Combatting loneliness through volunteering

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Research by both the What Works Centre for Wellbeing and NVCO has shown that volunteering in itself is associated with enhanced wellbeing, not only for individual volunteers but also for communities as a whole. While the simple act of volunteering can be beneficial, what is perhaps more important is that the act of volunteering is rarely done in isolation and most volunteering roles involve contact with others to a greater or lesser extent. Clearly, some roles may have lots of opportunity for contact with others, but the fact remains that, whether volunteering for a befriending service or for a beach clean, it can provide a sense of purpose, broaden our horizons and give us a feeling of connection to a wider group of like-minded individuals.

I recently had at the privilege of speaking to three Marie Curie volunteers about how their volunteering roles as Helper Volunteers have helped to combat loneliness, not only in their service users lives but also in their own lives. The overwhelming message was this: volunteering has enormous benefits for both the volunteer and, in their case, the service user in combatting loneliness. I was struck by their sense of commitment and passion too, during what has been a very difficult period for all volunteers and it reminded me of the invaluable roles our volunteers have within our communities and voluntary sector organisations.

So, grab yourself a coffee and a nice comfy chair and listen to a recorded podcast of the conversation. If your time is limited, we have some short snippets of the podcast below. Perhaps it will inspire you to volunteer within your own community to create connections and combat loneliness?  You can listen to all the podcasts on our ‘Volunteering and loneliness‘ web page.

by Colleen Allwood, Development Officer at Community First Yorkshire.

Village Halls – the unsung heroes

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To celebrate Village Halls Week 2021, our Chair of Trustees, David Sharp, tells us about the importance and relevance of village halls and why they deserve such celebration.

So we all know where our local village hall or community building is don’t we!

For those of you that do and use them on a regular basis, you know their importance, the value they bring and the sense of community they create.

For those of you that don’t, perhaps by reading this you will go out, when lockdown allows, and find out what’s going on and hopefully get involved.

Village halls have been providing amazing community based services and support for over 100 years. The diversity of activities that take part in village halls is astounding, from Scouts and Guides, WI, lunch clubs, Weight Watchers, bridge clubs, parties, national celebrations and the list goes on. They provide the location for the weird, wonderful and exceptional as well as the essential to take place in rural localities.

The lifeline that the different activities create for the vulnerable, lonely and isolated, as well as the community spirt generated through regularly meeting up to participate in your favourite activity, cannot be underestimated.

Clearly the government 100 years ago saw the benefits and as such created an initiative to support the rural communities following the Great War. This helped set up the first Rural Community Council in Oxfordshire. Yorkshire wasn’t slow to take this initiative up and created its own in 1928. During the next few years, hundreds of village halls were built, refurbished and brought back to life. Today there are over 600 that are over 100 years old. How many other local businesses can say they are over 100 years old – not that many!

They have been tested, the War to follow the Great War, apparently there was a 60’s if anyone can remember it, oil crisis in the 70’s, Yuppies in the 80’s, Brit pop in the 90’s, War on Terror in the 00’s and now Brexit and a global pandemic.

So that tells me that not only are they really needed but also incredibly resilient. That is down to the amazing volunteers involved in village halls, giving thousands of hours of time to make sure that Granny Sharp has everything she needs for her 90th birthday party to sweeping the floor so the ballroom dancing class can glide effortlessly across the polished floor.

In Yorkshire we have over 900 village halls which are being looked after by volunteers and Village Hall Week is all about celebrating them. So my thanks to each and every one of you involved in village halls, be that staff, volunteers or patrons. Your commitment, passion and enthusiasm for making your village hall the hub of your community is greatly appreciated and although we only have Village Hall Week once a year, every time the doors open should be celebrated because of the work needed to do just that.

To find out what’s happening during Village Halls Week 2021 visit the ACRE website.

If you would like to write a blog about your village hall, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!

Find out what support we can offer village halls and community buildings here.

 

A magical Christmas evening organised

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By Becci Barker

A Facebook message for help brought this wonderful idea to my attention.

