Mayor meets York and North Yorkshire community groups

Voluntary and community groups have met with York and North Yorkshire’s new Mayor, David Skaith.

Community First Yorkshire hosted a roundtable event on Thursday (16 May), inviting the Mayor to meet more than a dozen local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations.

David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said: “I want to put people and communities first. Addressing the cost of living is a major driver for me ​and working together with organisations such as these is how we will create a real impact. I was there to listen, to understand the needs and challenges faced by these organisations and the communities they serve. Voluntary and community organisations are well loved parts of every community, and they also play a vital role in our economy as employers and enterprises.”

The visit, held at Community First Yorkshire’s offices in Askham Bryan, marked the first sector-specific meeting for the Mayor since taking office on Tuesday 7 May.

Alison Semmence and Jane Colthup, chief executives of York CVS and Community First Yorkshire respectively, said: “We’re really pleased that within his first ten days of office, our York and North Yorkshire Mayor was so keen to meet with representatives of the VCSE sector to discuss how we can work together for our local communities.”

Other organisations taking part in the roundtable included: York Carers Centre, St Nick’s, Community Furniture Stores, Explore York, York Mind, Revival North Yorkshire, Carers Plus, SELFA, HADCA, North Yorkshire Together, CaVCA and Resurrected Bites.

Groups introduced their work, before discussing areas such as funding, perceptions of the sector, the benefits to the local economy, and opportunities for collaboration outside the region.

Earlier in the day, the Mayor visited Better Connect. The Knaresborough-based not-for-profit organisation hosted a launch event for their new UKSPF funded programme Rise2Thrive. Thirty-three community organisations across York and North Yorkshire have formed a partnership, led by Better Connect, to support individuals across the local area to overcome barriers that move them closer towards and into employment.

Natasha Babar-Evans, CEO of Better Connect, said: “We were delighted that in David Skaith’s first few days of appointment he chose to meet with and understand our sector and the impact that we make across our communities.”

There was also an opportunity to visit Whixley Village Hall, which has looked to turn their inefficient hall into a green friendly community building, with support from Community First Yorkshire.

The Mayor leads York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, which formed on 22 January. The Combined Authority is delivering the region’s historic devolution deal, which is worth more than £540 million over 30 years.

Elected on 3 May, the Mayor is working with City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council to utilise devolved funds and attract new investment.

Powers and responsibilities for the new Mayor include:

  • Responsibility for 30-year Mayoral Investment Fund and the powers to borrow against funds
  • Full devolution of the Adult Education Budget
  • Powers to improve the supply and quality of housing and secure the development of land or infrastructure
  • Powers and funds to improve transport through a consolidated, devolved, multi-year transport settlement
  • Responsibilities for community safety and the powers to appoint a Deputy Mayor to carry out many of the duties previously held by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority website is at: yorknorthyorks-ca.gov.uk, which includes details of upcoming public meetings.

ENDS

For further information:
David Williams, Communications Officer, York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority 07870485691 / david.williams@yorknorthyorks-ca.gov.uk

Photo shows: David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, with voluntary, community and social enterprise groups ahead of a roundtable event at Community First Yorkshire’s offices in Askham Bryan, Thursday 16 May.

About York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
A combined authority is where a group of councils work together across a larger area. The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has been created at the request of City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council and is a legally recognised, single body. Its role is to use some of the money and powers that up to now have been held by central government, and work with local leaders and communities to invest in ways that will help to make York and North Yorkshire a better place for you to live, work and do business. The Combined Authority is led by David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, who was elected on May 3, 2024.

Combined Authority website / Facebook / X / LinkedIn

 

 

Let’s Talk Scarborough

North Yorkshire Council and the Scarborough Town Board want to hear your views on how they should use £20 million earmarked by Government for Scarborough’s regeneration over the next ten years as part of its Long-Term Plan for Towns.

They want people living and working in Scarborough to have their say by filling in the survey.

The Let’s Talk Scarborough survey is part of a wider engagement strategy, which seeks to build a vision for the future of the town with input from as many members of the community as possible. In addition to the survey there will be in-person public engagement events, the details of which will be available here.

The Scarborough Town Board has been expanded to include representatives from more sectors.

Government has given the following themes for projects to focus on:

  • Enhancing safety and security
  • Reviving our high streets, regenerating Scarborough and enhancing our heritage
  • Improving transportation and connectivity

 

The results of this consultation will inform the creation of the Long-Term Plan for Scarborough, building on previous regeneration schemes which will must be submitted to Government by 1 August.

