Country Air 125

The newsletter of Rural Action Yorkshire Spring 2013 Issue 125

Get the latest news online:

www.ruralyorkshire.org.uk www.twitter.com/ruralyorkshire

In this issue… FEATURE Localism Act page 2- 3 Preparing for bad weather page 6 Find out: What’s a CIO? page 8 Our tributes to Paula page 11

Plus all the latest project updates and rural news.

Rural Action Yorkshire wants to raise awareness of new rights within the Localism Act and wants more villages to consider what they value and what their future needs are. Local campaigners struggling to save their pub, village shop, or the conversion of a former school into housing, feature often in the media, but new research by the Yorkshire Rural Network has shown that few are aware that there is need for action now, by using the Localism Act to register assets with the local authority. RAY works closely with other organisations in Yorkshire, including The Yorkshire Rural Network -a partnership of RAY, Humber and Wolds Rural Community Council and Involve Yorkshire and Humber- and also the Yorkshire Local Councils Associations (YLCA), which provide support for parish and town councils and parish meetings. We want to ensure that more rural communities understand their rights. Under the 2011 Localism Act, local authorities (ie unitary or district council) are required to maintain a list of assets of community value and communities are able to nominate the assets which are important to them. When listed assets come up for sale or change of ownership, community groups will have time to develop a bid and raise the money to buy the asset when it comes on the open market. This will help local communities keep much-loved sites in public use and part of local life. The research was carried out at the start of 2013 and showed that there are assets registered in only three of the local authorities across North, South and West Yorkshire. We also discovered that nearly half of the authorities have no information about the process on their websites. RAY believes that rural communities need to start talking to them about their local assets: there are many treasured and important buildings which need including on these registers. Ed Poulter, Rural Policy Officer at Involve Y&H said: “If you love your local pub, if you rely on your village shop, now’s the time to act. The new laws give communities the chance to nominate the assets that matter to them and shape where they live – so don’t miss out! There are countless potential assets across rural Yorkshire, from historic places of worship, village pubs and business units, to open spaces and small plots suitable for allotments. Get in touch with your local authority and let them know what your local community values, or find out more on the Localism Act at www.ruralyorkshire.org.uk

Filey Pool Action Group Nick Butterworth has recently supported Filey Pool Action Group through Active Communities with their challenge to the decision to close Filey School Swimming Pool. This is their story so far (cont...)

RAY Contacts Switchboard: 0845 313 0270

Tina Chamberlain - 07963 533675 Acting Chief Officer..........................ext: 235

Gillian McIntosh Head of Finance & Admin ................ ext.230

Kathryn Chapman - 07825 380052 Communities & Stakeholders Manager

..................................................... ext.247

Rebecca Craven Marketing & PR Officer .................... ext.232

Candice Dowson Operations Officer ........................... ext.221

James Russell Information Officer .......................... ext.223

Joanna Bayton-Smith - 07834 322296 Touchstones Project Co-ordinator.....ext. 234

Tania Weston - 07540 691028 North Yorks Rural Network Development

Co-ordinator .................................. ext: 223

Tess McMahon - 07540 691029 Community Hubs Development

Officer ...........................................ext: 226

Maggie Farey - 07825 380051 North Yorkshire Development Officer

Mel McGeoch - 07722 127503 North and West Yorks Development Officer

Melanie Swanwick - 07757 639929 South Yorkshire Development Officer

Nick Butterworth - 07847 619388 Rural Capacity Building Officer

Andy Ryland - 07722 127505 Community Buildings Network Development Officer

Linda Lloyd, RAY Chair [email protected]

02 The Newsletter of Rural Action Yorkshire

Disclaimer: Every effort is taken to provide accurate information. However, Rural Action Yorkshire accepts no responsibility for any error or omission in, or complaint arising from, items in this publication. The views expressed in Country Air do not necessarily represent those of Rural Action Yorkshire. The display of advertising material does not represent an endorsement.

Front page picture: Penistone show and Great Yorkshire Show

Feature: What are your

assets?

Is your rural community planning for the future? Read on to learn about seizing new opportunities to protect the buildings and businesses which play a vital role in local life.

