Organisation name

Burniston and Cloughton Village Hall

Programme

Village halls and community buildings grants

Grant received

£5,000

Constituency

Scarborough and Whitby

Project and impact

Burniston and Cloughton Village Hall and Playing Fields are a charity managed and run by a team of volunteer trustees. The hall and playing fields host a wide range of community events and provide community space for local clubs and societies.

The grant funding was invested in resurfacing to fill in potholes and the installation of an ‘Eco Drain’ to the car park area at the front of the village hall to reduce damage. This will enable the village hall to create and maintain a safer and more inclusive community space.

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“The grant from the Shared Prosperity Fund helped us to resurface a car park at the hall. The surface had many potholes and was unsafe for those with poor mobility and also affected access to the hall. This is really important for the whole community whether playing short mat bowls in the winter or attending Panto or youth club. The whole community have benefited from this work.”

Maria Kitching, Trustee at Burniston and Cloughton Village Hall

Organisation name

Chain Lane Community Hub

Programme

Village halls and community buildings grants

Grant received

£12,741

Constituency

Harrogate and Knaresborough

Project and impact

Chain Lane Community Hub is a charity that serves the community of Knaresborough and surrounding areas, to help people feel welcomed, supported, and empowered to fully develop their potential and that of their community. The grant funding was used by Chain Lane Community Hub to invest in accessibility improvements to the building by replacing two sets of main doors. This has enabled the community space to meet health and safety requirements and to become more inclusive.

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“As a charity and a community centre, we are now able to provide a safer, more secure, more inclusive and more energy efficient venue to our community, thanks to the addition of a fantastic automatic front entrance door and a new bi-fold door in our largest function room. These doors will serve us, our tenants, room hirers and our wider community for many years to come, as we grow as a charity and extend our support services as a local Community Anchor Organisation. As staff, we feel so grateful and happy to have these new doors, particularly at the front entrance. It has been transformative for us and our only regret is that we weren’t able to make this change years ago.”

Julie Sweetman, Community Hub Manager

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Organisation name

Community Works CIO

Programme

Village halls and community buildings grants

Grant received

£16,446

Constituency

Thirsk and Malton

Project and impact

The grant funding was invested in the Refurbishment of ‘House’ - a community building to improve accessibility including a new entrance, a refurbished training room and lounge.

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"The funding we have received from shared prosperity fund has created the opportunity for Community Works to initially start and then develop and grow our project which meets a need within our community for men’s health and wellbeing. We provide a workshop-based project that enhances wellbeing through social interaction, learning of new skills and experiencing peer-to-peer support. We also engage in developmental 121 support with a progression from this to group participation.

"We have used the funding to maximise our workshop space and facilities to enable a growing number of people to participate and benefit from the project. Funds have purchased timber that we used to make new mezzanine floors to create storage space within the workshop. We have bought stocks of PPE to ensure more people can work safely in the workshop and purchased a new table saw that has helped us create a multitude of different animal boxes that we were able to display and sell through our re-use store in Thirsk."

Rob Rolls, Chief Executive Officer of Community Works

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Organisation name

e50K CIC

Programme

Community grants programme

Grant received

£17,352

Constituency

Richmond

Project and impact

The grant funding was used to establish a poly tunnel to house 70 community beds that will be allocated largely to defence families, local residents and community organisations. The project will provide education over several areas of environment, food production and waste and will provide volunteering opportunities to ensure the project continues to be sustainable in the future.

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"In facilitating our purchase of a community polytunnel, the shared prosperity fund has vastly increased what we can offer to the Catterick Community. In just a few weeks the polytunnel has become the heart of our community activities, providing growing space and education to Armed Forces Families, Veterans and the local civilian community. It also provides a space for the community to gather in all weathers, hosts a small library, uniform swap shop and seed and harvest swap. Thank you SPF!.”

Catherine Clapham, e50k CIC

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Organisation name

Grassington Town Hall

Programme

Village hall and community building grants

Grant received

£49,950

Constituency

Skipton and Ripon

Project and impact

The grant funding has been used to replace part of the building’s roof and electrics and to install double-glazed windows and new, accessible doors. It was supplemented by match funding from Grassington Parish Council, town residents and the Duke of Devonshire (whose predecessor built the hall)

The funding has futureproofed the building which provides a vital setting for many community activities. More than 20 groups use the building each week from parent and toddler groups to exercise clubs, and lunch clubs for the older residents. Modifications have also improved accessibility for visitors to the building using wheelchairs and bringing prams.

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“The building is owned by the parish council on behalf of the people, but our charity runs it and keeps it going. I think everyone lived in fear that if the roof went, the building would have to be sold because neither the parish council nor our charity could have afforded to put it right.

“Certainly, what the prosperity fund has done is give us hope that if we could raise some money towards the costs, we had a chance to get the roof renewed.

“In effect the fund gave us a route and the determination to solve the problem and I cried when I heard we had been awarded the money as it means so much to us.”

Hazel Drew, Chair of the Grassington Devonshire Institute which manages the building.