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

You can fill in an online survey here – the survey is on Commonplace, which is a safe and easy-to-use online tool used to engage with communities, by over 250 organisations including neighbouring councils in Leeds and West Yorkshire.

For Let’s Talk Scarborough you will be asked to drop a pin on a map of Scarborough and answer questions about that place in relation to the themes above. You can comment on more than one location.

If you would prefer, you can pick up a paper copy from Scarborough, Newby and Scalby or Eastfield Library or the Scarborough Customer First Centre and return it in the pre-paid envelope provided.

You can also email letstalk@northyorks.gov.uk  or call 0300 131 2 131 (please say ‘Let’s Talk’ when prompted) to request a survey.

You can write to:

Let’s Talk

North Yorkshire Council

County Hall

Northallerton

DL7 8AD

Accessible formats of the survey are available on request. Please share your views with us and encourage your colleagues, friends and family to do the same. The survey closes on 3 June 2024.

Questions from members of the public?

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

 

 

Great turn out for VCSE sector Mayoral Hustings

VCSE organisations from across North Yorkshire and York came together on Tuesday 16 April to pose questions to candidates ahead of the local elections for the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Mayor on 2 May.

Hosted by York CVS and Community First Yorkshire, the non-selective hustings provided an opportunity for voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to meet the candidates, listen to their manifestos and to ask questions relating to issues that impact our sector.

Four candidates joined us

We welcomed the following candidates to the event:

  • Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Liberal Democrats candidate,
  • Keith Tordoff, Independent candidate
  • Kevin Foster, Green candidate
  • Paul Haslam, Independent candidate

All candidates were invited to attend, however Keane Duncan, Conservative candidate and David Skaith, Labour candidate were unable to join us on the day.

Each candidate spoke about their manifesto and their priorities if they were elected, then the hustings opened for questions from attendees and pre-submitted questions from the sector.

Questions were wide-ranging

The questions covered a range of topics, including the candidates understanding of the VCSE sector, what support they would provide, and if they understood the challenges faced by the sector. More specific questions were asked about affordable housing, library services, violence against women and girls, support for refugees and people seeking sanctuary, and support for Trans and LGBTQ rights.

Want to know more?

If you would like to know more about each candidate and about the forthcoming elections on Thursday 2 May, the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has produced this information booklet.

First leadership conference aims to help North Yorkshire VCSE sector thrive

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Voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations from across North Yorkshire will be heading to Harrogate in May for the sector’s first one-day conference designed to build leadership skills at all levels.

The Ordinary Extraordinary Leaders conference (Tuesday 22 May at Pavilions of Harrogate) is being organised by VCSE support organisation, Community First Yorkshire. Its focus will be on sharing the experiences and insights of a diverse line-up of speakers to show how ordinary everyday actions can deliver extraordinary results.

As well as attracting people currently in a leadership position, the conference is aimed at new leaders, people wanting to take on a leadership role and anyone interested in exploring their potential to take their career in the VCSE sector further. It will be as relevant to someone leading a small team or project as it is to someone heading up a department or organisation.

More than a dozen speakers throughout the day will offer a wide range of perspectives from tackling culture change in the British Army to establishing a charity from scratch, taking on a new leadership role or working with teams of volunteers.

Aim is to help vibrant VCSE sector thrive

“We have such a vibrant VCSE sector in North Yorkshire, playing an essential part in supporting community action and wellbeing, and providing a voice for local people and underpinning statutory health and social care,” said Community First Yorkshire Chief Executive, Jane Colthup.

“With around 7,000 VCSE organisations across North Yorkshire, that collectively employ the equivalent of around 10,000 full time members of staff and work with more than 67,000 volunteers, our goal is to ensure that they all have the skills they need to thrive and seize new opportunities.

“We know that excellent leadership skills can help drive success. So, as we celebrate International Leadership Week this week, I’m really looking forward to our first conference focused specifically on helping our fantastic VCSE organisations learn from each other.

“With so much diversity on the line-up, it promises to be a thought-provoking and inspiring event.”

