A Harrogate charity which has been providing a helpline for NHS and care workers has been given a grant to extend its support to “blue light” emergency services.

Just ‘B’, one of the services offered by Saint Michael’s Hospice, has been providing support for people working on the frontline since April. The service provides bereavement, trauma and emotional wellbeing support to key workers, alongside national charity Hospice UK.

The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has granted nearly £1.8 million to charities to support the frontline community. The money will allow Saint Michael’s to extend its support to all emergency service workers for a further two years.

Read more: 

• Just ‘B’ encourages those that are struggling to reach out
• Saint Michael’s Hospice receives overwhelming amount of donations

Tony Collins, the Chief Executive of Saint Michael’s Hospice said:

“We are delighted to be able to extend this service to support our colleagues in the NHS, social care sector and emergency services. We know that they have been dealing with some of the most challenging situations imaginable.”

Just ‘B’ is made up of a team or trained and qualified volunteers and staff.

Speaking about the new grant, The Duchess of Cambridge said:

“Over recent months we have all been in awe of the incredible work that frontline staff and emergency responders have been doing in response to COVID-19, but we know that for many of them, their families, and for thousands of others across the UK, the pandemic will have a lasting impact on their mental health.”

The helpline is available to all ages and lines are open between 8am-8pm, seven days a week.

A Harrogate resident has organised an emotional tribute to her friend who was cared for in her final days by Saint Michael’s Hospice.

Anne Boland lost her “soul mate” Dora Storey this month. Dora was cared for by the home service palliative team at Harrogate-based charity Saint Michael’s.

To say thank you, Anne invited residents from her street to clap for the end of life team when the hearse carrying Dora passed by on Friday.

Both Anne and Dora worked in end of life care for over 25 years. Anne said:

“Dora knew how ill she was and wanted to die at home – she got her wish and for the last weeks of her life received the most wonderful care. We both felt the Saint Michael’s home care service was thoughtful, responsive and that the level of communication between services was extraordinary.

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• Saint Michael’s Hospice fill warehouse with donations 
• Harrogate Easier Living Project prepare for increase in demand

Residents of Poplar Crescent as well as a member of the Saint Michael’s home team lined the street to applaud as the hearse drove past. Anne said:

“I invited the street to come and applaud as I wanted to be able to honour Dora and at the same time, draw attention to the wonderful teams who work in local palliative care.”

A Harrogate based domestic abuse charity is preparing for an increase of survivors following lockdown. Its CEO says the abuse can happen “closer than you think”.

New Beginnings works with female survivors of domestic abuse around Harrogate. It currently supports 10 women but those numbers of expected to double over the next three months.

Since lockdown, the charity has had to increase its support to a 24/7 Whatsapp group chat, welfare checks and 1:1 video and phone calls. This service has increased by approximately 700% as it is now supporting twice the number of women it was and on a more constant basis.

Over lockdown any plans for women that were housed in refuge centres or waiting for a house had to be put on pause. New Beginnings come in once the women are resettled into houses, its support continues for as long as the woman needs.

Lindsay Oliver, CEO of New Beginnings, said:

“There is a misconception amongst many individuals that despite recent coverage of the realities of domestic abuse that is doesn’t happen around here, with 1 in 3 women within their lifetime suffering domestic abuse, believe me it’s closer than you think!

“We’ve been told by IDAS that there’s a major backlog that will come through following this so we are getting prepared with more volunteers.

The charity also offers a variety of support including workshops to improve emotional intelligence and fresh food parcels.

Read more:

• Yorkshire’s largest domestic abuse charity, IDAS, warns risk of abuse could increase as lockdown continues.
• Harrogate charity is expecting more calls for help following coronavirus as further consequences are revealed. 

“I’ve found being a part of the group and still able to have sessions so to speak via group chat and phone calls a great help and still having the support and speaking freely knowing that it’s still private and confidential and I’m not alone.”

“When I moved to Harrogate from an abusive relationship they helped me regain my confidence and myself control, they are such lovely and kind people. They help me and give me so much and I’m so happy to be apart of the group.”

Harrogate Easier Living Project (HELP) is preparing for an increase of calls for help from people after coronavirus.

Requests to the charity for food bank and supermarket vouchers have already increased. It says help for practical jobs could also increase as people struggle financially.

From April to June it has supported over 500 families and individuals. Over lockdown it provided a variety of help including dropping off books and puzzles to those isolating and moving beds for covid patients returning from hospital.

The charity was initially “overwhelmed” at the beginning of the pandemic but it was able to recruit over 200 volunteers to help it as demand increased.

