charity Archives - Page 14 of 41

New weekly cafe aims to bring Killinghall community together

A pay-as-you-feel cafe will open its third branch in the Harrogate district this week – and is hoping to offer a menu fit for its surroundings.

Resurrected Bites will run every Thursday in Killinghall Methodist Church, which has just undergone a £248,000 renovation.

The community interest company has been serving up food waste meals at West Park United Reformed Church in Harrogate and Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough for the last two years.

But Chris Lidgett, who has joined as operations manager, said he hopes the new cafe will offer something a little different both on its menu and to the community. He told the Stray Ferret:

“We’re trying to promote to a different audience. It’s a refreshed church in an affluent village, so it’s not necessarily about food poverty, but about isolation.

“We want people to come out, use the new facility, and meet people. If it goes well, we might look at rolling it out to more places.”

What the Killinghall cafe will have in common with the others is that its menu will be entirely made up of food that would otherwise go to waste.

Donated by supermarkets and other commercial operations, the food is still perfectly edible and just as tasty as the day it arrived on the shelves, but does not meet the exacting requirements of some retailers.

That means the menu for each week is only confirmed the day before the cafe opens, depending on what has come into the organisation’s warehouse on Hornbeam Park. Mr Lidgett said:

“You never know what you’re going to get through the door. It’s Ready, Steady Cook every day! It’s definitely a challenge, but a good one.”

Chris Lidgett and volunteer Katie White

With a background in catering, Mr Lidgett is more than used to coming up with new dishes.

Until earlier this year, he worked at Crimple on Leeds Road. Prior to that, he lived in the south of England, where he and his wife ran award-winning pubs in areas including the Cotswolds.

His CV is varied, however: he joined the Army when he was younger and served in the Household Cavalry – which brought with it slightly unusual responsibilities. After “stupidly” putting his hand up when asked if anyone could play a musical instrument, he became the Queen’s trumpeter.

He performed at events including Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament. On one memorable occasion, he travelled to Paris with Her Majesty for the Bastille Day celebrations in 2005.

He described the Queen as “a lovely woman” who would always take the time to speak to those taking part in events and ceremonies. However, Chris is quite clear he has no plans to return to that life, even after seeing the pageantry of the coronation over the weekend.

“It’s like a throwback. People say, ‘it looks amazing’. I just look and yes, it is amazing, but you don’t realise how much work goes into that and the sacrifices that are made.

“Three weeks beforehand, you’d be getting up at 1am and doing the whole parade at 2am.”

His new role is a world away from Royal pomp and protocols. It has been funded by donations made as part of the Stray Ferret’s Christmas appeal which, with match-funding from local firm Techbuyer, raised more than £30,000 in just four weeks.

Since joining Resurrected Bites in early April, Chris has spent time getting to know the small team of staff and the 200 volunteers who help to keep it running.

He has visited the community groceries in New Park and Gracious Street, where people struggling to afford food can become members, entitling them to a weekly shop for a fraction of the price it would be in a supermarket.

Chris said:

“I do quite like being on site so you can see some of the service users and just realise what we actually do for people. They say, ‘we wouldn’t have survived without you’ and ‘you might not think you’re doing much, but what you are doing is incredible’.

“We want to be able to get the word out there a bit more and reach more people because there must be so many people struggling.”

Although run on a pay-as-you-feel basis, to enable everyone to afford a meal out, Resurrected Bites’ cafes rely heavily on those who can afford to donate giving generously to cover running costs across the organisation.

A few ‘dry runs’ have already been held, when some of Resurrected Bites’ 200 volunteers have been treated to a meal by the team in Killinghall as they get to grips with the practicalities of cooking, serving and clearing away. They’re now ready to open the doors this week.

Cafe manager Sam O’Brien said:

“We are so grateful to all of the volunteers who have signed up so far. They are such a lovely bunch and so keen to make a success of the cafe.

“We still need more volunteers though, particularly people who can help with the cooking, so if you can help on a Thursday, please apply to volunteer via the website or pop in to speak to me.”

Resurrected Bites’ Killinghall cafe will be open from 11.30am to 2pm every Thursday at Killinghall Methodist Church.

Resurrection Bikes to provide free bike repairs in Harrogate

Harrogate bike renovation charity Resurrection Bikes is to hold a series of free bike maintenance events this month.

Resurrection Bikes, which was founded in 2014, fixes donated bikes at its base just off Cold Bath Road and sells them. The proceeds are donated to various charities.

The organisation plans to run six sessions as part of the Big Bike Revival, a national initiative run by the charity Cycling UK to make cycling more accessible.

The sessions, called Dr Bike, will provide advice, adjustments, safety checks and simple maintenance and repairs.