Superb speaker line-up

Speakers attending the conference include:

  •  Major General Zac Stenning – Commandant, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst & the Army’s Director Leadership
  • Richard Flinton – Chief Executive, North Yorkshire Council
  • Professor Stephen Eames CBE – Chief Executive of Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership
  • Johanna Hooper – Leadership and change management expert, Limitless Peak Performance
  • Valentina Hynes – Entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of SVH Inc CIC
  • Debbie North – Cabinet Office Disability and Access Ambassador for the Countryside and Founder of Access the Dales

Two interactive sessions, featuring another eight panellists to provide a wealth of different experiences and insights, mean the event will cater for everyone no matter what their background is, how much leadership experience they have or what their career aspirations are.

Find out more and book your place here.

It’s a date… but which awareness day is right for you?

How to make the most of awareness days for your marketing strategy

There are many awareness days and campaign weeks coming up that it’s useful for us all to be aware of – June is a particularly busy campaigning month! Awareness days and weeks can be a great way to fundraise, strengthen your reputation and boost your social media presence.

Did you know there’s even a ‘Take your dog to work day’ (a favourite of ours) and ‘National Biscuit Day (definitely a personal favourite)?

As an organisation, we use them as part of our marketing strategy to help lift our PR activity. The trick is to be selective and only choose those that align with your overall business strategy. Many organisations provide comms packs with ready made content including social media posts, media releases, web copy and graphics which make engaging in awareness all the easier, especially when we’re all limited for time and resources.

Here’s a few that we’ll be getting involved with in the coming three months. As you can see, there are so many and we won’t be able to give a focus to all of them so we’ll select the ones that are most relevant to our business:

May
June
July

 

As you can see, there’s plenty of choice. Do keep an eye on our social media channels and get involved:

Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance launches the Cancer Innovation Grants 2024/25  

If you have an innovative project that promotes early cancer diagnosis, treatment, recovery and/or patient experience in the Humber and North Yorkshire area, Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance could help you with the funding.

The Cancer Alliance, in collaboration with Health Innovation Network Yorkshire & Humber and the Innovation Research and Improvement System, is proud to announce the launch of the Cancer Innovation Grants 2024/25.

“This is an excellent opportunity to develop our local culture of innovation through adopting and developing new ideas, which have a positive impact on patient experience and outcomes and the local cancer system” Mr Kartikae Grover, Clinical Director of Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance

The Cancer Innovation Grants form part of the Cancer Alliance’s aim to build a culture of cutting-edge cancer innovations, in line with the NHS Long Term Plan. From small, grass-roots projects, to larger-scale innovation schemes, the Cancer Alliance is encouraging the development or adoption of innovative approaches to cancer that target local priorities for improvement, with a focus on (but not exclusive to) tumour sites with the highest volume of late stage diagnosis:

  1. Oesophageal
  2. Lung
  3. Pancreatic
  4. Colon
  5. Rectum
  6. Non-hodgkin’s lymphoma
  7. Prostate

Who can apply for a Cancer Innovation Grant?

The Cancer Alliance welcomes applications from:

  • Primary and Secondary Care organisations
  • Patients
  • Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs)
  • Wider system stakeholders – e.g. social care organisations

Collaboration is encouraged across organisations and sectors.

What kind of projects will the Cancer Alliance fund?

The Cancer Alliance is looking for newly identified innovations, as well as projects that adopt innovation ideas that have been proven a success elsewhere. Some examples include:

  • Adopting technology or a workforce to implement or embed new ways of reducing demand on diagnostic services
  • Developing patient education solutions, particularly those designed to address health inequalities
  • Initiatives to support increase in uptake of cancer screening programmes, with a focus on specific groups where screening uptake is low

What kind of projects will not receive funding?

Cancer Innovation Grants will not be awarded to support current standards and processes in cancer care – e.g. posts and activities that are part of core services and staffing, such as Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS).

The Cancer Alliance is not able to fund research or projects that require capital funding.

Grants timeline

Applications Open – w/c 8 April 2024

Applications Close – 5pm, 31 May 2024.

Notification of Grant Award – 21 June 2024

What level of funding is available?

Individual grants will be funded to a maximum of £50,000 and applications to support community-based projects are also welcome at a minimum of £1,000.

How do I apply?
Find out more information on the Cancer Alliance website.

Have your say on affordable housing in and around Settle 

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A new community survey has been launched by the Craven Community Land Trust (CLT) to explore how local residents would like to see the area’s lack of affordable housing addressed.

The survey, which is being supported by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, gives people the chance to have their say on a crucial issue for local communities and help shape Craven CLT policies and priorities for the future.

