Charity Corner Archives - The Stray Ferret

Charity Corner: the Starbeck charity that puts mental health at the forefront

Claro Enterprises is a Starbeck charity offering those with mental health conditions a real work environment to find a routine and talk to others who may be feeling similar.

The charity was set up 35 years ago by Chris and Sue Brown. Ms Brown’s brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and they found giving him jobs on their farm would really help him but when the work stopped his mental health would decline.

At the time they couldn’t find any local services to support him so through lots of fundraising the pair set up Claro Enterprises to offer people with mental health disorders the opportunity to volunteer in a real work environment.

Over the years the charity has developed and now runs a workshop and a production line and has contracts with large companies such as Bettys and EnviroVent to make products.

On a daily bases, members might be creating wooden products from scratch, or rebranding or packing products for businesses.

Two men using the charity’s wood shop.

Operations manager, Helen Wilkinson, said:

“We have people who would struggle in a normal work environment but really benefit from having a routine. It works really well for people will mental health conditions and they can choose how often they come.

“There’s a real sense of community here.”

The charity has around 35 members who can come as regularly as they want to work, it not only helps them but also gives their families a break.

The charity also runs courses throughout the year including self esteem and wellbeing, mindfulness, IT and basic maths and English.

Veterans Woodcraft, a group helping those with mental health issues and disabilities, have helped the charity’s members learn new woodcraft skills.

It is also the base for the Starbeck Men’s Shed and Women’s Shed. These groups are for anyone in the community to learn new skills and enjoy some company.

Ms Wilkinson said the end goal is to get the members “to a point where they can do what they want”:

“Some of our members have gone on to get full time jobs and work experience which is just amazing.”

The charity is always looking for new businesses to arrange work experience placements and provide work for the members to do at their premises to allow Claro to continue to offer their facilities to those who believe they could really benefit.

Miss Wilkinson added:

“It really is the bestest place in the world, we are just one big family.”

Charity Corner: the local charity supplying 36,000 wheelchairs worldwide

Since setting up in 2003, Wheelchair Foundation UK has shipped more than 36,000 wheelchairs to people around the world who cannot afford them.

The charity was set up by Milton Frary who lives in Little Ribston, near Spofforth. Mr Frary has been part of Rotary Club of Wetherby & District for decades and a rotary conference in Texas sparked the idea.

After hearing from another charity in the US doing this kind of work, he knew his Rotary connections would help him set up something similar in the UK.

The charity has shipped containers full of wheelchairs to African countries such as Kenya, Nigeria and Botswana, as well as to Serbia and Poland in Europe.

An elderly lady in Kitwe, Zambia being brought to a central collection point to receive her wheelchair.

Mr Frary says that with Rotary being an international organisation, he is able to contact groups worldwide to identify local need.

In recent years, Mr Frary has joined forces with PhysioNet. Together the charities send new and second-hand wheelchairs as well as other medical equipment, such as Zimmer frames and hospital beds, to foreign countries.

Some recipients in Mozambique.

He says seeing the smiles on people’s faces and hearing the screams of glee keeps him determined to fundraise more.

“We have delivered to 31 countries now. Wherever there is a need we will do our best to help.

“When we first started the World Health Organisation said there were 150 million people in need of wheelchairs, this is the biggest understatement I’ve heard because they haven’t included the elderly. It’s mind boggling when you understand the need.”

Two boys in Botswana after receiving their wheelchairs and blankets.

Mr Frary said the charity is always seeking donations of second-hand wheelchairs and walking aids, which it can then service and send abroad.

To contact Mr Frary about a donation, email info@wheelchairfoundationuk.org.

Charity Corner: the Harrogate charity helping rebuild lives after addiction

A Harrogate-based Christian charity, which has reached its 10-year anniversary, has helped over 100 people on their journey following addiction.

Horizon Life Training offers a 12-month rehabilitation programme for people who have previously completed nine months of rehabilitation from drugs and alcohol.

The programme gives people a home whilst providing other forms of support they need to gain life skills training through education and work-based placements to live independent, drug-free lives.

The charity works closely with Teen Challenge Leeds, another charity working to help people with addictions.

A decade ago Teen Challenge found many men and women were returning to old habits after going into rehab so the idea for a training and residential centre to help them stay drug-free was born.

Horizon Life Training runs two centres: Kennel Hall Farm for men, just outside of Killinghall, and Bramall House for women, near Menwith Hill.

Kennel Hall Farm and Bramall House

More than 100 men have completed the programme, with 75% of them now living free from addiction independently and with jobs.

The women’s house opened in 2019 and has since supported eight women successfully.