Resurrection Bikes founder John Rowe said:

“Bring your bike along. It is a free service with no booking required, but you are required to watch and learn while work is carried out.

“It is not a drop-off and pick-up later service.”

Dr Bike sessions will take place at Resurrection Bike’s premises at Westcliffe Hall, 2 Harlow Terrace, Harrogate, HG2 0PN on May 24 in the morning, May 25, the afternoon of May 27, May 31 in the morning, June 1 and June 3 in the afternoon.

Three generations to scale two peaks in memory of Harrogate mum

Three generations of the same family have pledged to climb two mountains back-to-back to raise money for research into multiple sclerosis.

Clare Ellison, her dad Michael, 72, and daughter Jessica, 11, will be tackling the epic hike up Whernside and Ingleborough in memory of Clare’s mum, Julia, who lived with the disease for nearly 40 years before her death last year.

Julia was a Harrogate resident and an active member of the Harrogate branch of The Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Clare said:

“It was my daughter’s idea. I took her up her first mountain, Whernside, last week and when she saw some people climbing it for a charity she asked if we could do the same in memory of my mum. I thought it was a great idea, so we’re hoping to raise £300 for the MS Society, which mum was a very active member of.”

The father, daughter and granddaughter will set off on July 1 to trek 14 miles (22.5km) in total, climbing over 1,000 metres along the way. Whernside and Ingleborough are the two highest peaks in Yorkshire.

Clare, who revealed her family’s fundraising plan during MS Awareness Week (April 24-30), said:

“Multiple sclerosis is such a cruel disease. If you imagine your nerves to be like electrical wires, MS strips away the plastic coating, causing the nerves to short-circuit, producing spasms, or even die off altogether.

“Mum was diagnosed with it when she was about 35. She had to use a wheelchair for nearly 20 years, and eventually had to move into a nursing home for the last few years of her life, catheterised and unable to swallow.

“I think it’s really important to help stop people from experiencing what my mum had to experience. It’d be great if we could help fund research that eventually led to treatment to stop MS in its tracks. Any donation at all will make a difference to the lives of people affected by the disease.”

Readers can sponsor My MS Walk – Double Yorkshire Mountain Climb via its JustGiving page.

Harrogate couple run 127 miles in aid of Motor Neurone Disease charity

A Harrogate couple have run 127 miles in aid of a Motor Neurone Disease charity.

Georgina Hubbert and Robert Hamilton took on the challenge last week in an effort to raise money and awareness of the condition.

The couple ran between 20 and 23 miles a day for six days along the Leeds Liverpool Canal.

Both were raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, a charity which funds research and provides support to people with MND.

Ms Hubbert said the couple took on the challenge in memory of her nana, who lived with the condition.

She said:

“She was like a mum to me. She died quite young with it.”

The couple aimed to raise £2,500 as part of the challenge.

Ms Hubbert, whose family had raised money for the charity before, said this was the first time she had taken on the fundraiser.

The challenge saw the couple start in Liverpool and make their way down the canal over six days before finishing in Leeds.

While the the fundraiser proved to be tough, Ms Hubbert said she enjoyed the experience.

You can donate to the couple’s fundraising effort on their JustGiving page here.

Dad to cycle 1,600km to fund research into late wife’s cancer

A father-of-three whose wife died just 36 hours after being diagnosed with leukaemia is setting off on a 1,600 km cycle ride to fund research into the disease that killed her.

Philippa Badger was just 42 when she died of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) on April 22 last year leaving three young children aged 12, 10 and six.

To mark the first anniversary of her death, Kettlesing resident James Badger and three friends will cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats in just eight days to raise money for Blood Cancer UK.

James, who only took up cycling a few years ago, wants to raise a total of £300,000 to fund a three-year research project into AML, which currently has only a 10 per cent survival rate.

James said:

“Through the work of Blood Cancer UK, survival rates for childhood leukaemia have improved from just 10 per cent in the 1960s and 70s to almost 85 per cent.

“The type of leukaemia that Philippa had, Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, has not had the same level of funding and research that childhood leukaemias have had, which is why it is so important for us to do this ride and fund this research project.

“Research can make a real difference and our aim is to improve survival rates for people diagnosed with AML. This is why we are doing our ride.”

Following a service at St James’ Church in Birstwith to mark the first anniversary of Philippa’s death, James and his friends, Richard Baldwin, Adam Ellis and Anthony Fraser, will drive down to Cornwall ready to start their epic eight-day cycle ride on Sunday, April 23.

Photo of Philippa Badger with her children. Philippa died at the age of 42 just 36 hours after being diagnosed with leukaemia.