(...cont.) Nick worked closely with the newly formed group to formerly adopt a constitution and register an Interest in the Asset under the Localism Act 2011 In this particular case the Swimming Pool facility is owned by North Yorkshire County Council and is situated within the grounds of Filey Secondary School, Muston Road Filey. The Pool not only services the local feeder schools but provides a valuable amenity to Filey and its surrounding villages. The Pool is also home to Filey Swimming Club who boasts a substantial membership, providing a valuable service to all ages of the community including residents from surrounding villages. The closure of this facility on 28 March 2013 is a result of a decision taken in January 2013 by Filey School Governors’ due to the financial impact upon the Schools budget. A short-term solution of continuing the Pool service until the end of the School year in July had been explored. An offer of short-term funding from Scarborough Borough Council was offered to Filey Pool Action Group which would have bought some time to help build a business case for taking the Pool service on as a community owned asset. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to determine accurate costings for the Pool service before the 28 March 2013 and as a result the Pool closed its doors. This is not the end for the Pool as the School have agreed to mothball the Pool until such time as accurate figures for the running costs can be sought. North Yorkshire County Council is in the process of compiling an options appraisal which will look at the current condition of the Pool facility. Amongst the three options which are to be explored, one will be to determine the extent of the work required in line with current H&S legislation and subsequent associated costs. The outcome of the appraisal will be useful for the group as a benchmark for conducting their own research and surveys. The closure of the Pool will impact massively on the health and well-being of the community’s young people. Filey & District Swimming Club have a membership of 118 Adult members and 151 Child members and provide an invaluable service of swimming lessons and competitive coaching to a popular Yorkshire coastal resort. In addition to the life skills attained through the use of the Pool service, the local holiday providers and RNLI have expressed their concerns as to the closure of the Pool as they recruit Lifeguards from young people trained at the venue and a reduction in qualified staff could impact on their service. A “Save Filey Pool” Facebook page and @SaveFileyPool Twitter account has been established for support of the Pool. This has received a lot of interest and is generating a great deal of evidence to support the challenge. Sign up to their social media to show your support and follow their progress.

Welcome James James Russell joined RAY in April, as our new Information Officer. This role is a new one and will be a key role as the first point of contact for queries and requests from RAY members. James will work with colleagues on the Regional Development team to ensure that the RAY website is kept up to date with accurate information and that the RAY e-bulletin is full of the latest news and developments. James will also be working on a sponsorship strategy to develop RAY services and make his post sustainable. James comes from a background of working in urban community development in his hometown of Hull, but is often to be found in the great outdoors of rural Yorkshire, whether walking in the countryside; working at the Yorkshire Wolds Railway Visitor Centre, a new heritage railway project near Wetwang, East Yorkshire; or volunteering with The Conservation Volunteers and the National Trust. James told Country Air, “I’m really looking forward to combining my experience of community development in Hull with my love of the countryside and rural communities across Yorkshire. I hope to speak to many RAY members over the coming months and help make sure they have the information they need.” The Information Officer post is part funded by Leeds, Rotherham and Sheffield Transforming Local Infrastructure funding. The Transform Programme aims to provide high quality, accessible and sustainable support for voluntary and community sector organisations. Get in touch with James and let him know how we could make our website a more useful resource for members.

The Newsletter of Rural Action Yorkshire 03

Trading goods and services

We’ve been exploring credit based exchange mechanisms in rural Yorkshire and how they might support and sustain communities. For us they simply mean an exchange between parties or individuals where the ‘currency’ is not money! Here are some ideas– let us know if you have tried any in your community. Timebanking: a means of exchange used to organise people and organisations around a purpose, where time is the principal currency. For every hour participants ‘deposit’ in a timebank, perhaps by giving practical help and support to others, they are able to ‘withdraw’ equivalent support in time when they themselves are in need. In each case the participant decides what they can offer. Everyone’s time is equal, so one hour of my time is equal to one hour of your time, irrespective of whatever we choose to exchange. www.timebanking.org Streetbank: shows you all the things and skills your neighbours are offering. It’s a giant garden shed, toolkit, fancy dress chest, book and DVD library and skills bank for your neighbourhood. It helps you share and borrow things from your neighbours, it’s meant for everyone, for the common good. www.streetbank.com/splash LETSLINKUK: LETS - Local Exchange Trading Systems or Schemes - are local community-based mutual aid networks in which people exchange all kinds of goods and services with one another, without the need for money. www.letslinkuk.net Fixperts: a social project and open knowledge sharing platform which believes ‘fixing’ is a valuable creative and social resource. www.fixperts.org