Centre manager Bernie Francies said:

“We are passionate to see broken lives transformed, everyone has a back story, no one is beyond repair and everyone is born with a divine purpose.

“Our role as staff is to awaken potential, dreams, aspirations through the love of god and by providing a safe place to renew confidence and strength following addiction.”

Centre manager Bernie Francies

The charity is always looking for more local businesses to work alongside to provide employment opportunities.

The residents work on a voluntary basis but some have gone on to gain full-time employment.

Ms Francies added:

“We have the privilege of walking alongside our residents for 12 months as they re-discover their identity and upskill their CVs to equip and prepare them for successful moves back into the community, social inclusion and future employment.

“We encourage all local businesses, charities and agencies to partner with us to see a life restored back into work whilst also adding value to their team.”

Horizon Life Training also works with local churches to offer residents additional support.

To apply for the programme or find out how you can support the charity, click here.

Charity Corner: being a friend to the elderly and lonely in Harrogate and Knaresborough

During the pandemic, one Harrogate and Knaresborough charity has seen a huge increase in pleas for help after some of the most vulnerable in our communities found themselves feeling lonely.

Supporting Older People helps more than 300 members combat isolation and loneliness by providing activities, trips and a befriending service.

The charity works with people over 60 and say many come to them because they often only see one person a week and need more opportunities to socialise.

Director Kate Rogata said:

“During covid the thing people loved the most was just standing at the door for a chat. It was clear when we restarted sessions last June how vital they were, the demand was enormous.

“People were depserate to see others again.”

Members visited Harrogate Bowling Club in September. The club has raised more than £1,500 for the charity.

Ms Rogata said a lot of the people the charity helps are over 75 and may live alone due to bereavement or moved to Harrogate and Knaresborough to be closer to family but don’t have a network of friends.

The charity is there to help. It holds monthly lunches, tea and talk events and weekly exercise classes. All of these are always in demand.

Ms Rogata began working for the charity in 2013 when there were just 75 members and 45 volunteers. She said the demand just keeps growing, since the pandemic they’ve seen a 60% increase in people coming to the charity for help.

“We need to make sure we keep doing all we can and stick around because the demand won’t go away.”

Ms Rogata said they are always in need of new volunteers. Currently, the charity has 150 trained befrienders but with 30 older people on the waiting list they are pleading for more people to come forward.

She added:

“There’s been some wonderful friendships formed over the years. We take our time pairing people up, they have to have similar interests for it to work. Our befrienders can make a real difference to the older person’s life, and vice versa.”

Care home resident Richard was able to go for a spin in a classic car this year thanks to his volunteer befriender Peter.

Set up in 1982, the charity is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and hopes to encourage more people to volunteer as befrienders and give an hour a week to visit an older person.

During the pandemic the charity has been unable to do as much fundraising as it likes. It costs around £70,000 a year to pay its three part-time staff, train volunteers and put on events.

It gets a £11,000 from North Yorkshire County Council but the rest has to come from fundraising and grants.

It plans to host events all year to celebrate its anniversary. Ms Rogata said:

“Any fundraising is so helpful. It cost £60 to train each befriender and we need 30 new ones.

“We feel like a bit of a well kept secret and we want more people to know about us and get involved however they can.”

Charity Corner: at the forefront of mental health support during covid

The mental health charity Mind in Harrogate district has had two years like no other, with lockdown causing more people to reach out for additional support.

The charity is affiliated with the larger national charity Mind and was founded in 1973.

It offers counselling, a telephone befriending service and numerous group workshops for people suffering with their mental health.

The main aim of the charity is to be the place people come to if they are struggling. Its befriending and counselling services will continue throughout December although during the week between Christmas and New Year, it will only be available for telephone support.

Helen Greensit, centre development manager, said:

“Over the last two years referrals have been constant. I wouldn’t say that the Christmas period has been any busier than the rest of the year but certainly there are no signs of the referrals slowing down.”

This week alone the charity has received five referrals for support, which included telephone support, registration requests to join group activities and referrals to the counselling service.

Ms Greensit also said lockdown had increased the number of people struggling with social anxiety. She said people coming to the charity were still struggling to go out because they lacked the motivation to do so.

She said:

“With covid, we have seen a lot more people struggling with loneliness and isolation. Other main reasons for referrals are depression and anxiety.”

The charity has nine members of staff and numerous volunteers who help with the befriending service, which works to reach some of the most isolated in the district. Ms Greensit said:

“Within the last two years the charity has diversified in order to meet the growing needs of our community.”

Charity Corner: Combating furniture poverty across the Harrogate district

Tucked away behind Leeds Road in Harrogate is a charity working to combat furniture poverty by giving those struggling for items the chance to make a house a home.

