Harrogate Railway Athletic Football Club is organising a rugby match in which the players wear prom dresses to raise money for charity.

The club is fundraising in support of former Leeds Rhinos rugby league player Rob Burrow, who has motor neurone disease.

It has already raised £6,200 but would like to achieve £7,000 to match the number 7 Rob wore on his team shirt.

Anne Mitchell, the clubhouse manager, came up with the idea as a finale to the charity walks the club has done for the MND Association.

She said:

“One of the most exciting things is the team names — the sugar plum fairies and the nutcrackers”.

Rob Burrow, who has been raising money for the MND Association since his diagnosis, is supporting the event:

https://twitter.com/RunforRobMND/status/1409262293909753861

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Players from different districts, including Leeds, York, West Park and Stanningley, are taking part in the match at Harrogate Railway AFC.

Details of the event are available on this Twitter account.

A porter at Harrogate District Hospital has had his hands honoured as part of a new NHS pin to thank staff for their efforts during the pandemic.

Faisal Yousaf, known as Faz, is one of just six people who have taken part in the project to support NHS charities.

TMB Art Metal has developed an initial run of 5,000 of the special fundraising pins. A total of £10 from the sale of each £25 pin will go to NHS Charities Together.

The pins, which are cast in metal from a 1939 Spitfire that flew in the Battle of Britain, are available exclusively by clicking or tapping here.

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Colleagues of Faisal put him forward for the project. He was on the frontline in the emergency department and the admissions unit taking patients to and from the intensive care unit.

He works all around the hospital transporting patients, blood supply and equipment, as well collecting items from nearby villages and Leeds.

Faisal said:

“I feel overwhelmed to be a part of this project. I’ve been here for around two years, and to me, my colleagues are not colleagues but friends and family.

“I was seeing first-hand the doctors and nurses who’d been in full PPE for 12, 13 hours coming out of intensive care, their expressions, body language and the scars the equipment made.

“Then in the days and weeks that followed it became a really proud achievement to have all my colleagues around me and to be a part of that team.”

Sammy Lambert, business development, charity and volunteer manager said:

“I am delighted that we are involved in such a monumental project. Faz is an incredible colleague and a real asset to #teamHDFT.

“All of our colleagues across the trust are so grateful to be part of such a lovely initiative to thank the NHS.

“I see first-hand the difference the monies raised through donations from projects such as this can make – thank you.”

Claro Enterprises in Starbeck is launching three groups to deal with the mental health “aftermath” of the pandemic.

The charity said its workshops and courses offer people the space to work and chat to new people.

General manager Owen Jones has said more people are coming forward for mental health support after struggling in lockdown.

The first group, which starts on June 30, is an introduction to woodwork. The charity operates a commercial wood workshop making goods for businesses.

It will help new clients who have asked for a space to meet other people, but haven’t worked in a workshop before.

If restrictions ease as anticipated on July 19, the charity will re-launch its Starbeck Men’s Shed and launch the first Starbeck Ladies’ Shed. These weekly groups will again offer those suffering with their mental health the chance to be a part of group activities.

The Men’s Shed mainly works with the wood workshop and the Ladies’ Shed will offer activities such as upholstery, art and card making.

Before lockdown the Men’s Shed had 20 members.

Mr Jones said:

“We have a bank of people waiting to get out there again and meet people. We’ve seen an increase in people coming to us over the last few weeks after struggling during lockdown, it’s been a difficult time for a lot of people.”

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The charity works alongside GP practices in a Route One Partnership, which allows local doctors to refer patients struggling with their mental health to it.

The Route One Partnership includes other local charities: Wellspring Therapy and Training, Harrogate Mind and The Orb.

Since the partnership was set up six months ago the charity has received an additional 20 referrals.

Mr Jones added:

“There will be an aftermath for this [pandemic] and hopefully we can help.”

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.

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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.

Harrogate gardening charity Horticap is preparing to throw open the doors and welcome customers to its new cafe in a building built with the legacy of a former student.