The thought of offering a little help to make Becci achieve her goal to provide the best Christmas for the residents that she works with after a really tough year was so inspiring. Becci is one of the world’s biggest givers, she does so much for others without thinking of the hard work that it entails, she goes ahead and makes the time to achieve the best for all.

Becci is one of Rothwell’s superstars.

Can you tell us about you and the place where you work?

I work in Day services for Aspire Community Benefit Society (CBS) but I have been based in the supported living across the road, which is also an Aspire CBS building. I have been delivering activities three days a week in the supported living and then two days a week from home, working behind the scenes on the online timetable.

I provide one musical theatre class a week and one music and exercise class, both lasting around 40-50 minutes. The musical theatre class is learning a song, dance or a song and dance routine. I also host Rock and Roll bingo once a week via Zoom. We have 3 different sets, musicals, Disney and TV we also have a Christmas one which we play throughout the whole of December. This and lots more are available on our online timetable on the website, www.aspirecbs.org.uk.

What made you decide to do this magical Christmas evening?

Due to Covid and lockdown, the residents who live at Holmsley, or in any of our supported living services are not allowed to go to their family to visit at Christmas. This is due to people being high risk and we’re following the government guidelines to ensure everyone keeps safe and well. The guys who live here have been very resilient during the pandemic and have only been allowed to go out for local walks apart from the socially distanced, Covid safe activities that I have been providing throughout.

I decided I wanted to bring a little bit of Christmas magic to them, by lighting up their communal garden. I thought, let’s make this Christmas the best one they have ever had due to the fact that they can’t go and see their families.

Throughout the pandemic, the guys who live here don’t usually spend a lot of time together as they all do different things in their ‘normal weeks’ and they have become a proper family and we have all learned new things about each other that we didn’t know.

You put a post out for the people in Rothwell to help, did they respond and in what way?

I decided to put a post on my personal Facebook (I run one for work and I run the main Aspire CBS Facebook page along with other staff). This was just to see if anyone local could help me out and very kindly lend us any kind of Christmas lights for one evening. The response blew me away. Many people shared the post for me to try to see what they could do to help. We had light-up reindeers, trains, presents and even an 8ft light up inflatable Homer Simpson Santa! We also had donated to us a Santa’s sleigh rope light, and lots of other rope lights from some friends, which we used to decorate our homemade Santa’s grotto! Then of course the gift card from you for The Range, with which we purchased three light up trees and the two snowmen and the slow cooker for hot chocolate on the night.

How did you manage to organise the evening and keep it a surprise?

I explained to the residents that we were going to have socially distanced music, food and drink in the garden on 11 December but there were some added surprises. I explained that they were not to come outside until a member of the team who was on shift that night came to get them otherwise it would spoil the surprise for them. I hoped that they would listen and they did it worked! We all had hotdogs and chips indoors for tea and then everyone sat out socially distanced and we did a 3,2,1 and switched the lights on and music. We had cake, snowballs and slow cooker hot chocolate!

What did the residents think of the evening? Do you have any quotes from them?

Everyone loved it! We had people who don’t usually join in with activities who came and stayed out for the whole 2 & ½ hours that we were outside, dancing, cake, snowballs, Santa.

 

Sara: “Thank you for tonight it was fabulous”
Simon: “We have Christmas lights, I love it!”
Daryl: “It’s Santa!”
Kev: “I’m Happy now!”

The pictures and video say it all I think. Everyone was so happy and full of joy and they all felt the Christmas Spirit.

I know when I watched the video and looked at the pictures it put a smile on my face. How did you feel before the event, during and after? Would you do it again?

Incredible. It took a lot of organising as I did all the food and drink, the music, the lights, collecting the lights, sorting out costumes for some of the residents (the Christmas Tree outfit Heather is wearing I made myself by hand!) getting staffs costumes sorted, slow cookers and the rest!

I am incredibly thankful to Steph and Lisa from the team as they were Santa and his Elf and I was the Christmas Fairy all in our PPE of course, even Santa had his mask on under his beard! Also, a thank you to Jane and Margaret who were on that night and cooked all the food! Lauren for baking brownies and flapjacks and Ian for supporting all the customers making sure they were seated safely and separately.