Essentials Needs, on Back Gladstone Street, takes donations of beds, sofas, furniture, bedding and electrical appliances and sells them to people in need.

Initially the charity was set up just to help people on low income or benefits but it has now opened it’s shop to the wider public too.

Set up over 25 years ago, manager Lee Wright said the need for its services has rocketed in recent years with more and more people coming in for help.

The charity is run by a team of nine staff and 23 volunteers who make sure people have the furniture they need at a price they can afford.

Sofas and beds are the most in demand items for the charity. Last year it sold almost 4,500 items, including 345 sofas and 311 beds and mattresses.

Furniture is checked to make sure it is in good condition.

The items range in price but are significantly lower than most outlets and people on means-tested benefits or low income are offered an extra 30% discount.

Mr Wright said:

“We are here to help people in crisis. Just because the people we help may be struggling financially it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have nice things. People shouldn’t be without a bed or a sofa, we’re here to help them in any way we can.

“We are very lucky with the donations we get, we are never without which is great. People are becoming more aware of reusing items so people are always calling us up to offer their furniture.”

The charity works by sending staff and volunteers out in vans to pick up donations, which are then checked or PAT tested and put into the showroom.

More of the items available to buy.

Last year the charity stopped 62 tonnes of usable furniture going to landfill. It also helped 783 households purchase low cost furniture in the Harrogate district.

Mr Wright added:

“There are a lot of people in Harrogate struggling, it’s no different to any other area. The £20 uplift that has just disappeared will have an impact. Even people working five days a week or a low wage need our help.

“We had people literally knocking at the door after lockdown because they’d moved in to a new place at the beginning but had nothing, so we had to open for a skeleton service.”

As well as sofas and beds, the showroom has bedroom furniture, tables and chairs, curtains and home accessories. It is also part of the Reuse Network, meaning it receives bags of ex-display or returned bedding and pillows from Dunelm Mill.

The charity also works with other local charities, such as IDAS Women’s refuge in Harrogate, Harrogate Homeless Project and branches of The Royal British Legion

In future, the charity hopes to sell carpets and set up a community group to repair furniture.

Charity Corner: Two clothes charities provide lifeline for Harrogate families

Two charities in Harrogate are working hand in hand to provide people and struggling families with free clothing.

The Harrogate Clothes Bank and The Village provide clothes to a vast range of people in need of their help.

The clothes bank was set up in July 2016 to cover for an unmet social support needs in Harrogate. It started by providing free clothes, bedding, toys and baby equipment to the refugees and asylum seekers arriving into the district.

In 2018 it was expanded to anyone on a low income. Then in 2020, to avoid duplicating what other charities were doing, all its baby toys were donated to Harrogate and Knaresborough Toy Library and baby clothing to The Village.

In 2015, Jess Price set up The Village (previously called Baby Basics) to offer clothing bundles for children up to six. It also puts together starter bundles for new mums and provides nappies, push chairs and other larger items.

The Village and the clothes bank now work together to make sure families in need are cared for.

The charities support those fleeing domestic abuse, asylum seekers or if they are on a low income. People are often referred to the charities by local organisations but can also get in touch directly if they are in need of clothing.

Both charities say, although it may not be apparent in Harrogate, there is a great demand for services like their’s.

Mike Proctor, co-ordinator of Harrogate Clothes Bank said:

“There are many charity shops in Harrogate offering clothes at low prices, but for some people any cost is unaffordable. This might be due to long-term financial problems or a situation of sudden crisis and critical need when a large number of items are needed suddenly. For example when fleeing domestic violence. On average our service users take 15 to 20 items per visit.”

Since the start of the pandemic the number of families accessing the clothes bank has dropped but Mr Proctor expects levels rise to those similar to pre-pandemic in the coming months.

For Ms Price self referrals to The Village have increased over the pandemic. She said:

“There is definitely a need in and around Harrogate. We’ve seen an increase in self referrals since covid hit. People we give things too often go through redundancy, separation, fleeting domestic abuse, emotional trauma. We cater for many refugee families in the area.”

Charity Corner: Harrogate charity says ‘it’s all about inclusivity’

Pride In Diversity is a Harrogate-based charity doing all it can to give everyone from all sexualities, genders and races a safe space to talk and feel supported.

During Pride Month the Stray Ferret wanted to feature a charity doing all it can to celebrate the diversity in Harrogate.

The charity was set up by founder Leonora Wassall following the Orlando shooting in 2016 to accept and include everyone across all groups.

Leonora said as a lesbian she was “fed up of not feeling accepted” and wanted to set up a charity to raise awareness of issues concerning identity and diversity.

The charity’s tagline is ‘dignity, respect and inclusion’.