The ability to learn and develop new skills whatever your age, or situation is important and as the Touchstones project is demonstrating this is even more apparent when you have been bereaved and relied on others to do things for you in the past. Evidence shows that feelings of isolation, often exacerbated when a partner or close friend dies, can be lessened through the opportunity to develop new skills and meet others in similar situations. Rural Action Yorkshire are working with our delivery partners Age UK to support older, bereaved people to access and learn new practical skills. This work is supported by the Big Lottery fund Silver Dreams fund and runs until February 2014. Through our ‘army’ of Touchstones volunteers we hope to support around 200 older, bereaved people in rural areas of Craven, Harrogate and Wakefield. We have already established a weekly coffee morning and skills session in Harrogate where we have been focusing on cooking up tasty, healthy meals and also passing on food nutrition advice to our regulars. Wendy Holt, Age UK North Yorkshire, and her team of volunteers will be taking Touchstones on the road as they run cookery skills sessions across the Harrogate district in the next few months. Over in Wakefield, Libby Eades from Age UK has focused on cookery, but has also responded to a demand from her older bereaved clientele to learn and develop new IT skills. From a rural perspective IT skills provide opportunities to keep in touch with families or friends but also allow us to shop and bank online. Libby has spent a lot of time with existing community groups to ensure we offer added value through Touchstones and was quoted as saying “With such excitement about the possibilities of beginning starter computer courses, cooking sessions and DIY stations including sewing and other ‘fix it yourself’ ideas, I will be making the calls to get a venue ASAP to deliver what the people want!” In Craven we are co-ordinating some gardening sessions and supporting people to access transport to get them to and from the sessions, often a barrier for our older people in rural locations however not for Touchstones! In the next few months we will be developing the one-to-one element of our work with a focus on responding to individual requests for skills. We have already been asked to help with car maintenance and basic DIY skills. In addition our regular skills sessions across Harrogate, Craven and Wakefield will provide opportunities for older, bereaved people to come together and learn new skills from each other on a regular basis. We will also be exploring ways we can support communities to facilitate this type of approach to exchanging skills Visit our website to read our blog, find out about our events and learn about the people we are helping. Or follow @RAYTouchstones on Twitter. Alternatively if you have been inspired by what we are trying to do and would like to volunteer to pass on your skills then please email [email protected]


Feature: TOUCHSTONES

We love Yorkshire Venues

North Yorkshire halls in joint marketing

Since its launch last summer over 200 village halls and community buildings from across North Yorkshire have benefitted from a free listing on the Yorkshire Venues website www.yorkshirevenues.org.uk and RAY is already hearing of people booking a village hall as a result of seeing a listing on the website.

In these times when every booking counts and where the

power of the internet is becoming more significant; the Yorkshire

Venues website provides a way for venues to gain a web presence

and gain wider publicity. For buildings that already have their own

website, the site provides an additional opportunity to refer extra

enquiries to them.

Listings can include:

· Location and directions

· Pictures of the hall/building including individual rooms

· Facilities and equipment available to hire

· Facilities for people with disabilities

· Details of regular bookings and contacts for user groups

· A form to send an inquiry to the booking clerk

· Telephone number for contacting the booking clerk

Search Facility

The site provides an easy to use search facility for anyone looking for

a venue to host an event. Whether a family celebration, a craft sale,

sports or dance class or even as a venue for indoor camping for

Scout and Youth groups wanting to enjoy the North Yorkshire

Countryside and coast.