Lizzie Hughes, Project Development Worker, said that as lockdown eases people will still need their help:

“Whilst we are receiving fewer urgent requests for support and emergency food shopping now, we are still carrying out on average around 120 tasks every week for people in Harrogate and Ripon. A number of people are struggling financially and we’re seeing a lot more people needing to access the food banks or asking us to apply for supermarket vouchers for them.

“Physical and mental health may prevent some local residents from being able to fully participate in community life for some time to come. We also anticipate an increase in demand for practical help with jobs that have built up during lockdown and need arising from economic hardship exacerbated by the virus.”

Gill, a HELP volunteer, took her pony Maple for a socially distant walk round the houses of some of HELP’s isolating clients to cheer them up.

Read more:

• Ripon charity planning for further expansion despite the pandemic. 
• Open Country, a disability charity in Harrogate, has found a way to bring the outdoors into people’s homes during lockdown. 

The organisation offers a support network for those in need of help across Harrogate and Ripon. Over lockdown HELP has been working with the most vulnerable to assist them in any way they need.

Lizzie added:

“From April to June, we supported an additional 501 families and individuals, carried out 822 shopping trips and 112 people received befriending phone calls. We appreciate that doing someone’s shopping isn’t going to be the answer to all their problems so we have been making welfare calls to all our clients offering them additional support.”

On Saturday Bruno Marks, a member of Cappuccino Cycling Club in Harrogate, attempted to ‘Everest’, cycling up and down Park Rash in Kettlewell forty times.

‘Everesting’ is a cycling term that involves choosing a steep hill and cycling up and down it until reaching 29,029ft – the equivalent height of Mount Everest.

Bruno began his challenge at 4:30am on Saturday morning and completed the challenge at 8pm that evening, climbing a total of 30,942ft. He decided to raise money for Cancer Research UK the night before the challenge.

Read more:

• Council plans to encourage more cycling and walking 
• Harrogate student runs 465 miles for MIND 

He told The Stray Ferret:

“The day started great at 4.30 am, with a fantastic sunrise on my first lap to lift the spirits, but by 6am an hour long downpour had started!  It made it pretty tough having to descend very slowly and carefully and getting very cold in the process.  But the legs felt strong and I completed 40 laps with 30,942 ft of ascent at around 8pm.”

Bruno climbed a total of 30,942 ft in very bad weather.

Bruno has raised £3,448 so far for Cancer Research UK. To donate to Bruno’s challenge visit – https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/bruno-park-rash-everesting 

Further charities with shops in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon have reopened their doors this week.

In Ripon, where nine different charities have retail outlets, The Salvation Army has reopened after being shut since March 23.

The Cancer Research UK shop, located on Market Place, is also back trading in the city, while its shops in Knaresborough Market Place and Oxford Street, Harrogate, have also reopened.

The reopenings follow news reported in The Stray Ferret of last week’s opening of St Vincent’s on Knaresborough High Street, which raises money to support the community work of the St Vincent de Paul charity.

Victoria Smith, manager of Ripon’s Salvation Army shop, told The Stray Ferret:

“We have introduced strict social distancing and hand hygiene arrangements and have also fitted a perspex screen at our counter. Just six people at a time are allowed in.”

Victoria added:

“It has felt like a long time since we had to go into lockdown and we look forward to welcoming back our customers and the people who have supported us in the past through the donation of items for sale.”

The Salvation Army, which has more than 400 shops across the country, is a pioneer, having opened its first shops in the 19th century to provide affordable clothing to people who otherwise could not afford them.

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Cancer Research UK is a research and awareness charity formed in February 2002 through the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

The charity has 600 shops in the UK and Isle of Man and money raised through them is used to support its aim of reducing the number of cancer deaths.

Di Illingworth, who manages the Cancer Research UK Ripon shop (pictured above), said: “We are so pleased to be back. All charities rely heavily on the money raised through their retail outlets.”

St Vincent de Paul’s charity shop is described as a “lifeline” for its volunteers as it reopens this week.

The Knaresborough charity shop is now open for the public to browse and donate their unwanted goods to. Other charity shops in the district are yet to open due to their small shops, but as the St Vincents store measures are in place to open safely.

The shop has a one way system in place and all donations will be quarantined for 72 hours before being placed on the shelves. It has also began selling white goods for customers who may not be ready to venture to large homeware stores.

The charity’s main aim is to tackle poverty, alongside financial help, it also offers emotional support to those who are sick, lonely, in prison, or suffering from addiction.

Annette Haigh is the area manager for St Vincent’s North and West Yorkshire stores, she said:

“All our volunteers were excited to get back, all of them had to pass a back to work check before they returned to make sure they weren’t feeling ill or had been in contact with anyone who has recently been infected.