Hopkins at Horticap is named in honour of Peter Hopkins, who was a student for more than 20 years and left his house in Bilton to the charity after he and his mother Marjorie died.

It has been a long time in the making. The charity has wanted to expand with a new building for a long time, but it was only made possible when the Hopkins family left their legacy to Horticap.

Peter Hopkins has made a big difference.

Phil Airey, operations manager at Horticap, told the Stray Ferret:

“Peter was a proper gentleman, a lovely guy. He had a great personality and used to do everything.

“It came as a bolt from the blue, the whole estate came to us. Peter’s mum Marjorie felt like we were his extended family, she wanted us to be able to continue to look after others.

“This is why we have built this. This is quite literally the house that Peter built. It was always on the plans, we had been putting some money aside but the legacy made all the difference.

“Not only is this going to be a great revenue stream for the charity but it is going to be a fabulous resource for our students to learn more skills.”

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Work started more than three years ago and the cafe would have likely opened much earlier this year or even last year, but coronavirus delayed the construction.

But the cafe opens for the first time on Monday and will start by serving hot drinks and cakes. It will soon expand the range to include sandwiches and more.

Chris Walsh, head chef for Hopkins at Horticap, also told the Stray Ferret:

“I’m a little bit nervous but I am excited to open and get the reputation we want for good quality food, drinks and local ingredients.

“The students will be involved as soon as possible. They will be in the kitchen preparing food, serving customers. They are all looking forward to it.

“It might sound simple but it can be a big achievement to our students to be able to make a barista coffee, that’s what it’s all about.”

The founder of a Harrogate dog rescue charity has resigned after a disagreement with the trustees over kennel fees.

Moorview Rescue was set up by Joanne Brydon in 2009 and based at her farm in Bewerley. Over the years it’s housed hundreds of neglected and mis-treated dogs whilst they were found new owners.

The disagreement came because, alongside the charity, Ms Brydon also ran a kennel business where the charity paid for the rescued dogs to stay.

In recent weeks the trustees and Ms Brydon disagreed on the price the charity paid for kennel fees leading to Ms Brydon’s resignation.

She said:

“They have now decided to move to new premises. I’ve had no choice but to resign. I’ve changed the name but I will be keeping all the farm animals. They thought the rescue fees were too much, we had conflicting ideas.”

Ms Brydon has set up another business called the Moorview Sanctuary, caring for her rescued farm animals. She said she will continue to run the kennel business and only care for rescue dogs once she has raised the funds.

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The charity’s trustees now control of the charity and said they’re looking for new premises to house the dogs.

A charity spokesperson said:

“We decided to part ways as the cost was a challenge area and now everyone has gone their separate ways. Our aim is to continue helping animals and to continue doing the great work of this charity.”

The charity was unable to give further details on the new premises but said it would continue to care for neglected and mis-treated dogs.

Ripon based charity Dementia Forward has won The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The charity has won the accolade, which is given for outstanding work towards the local community, along with 241 others across the UK.

More than 200 people volunteer with Dementia Forward, including minibus drivers, public speakers and coordinators who run activities for people struggling with the illness, such as gardening and baking sessions.

During the pandemic the charity adapted to offer virtual support including a ‘café in a box’ service delivering activities to people’s doorsteps.

It reported more than 1,000 calls to its dementia helpline every month over lockdown. The helpline covers a range of services including advice for early dementia and deploying specialist support workers.

Jill Quinn, CEO of the charity since it was founded nine years ago, said;

“We have never looked back from that first step in 2012 and have grown the charity from supporting just 200 families in the first year to now supporting over 4,000 families and this award is certainly a red letter day for everyone involved.

“We are blessed to have a team of over 200 volunteers and so many supporters across the county.”

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The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was set up in 2002 as a celebration for the golden jubilee and has given awards to thousands of charities each year.

Representatives from Dementia Forward will go to a ceremony to receive the award crystal and certificate later this year. Next summer they will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace gardens along with the other winners.

The awards ceremony for last year’s winners took place this week and saw Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels receive its service award. It provides a ‘meals on wheels’ service around the area, delivering to those who are unable to cook and checking on their wellbeing.