Users can either search using:

· A venue list

· Village name or postcode

· A map showing all the listed venues

If you would like a free listing

for your hall or

community building please

contact the RAY Office on 0845

313 0270

Great news: we are exploring options to increase the coverage of

this website to other parts of Yorkshire in the next six months.

If you run a community building in Leeds or Rotherham , contact

Melanie at

[email protected]


New Voices at RAY

RAY has welcomed two new people to the team: Tania and Candice.

Tania Weston joins us as the new Rural Network Development Co-ordinator for North Yorkshire, taking over from Sarah Robinson. Rural Voice, now in its fourth year, is helping to improve access to support for the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in the most remote rural areas of North Yorkshire. Her role is to co-ordinate the project for the county, working with the VCS organisations in Ryedale, Scarborough borough, Richmondshire, Craven, Harrogate borough and Hambleton. The project is also helping community groups across North Yorkshire to develop their marketing, social media skills and a whole host of other skills. Part of Tania’s role also involves developing the Yorkshire Venues website (www.yorkshirevenues.org.uk) which provides a free listing for community buildings. So, if your building is not yet on the website, or is, but you would like to improve your marketing and promotion just get in touch. In her spare time she volunteers at Clements Hall, her local community building. Tania also likes walking in the Dales and the Moors and visiting historic sites and gardens around the country. She seems to enjoy camping in the (apparently) wetter parts of the UK as well! Candice Dowson is our new Operations Officer and so many of you will get familiar with her voice as the first point of contact at RAY. She may also be ringing some of you to check contact details shortly. Candice is a keen volunteer and charity enthusiast, with an interest in community, women and social issues. She currently lives in Leeds but grew up in Holme on Spalding Moor.

Case study: Winter Weather Agents Bolton Percy, Colton & Steeton are ready for action.

When snow falls and settles the residents of these small villages in the Selby district know they may experience hazardous conditions, whether on foot or in a vehicle. Their local roads are Category 3 on NYCC road clearance schedule, with their roads only cleared after Category 1 & 2 roads.

So when the Parish Council heard about this scheme they wanted to know more. Following a meeting with a RAY development worker, they completed the straightforward application form for £250 to help volunteers set to work when needed, and to pay for ploughing.

They wanted to be able to plough roads within the villages, spread grit/salt on paths and road surfaces and arrange transport for residents in need. They also wanted to make the Parish Council’s generator and emergency lights available in an emergency. The £250 grant they received went on rock salt/grit and costs of ploughing (fuel and labour). Residents and councillors were “thrilled to bits” to get the grant. It was “definitely worthwhile. People have been able to get out and in the village more easily and safely.”

Factsheets coming soon

What is the Snow Code? How can we keep warm and well in winter? How can we respond to winter emergencies? How can we make sure that vulnerable people in our communities are safe in winter? These and other questions will be answered in a “Toolkit” being produced as part of RAY’s Winter Weather Agents Schemes project, which is part of the Warm Homes Healthy People project, that received funding in the winter 2012/13 from North Yorkshire County Council. Look out for these on our website and start getting prepared.

Winter Weather Agents Now the days are longer and the sun is shining (more) it is easy to forget how we struggled with the cold, snow, ice and wind in the winter. But our new Winter Weather Agents are ready for action next winter, to be able to respond to the effects of inclement weather, especially concerning safety and well-being of vulnerable people in their communities.

Rural Action Yorkshire was able to support 24 rural communities to set up their own Winter Weather Agent Scheme tailored to the needs of their residents. Each of them, usually through their Parish Council, submitted an application for a small grant of about £250 to cover the initial costs of getting their own scheme going.

Each application was different but there was a recurring theme of equipment and materials for clearing snow and ice followed by gritting, by volunteers or sometimes local farmers. Whether or not roads are cleared of snow and ice, there’s a common problem of non-treated pedestrian routes, from outside people’s homes, on pavements, and leading to the shops and services people need to be able to get to. Requests also came in for items that would help with building up teams of volunteers and for producing information on sources of help for dealing with winter problems, whether as leaflets, posters or fridge magnets. Some groups wanted to set up rotas of volunteers with 4 x 4 vehicles to help out in emergencies; some wanted to build up be-friending/buddy/good neighbour schemes.