Due to good organisational skills, the night went as smoothly as it could’ve done and the answer is YES 100% I would do it again! To see the smiles and joy it brought to people was worth every single second of organising. Same time next year?

Contact:

To get in touch, please email Sarah Hart, our Rothwell Assets Based Community Development Officer / Nidderdale Community Led Housing Officer on: sarah.hart@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk.

Stand up to Youth Loneliness

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Stereotypically, when we are asked to consider loneliness we picture someone who is elderly, perhaps frail, trapped in their home and struggling to connect with others in the wider world. But loneliness is not just something which affects the elderly. Recent research by the Red Cross and Co-Op Foundation has shown that young people are feeling increasingly lonely and socially isolated in society.

Youth loneliness can be stigmatising, hidden and disregarded; after all, young people are often thought to be constantly in contact with their peers on their phones and through social media. But loneliness is not about how many people we have around us. Loneliness occurs when there is a gap between our actual and desired social relationships; when the quality or quantity of these relationships does not meet our expectations. For young people, this might occur for a variety of reasons including poor self-image, bullying, disability or caring responsibilities and can leave a lasting impact well into adulthood.

We have developed a youth campaign – Stand up to Youth Loneliness – to tackle the stigma around loneliness in young people across North Yorkshire and gives them a voice to talk about it.

As part of the campaign development, we held workshops with young people across North Yorkshire. We asked them what causes their feelings of loneliness. They gave us a range of responses including:

  • ‘The lack of public transport in my area means that I’m physically not able to go anywhere or do anything’
  • ‘Social media can also make you feel lonely, especially if people don’t answer straight away and you can see that they have read your message. Some people also don’t have social media and this is harder because you can’t get in touch with people.’
  • ‘I don’t feel like I fit in. Sometimes if I‘m by myself people will make comments. It’s hard not being understood by people your age or by older people like your parents’

Our youth loneliness campaign contains a range of resources including:

  • Posters for schools, organisations and youth groups,
  • A leaflet for young people
  • Resources for professionals
  • A page on The Go-To, a website dedicated to supporting young people with mental health and other issues

All our resources are available to download online or as hard copies here. Please get in touch via info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk to ask for hard copies to be sent to you.

 

Laura Thomas, Project Manager at Community First Yorkshire

Ways for men to improve mental well-being in the countryside

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For men, keeping mentally healthy is not always easy, wherever we live. However, living remotely in a rural area can make things more difficult.

This note is based on the five ways to well-being and CHIME aims to give some ideas about keeping mentally fit and healthy.

Conversations

Engaging in conversation with people in a rural area is not always easy but spend time to speak to and listen to what others have to say.

  • Have a conversation with a delivery or tradesperson ask them about their work.
  • Start a conversation with people when you fill up with fuel or visit a shop.
  • Engage walkers in a conversation and ask them about what they enjoy about your area.
  • Tell your family something about your day and ask them about theirs.
  • Connect with others at community events for example at the village hall, cricket club, or church.
Be active

Being active helps us all feel good about ourselves but it doesn’t have to be a sweaty session at a gym discover a physical activity that you enjoy and suits your level of fitness perhaps:

  • Regularly walking a short distance in the open air.
  • Gardening.
  • Getting a bike for short or long rides.
  • Joining a fitness class, a village sports club, or a team.
Take notice of things around you

Being aware of the world around us and noting what we feel, helps us appreciate what matters to us, savour the moment when:

  • Eating a meal.
  • Enjoying the view and signs of activity in the countryside.
  • Listening to the birds sing, sheep bleat, or the noises made by other animals.
  • Noticing the colours and smells of autumn, the frost and snow of winter, the green shoots of spring, lambs in the field and sent of blossom, the warm summer sun, and the smell of new-mown hay.
Keep learning

Learning new things helps our confidence and is fun, be aspirational have some goals of what you want to achieve perhaps:

  • Find out about plants for a garden or crops to grow.
  • Learn about different pets or animals to keep.
  • Try cooking a new recipe.
  • Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving.
  • Attend an evening class or follow an online course.
Giving

Giving to others need not be hard it can be as simple as:

  • Think of complimenting someone for what they have done.
  • Smiling at a stranger or purposely saying ‘have a nice day’.
  • Carry out small acts of kindness for neighbours.
  • Helping at a village event or looking after a community building or area.

