Welcome to our new Age Friendly Network coordinator

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She’s only been in post a few weeks but our new Age Friendly Network coordinator, Jeanette Hague, is keen to say hello.

The Age Friendly Network aims to give people aged 50+ in North Yorkshire a voice to help shape services that have an impact on living and working in the county. Find out more here.

Welcome Jeanette. Tell us a little about yourself.

Hi! My name is Jeanette, I am 51 years old and I live with my family in a village in North Yorkshire.

I have a love of everything outdoors, a passion for the moors and woodlands around North Yorkshire and the drive to be a positive force for good in the communities of this beautiful county. My working life has been based mostly around people and community; most recently I worked in a thriving, rural GP Surgery and before that for a music charity, making intergenerational connections through the universally joyful medium of music!!

What attracted you to this role?

What matters most to me is people, community and connection. I am both excited and honoured to be working with the Age Friendly Network and it’s partner organisations on this very practical and meaningful project.

We know it’s early days as you’ve just joined Community First Yorkshire, but what are your plans for the Age Friendly Network?

I look forward to helping develop a thriving and diverse group, with fair representation, respected opinions, practical actions and meaningful connections. Above all, I’m keen to help provide a platform for effective communication channels that will give a voice to people aged 50+ in North Yorkshire and, together, help shape the future of all aspects of health and social care in our community.

How can people get involved?

If you want to sign up to become a member of the Age Friendly Network, have a chance to work with Jeanette on shaping future support services in North Yorkshire, and be kept up-to-date via our enewsletter, click here.

Rothwell Social Prescribing

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Miranda Foster was our Rothwell Community Builder and worked alongside individuals and groups to showcase the best of Rothwell. Her aim was to encourage more people to get involved in developing new activities, relationships, events and ideas. Miranda chatted to some of the amazing local social prescribers about what they do to support people in Rothwell.

Let’s celebrate the fantastic work of the NHS and the social prescribers who work in the Rothwell area.

GPs, nurses and other primary care professionals use social prescribing to refer someone to activities, groups and services in their community that can help with their health and wellbeing.

Social prescribing can support people to reconnect socially with others. Activities could be anything from local craft making and walking groups, to food growing projects and local support groups for people with chronic conditions.

Selina is one of our wonderful Social Prescribers and is helping to organise the Rothwell Springhead Park parkrun for the NHS 75th anniversary celebrations on 15 July. Here she gives an insight into Health Coaching and what she does for local residents on a day-to-day basis:

“Health Coaching allows you the time and space to think about a change and unlock your skills to move forward and achieve your goals. It aims to help you make healthy behaviour changes, such as if you have diabetes and encourages people to become more active in their health and care.

“A health coach will help you think about how you can reach your goals and what matters most to you.

“Health Coaching gives you 45-60mins of time to discuss what is important to you and what you would like to change. You can also have further sessions to help you stay accountable to your goals. Just contact selina.thompson3@nhs.net if you are interested in making that change.”

Michaela Auty is another Social Prescriber for the area. Here are her comments on the role that both she and Hayley do:

“The Primary Care Network (PCN) social prescribers are working within the community to deliver a personalised service to those experiencing social isolation, low mood, financial, housing, and employment related issues.

“Currently working alongside Linking Leeds to reduce the local waiting list, the PCN social prescribers can conduct home visits to patients who are housebound due to medical, social anxiety and frailty issues, ensuring that people can feel relaxed and heard in the comfort of their own homes.

“Social Prescribers can provide appointments to patients for up to an hour, and will work with people for as long as needed, providing a light touch, or more intensive support.

“Hayley, another social prescriber, and myself frequently attend the local groups and facilities in the area to identify and bridge the gaps of what the communities and patients need and want.

“You can be referred to the social prescribing service by talking to a member of your GP practice or completing an online request via PATCHS.”

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.

Rothwell: I would love to hear from you

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Hello again, I would like to take a few moments of your time to reintroduce myself and explain what I do.

My name is Miranda Foster, you may have seen me around Rothwell talking to people about Rothwell. I am always a listening ear to find out all the good things that are happening in the area.