(...cont.) During the last twelve months the project has enabled RAY to concentrate on raising awareness about fuel poverty and how homes can achieve affordable warmth through better insulation, energy efficient boilers and heating systems, energy saving ideas, grants and schemes, fuel choices and renewable options. We have also actively supported communities in setting up oil buying co-operatives and have worked with 20 communities in the last year.

This is why we decided to hold a number of events to tell front line workers, the councils, health workers, community and voluntary workers and many others about what fuel poverty looks like, how to identify it and what can be done to alleviate it. The ‘awareness’ raising events took several forms – we shivered at a Richmondshire market with our information stall and we had a stand at a very wet local Swaledale show and we decided to hold a number of events across the county. Working with local partners we delivered 5 half day events which brought together stakeholders, front line workers, parish and district councillors and those with an interest in the subject to learn more and to discuss possible solutions. Our final event was a successful Twitter event which was the culmination of the year. In partnership with Humber & Wolds RCC and National Energy Action, the events enabled those attending to recognise the signs of fuel poverty, what a cold damp house looks like and in at least one of the venues with inefficient heating the attendees also experienced sitting in a cold room for three hours, although unintentional it really brought home the misery of insufficient heating. Information on the Green Deal and ECO were also very well received and found to be useful.

Warm Homes, Healthy People Working with delivery partners across North Yorkshire, Rural Action Yorkshire has been co-ordinating the delivery of the Warm Homes Healthy People scheme aimed at helping people stay warm within their homes this winter. Warm Homes Healthy People scheme, which started in December 2012 until April 2013, is innovative in its approach, by using the expertise, skills and knowledge of multiple voluntary sector partners to reach isolated and vulnerable people across the county, focusing on Hambleton & Richmondshire, Scarborough and Ryedale, Harrogate, Craven and Selby. Funded by the Department of Health, and managed by North Yorkshire County Council the scheme has focused on supporting vulnerable people at risk of fuel poverty, isolated older and disabled people, low income families with young children and the homeless and traveller communities. This has been achieved through three strands of activity, including the provision of cold weather information and advice, immediate practical support to those most at risk and community resilience. Through the scheme, our partners across North Yorkshire have supplied emergency heaters and keep warm packs to vulnerable people with no limited access to heating solutions, financial support for immediate small scale repairs such as draught-proofing and boiler repairs or services to ensure people are prepared for next Winter as well! The advice service via the Hotspots scheme has provided guidance and information on energy saving and practical support. The community resilience strand of work has focused on developing local volunteer schemes and enabling communities to develop sustainable solutions to support vulnerable people in cold weather in the future. RAY has been responsible for ensuring the successful co-ordination of all strands of project activity, ensuring effective communication with partners and maintaining regular monitoring and progress reporting on the scheme to NYCC. Sustainability, and developing longer term solutions are a fundamental part of this scheme which will support work on similar initiatives for the future. The final steering group meeting will reflect on what we have learned through our work and provide further guidance on the needs of our rural communities and vulnerable people to ensure they are prepared for next winter.

Calor FREE Energy Advice in North Yorkshire The Calor FREE Project has been a rural energy advice programme aimed at communities that are not on the mains gas grid across the North Yorkshire area. (cont.......)

Project Updates


In North Yorkshire, fuel poverty has many guises, it is hidden and can be difficult to identify.

Our Information Officer, James, tracks down the answers to Members’ questions about current issues and new developments. In this issue he explains what a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) is.

Why CIOs?

CIOs were initially created by the Charities Act 2011, although the regulations required to enable unincorporated charities to adopt the CIO structure were only passed in late 2012.

At the moment, only around 30,000 of the 160,000 registered charities in England and Wales have adopted a registered company structure, with evidence that many others are put off by the additional administrative burden. CIOs are a new legal form for a charity which will enable them to have some of the benefits of incorporation without dual registration and regulation.

What are the benefits?