Above all as men we should try to connect with others, dream, find our identity and meaning from what we see and do. Take control and make a difference in some small way for yourself others or the place and community where you live.

Based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing and CHIME.

Volunteering: A quick fix for social isolation or something more?

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Many of us know that volunteering and participating in local community life is good for us. It gives us a sense of purpose and connectivity to the area that we live in, can increase our well-being, increase confidence, improve our skills and can even buffer us from depression.

No one can deny that this year has been hard, full of challenges, worries and changes. However, throughout it we have seen communities, neighbourhoods and the voluntary sector as a whole pull together, giving their time and resources to help and support others. We have seen individuals who would not normally volunteer step up and offer to help with prescription collections, food deliveries and check-in calls. We have witnessed changes to the way existing, often long-standing, volunteers have had to pause their volunteering or take up new roles as services have changed and adapted to the time.

Volunteering is at the core of creating connected, sustainable communities, but what if individuals chose their volunteering roles with as much care as their working roles?  What if volunteering roles were viewed as being part of a community we can choose to join and engage with?

Many people volunteer to alleviate their own loneliness, citing that the increase in social connections and activity found in volunteering helps them feel less lonely, however brief or small that contribution might be. Rather than just a brief social contact, it gives them a sense of belonging to the wider community in which they live, and a feeling of achievement in impacting local issues and concerns.

Another group of volunteers may recognise, through their own experience, that loneliness and social isolation can be overwhelming and demoralising for an individual. They take their own experiences of loneliness and turn them into an opportunity to affect the lives of others through social connectivity and interaction.

Whatever the reason for volunteering in the first place, there is no doubt that volunteering is an ideal opportunity for breaking out of isolation and restoring meaning in our lives. Volunteering for something that has meaning to the individual, motivates and inspires action.

However, most importantly, volunteering within local contexts and organisations, and even your local street can create connections and networks which last many years; enabling local communities to thrive, grow and flourish.  So why not #DonateLocal and give some of your time to volunteering in your local community?

New Men’s Shed for Bracken Bank Keighley

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After over twenty years the doors of St Michael’s Church Bracken Bank Keighley are going to open again to serve the local community.  The first stage will be to utilise four of the rooms plus a small kitchen area for a men’s shed project.

The project is being developed by the Lion’s Den Shed CIO, which already runs the Shed in the grounds of Cliffe Castle where the activities revolve around woodwork, horticulture and Khoya Carp breeding. The Lion’s Den Shed is being supported in developing the new shed by the Parish of St John the Evangelist, Ingrow, within which St Michael’s is located as well as Community First Yorkshire’s Men’s Sheds Development Officer.

Initial ideas for activities at the Bracken Bank Shed include: bicycle maintenance, electronics and innovation and of course drinking lots of tea and coffee.

Over the next few weeks volunteers from the Lion’s Den Shed will be refurbishing the space; installing new windows, doors, boiler and decorating and equipping a bike maintenance workshop, and innovation technology centre.

If you would like to find out more or how to being involved  contact:

Allan Clark

Phone: 07903 044060

Email: nalla105c@yahoo.co.uk

How I’ve decided to ‘Donate Local’ this Christmas

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There are so many additional reasons why people are struggling this year, and so much extra support needed. Covid-19 has meant thousands have lost their jobs and thrown millions into lower incomes. Many people are struggling to put food on the table for their children, and having a young daughter myself, this really struck a cord.

Working for Community First Yorkshire, I see so many ways in which our projects, and other charities, help people in financial hardship. I wanted to try to make a difference on a more personal level and help those who have struggled financially.

The work of professional footballer, Marcus Rashford, to stop children going hungry during the school holidays really made me think about how I could help over the Christmas break, and in particular, on Christmas day. I’d heard a story on social media about someone who’d asked their local primary school if there was a particular family who were struggling and created a Christmas hamper for them, with food for Christmas dinner, selection boxes, advent calendars, and some gifts for their two children.