The impact of insufficient affordable homes has been widely acknowledged, with average house prices in Craven rising once again in 2023 to £281,000 – up nearly 9% in just a year. By comparison, wages remain well below the national average, making it hard for local people to find somewhere they can afford.

In response, Craven CLT is hoping to reach out to people who are currently struggling to find affordable housing in the area. They want to hear from current residents and people looking to return to the area with a local connection, whether that’s work or family.

More than 3,000 questionnaires have been mailed out to residents and there is also the option to complete the survey online – giving lots of ways for anyone to take part.

Rural areas are experiencing a housing crisis

“Rural areas in North Yorkshire are experiencing a housing crisis. With so many people unable to afford to buy their own home, a supply of genuinely affordable rental accommodation is essential,” said Lynn Northrop, Chair of Craven CLT.
“The survey is quick and easy to access online and will help us to make the case for delivering more affordable homes in the Settle area.

“We hope people will be eager to have their say, as it is so important that we address the urgent lack of affordable homes in line with local views and aspirations.”

Craven CLT was set up to provide affordable rented homes for individuals and couples living and working in the Craven area. All properties owned by the Trust will be held in perpetuity, securing affordable rental housing for every occupier.

The Trust also works with local community groups and organisations to protect services and keep them in community ownership.

Complete the survey by May 3

Anyone living in Settle, Giggleswick, Langcliffe or Stainforth is invited to complete the survey either using the paper version posted through their letterbox or online.

Additional printed copies can also be requested by email.

The closing date for responses is Friday 3 May.

What Utility Aid can offer you!

Utility Aid is the UK’s leading energy broker for the charity and not-for-profit sector. As well as helping to secure new contracts with your Electric, Gas, and Water.

Utility Aid can also help with supplier problems, inaccurate bills, advising on renewable energy options, and your journey to ‘Net Zero’.

 

What Utility Aid can offer you!

Free Bill Checking Service – If you don’t know what your bill means or are worried you are being overcharged, Utility Aid will look over your bills, explain what it all means, and point out any discrepancies.

 

National Charity Tender – Utility Aid have set up purchasing baskets which allows customers purchasing powers and competitive rates on all gas and electricity contracts.

Here is a video to find out more.

 

Energy Audits on your Building – If you are looking to start your journey to Net Zero then it is recommended that you have an audit on your building. Click here to learn more.

 

To get in touch with Utility Aid directly, please click here.

£7m investment in rural community green spaces

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A new fund of up to £7 million has been announced by the government to boost access to nature and support rural communities across England wanting to become more green-fingered.

The new Community Green Spaces Fund will provide funding to help communities create, restore and enhance their green spaces.

Grants of up to £75,000 will be provided to help communities plant fruits, vegetables and trees, creating orchards and kitchen gardens for all to access and enjoy. Landscaping projects could also create raised beds and improve areas to plant different flowers around village hall facilities and other community green spaces, making space for pollinators and nature to thrive.

Expansion of natural play facilities

Funding will also be awarded to support the expansion of natural play facilities that encourage children to spend more time outdoors, in addition to projects that focus on improving access to green spaces such as new paths and seating. To make the spaces more accessible to disabled people, funding will also be available for the creation of disabled parking spaces.

Further support for village halls

An additional £5 million of funding for village halls has also been announced to support capital improvement projects, such as building extensions and the installation of wi-fi. This follows the £3 million of funding made available to mark Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

Potential to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents

Richard Quallington, Executive Director at ACRE said:
“We welcome the government’s commitment to supporting rural communities so they can make the most of green spaces. The fund has the potential to support a wide range of initiatives that contribute to Net Zero and biodiversity net gain, as well as improving the health and wellbeing of local residents.

“We know from our experience of administering recent grants to village halls that the availability of capital funding can catalyse new projects, many of which have had an environmental focus. We stand ready to support this new scheme.”

The Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) is working with Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) to scope the Community Green Spaces Fund with applications expected to open in early summer.

VCSE Collaborative Meeting Update

The latest meeting update from the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership’s VCSE Collaborative is now available to view. The update provides an overview of the meeting, which took place on Monday 11 March 2024 and covers the following topics:

  • Social Prescribing Conference and Networking Event
  • Research Engagement Network Update
  • Connecting the VCSE sector with the wider Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership
  • Volunteering for Health Funding Application
  • 2024-25 Planning
  • Humber and North Yorkshire VCSE Expo

Click here to read the latest update.