Because CIOs are incorporated but not a company, they only have to register with the Charity Commission and not at Companies House, and are governed only by Charity Law and not also by Company Law. However, like companies, they have a legal identity of their own and so can enter into contracts in their own right rather than in the names of their Trustees. Importantly, CIOs are limited liability organisations, meaning that their Trustees are protected, in most cases, from personal financial liability for the charity’s debts.

Is it for us?

The CIO structure will probably be most suitable for small to medium sized organisations which employ staff and/or enter into contracts, and might be of particular usefulness if you are experiencing difficulty recruiting trustees due to fears about financial liability.

The Charity Commission website has plenty of guidance on charity structure. Try starting here: http://tinyurl.com/CharityStructures. There is also a lot more information about CIOs via this link: http://tinyurl.com/CIO-Charity. Ultimately, only you can decide what the best structure for your organisation is, and if you are uncertain we recommend that you seek professional legal advice.

When can I register a CIO?

If you are setting up a brand new charity, you can apply to adopt a CIO structure straight away. If you are an existing unincorporated charity (such as a charitable Trust or Association), you will be able to apply to set up a CIO and transfer your assets to it during 2013 – exactly when will depend on your income. Unincorporated charities with an income over £250,000 can transfer now; over £100,000 after 1 May; over £25,000 after 1 July; and over £5,000 after 1 October.

If your organisation is already a charitable company, it is expected that you will be able to transfer to the new CIO structure during 2014 once additional regulations have been passed by Parliament. Keep an eye on the RAY and Charity Commission websites for the latest information.

If you have a question that you’d like James to find the answers to in the next issue, just get in touch by emailing [email protected] or call 0845 313 0270.

Evidence of Impact

Groups often know they make a difference in their communities but cannot always evidence the impact they make for successful funding bids. We recently hosted an event at Dinnington Resource Centre in South Yorkshire, to encourage Rotherham groups to look at the impact their work has on their local community. Seventeen people attended representing ten groups and put their case forward for grant funding giving an explanation to those present on what the impact the £300 funding would have on their community. The funding was available through Transforming Rotherham Infrastructure Services (TRIS) as part of the Impact and Evidence strand. TRIS is a partnership project between Voluntary Action Rotherham, RAY, Rotherfed, REMA, SYFAB and TfR. Grant requests ranged from funding for an Easter egg hunt, funding for a theatre group to help with props and performance space hire and funding towards a scarifier and strimmer for a local bowling club. All ten groups were awarded the funding after their presentations and those present were especially impressed with two young people from Whiston Camera Club who not only attended the event but made their own presentation. Feedback from the event included: “Very interesting. Good community spirit” “Brilliant, thank you” “Made two useful contacts which will benefit members of both groups on a qualitative basis and also on a financial basis.” Groups who would like help measuring the impact they make to help the chances of securing money with funding applications can call Martin Kendall on 01709 834463 or email [email protected].


Ask James: CIOs

Pro-active Penistone People

People Power! The communities of Ryedale were given the opportunity to take part in a programme where Community Projects could share a pot of £100,000 allocated by Ward. This sounds a lot of money but there are over 100 parishes in Ryedale and five Market Towns Rural Action Yorkshire (RAY) would provide support and encouragement to get the parishes and their RDC Ward councillors to meet and identify projects that would give community benefits and could demonstrate support. The original idea was to use a process called Participatory Budgeting (PB) where the local community groups would be invited to submit bids for all or some of the money. The residents would be given the opportunity to vote for their favourite projects at a public event. However because of the number of Parishes in each ward and their geographic spread it soon became clear that this was going to be very difficult in practise. The only Ward to use PB was Kirbymoorside which includes the town of Kirbymoorside, the village of Wombleton and the very small hamlet of Welburn. A small steering group decided on the ‘rules’ that included making it possible for the smaller communities to be able to share some of the £10,500 ‘pot‘ of money. There were fifteen projects put forward, all but two were from Kirbymoorside, but on the evening people power prevailed. Almost the entire population of the small village of Wombleton turned out to vote, and they received the greatest number of votes in the ballot and were awarded just over £9,000 to go towards replacing the roof on their Village Hall. Another project that was successful was Kirbymoorside Scout Hut The other Wards decided that the Parishes along with the Ward Councillor would decide the best ways to spend their allocation and look at projects that could benefit more than one Parish or look to themes, such as reducing traffic speed, supporting Community Buildings Environment or involving Young People. The Parishes that had already done Parish Plans appeared to be at an advantage because they already had a ‘list’ of projects that they could put forward

Considering that nothing like this had been tried in Ryedale before, the range of projects that came forward and the opportunity it gave for the parishes to get together and discuss this was really beneficial. Four of the Wards have decided to continue to meet with their Ward Councillors twice a year.