I decided that I’d like to take this idea and make it work in the village I live in. I organised a food bank donation weekend in December 2020, I checked with our local food bank what items they were looking for (and any they weren’t – they already had lots of mince pies!), I then publicised it on our local Facebook village group. The local primary school kindly agreed to have a day of donations and villagers showed their support by having donation boxes outside their homes over the weekend for people to drop their food items off. It was a great way to give back to our local community, in a socially distanced way. We supported York Food bank who support people in crisis.

It was wonderful to see how generous and kind hearted so many of the people in my community are, and I enjoyed speaking to people and hearing their stories (from the end of the drive) when they dropped off their donations. I was overwhelmed with how much people had donated, we received a fantastic amount of Christmas food and gifts. Give it a try in your village – if you’re having a Christmas lights trail, why not incorporate food donation boxes for people when they are walking round?

There are so many other ways you could consider giving to charity this year, in a socially distanced world – instead of the usual office Secret Santa, you could donate to a local charity instead, and then help even more by spreading the word about them and what they do to your colleagues. Or how about organising a Christmas quiz at your works Christmas Zoom meeting in place of the usual Christmas party? Half of the proceeds to the winner, half to a local charity.

Sue Oliver, schemes manager at MHA Communities Harrogate has donated her usual secret santa gift this year and said: “Normally at this time of year, my colleagues and I would be spending an agreed amount on a ‘Secret Santa’ gift. As we are not meeting up this Christmas, I have donated my ‘gift’ to the new MHA Communities Harrogate JustGiving page.

“The new Methodist Homes MHA scheme in #Harrogate will help prevent loneliness and isolation among older people in the local community, who continue to live independently in their own homes, through telephone and video befriending and digital activities. The aim is to enable people to stay connected in their communities so that they can #livelaterlifewell.

“Please join me in donating the value of your usual workplace ‘Secret Santa’ gifts or a round of drinks at the office party!”

I’m not great at sending Christmas cards, and I normally make a donation to charity instead, but those few that I do send, I buy them from a local charity. This year, because we haven’t been able to see our friends and family as much as normal, I will be trying to send out cards with notes in them to tell everyone how much I’m missing them, but I will be supporting a local charity by buying them from their shop.

If you’re running low on Christmas decorations this year (maybe you also have a small child or pet who just can’t help themselves from touching and breaking baubles!), many charities also sell Christmas decorations, you could brighten up your home and support a local charity close to your heart at the same time.

Each year around this time I choose 12 charities to donate to each month for the next year, this isn’t often the way charities might prefer people to donate to them, I know many prefer a regular donation, however it means that I research and get to know about 12 new local charities and as well as my small donation, I can support them by being a champion for their work, telling others about them and sharing their social media posts. This year all of my 12 charities are going to be local and I’m really looking forward to hearing about lots of local charities through our #DonateLocal campaign to make my choices for 2021, I’m open to suggestions if anyone would like to get in touch via our social media pages.

Donate Toys
The Reuse Santa Appeal by Yorwaste Ltd is co-ordinated in partnership with City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council – York or North Yorkshire Household Waste Recycling Centre.

The Batley Sporting Charitable Trust and Batley Bulldogs have teamed up on a toy appeal, to provide disadvantaged children with toys this Christmas. They are looking for donations of new toys for children of Primary school age, such as puzzles, games, sports equipment, things to get creative such as colouring, painting or making or toys that both boys and girls will play with. They will also be taking donations via their Go Fund Me page to buy toys.

The Banana Box Project in Selby is asking for donations of good quality (can be pre-loved) toys, games and books to make toys available to the ‘3 children out of 10’ in Selby who may be living in poverty.

The Hartlepool Giving Tree has been so popular this year that they have expanded their area and are donating to people and charities all over the UK. This is an amazing project which creates a Christmas tag for a child, asking for a specific item for Christmas, you can then choose which child you buy for and send them their gift. Many of these children are fleeing domestic violence and have had to leave everything, all of their toys behind.