My work and how we could work together

A conversation, an idea, a talent, or a skill – small sparks lead to big ideas. We all need relationships with the people around us, a shared vision for our place and space, a strong sense of community and the chance to spend some time together doing things we care about.

The feeling of belonging and being part of our neighbourhood make us feel happier and connected. Do you have an idea? Could you share a skill? Would you like to make friends?

The effects of working together

When a group is a success the group thrives, with members and volunteers making new friends, learning new skills, feeling valued and most importantly, being proud to be actively involved.

There’s a real community spirit that exists and members naturally pull together for each other and for the greater good of the group. Friendship, being social and being part of a group are excellent ways of maximising everyone’s mental health. Offering peer support can help individuals by feeling they are surrounded by like-minded individuals.

The future?

The future is in your hands. Rothwell is already full of lots of exciting things to do but if you feel that there is something you could add to this, I am here to help. I can work with you to guide you and offer support to make your ideas come to fruition.

More good news stories

Do you have a good news story? Please get in touch and tell us what is happening in your street, who has made a difference to you and the way you live. Rothwell has many unsung heroes that we would love to hear about.

Email our Sarah Hart, our Rothwell Assets Based Community Development Officer / Nidderdale Community Led Housing Officer on: sarah.hart@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk.

20 ways to make running a ‘Hybrid’ Volunteer Appreciation Event easier

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Volunteers are the heart and at the heart of many communities and organisations across North Yorkshire.

Volunteers’ Week, which runs annually from 1 – 7 June, is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK by volunteering in their communities. It offers a fantastic opportunity to thank and celebrate current volunteers and to inspire future volunteers.

We are aware that many organisations are already planning a volunteer appreciation event, perhaps even their first face-to-face one since Covid, or an event taking place remotely. Running a ‘hybrid’ event where volunteers can join in person or online offers the potential for more people to get involved. Here are some tips on running such an event:

In advance:
  • Wherever possible involve volunteers in planning and delivering the event
  • Ask staff and service users to provide quotes about the difference volunteers make (i.e. “We appreciate you because….”) and have these available to share on the day
  • Prepare an appreciation card (and perhaps a small gift) that can be given to those attending with maybe an electronic card for those joining remotely on the day.
On the day:
  • Have people available to not only welcome volunteers in person but also someone available to welcome those joining online
  • It’s also good to have someone who can offer IT support in advance of the event and on the day.
Don’t forget to:
  • Test all of the equipment in advance
  • Test the live streaming in the venue before the event
  • Ensure that everyone can hear the sound online
  • Turn on the cameras of the volunteers online (if they agree) so people can see them and they can see those in the room
  • Arrange the camera so the presenter is looking at people in the room and those online.
In terms of content, there are several things you might consider offering:
  • An overview or update on the impact volunteers make on your organisation (numbers and stories)
  • An organisational update with the opportunity for a Q & A with your Chief Officer and Chair of the Board
  • Many service user stories, collected in advance of the event (make sure you gain permission to share)
  • Interactive activities – quizzes, and chair-based exercises that people in the room and online can take part in. Feedback tools such as Slido or Menti can be used in a room and by those online (if you’re using these, you may need to send out instructions before the event)
  • Use the opportunity to ask your volunteers to share their favourite volunteer moments (in person or on a post-it note).
To make the event as immersive as possible for those online:
  • Record the event as a webinar so people can join in real-time or watch it as a recording
  • Offer an online chat facility and Q & A function and have someone who can respond to these
  • Offer a virtual interactive whiteboard so people can post thoughts and comments.

Make sure you have a backup plan in place in case any of your key support staff are unavailable at short notice.

You may also like to take and share a video of the day for those unavailable to join you and share this via your website and social media (with appropriate permissions in place).

Whether you’re planning a garden party, picnic, celebration meal, or hybrid event we hope you have a wonderful Volunteers’ Week.

Support for volunteer-involving organisations

Our toolkits, resources, and, guides offer help for your organisation on topics from becoming volunteer ready to getting to grips with volunteer recruitment, support, and management.

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.

Can the World’s Worst Novel help you develop a growth mindset?

