Sirius Minerals foundation to fund charities to aid young yorkshirepost.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yorkshirepost.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
CHARITIES struggling to survive in North Yorkshire have a new champion in their corner. Jane Colthup has become Community First Yorkshire s chief executive at a crucial time as the rural, voluntary and community sector continues to suffer from the impact of the pandemic. She takes over from Leah Swain who held the role for ten years, and joins from Northgate Public Services, having previously worked as a management consultant with local authorities. Community First Yorkshire is an influential, regional body that is often the first port of call for voluntary and community organisations, social enterprises and rural areas seeking practical support.
Rainbow Community Cafe in Grangetown receiving a grant award THOUSANDS of pounds is being offered to community groups by the firm behind the Woodsmith mine project being built at Whitby and Teesside. The Sirius Minerals Foundation, the charitable body supported by Anglo American’s Woodsmith Project, has launched the second part of its Covid-19 recovery fund, worth a total of £400,000. Grants of between £500 and £5000 are being made available for small voluntary and community organisations in Scarborough, the North York Moors National Park and Redcar and Cleveland. Leah Swain, chief executive of the Sirius Minerals Foundation, said: “The aim of this grants round is to fund projects and activities that are focussed on helping people in our communities to regain their confidence and restart their lives, as the country begins to come out of lockdown.
That’s the stark message from research carried out by Community First Yorkshire. Groups and charities in South Craven and across the district were invited to take part in a resilience survey, the results of which have been analysed with help from Sheffield, Hull and Leeds universities. With many people still shielding, volunteer numbers in the district have fallen by almost half. Organisations report that they are finding it increasingly difficult to “re-engage” with volunteers, especially the over-65s, to open services again. Half the respondents said 50 per cent of their income was derived from trading, such as a charity shop. Those organisations have seen a dramatic drop in revenue during the pandemic, with many having to dip into financial reserves to survive.
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The impact of the government lockdowns continues to be felt by voluntary and community organisations across Harrogate district as they express concerns about their future.
Over 40% of voluntary and community organisations across the district may not stay open beyond March 2021 without greater support, reports Community First Yorkshire.
Charities and voluntary groups were invited to take part in the ‘Voluntary & Community Sector (VCS) Resilience Survey’ in October to help measure the impact that the coronavirus continues to have. Community First Yorkshire has analysed the results with help from the universities of Sheffield, Leeds and Hull.
The survey is part of Community First Yorkshire’s Community Support North Yorkshire service which is funded by North Yorkshire County Council and NHS North Yorkshire. Financial contributions were also made by Craven, Richmondshire, Ryedale and Selby district councils.