Donate gift cards or household objects
IDAS Christmas appeal are asking for bedding sets, crockery, towels, cheap mobile phones for those fleeing domestic violence.

For more ideas on ways you can spread some Christmas cheer this year, take a look at this blog by one of our development officers, Lizzie – It’ll be Covid this Christmas.

If you have any other thoughts or ideas we’d love to hear from you so we can share these with others. We’d love to hear how you are supporting people in your community. Please tag us on Facebook @Comm1stYorks

 

It’ll be Covid this Christmas

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Christmas this year is going to be a little different. Covid restrictions mean many events and activities are unable to take place and opportunities for people to get together will be limited. Perhaps now more than ever we might need to think about supporting each other just a little more.

As part of our #DonateLocal campaign we’ve been thinking of ways people can spread Christmas cheer.   If you have any other thoughts or ideas we’d love to hear from you so we can share these with others.

Donate Time:

  • Christmas cards – Make, or buy these from local shops and deliver these locally. You may like to include your number with a message to let someone know they can get in touch if they need help with anything or just a chat.
  • Write to care home residents – Contact your local care home and see if they would welcome Christmas cards and letters. Some local shops are offering post collection boxes for exchange of post.
  • Telephone befriending – Across North Yorkshire there are a network of mutual aid and 23 Community Support Organisations (CSOs) helping those in need in our communities. Many of the CSOs are seeking people who could telephone others and offer a lifeline of friendship. You can find out further details of the CSO for your area here. The NHS and Royal Voluntary Service’s ‘Christmas Together’ initiative also aims to support people living alone or shielding by connecting them with a friendly voice who can phone them for a chat. You can also still sign up to be a Community Response Volunteer with the NHS, collecting and delivering shopping and other essentials, such as medication, to vulnerable people, by car or by foot.
  • Volunteering For life – not just for Christmas – search for volunteering roles on the NCVO (the National Council for Volunteering Organisation) website. There are links to multiple volunteering websites from organisations such as Vinspired, and Volunteering Matters.
  • Social media – support a charity by following and sharing its social media comments.
  • The Great Winter Get Together, organised by the Jo Cox Foundation, runs from 14 December to 18 January, and encourages people to help out by joining virtual events, supporting a neighbour, or reaching out to an old friend

Volunteering your time isn’t the only option.

Donate Goods or Money:

  • Christmas fundraise for a local charity – There are lots of ways you can help from donating things you no longer need to offering neighbourhood services such as a gift wrapping or Christmas tree/recycling collections for a donation. You will need to arrange drop off/collection points to avoid contact.  What about a sponsored swim or walk, decorating the outside of your house and asking for donations for a charity?  With things being a little different this Christmas, lots of charities are asking people to get involved in festive fundraising digitally this year. Dress Up as an Elf – Alzheimers Society, go through Yorkshire Air Ambulance Advent calendar are just some of the options.  If you care about a cause, have a look on their website or social media and see how you can help.
  • Donate to your local food bank – Food banks provide an essential lifeline for families all year round, but especially at Christmas and especially in 2020. There are a number of food banks across North Yorkshire who, due to increasing demand, are seeking donations. You can donate items in the boxes/trolleys in local shops and supermarkets or alternatively cash donations are always welcome.  You can find details of current food shortages on group Facebook pages.
  • Donate to your local animal shelter – Why not contact them to see how you can help, from knitting dog blankets they can use or sell, to sponsoring a dog.

Christmas will undoubtedly be different this year, but there are still many ways that we can make it special. Perhaps one thing we’ve all seen this year is the value of kindness to others. The ideas above are just some of the ways that you can give something back to your community, and help as many people as possible have a merry Christmas.

We’d love to hear how you are supporting people in your community. Please tag us on Facebook @Comm1stYorks   

All change at the Pavilion café, Rothwell

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All change at Pavilion café. The time has come to bid farewell to one of Rothwell’s finest members of the community. Paul and Tracey are leaving for pastures new but I couldn’t let them leave without paying tribute to the fine work they have done over the last few years. Paul agreed to have a chat about his time at the café and to tell us what the plans are for its future.

Tell us how you became the owner of the Pavilion café and why you chose this place?