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Mike Hickman, Leadership Development and Training Manager at Community First Yorkshire, has been in post for a few months. Here he shares his thoughts on the power of growth mindsets and how we all need to embrace challenges through continued learning and development.

“I kept the World’s Worst Novel on my person for the longest time. It came with me in my bag to conferences and events, both national and international. It was there when I taught primary age children, teacher trainees, and drama students.

It will probably come as no surprise to learn that what I call the World’s Worst Novel was not published. Neither was it the World’s Worst Novel – it was a very determined and brave first attempt.

It might come as more of a surprise that it was written by me.

When I was twelve. On an Olivetti Lettera typewriter. Drafted the once, bundled into a Jiffy bag and sent off to the publisher I knew was going to snap it up for a seven figure sum.

When I worked in teacher education, I was introduced to Carol Dweck’s concept of fixed and growth mindsets. As Senior Lecturer and later Head of Programme and Department at York St John, I worked with undergraduate and postgraduate students from ages 22 through to 60+. And I wanted them to know that the Ofsted-badged outstanding practitioner could one day be them. With the right work and the right care and attention in the right places, they would become leaders of classes, subjects, schools, and communities.

It helped for them to know about things like the World’s Worst Novel, which found itself relabelled as my personal Draft Zero for everything that followed for me, all the way to a doctorate and beyond.

It helped me to model my own attempts to fulfil Dweck’s goal of a growth mindset.

And now I find myself at Community First Yorkshire as Leadership Development and Training Manager. Picking up on the excellent work already done to craft a training programme for VCSE organisations in North Yorkshire. Striving to ensure that our training reaches ever more people and is of the highest possible quality, so that we can achieve our collective ambition in the sector of creating more resilient, resourceful, and confident communities. I could not be more delighted in playing my part in such an important mission and growing together.”

 

If you need guidance on running your charity or group in North Yorkshire, take a look at our training and leadership development programmes. From being an effective trustee, fulfilling your potential as a leader or raising the profile of your organisation, we can help.

 

 

Ethnicity in North Yorkshire: what the 2021 Census is telling us

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At our latest Equality and Inclusion Partnership meeting we heard from Gary Craig, visiting professor from Newcastle upon Tyne University. Gary kindly shared his analysis of ethnicity across North Yorkshire from the 2021 Census.

Read what Gary has to say:

“Ethnic minorities have lived and settled in North Yorkshire ever since the Romans set up shop at, for example, Aldborough, on the paved roman road from Otley. When I first started working in the county about 30 years ago, its minority ethnic (BAME-i.e. non-White British) population was still only around 2% – although there were a few schools (in Northallerton, Skipton, Harrogate and Scarborough) where the BAME pupil population was about 4-5% because of a small concentration of minorities in certain workplaces such as hospitals and colleges. The BAME population in the county was effectively invisible because it was scattered and very diverse, with very few people of any particular ethnicity.

This proportion has, however, grown steadily since then and the recent 2021 census shows that the minority ethnic population of North Yorkshire county is now around 7%: that is one in fourteen of the population or, in numerical terms, getting on for about 50,000 people. That is a sizeable number.

The increase is, of course, partly due to natural growth – children in 2001 are adults now; partly due to minorities working on the periphery of the county – in Teesside, Durham, Leeds, Bradford and York for example – but living within the boundaries of North Yorkshire; and partly reflecting economic change. Some industrial sectors have been associated with a minority workforce, for example hospitality and leisure (hotels and restaurants), health and social care, and agriculture and food production.

In parts of the county, the proportion of minorities in local populations is substantially greater than 7%, usually for specific reasons. Examples of wards with much higher levels include:

  • Castle ward in Scarborough (15%) – one in seven
  • Selby East (14%)
  • Skipton West (Craven 14%)
  • Central Harrogate (18%) – almost one in five
  • Hipswell (Richmondshire 13%)
  • and Malton in Ryedale (10%).

Only Hambleton bucks this trend with Northallerton and Sowerby wards showing a 6% minority population – the former notable given it is effectively the county’s administrative centre. The minority population is very diverse with no one minority dominating the BAME population except for ‘other white’ – a legacy of the pre-Brexit situation. Only the Pakistani Kashmiri population of Skipton bucks that particular domination.