“Many of our volunteers live alone so it’s a lifeline for them, we’ve never not been in touch over lockdown whether thats a phone call or a coffee over zoom.”

The shop has clear signs for shoppers to keep their distance and all clothes will have been quarantined before going on display.

Read more:

• Other charity shops in the district aren’t opening just yet – some say it is down to the limited space inside their stores. 
• Knaresborough shop owners were hopeful as they begin to reopen. 

The shop, on Knaresborough’s high street, has a sanitising station on entry which all customers are encouraged to used and the shop is cleaned daily. Annette added:

“It was steady the first few days but as more non-essential shops reopen and the market gets busier tomorrow we’re optimistic for more customers. We have a lot of elderly customers and people who are shielding so it may be a bit quiet for a little while until more people get out to the shops.”

Just B, the bereavement and counselling service run by St Michael’s Hospice, has encouraged those who are struggling to reach out.

The ‘Hear to Help’ initiative was launched by Just B, a service provided by Saint Michaels Hospice, as a response to covid-19. The community support line helps those feeling anxious or struggling emotionally during lockdown.

Numbers have risen during lockdown, and the specialist team is now answering calls for a wide range of needs, including bereavement, mental health troubles and relationship worries.

Read more: 

• No set date for charity shops across the district to open 
• Harrogate student runs 465 miles for MIND 

Tony Collins, chief executive of Just B, said:

“We have all been challenged over the last few months by the ever-changing situation caused by coronavirus. As lockdown rules see some relaxation and a new normal begins to emerge, it stands to reason that different worries and concerns may appear as well all adjust to the changes in our daily lives.”

Just B has also joined with other charities as part of the NHS Staff Support Initiative which provides help to frontline NHS staff who are experiencing the devastating effects of Covid-19.

The Hear to Help support-line is available to all ages and lines are open between 8am-8pm, seven days a week. To speak to a specialist support worker call 01423 856799. 

Luke and Aaron Grant, from Harrogate, have successfully completed a virtual marathon to raise funds for Harrogate District Hospital.

The pair of brothers are both patients at the hospital, but didn’t want to give any further details. They signed up for the 26.2 mile challenge and completed the distance over a number of days.

Several fundraising opportunities have been suspended during the coronavirus pandemic, but the virtual marathon is one initiative that can go ahead.

The boys used their at home treadmill or walked along pavements to complete the 26 miles. The boys said:

“Running makes us feel happy, and it was good to do it together”.

Staff from the boys’ school encouraged their efforts to support the NHS.

Read more:

• Ripon thanks the NHS with flags flying throughout the town. 
• Harrogate student is running 465 miles for MIND charity. 

Luke and Aaron are both pupils at Ashville College, in years seven and five, the acting Deputy Head of Enrichment said:

“We congratulate Luke and Aaron for completing the virtual marathon, which has not only benefitted Harrogate Hospital and community charity, but the boys, too.”

Henshaws will close its supported living services for adults with learning difficulties in Harrogate by October.

The decision will affect about 21 residents, with a further three having already moved to different care providers. A further 16 people who are not residents receive support and those services will transition as well.

Henshaws has told the families of its intention to withdraw the service and the county council has also written to them to provide support.

Those houses enable people of all ages with sight loss and a range of disabilities to live more independently with 24-hour help from specialist workers.

North Yorkshire County Council also took the opportunity to say that it was disappointed that Henshaws will close its Arts and Crafts service in Knaresborough.

Henshaws had previously been running a fundraising appeal ‘Art is the Start’ to update the centre to suit the people who use it. But has now concluded the centre is no longer economically viable.

Read more on this story:

• “Home once a week for love and cuddles,” the experience of a family with a loved one in Henshaws during the lockdown
• Why Henshaws is also closing its Arts and Crafts centre

In a statement to The Stray Ferret, Henshaws CEO Nick Marr said that the service had been on a “knife-edge financially before the virus.”

“Henshaws Home Support service was on a knife edge financially and the pressure on local authorities funding these and other places has increased. We are not able to sustain these services so we intend to transition out of providing them, at the latest, in October, to ensure the best continuity can be arranged for the service users. We will be consulting with staff in the service about the future of their roles.”

The latest financial account for Henshaws detailed how in the year up to August 2018 the charity was spending £12.3 million – which is £1 million more than its income.

Richard Webb, North Yorkshire County Council Director of Health and Adult Services said:

“We were surprised and disappointed to hear this news. Henshaws is much-valued by many people and, along with the other councils that fund people to use their services, we would have expected to have been involved in early discussions about this kind of momentous decision.”