Philippa Badger died within just 36 hours of being diagnosed with leukaemia, leaving behind her husband James and their three young children.

On each of the eight days, James will be cycling further than he has ever done before, having bought his first road bike in 2019 following the UCI World Cycling Championships in Harrogate.

The four friends will be on their bikes for between 10 and 12 hours at a time, every day for eight days, covering a daily distance of around 200km and climbing 2,000 metres each day.

They will be plunging into ice-baths at the end of each day of cycling, ready to be back on their bikes the following morning.

Photo of charity cycle challenge rider James Badger and his three friends, who plan to cycle the length of the country in aid of Blood Cancer UK.

James Badger (second from left) and his friends, Richard Baldwin, Adam Ellis and Anthony Fraser, will take eight days to cycle the 1,600km from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

James said:

“It is going to be tough, a real challenge, but I wanted to do something significant enough that would really make a difference.

“A fully-funded research project into Acute Myeloid Leukaemia will cost £300,000 and we hope this 1,600 km cycle ride will raise a big chunk of money towards that target.”

Pupils, staff and parents at Belmont Grosvenor School (BGS) in Birstwith, where James and Philippa’s youngest child Thomas is a pupil, have thrown their weight behind his fundraising efforts.

So far, a fundraising ball and Colour Run at BGS has raised around £20,000, and other events are planned to help James and his friends reach their target of £300,000.

He said:

“We’ve been connected with Belmont Grosvenor for almost a decade – all three of our children have been pupils, and our youngest son still attends. I’m so grateful for their support, and for everyone who has supported us so far.”

James has set up a JustGiving page and the four friends have so far raised nearly £40,000 towards their target. They are posting updates on their Instagram page, and are updating it with their training regime.

Throughout the ride the four will be uploading videos daily to enable family, friends and followers to follow their progress along the 1,600 km route. Children Isabel, Alice and Thomas will be at the finish line in John O’Groats to meet their dad at the end of the epic ride.

To donate, please visit the team’s JustGiving page.

17 more defibrillators to be available in Harrogate district

Local voluntary organisations in the Harrogate district are set to be given 17 public defibrillators.

The move comes as part of £22,000 worth of funding from Harrogate Borough Council.

The council, which will be abolished at the end of today, launched a defibrillator grant scheme in January.

Defibrillators provide 24-hour access to life-saving emergency equipment when a cardiac arrest is suspected.

The council has now selected the 17 groups which will receive them.

Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council and chair of the voluntary and community sector liaison group, said:

“I am delighted that the borough council has been able to provide these defibrillators to local communities.

“They can save lives, and while I hope they never have to be used, it is reassuring to know that so many are now out there across the district.”

Dishforth Parish Council, which has received funding for a defibrillator, said:

“This grant will play a vital part in ensuring our parishioners and members of the public have the use of a defibrillator at the playing field and sports pavilion should it be needed.”

Starbeck Tennis Club said:

“It is so important to our members and the neighbourhood that this defibrillator is available for anyone who needs access as every second matters in a medical emergency.”

Groups that will receive defibrillators

1. Dishforth Parish Council

2. Fewston Parochial Hall

3. Haverah Park with Beckwithshaw Parish Council

4. Healey Masham

5. High Ellington Masham

6. Knaresborough Football Club

7. Knaresborough Lions

8. Knaresborough Forest Cricket Club

9. Little Ribston Village Hall

10. Low Burton

11. Moor Monkton Parish Council

12. Ripon Community Link

13. Rotary Club of Knaresborough

14. Starbeck Tennis club

15. The Parish Meeting of South Stainley with Cayton

16. Thornthwaite Scout Centre

17. Thruscross Parish Council

Volunteers needed to help disabled children ride ponies

A charity that helps children with disabilities enjoy the thrill of riding ponies is appealing for volunteers.

Riding for the Disabled Association enables children from four specialist schools in the Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon areas to ride each week.

But each child requires three volunteers to supervise and some children are missing out because of a shortage of helpers.

The charity is therefore hosting an open session on April 25 to allow people to see what’s involved.

It seeks people aged over 16 to give three hours of time on Tuesdays, particularly in the afternoon, during term times.

Experience with horses and children is not essential and training is provided. Sessions take place at Harrogate Riding Centre at Burn Bridge.

Children can only ride if they have three people supervising.

Shona Crichton, principal at The Forest School, Knaresborough, said:

“For some of our children at The Forest School, the experience of being on a pony is transformational. We see children as young as five who have incredibly complex physical and or learning needs overjoyed at the freedom of movement they can’t achieve on the ground.

“Positive mood changes, confidence, social development and building core strength are other vital benefits. We are really grateful to the Riding for Disabled volunteers who give their time to make this happen”.