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Organisation name

Knaresborough Museum

Programme

Feasibility studies

Grant received

£15,750

Constituency

Harrogate and Knaresborough

Project and impact

The grant funding was spent on a feasibility study to determine the viability and sustainability of the town museum project.

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“Knaresborough Museum Association (KMA) really appreciate being awarded a grant from the Shared Prosperity Fund. It allowed us to commission a valuable piece of consultancy to determine the viability and sustainability of our town museum project. This is a key part of our wider vision to enable people to feel a sense of pride in Knaresborough and to celebrate what makes the town so distinct and vibrant … The consultant’s findings and advice will be used to support our business planning and fundraising strategy in the years ahead.”

Kathy Allday, Chair of Knaresborough Museum Association and Heritage Centre 

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Organisation name

North Yorkshire Council - Now Then!

Programme

Building pride in our places grants 

Grant received

£300,000

Constituency

Selby and Ainsty

Project and impact

The grant funding has been invested in "Now then!" - a vibrant programme of arts activity, taking place in the town centres of Selby, Sherburn, and Tadcaster, led by a partnership of community and cultural organisations.

The programme aims to bring about transformative change to the provision of cultural and creative activity, in an area of the region that has historically experienced lower levels of cultural investment and engagement.

The North Yorkshire UK Shared Prosperity Fund funding is matched by £700,000 from Arts Council England’s Place Partnership programme and from North Yorkshire Council's Cultural Development Fund. 

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“Money from the Shared Prosperity Fund is helping the Now Then! programme make exciting things happen in the arts and culture in Selby, Sherburn and Tadcaster, including some fantastic and fabulous Outdoor Arts this summer in Selby.  This is “Ghetto Fabulous”, dance and fashion, happening outside Selby Abbey on a summer Saturday."

Hazel Colquhoun – Curator, “Now Then!”

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Organisation name

Alex Brown Video Production

Programme

Small business grants

Grant received

£4,315.73

Constituency

Selby and Ainsty

Background and project

Alex Brown is a freelance videographer based near Selby. He applied for a Small Business Grant to purchase a new video camera and drone to use in his business. Alex trained at university in TV production almost 30 years ago and worked for Minster FM making videos for five years prior to setting up his own business three years ago. In his business, he works with clients from SMEs to national organisations.

He wanted the new equipment to be able to grow his business by expanding his offering and allowing him to charge more for his work. His existing camera equipment was no longer fulfilling the needs of his business.

Impact of UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Because of his new camera, Alex was able to gain a commission from Deutsche Welle – a German state-owned international broadcaster who found his business on Google and needed somebody to film with one of their journalists. His previous camera would not have met their specifications but his new one did. This led to a second commission from DW. Alex said this had made him consider marketing himself as a TV cameraman in addition to his commercial work, something he hadn’t previously considered. He had several existing clients who were interested in getting drone videography from Alex and he had also already been able to increase his prices due to offering a better product.

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“The fact I’ve got a better camera which is Netflix-approved means people will be getting a better product.

“I’ve had two jobs already that I simply wouldn’t have been able to do had I not had the funding, so that’s great.

“So it's almost made me think, potential whole new line of you know how I can market myself as essentially a TV cameraman, which I've never really particularly considered before.”

Alex Brown

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Organisation name

Cooper King Distillery

Programme

Small business grants programme

Grant received

£9,513

Constituency

Thirsk and Malton

Project and impact

The grant funding was invested in creating an outdoor all-weather seating area at the distillery.

Quotes

“The UKSPF grant has made a big impact. We've expanded distillery tour capacity, hosted groups of international whisky enthusiasts, and held a successful outdoor Summer Bash. We’ve been able to free up the bar area, by moving gin and whisky tastings into the distillery, which guests love. Increased footfall has boosted revenue, allowing us to hire two new tour guides, helping to spread the word about our Yorkshire whisky and gin."

Chris Jaume, Co-Founder and Director

Organisation name

Florian Poirot Limited

Programme

Small business grants 

Grant received

£10,000

Constituency

Thirsk and Malton

Project and impact

The grant funding was used by Florian Poirot to invest in new packaging machinery, a new oven and a specialist vibrating table which removes the need for the staff to manually tap the heavy baking trays to knock the air out of the macaron dough before baking. 

With the introduction of the new specialist equipment, the business will experience greater efficiencies in the production process, with substantial time savings and improvements to the consistency and quality of the final product. Together, the upgrades will lead to a productivity increase of up to 40%.

With the productivity improvements, the patisserie will continue to contribute to the vibrant artisan offering at Talbot Yard in Malton, alongside five other food and drink producers.

Quotes

“Our business has been very heavy in macaron making but we haven’t been able to develop the chocolate side of the business too much purely because the time making the macaron was just too much.

“So with the kit we got with the funding we’re going to be able to shrink this time quite a lot. This will help up take more of the macaron market we’ve had to decline in the past and also open up the chocolate making.

“The vibrating table will not only be faster but also a lot better for my staff and their help not having to tap the heavy trays all day long.”

Florian Poirot

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Organisation name

LTC Healthcare

Programme

Business sustainability programme

Grant received

£13,460

Constituency

Harrogate and Knaresborough

Project and impact

The grant funding was invested in fitting solar panels to the roof of LTC’s Healthcare’s factory in Boroughbridge.