This data gives the county’s organisations insight and detail to respond to this growth; and avoid effectively invisibilising particular groups of people. Now may be the time to respond.”

Further conversations take place at the Equality and Inclusion Partnership meetings so if you want to be part of the discussion and join the group email info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk

If you find this data useful and are able to use it in your work, or if you would like further details on your area, please inform Professor Gary Craig, Professor of Social Justice, Visiting Professor, University of Newcastle upon Tyne gary.craig@galtres8.co.uk

How we make Grewelthorpe Village Hall a warm and welcoming space

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This week we’re celebrating Village Halls Week (23 – 29 January) – a time when we recognise the vital contribution that village halls and community buildings make to our communities. This year’s focus is on how halls make their spaces warm, welcoming and inclusive. Here, Deborah Hodges, Chair of Grewelthorpe Village Hall, tells us how they’re doing just that.

Grewelthorpe Village Hall is a lively hub at the centre of the Village. Our volunteers provide a huge range of activities for the local community, as well as putting on events which attract visitors from further afield.

We pride ourselves on offering a ‘warm welcoming, inclusive space’, in a variety of ways:

Hackfall Cafe is entirely volunteer-run:

  • It is a friendly, welcoming place with a delicious menu of mainly homemade goodies, such as soup, cakes, traybakes and scones (including the widely acclaimed Hackfall Scones, made with wild garlic from the woods), with paninis and sandwiches also available. Everything is sold at very reasonable prices. We operate on a not-for-profit basis – all proceeds going back into the upkeep of the hall.
  • Once a month, our volunteers provide a two-course community lunch, at a very affordable price. This enables people to get together for lunch, with friends and neighbours, without having to travel any distance.
  • The Cafe is a great place to feel connected to the whole community. New people in the village and the surrounding area, make lasting friendships there. Residents who are less mobile or who have health difficulties, can rely on a helping hand to come for a coffee or lunch. And, our volunteers find they have a regular and enjoyable opportunity to use their skills and talents.
  • We welcome young people to our volunteer team, and are keen to offer work experience opportunities, either as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme or as an introduction to the world of work.

Other activities:

  • Our Cafe Talks are thriving. We have a huge pool of local talent and expertise, which we exploit on a monthly basis!  Everything, from lovingly restoring a Grade 2 listed house to riding for the disabled, farming in Romania, walking up Mont Blanc, cycling from Landsend to John O’Groats … and much more! The speakers give their time free of charge, and we ask for a small contribution from the audience, which includes a glass of wine or a soft drink. It gives the community the chance to spend an evening in a convivial group, being entertained by one of their neighbours. All proceeds again, go back to the hall.
  • Clubs and Societies:  National groups, such as the British Legion and the WI meet in the village hall, at concessionary rates, but we also have a growing number of local societies:  Knit and Natter; Book Club; Art and Craft Group; Music Appreciation; French and Spanish Language Classes;  Gardeners’ Club; French and Spanish Art Talks.
  • Fundraising events are crucial to our survival, in these tricky times. For example, we are lucky again, to be able to rely on our very successful music events, which are incredibly well supported. The organising team have brought some great artists to Grewelthorpe, and continue to do so!
  • The Big Village Quiz makes a welcome return this month too, having been a casualty of COVID 19.  Again, all volunteer-led, and accessible to the whole community.

Grewelthorpe Village Hall relies on the support of the local community, and on its energetic, dedicated, talented team of volunteers. We are also delighted to see visitors to the village. Lots of walkers and cyclists can be sure of a friendly welcome in the Café, with plenty of information and advice available on Hackfall itself, and other places of interest.

Please visit our recently updated website, which is project-managed for us by two of our volunteers, for more information.

Together, we believe we make it a ‘warm, welcoming and inclusive space’.

Celebrating our village halls

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This week we’re celebrating Village Halls Week (23 – 29 January) – a time when we recognise the vital contribution that village halls and community buildings make to our communities. Community First Yorkshire trustee, Jan Thornton reflects on how village halls and community buildings have been central to her life.

It is hard to imagine what my life might have been like were there not a village hall or community building in the village where I was brought up or currently live in….

As a young child, my first years at infant school were in an old building, which subsequently became repurposed for community use when the new infant and junior school opened in the late 1960s. I remember subsequently attending dancing classes there and also Brownies and Guides in the church hall.

My husband and I, as a newly married couple in the late 1980s, moved to the village where we still live. The village hall has been central to my life within the community ever since and barely a week has gone by in over 35 years where I haven’t been taking part in one activity or another there.

It has been the venue in which I have volunteered, worked hard (!), made friends and met up with neighbours. It is a great space to participate in and feel part of the community in which I live. I am very lucky: our village hall was newly built with a grant from Sport England only a couple of years before we moved there. It has been well maintained and ‘kept up with the times’ over the years by the volunteer village hall committee, so that it is still an attractive and warm place to visit and a delight to spend time in. It is so important where possible to manage a community building in a sustainable way so that it can continue to be an attractive venue for community use. Cold, damp and musty halls are hard to visit and support!

Obviously it is much harder this year than ever before to manage energy bills for community buildings. Energy advice is available on the ACRE website. There is also information available on how to apply for the Rural Community Buildings Loan Fund which is managed by ACRE on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) which helps community buildings fill temporary gaps in funding, either for specific projects or for urgent work connected with the building. Last year, government announced a new £3m Platinum Jubilee village hall improvement fund, which will provide grant funding over three years (to 2025) to support capital improvement projects for village halls, such as installing Wi-Fi, extending buildings and modernising facilities, with 125 village halls set to benefit.

At Community First Yorkshire, we provide practical guidance and rural advocacy to trustees, employees and management committees of rural community buildings. Support is available on a range of topics including: good governance; safeguarding; finance and funding; policies and procedures and operational good practice. If your hall needs some improvement, there is advice and support on funding opportunities available.

Finally, a big thank you to everyone who manages and maintains rural community buildings across Yorkshire.  It is a significant responsibility but so worthwhile for the life enhancing richness they provide to those who live in your community.

#VillageHallsWeek

I’m not talking to you anymore, Mr Blackbird

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I have an allotment. I love my allotment; I was lucky enough to get it just before lockdown and it provided a great place to go when there was no-where to go. Being in the open air and close to nature after a day’s work is a brilliant way to relax and let my mind wander after hours of intense concentration.

In June, some of the birds get very brave and come close whilst I’m weeding to find bugs and worms for their young. Last week a blackbird came so close I grabbed a worm in my hand (gloves on!), held it out, and waited very patiently for it to come and take the worm out my hand. It hopped within inches a few times and fluttered away, but the third time he snatched it, flew a few yards away, pecked it once, then flew onto my strawberry patch, and you guessed it, ate my first ripe strawberry of the season!

I leapt up and scolded him as I would a naughty child. How dare he?! I’d just given him a lovely fat, juicy worm but he rejected that. Maybe, like most of us, he has a sweet tooth/beak. Needless to say, I immediately netted the strawberry bed.

The next day I went to the allotment and was passing the strawberry bed when I saw Mr Blackbird’s Mrs in the strawberry bed. I was incredulous! How did she get in there? I tried to un-net a section to allow her out but she squawked her way up to the other end of the bed and escaped though a tiny gap.

I thought I’d safeguarded my strawberries but it made me look afresh at my netting technique. I went round the bed tightening and weighing down the net so there were no gaps.

How are the safeguarding procedures in your Village Hall? Are there any gaps? Do you need to “tighten your nets” to ensure you are protecting those most vulnerable?

If you want to make sure your netting is secure, come along to our online Community Building and Village Hall network meeting on Wednesday 25 January 10am – 11:30am where we will be exploring what trustees should know and do regarding safeguarding in village halls. There will be a chance for you to ask questions and share good practice with others in a similar role .

I also recommend looking at our  safeguarding resource, which provides a checklist for essential and good safeguarding practices in your organisation.

 

Hilary Ashton, North Yorkshire Development Officer