Margaret Flannery, who has been volunteering for four years, said:

“I love it. Where else can I get my steps in for the day whatever the weather as we’re in an indoor arena, have a laugh with a great bunch of people, do something different to my normal routine and see what a difference I’m making to the children.

“We really need more volunteers to join us though if we are to keep the sessions running so I hope we can recruit some more much needed volunteers as I’d really miss it if we couldn’t keep going”.

About 10 volunteers are wanted. To find out more, contact Jane on 07786980195 or visit here.

Former Made in Chelsea star on £1m charity quest in Ripon

Former Made in Chelsea reality TV star Josh Patterson ran into Ripon yesterday evening to complete the 21st leg of his marathon effort to raise £1million for the Samaritans.

The 33-year-old aims to run 76 marathons in 76 days, covering every city across the four nations of the UK.

After completing the Ripon stage at the city’s cathedral, he told the Stray Ferret:

“My goal is to raise £1million so that as many people as possible going through mental struggles can get the crucial support they need from the the charity.

“As well as raising money, I’m aiming to raise the profile of the incredible life-saving work that Samaritans do by answering phone calls from people in vulnerable situations and listening, giving guidance and letting those who need help know that they are never alone.”

Josh Patterson is pictured with (from left) Millie Gray, Lottie Venables, Leanne Anderson and Lisa Medd, who ran with him yesterday.

Mr Patterson posted some spectacular images of the Ripon leg of his challenge on his Instagram page here.

On the Justgiving page he has set up, he said he has personally been affected by mental illness over the years and pointed out:

“It is simply unimaginable to have to face mental health problems alone. Just £5 equals one lifesaving phone call (and) raising £1million will fund 200,000 phone calls.”

For yesterday’s Ripon marathon stage, Mr Patterson was joined by a number of local athletes, including Lottie Venables, who said:

“What Josh is doing is absolutely remarkable and I admire him for the way he is raising money for such an important cause.”

Today Mr Patterson is on the road again, with the 22nd leg of his marathon quest in York.

”

Follifoot riding group volunteers celebrate 30 years of service

A Follifoot disabled riding club is celebrating six of its volunteers reaching 30 years of service.

Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group, which was established in 1986, has helped more than 100 riders from children to adults enjoy the benefits of horse riding.

The charity now has 120 volunteers who help those who are disabled to ride.

This past week, six of the group’s volunteers were awarded certificates for reaching three decades of service.

Beryl Fleming, one of those who reached the milestone, said:

“It is a real pleasure volunteering here and so rewarding to see the progress that our riders make and the fun that horse riding gives them.”

Morag Bennett, chair of the riding group, said:

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of our charity and we are lucky to have so many people willing to give up their time to help our riders.

“To have served for 30 years is a remarkable achievement and shows amazing dedication for which we’re very grateful.

“We are also fortunate to be based at Follifoot Park Riding Centre, with its excellent facilities and continued support.”

For more information on the group and how to get involved, visit the charity’s website here.

Dancing through the night to support Harrogate charity

A town centre cafe in Harrogate will be transformed into a dancehall for one night only this weekend.

Artizan Cafe and Creative Space on Cambridge Road is organising a danceathon to launch its new crowdfunding campaign.

The money raised will help to fund more events for its differently able members.

Liz Cluderay, UK programmes officer for Artizan International, said:

“This event is created by the team at the cafe themselves, which is pretty awesome when you’re running a charity.

“They wanted to do something that would involve our members being able to attend as well.

“It’s based in the cafe — somewhere our members know and feel comfortable. It’s starting at 6pm, so the cafe is closed but it’s still an early enough time for our members to be able to attend.”

In the run-up to the event this week, the Artizan team arrived at the cafe on Thursday morning to discover the window had been broken during the night.

However, they said the damage will not affect the danceathon, which is going ahead as planned.

To help keep a steady flow of dancers through the evening, participants are asked to book a time slot for their arrival.

Volunteers and team members from Artizan are preparing to be there into the early hours of Sunday, as long as the dancers want to continue.

Local instructor Colin Frith will lead the dancing for part of the evening, bringing some members of CMF Dance with him.

It is the first big event for Artizan since it opened the cafe last January. Liz said the last 14 months have been more successful than they ever expected:

“It has been incredible. It has far exceeded our expectation.

“Harrogate has welcomed us with open arms. The cafe is really well-attended and people are very supportive of what we’re doing here.

“We’re managing to reach a lot of disabled adults who we’re trying to help. We just need to keep it going.”

Artizan is hoping to raise £5,000 through its crowdfunder, and has rewards on offer to supporters. Click here to find out more.

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Groups that will receive defibrillators

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