Both my wife, Tracey, and I have been customers at the café for as long as we can remember and after we moved to Rothwell we often jokingly said that one day we’d take the business on and transform it into the park café that the community of Rothwell deserved. When the previous tenant left, we approached the council about the tenancy and were told that there would be a bidding process for interested parties. On the open day, hosted by the council, I can remember there being many people in attendance who were interested, many of whom had much more experience than us. This made us think, at the time, that we really didn’t stand a chance of being successful. When we received the documents to submit our bid, I was somewhat overwhelmed with their scale and complexity. I decided to follow the process through, more as an academic exercise to prove to myself that I could do it, but with little expectation. When we were contacted to say that we were the preferred bidder, we were amazed. This is the point when the panic set in! We had brilliant support from the council to get us up and running, but the first summer was chaotic and extremely stressful. However, bit by bit, we settled in and are now very proud of what we’ve built.

What events have you held at the café for the community? Which one was your favourite?

We’ve loved hosting special events such as Summer and Winter craft fairs and pop-up sales for local artisans. We’ve been able to raise quite a bit of money for charity through these events, with our main charity being Dementia Friendly Rothwell who do fantastic work in our local community. We’re also happy to provide a discount to people supported by the charity. We supported the opening of the Dementia Friendly Garden in the park, which continues to provide a lovely oasis of calm and sensory experiences. We have a great relationship with the local Park Run and support them by storing their equipment, providing space for their admin activities and providing a discount for park runners. One of the things that we’ve enjoyed most is the way that we were able to bring some of the park’s regular dog walkers together to become a group of friends who had previously only ever nodded politely to each other on their daily walks. Without a doubt our favourite annual event is “Breakfast with Santa”, where everyone gets the chance to have a friendly chat with Santa in a relaxed environment that the kids (and parents) really love – we know that we’ve been able to cure quite a few children’s fears of Santa with our very friendly, informal approach – Santa has even been spotted playing tennis!

Which community groups have used the café?

We’ve hosted meetings and events for Rothwell Carnival Committee, Friends of Rothwell Civic Enterprise (FoRCE), Amateur Dramatics of Rothwell (ADoR), Springhead Park Volunteers, fostering groups, heritage exhibitions, parent & toddler groups, craft classes and smaller local community groups who just need a small amount of space for a get together

Tell us about the new owner and what they have planned for Pavilion in the future?

When we made the decision to move on, we were lucky to be approached by Tracey’s brother and sister-in-law, Terry and Zoe Gates, to become the new owners. Terry had worked with us on the refurbishment in 2014 and, it turns out, had always been interested in owning the café. We’re delighted that the Pavilion will be remaining in the family. Terry is a builder and land-scape gardener by trade, so he has the resources and experience to take the Pavilion to the next level in terms of infrastructure, although it’s still too early to be able to discuss any specific plans. I’m sure that Terry will be delighted to provide more detail when the time is right! I know that Terry and Zoe are keen to continue the family and community focus that we’ve established. It’s been a difficult year for all small businesses and the Pavilion will need the continued support of the community to ensure that it can get through the current turmoil and be there for everyone when life gets back to normal.

You are moving out of the area, what will you miss most Rothwell and why?

We love the sense of community in Rothwell and have enjoyed being a part of that, both personally and from a business perspective. We’ll miss our customers, who for the last six and a half years have been incredibly supportive. There is something uniquely satisfying about being able to provide a positive experience for so many people every day – it’s amazing how serving someone a lovely coffee, with a fancy pattern can make their day. Many of our customers have become friends who we will stay in touch with. We feel blessed to have had the opportunity to be a core part of the community of Rothwell and we’ll come back to say hello as often as we can.

So it’s farewell to Paul and Tracey but a huge hello to Terry and Zoe who, I’m sure, will appreciate your continuous support of the Pavilion café. I know I am looking forward to meeting them in the not too distant future.

To follow the café on Facebook click here

Contact:

To get in touch, please email Sarah Hart, our Rothwell Assets Based Community Development Officer / Nidderdale Community Led Housing Officer on: sarah.hart@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk.