The impact of funding to safeguard the future of community spaces in York’s outer wards was highlighted at a celebration held last Friday (28 March) in Bishopthorpe.
In partnership with Community First Yorkshire, City of York Council has supported 11 venues through the Community Buildings Fund, worth a total £133,059. The programme has also benefited from additional funds from the Decarbonisation Programme.
Help to make buildings more accessible
The grants have helped community buildings improve energy efficiency and insulation, upgrade broadband and Wi-Fi provision and install hearing loops and other accessibility measures, as well as supporting general improvements and refurbishments.
These projects will make the buildings more accessible for a wider range of people, improve their facilities, meaning that venues can expand their offer of activities and events, reduce carbon emissions, and reduce running costs, which in turn will make activities using the space more affordable for all.
Hessay Chapel was awarded a grant of £14,132 to enhance its facilities through the installation of energy-efficient heaters, photovoltaic (PV) panels, LED lighting, and a replacement window, improving both sustainability and comfort for the community.
Kathryn Wright from Hessay Chapel said: “The work that has been completed is an incredible achievement for Hessay, we have engaged with the community who are looking forward to helping with some voluntary cosmetic work as the weather improves. We are excited to see greater use of the building with the ongoing improvements.”
So much more than just buildings
Cllr Pete Kilbane, Executive Member for Economy and Culture at City of York Council, said: “Community venues like village halls are so much more than just buildings – they are a lifeline for communities. These spaces play a vital role in reducing social isolation, connecting people to key services and helping people of all ages lead healthier, happier lives.
“That’s why I’m so proud to see that by providing grants to help future-proof community venues – whether that’s through installing new energy-efficient infrastructure or upgrading digital connectivity, this funding will help safeguard these spaces for years to come, ensuring that local residents can continue to enjoy all of the benefits they offer.”
The celebration event was held at St Andrew’s Church Hall in Bishopthorpe, one of the buildings to benefit from the programme through installing solar panels to reduce their carbon impact and cut running costs.
The Rural England Prosperity Fund is part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.
North Yorkshire Council (NYC) and Humber and North Yorkshire NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) is seeking a supplier, or a consortium of suppliers, through a competitive grant process, to deliver capacity building (infrastructure) and support to North Yorkshire’s Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.
The grant recipient would provide support which includes the provision of funding advice; training for staff, volunteers and trustees; support for new groups in setting up; voice and representation; and networking activities among many others. This helps to ensure we have a robust, effective and quality VCSE sector across North Yorkshire.
Please note: This opportunity is to provide VCSE infrastructure support across North Yorkshire, not including York, which is delivered by York CVS.
The grant start date will be 1 April 2025 and the grant recipient will be expected to meet the following criteria:
- The supplier (or lead supplier) must be a not-for-profit organisation
- Must be able to deliver support to VCSE organisations across the full North Yorkshire Council boundary.
The current agreement for the provision of this infrastructure support service will finish on 31 March 2025. Therefore, this is prior notice that a competitive grant process will be run to identify a provider for this service. The new agreement will start on 1 April 2025 and will be in place for three years with the option to extend for an additional 2 years (maximum 5 years). The opportunity is expected to be published in late-September/early-October 2024.
Attend the information webinar on 5 September to find out more
The commissioning team will be holding a webinar to provide some additional information about this service and how to submit a response. The purpose of this webinar is to provide organisations, that are interested in delivering infrastructure support, information about the requirements of the grant with some hints and tips on how to submit a response to the competitive grant process. The details of the webinar are as follows:
Date: Thursday 5 September 2024
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Where: Microsoft Teams
If you are interested in attending the webinar, you’ll need to register on the YORtender portal and search for Quote/Tender 88523 – Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector Infrastructure Support Grant – Market Engagement Webinar.
There will be a registration form within the ‘Documents’ area of YORtender, please complete the form and return through YORtender no later than 3pm on Wednesday 4 September. Dial in details for the Webinar on Microsoft Teams will be sent out via email when registration closes. Please note, attendance at the webinar will be capped at 2 people per organisation.
Additional information
The webinar is an engagement exercise; any subsequent opportunity will be advertised separately and all organisations wanting to participate will need to respond as and when it is published.
The grant opportunity and all associated documents will be published on YORtender. You can use the following link to register: Supplier registration (eu-supply.com). If you require any assistance with registering/returning a submission, please contact Mercell via email on
uksupport@eu-supply.com or 0800 840 2050 (Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm).
Charities and community groups in North Yorkshire have another opportunity to apply for funding to help deliver digital inclusion projects across the county.
Working alongside North Yorkshire Council and York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Community First Yorkshire, an infrastructure support charity, has opened a second application window for its Digital Inclusion Programme.
Increasing digital support in North Yorkshire
The aim of the programme is to increase digital support in North Yorkshire, through new digital inclusion projects and offers. The programme looks to support charities and community organisations to develop sustainable digital hubs and upskill volunteers and employees to become digital champions.
So far, funding has been used to support a range of different approaches from sessions in libraries or community venues and visiting people at home who have difficulty travelling to mobile classroom facilities that can take a service out to more rural areas.
Flexible support can be provided through one-to-one or group sessions either in-person or online. Often the new digital support is provided as a bolt-on to other services already being providing in the community.
More than 20 imaginative applications so far
“Since being launched earlier this year, this project has already attracted more than 20 imaginative and creative applications from organisations across North Yorkshire. It’s exciting to be offering a second opportunity for others to take part,” said Community First Yorkshire Chief Executive, Jane Colthup.
“With so many services now available online, this drive to improve digital inclusivity across North Yorkshire is especially important to help our local communities thrive. We’re looking forward to seeing another good round of applications.”
Apply by 26 July
Funding is limited so applicants are encouraged to submit their applications by 26 July 2024.
More information can be found here.
If you are looking for funding for your VCSE organisation, our new Community First Yorkshire Funding Portal offers an innovative online platform that could transform the way you search for and find the funding you need. Find out more.
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.”
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.
The North Yorkshire UKSPF team’s update on the North Yorkshire UK Shared Prosperity Fund includes some key information for voluntary organisations and community groups.
Small Business Grants programme is paused
The team have been exceptionally busy with the Small Business Grants programme over the last few weeks. With over 400 applications received since the launch in November, they have now paused the programme to work through all applications and make some reflective adjustments to the programme before re-opening in April 2024.
Need help with an application?
As well as the Small Business Grants, there has been a high level of interest in all of the other open grant programmes. The team are now focussed on processing and appraising as many applications as they can. If you are currently in the process of applying, then please feel free to get in touch for any further guidance. If you have applied, then you’ll hear about your application soon.
Web page refresh
The North Yorkshire Council fund webpage (UK shared prosperity fund | North Yorkshire Council) is currently undergoing a redesign. Following feedback from users (especially potential applicants), the council is working on the presentation and navigation of the site to make things easier for everyone seeking to get involved. In February, plans are to transform the webpage into a simple landing page (where key updates, news and background information will be posted), leading to two areas focussed on 1) opportunities for businesses, and 2) opportunities for community organisations. This should help users to quickly and easily find the right information about the programmes, grants and support they are most interested in.
Changes to the Local Enterprise Partnership
As a central UKSPF delivery team, you may be aware that the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is contracted to manage the programme on behalf of North Yorkshire Council (who remain the Lead Authority for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund in North Yorkshire). As of 1 February, the LEP will no longer exist and its functions and staff will be transferred into the new Combined Authority ahead of the mayoral elections in May 2024.
New contact details for getting in touch
These are exciting times for the York and North Yorkshire region with the creation of a new strategic body to work alongside the two local authorities.
The UKSPF work will not change as a consequence of this development, and the central UKSPF delivery team will all remain in place!
Contact details have changed (from 1 February) to UKSPF@yorknorthyorks-ca.gov.uk. Please don’t worry if you have recently sent an email or forget to add the new address to your contacts. The the North Yorkshire UKSPF team will continue to receive emails sent to both addresses for the immediate future.
Keep checking in for further updates
Please keep looking at the UKSPF information online (UK shared prosperity fund | North Yorkshire Council). There are a number of open opportunities at present, and over the next two months, plans are underway for a raft of new opportunities for the third year of the programme (running from April 2024 to March 2025).
The North Yorkshire UKSPF team will be in touch again soon with further updates and information. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact them for any information or guidance.