First Yorkshire, ensuring a sustainable future.