Library Networks Spending cuts have threatened many rural services and libraries have been badly hit, with many closing and many threatened with reduced hours. RAY is continuing to explore different models for community libraries and supporting groups to maintain their services. We recently attended an event run by North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC)which included inspiring presentations from several community libraries RAY has supported, including Great Ayton Discovery Centre and Embsay with Eastby Community library. At RAY’s Library Conference in September 2012, we were told by community library groups that there is a need for an independent network of community libraries enabling mutual support between groups. This was seen as key if they were to strengthen their development and secure their long-term future. We were encouraged to hear this message at NYCC’s event as well. Rural Action Yorkshire have now been successful in receiving funding for another project from NYCC, through the Active Communities Programme, managed by North Yorkshire and York Forum. The project will kick start both a real and virtual network providing:

• Network wide meetings and events

• A dedicated website and forum for discussion

• Updates and subject specific e-bulletins on, for example, funding

• The set up and active involvement of a Management Committee

The project will provide a mechanism for its members through which all communication, experience, ideas, information, resources and event planning can be shared, and issues of common concern can be addressed.

If you are interested in becoming part of this network then look out for information on our website or email [email protected]


Village Halls as a Hub for Communities Welcoming lively village venues become ever more important as we lose rural services such as shops, post offices, pubs or libraries. To be able to go to a nearby Community Hub, which may also be the Village Hall, for a community lunch in a friendly atmosphere, can really add to your day.

It’s a chance for tasty good value food, to bump into friends and neighbours, to meet new people and to see what else is happening locally. There may also be other things happening before, during or after the lunch, such as a book swap, discussion group, quizzes – whatever people want to happen and maybe help happen. At other times of the week there may be after school clubs, junior choir, film clubs, singing groups, local history groups. Maybe not everything every week in every Community Hub, because what happens depends on local interests and local volunteers. The seven Community Hubs of this project are: Weaverthorpe (Ryedale), Cold Kirby (Ryedale), Husthwaite (Hambleton), Pannal (Harrogate), Glusburn Community & Arts Centre (Craven), Dalton & Gayles (Richmondshire) and Village Ventures - Brompton by Sawdon (Scarborough District).

In mid March 2013 representatives from all seven Community Hubs met for the first time at Pannal, near Harrogate, as members of a Steering Group, to compare ideas and experiences, and to discuss and plan the Community Hubs project. It is being developed with the support of RAY, with Innovation Funding from NYCC. RAY and NYCC both had representatives at the Steering Group. All concerned want to enable more activities/services to happen at the Community Hubs, to benefit all, and especially vulnerable and older people. Contact Tess McMahon at RAY to find out more or get involved at one of the Community Hubs. Details about the project can also be found on our website: www.ruralyorkshire.org.uk

Discover Filey Update More about Localism in Filey: this time it’s asset transfers. Discover Filey Development Trust Ltd is awaiting the outcome of a decision from Scarborough Borough Council with regards to an asset transfer of a section of land on Filey’s Country Park. If successful, the group’s plans to develop an educational visitor’s centre on Filey’s Country Park are a step nearer to reality. Discover Filey Development Trust Ltd has recently reached an agreement with Scarborough Borough Council with regards to funding, as part of the Borough’s Community Investment Plan. The funding will form the basis of a match-funding opportunity and the group are now in the process of submitting a Stage 1 HLF Heritage Grant application. The new application process introduced in February for HLF Heritage Grants now request that the Stage 1 application includes: - a full business plan, - all information relating to the building including costs (compliant with RIBA regulations) and - a marketing plan/rationale for income and expenditure. Based on the fact that the new application process requires more in-depth information, it was decided by the Discover Filey DT Ltd Board to delay submitting an application until June 2013 in order to comply with the new criteria. Meanwhile RAY’s Nick Butterworth continues to work with the group with a view to securing other match-funding opportunities and establish an agreement with Scarborough Borough Council in securing an asset transfer of land on Filey’s Country Park for the project. For further information on the project contact Nick Butterworth Tel: 07847 619388 or E-mail: [email protected] www.DiscoverFiley.org.uk