Provided there is sufficient sunlight, the solar panels will supply all power to the factory and any overflow will be stored in a battery for later use. The installation will also allow the company access to Octopus Energy’s cheaper business tariff for customers using green energy which will reduce their energy bill when they do need to use the national grid.

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“Without the grant it would have delayed us doing that installation for about 5 years because we just didn't have the cash flow to be able to do that. We're a small business and to be able to invest that amount, we wouldn't have been able to put that out. The grant enabled us to bring those plans forward and get it done now.”

Craig Mawer, Accounts Manager at LTC Healthcare

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Organisation name

Share Skipton

Programme

Community climate action grants 

Grant received

£34,225

Constituency

Skipton and Ripon

Project and impact

The grant funding was used to support a community-led initiative that promotes a circular economy, sharing, reuse and repair. The organisation have launched a 'library of things' which allows people to borrow a wide range of items at a fraction of the cost of buying them, promoting sustainable living and waste reduction.

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“Thanks to the SPF grant, we have successfully secured a lease on ideal premises in the centre of Skipton and refurbished them to a high standard. The shop and storeroom have been fitted out with racking and furniture suitable for a library of things.”

Angela Monaghan, Chair of Share Skipton 

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Organisation name

Spectrum Cleaning Solutions

Programme

Small business grants

Grant received

£6,761

Constituency

Scarborough and Whitby

Project and impact

The grant funding was used by Spectrum to invest in laundry dosing units which helped the company to secure a contract worth £500,000 over the next five years. The contract was with a special needs educational facility in West Yorkshire to whom they already supplied cleaning products. However, the opportunity came up to also provide the laundry contract. Due to the sizeable nature of the contract, without the grant, the business would not have been capable of purchasing the required number of dosing units to fulfill it.

The customer wanted a one-stop shop for their cleaning needs so had Spectrum not been able to fulfil the laundry aspect with the purchase of a dosing system, they may have lost their existing contract with the customer which is worth an additional £300,000 over the next five years.

Quotes

“We do buy them all the time, but because this was quite sizable and we needed quite a lot of dosing units to mobilise this sizeable account, we would have lost this opportunity had we not had your help.

“It was really appreciated because the company were wanting a one-stop shop. So if we hadn't have been able to do the laundry, potentially we would have lost the rest of the business worth about £60,000 a year to us. So we've not only gained £500,000 over five years, we could have lost £300,000.”

Jo Thompson, Managing Director of Spectrum Cleaning Solutions

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Organisation name

Better Connect

Programme

RISE/Rise2Thrive (people and skills)

Grant received

£2,000,000

Constituency

North Yorkshire Wide

Project and impact

The RISE programme (Reducing Inequalities, Supporting Employment) (now completed) and Rise2Thrive programme (ongoing) both aim to support adults who are either out of work or in work but struggling with barriers such as neurodiversity, physical health, mental health, and disabilities. Individuals receive tailored 1-2-1 advice, mentoring and employability support, and have access to specific interventions designed to improve people’s health, confidence, skills, circumstances, and employability.

RISE ran for one year from March 2023. Better Connect worked with 18 Keyworker Delivery Partner Organisations across North Yorkshire to support economically inactive people with complex barriers to work. It supported 427 people, of which 77 entered into work.

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Chris Wilson, who lives in Selby, was supported by Up for Yorkshire, one of Better Connect’s partners delivering the Rise programme. The 51-year-old father-of-three enrolled in a Level 1 Health and Social Care course and was encouraged to take part in a weekly fitness group, along with other activities at his own pace.

It was through this course that he found work as a project support officer with Everyday Enable in Selby which offers benefit advice and support and disability awareness to businesses, having been out of work since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said: "I can safely say this is the best job I have ever had. I love my job! If I had not met the team at Up for Yorkshire, I would probably still be unemployed, feeling sorry for myself. I'm so grateful for the Rise programme and all it has given me."

Natasha Babar-Evans, CEO of Better Connect, said: “With millions of people across the UK struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, programmes like Rise2Thrive have never been more important as they help people to overcome barriers so they can move forward into sustainable employment or training and get the support they need to thrive in life and at work."

Organisation name

SELFA - Springboard Project

Programme

Support for young and older people grants

Grant received

£20,000

Constituency

Skipton and Ripon

Project and impact

The grant funding was invested in the Springboard Project to assist vulnerable young adults. The project provides targeted and intensive support for young people, helping them access, sustain and progress in training and employment. The project considers new ways of engaging with young adults, who currently have limited alternatives, through Pioneer’s community-based arts approach.

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“The funding has enabled us to work alongside Pioneer Projects to deliver SELFA Springboard which is a group for 19-25 year olds who may be experiencing vulnerabilities, disadvantaged and/or have a disability. The group supports the young adults towards their goals into employment, education and/or more personal goals. The group meet weekly in term time and are able to engage in activities focussed around their mental health. They receive support with CV writing, interview practice and we utilise the skills of the artist from Pioneer Projects to enjoy creative activities."

Katie Hoggarth, Senior Children and Young People’s Worker at SELFA