Leonora is a Methodist minister in Pool-in-Wharfed-ale.

She said:

“I kept my identity quiet for 25 years but now I want to offer a safe space for anyone that needs it in Harrogate. We want to do lots more as we come out of covid, we have lots of ideas but it’s just about waiting until it is safe.”

The charity’s pride parade in 2019.

Prior to the pandemic the charity would host a pride parade setting off from the top of Montpellier Parade to Valley Gardens. Hundreds of people would walk together with representatives from various schools, groups and emergency services.

The trustees are currently working on a local campaign to coincide with Hate Crime Awareness Week in October. For two days of that month the charity will be based in Victoria Shopping Centre as well as holding other events in the town across the month.

It also works with Harrogate library to increase its accessibility and offer events suited to children of all abilities.

She said:

“Our pride is not just an event on the day we work through the year to support the community.”

People of all genders, sexualities, ages and races came together for the celebration in 2019.

The charity is setting up monthly socials to begin in August. They will be based in a Harrogate bar and give people the space to chat and share experiences.

Leonora and the other trustees are looking forward to events later this year and the pride parade on June 19, 2022.

To find out more about the charity, click here.

Charity Corner: the Knaresborough centre putting mental wellbeing first

An arts charity in Knaresborough puts mental wellbeing at the forefront of everything it does making sure local residents have the space to express their creativity.

Orb Community Arts offers numerous different classes and 1-2-1 sessions to support people who may be struggling with their mental health.

In this month’s Charity Corner we wanted to acknowledge Mental Health Awareness Week and highlight one of the district’s smaller charities doing all it can to support people.

The charity offers different classes from guitar lessons to a ukulele orchestra; you can lay down your own track in the studio or plant some vegetables in the garden.

Set up 12 years ago, the charity has evolved into a centre with over 200 users and seven core members of staff as well as plenty of volunteers.

The charity’s art room is decorated with artwork created during the sessions.

The charity’s strapline “positive mental health” is what it aims to achieve. It hopes to remove the stigma surrounding acknowledging your mental health and make it as important as physical health.

Leon Fijalkowski, strategic director, said:

“Since moving to Knaresborough a decade ago we have grown. We are there for everyone including people who may think they don’t have poor mental health. Our centre can help you speak openly about your mental health and do something about it.”

In the summer the charity will be working with the Woodland Trust to explore the Nidd Gorge offering mindfulness, drawing and foraging classes. The charity are passionate about the embracing nature and the impact it can have mentally.

David Littler in his natural habitat is one of the charity’s music studios.

The charity relies on a number of funding streams and charitable donations.

During the pandemic they received a £65,000 grant as part of the covid response fund from the National Lottery.

It welcomes people from across the district and says moving onto zoom during the pandemic has helped them reach more people.

If you want to find out more about the charity you can get in touch here.

The garden is the pride and joy of several of the users. It includes several vegetable patches, a pond and a hobbit hole for reflection.

Charity Corner: Masham charity on its ‘vocation’ to save dogs

Saving Yorkshire’s Dogs is a district charity determined to give dogs that would otherwise be put down a loving home.

If you love dogs even half as much as these volunteers then you’ll understand why they’re so passionate. The team, headed up by Julie Hart, run a kennels near Masham.

The teams works with locals vets, North Yorkshire Police and the social services to look after dogs that otherwise might find themselves being put down.

The charity says it often “fills the gap” of other rescue charities that may not have the space.

Jade (left) and Heidi (right) are the two currently up for adoption.

Set up in May 2014 the charity has rescued around 230 dogs from Yorkshire and rehomed them all over Britain.

Julie Hart, chairlady of Saving Yorkshire’s Dogs said:

“We just can’t stop helping them, it’s all about the dogs. You have dogs lives in your hands and we all work hard to save them. It’s our vocation.”

Julie and her team help to rehabilitate dogs by training them and paying for any necessary vet treatment to get them ready for their new loving home.

Mike (left) is still under the care of SYD and Pete (right) has been rehomed now.

The charity has previously featured its dogs in our Stray Pets Rescue Club feature. But over the pandemic the charity’s income has been heavily impacted.

Depending on the number of dogs it takes in, the charity needs to raise around £50,000 each year to keep going. But during the pandemic Julie estimated the charity had lost over £30,000.

The charity continues to fundraise via its facebook page and online, here.

Julie said that during the pandemic the number of dogs it was taking in had dropped but that was changing now:

“Now we are getting busy again as people go back to work and they don’t have the time for their dogs again. We’re seeing more pandemic puppies come in. People have got them through training but haven’t done the basics with them.

“And of course owners can’t socialise them fully in lockdown so they are coming into us.”

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