SKIPTON Step into Action has been awarded charitable status less than a year after its formation thanks to the tireless work of volunteers throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Most recently, volunteers have stepped in at Skipton General Hospital vaccination clinics assisting on car parking duty and transporting residents into the clinic. Since March, last year, they have been providing services such as shopping, collecting prescriptions and running errands. The group was set up to support those who are self-isolating, senior citizens and vulnerable people who do not have anyone they can call on for help. Skipton county councillor Andy Solloway, a trustee and volunteer coordinator for SSIA said: “We are over the moon to become a registered charity which opens up new funding opportunities. Our success is down to the incredible group of volunteers who have worked tirelessly during the pandemic. “
OUR December Salt of the Earth feature which has been run monthly in association with North Yorkshire County Council, highlights a Skipton man who has turned a serious hardship into a way of reaching out and helping others who face a similarly frightening event. Malcolm Hanson, historian, author and public personality, to name just a few strings to his bow, has always been a ‘people person; but it was a serious and frightening stroke which focussed his mind, making him realise other people may not possess his dogged determination to recover. He also helped make people in Covid isolation feel engaged with his entertaining blogs on local history through action group Skipton Step Into Action (SSIA).