If you or a loved one has been affected by dementia, you can call the Dementia Forward helpline on 03300 578592.

Harrogate and Knaresborough Toy Library says classes for new parents has become more important following lockdown and with new funding it can offer more.

The charity received £1,307 from The National Lottery Community Fund and has had their venue hire prices covered by Chain Lane Community Hub until December.

The funding has helped the charity hold a second new parent class.

Play session worker, Rachael Bolton, says lockdown has isolated some new parents leaving them with out the usual opportunities to socialise and demand for spaces has increased.   The library’s capacity is currently limited due to restrictions.

Play session worker, Rachael Bolton said:

“New parents can often feel alone at the beginning because it is all new and meeting new parents normalises it all because you have common experiences. But many have missed out on this over lockdown.

“This can be extremely isolating and we are really happy to be able to give this opportunity to the local community.”

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The baby and new parent classes on a Monday and Wednesday are held at Chain Lane Community Hub in Knaresborough.

An outdoor play session is also held for toddlers and older children at Knaresborough House on Tuesdays.

The charity also offers a toy library where parents can pick toys via the online library to take home for two weeks before returning them.

The shelves are stacked high with doll houses, dinosaurs and board games

A Harrogate primary school has raised £2,420 for Cancer Research UK, which is nearly 10 times the original target.

Woodfield Community Primary School took part in the Race for Life Schools programme on May 14 and has since smashed its £250 goal.

Around 60 pupils, aged three to 11 years old, took part in the event to raise money for life-saving research.

Jo Marwood, who is head of school at Woodfield Primary School, said:

“We set a target of £250 for the school to raise and thought that would be an amazing achievement for our small school.

“So to see the total going up and up with each donation we were over the moon!

“We’d like to thank everyone, our students, our staff, our families and our local community who have cheered us on and donated to such an important cause.”

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Sarah Pickersgill, head of events marketing for Cancer Research UK, said:

“Organising a Race for Life Schools event is a fantastic way for schools to have fun, whilst raising money for a good cause.

“The money raised by Woodfield School will help our scientists find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, helping to save more lives.

“So, we thank all the pupils, parents and teachers for their vital support.”

A Harrogate charity is in need of new premises to continue supporting struggling families across the town.

The Harrogate Clothes Bank offers free clothing to those in need and is currently based at McCarthy’s Storage World on Ripon Road.

The charity’s home is being let out from August so it is on the hunt for a unit of between 1,000 to 1,500 square feet it can use for free, or somewhere it can rent for well below market price.

The clothes bank is run entirely by volunteers and was set up in 2016. Families in Harrogate who find themselves in financial difficulty can get in touch with the charity on Facebook and let it know what they need.

Before the pandemic the charity was supporting 60 to 70 families each month but it says since April this has dropped to 30 to 35 families. It said this is because organisations that handle referrals could be unaware it is running fully again.

The charity expects numbers to rise again in coming months.

Co-ordinator Mike Procter said:

“There are many reasons why people may need our help, it could be due to long-term financial issues or a crisis situation causing critical need such as escaping an abusive relationship.

“We will continue to help as many people as we can.”

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The charity has said location is important. Ideally it would be based on Knaresborough Road around Starbeck or Ripon Road near Jennyfield.

Mr Procter added that if no location was found the clothes bank would have to work out of several smaller spaces and offer a delivery service.

This would mean people’s options would be vastly reduced as they would be unable to come in and choose their clothes.

It is currently in need of summer clothing donations for children and adults.

The centre is open on Saturdays between 10.30am to 12.30pm for donation drop-offs and pick-ups. It is holding a pop-up clothing sale at St Mark’s Church, Harrogate, on Sunday to raise funds.

Harrogate Clothes Bank works closely with other charities including The Village, which offers free baby clothing in Harrogate. The charity shares its space with the Canaan Trust that provides free white goods and furniture.

Another partner is Resurrected Bites in Knaresborough, which makes meals out of food headed for landfill.