The Last Word... Rural life in North Yorkshire has lost four great stalwarts in recent months. Ken Hounsome was for a number of years, chairman of Yorkshire Rural Community Council (the former name of Rural Action Yorkshire), and he brought to the position of chairman and trustee, a great wealth of knowledge not only of the county, but also of finance, having been County Treasurer for many years of the County Council. Revered nationwide for his expertise in finance, he became the youngest County Council Treasurer in the country and was involved in many county organisations. Diane, Lady Ingleby, served as a Trustee of YRCC for many years, and became the longest serving member of the Trustee Board. Her great enthusiasm for rural life, centred around her home village of Ripley, made her a popular figure in many fields. Geoff Rennie, a former Chairman of NYCC, brought much expertise to the Board of Trustees of RAY, with his knowledge of the farming industry as well as local government. With the death in December of Sir Marcus Worsley, we lost a distinguished former President of YRCC, who was extremely dedicated to rural life in North Yorkshire and much respected as a former Lord Lieutenant. As a trustee of RAY and YRCC for over 30 years, it has been privilege and pleasure to have worked with these wonderful people whose loss to the life of North Yorkshire will be immense. We send their families our deepest sympathy in their losses. David Jeffels Trustee and a former Chairman of Rural Action Yorkshire

Obituary: Paula Wilcox Paula joined Rural Action Yorkshire, (then Yorkshire Rural Community Council), on 12 May 1986 as a clerical assistant. Apart from breaks for maternity leave she stayed with the organisation from then on. Paula joined as a clerical assistant but rose through the ranks to become the Operations Officer which meant that she was responsible for the smooth running and management of the office. Her role also involved supporting the work of the Yorkshire Local Council Association with whom RAY shared office space until recently. She accepted all new responsibilities enthusiastically and was always looking to improve how things were done. She was also very mindful that our funds were limited and was incredibly resourceful in finding inexpensive ways of meeting our needs. We have a stationery cupboard which is stocked by freecycle. Everyone throughout the organisation would come into contact with Paula whether it was through her answering the phone, organising the Trustee Board meetings, providing the administration for the AGM or saving her colleagues when their knowledge of the IT system had once again left them crying in despair. It is amazing how many conversations in the office ended with the sentence “We’ll ask Paula, Paula will know.” Bill Cross, a former Chief Officer recalls “I thought Paula was a huge strength for RAY. She was completely reliable, very able in her job and had endless patience in helping the other staff with their work. She knew everything and we placed enormous reliance on her generally but in relation to two particular tasks, as I recall. One was the office move and the other was our preparations for the quality inspection from ACRE. It was her diligence and hard work that got us through both of those tasks so comfortably”. Paula’s manager, Gill McIntosh, praised her ability to tackle problems and spend time on finding solutions rather than worrying how to do it.

Marilyn Bennett who joined our organisation in 1987 added “Paula was always happy and never grumpy. After some assertiveness training Bill became her first victim as she obviously learnt a lot from that course! She was assertive in a good way! I will never eat a cream cake without remembering Paula particularly double cakes on our birthdays which we shared on 5 April”. Paula was a great colleague and friend who will be sadly missed by everyone who knew her.


�� Unit A, Tower House, Askham Fields Lane, Askham Bryan, York YO23 3FS Registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee in England & Wales No: 1839458 and as a Charity No. 515538

�� www.ruralyorkshire.org.uk �� [email protected] �� 0845 313 0270 �� 0845 313 0271

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