Cononley Village Institute Committee

Cononley Village Institute Committee has raised over £95,000 through grants and tirelessly fundraising to renovate the Institute building. The project was completed in September 2013, transforming the building into a modern, multifunctional hub for the village, which has benefited the community enormously.

Members of the committee gave up hundreds of hours of their own time to make this dream a reality (and within budget!).

The Cononley Village Institute Committee has worked together as a team with the vision, determination and drive to engage with the community and create a village hub with excellent facilities, allowing the community of Cononley to extend the use of the building for a varied activities programme, meetings and public and private events.

The Village Institute Committee has held a number of public consultation events and sessions to build a picture of what the community wanted and needed from the building. The committee then liaised with local architects to draw up the plans, go out to tender with the budget for the renovation project then set to just over £95,000.

Over a third of the renovation costs were raised by the Village Institute Committee itself through running an array of fundraising events, such as the Cononley Scarecrow Festival. Other events included a Music Marathon, beer festival, coffee mornings, arts and craft fairs. Villagers say nothing has been too much trouble for the committee. The remainder of the funds needed were raised through the committee tirelessly applying to grant bodies for funding and eventually in early 2013 being successful in securing all the required funding for the project.

The project included the full internal restoration of the building (the monies to replace the roof and renovate the external aspects of the building had been raised by the committee and completed in 2011).

Work commenced on the Institute in July 2013 and finished in September 2013 and was effectively project managed by the Institute Committee members themselves in order to keep the cost of the project as low as possible. This required committee members to give up a huge amount of their own free time throughout the summer period to make the required checks and decisions throughout the build and to work with the contractor on site to ensure the building was able to be back in use and to standard within the timescale assigned.

The Institute was formally re-opened in October 2013 with the committee organising a Grand Opening Event inviting the whole community, sponsors, grant bodies, local councillors and dignitaries that had all supported the project and helped to make the renovation possible.

If it wasn’t for the hard work and dedication of the Cononley Village Institute Committee, the community would still be left to make do with a tired and dysfunctional building, instead of a vibrant and extremely well-used and loved facility.

Grassington Hub and Community Library

Grassington Hub operates a North Yorkshire County Council Library and runs several projects to address local needs - for example, Helping Hands assists elderly people to attend appointments; there is a minibus and an IT Hub; and the organisation sells tickets for local events and offers administrative and grant funding support to local businesses and organisations.

In addition, he Hub is fully involved with the local community -led plan and Neighbourhood Plan, and liaises closely with the Yorkshire Dales Yorkshire National Park, Craven DC, Parish Council, NYCC and Julian Smith MP, who is the Hub’s sponsor. The benefits that result from this work fulfil the aims of social welfare, assisting the large elderly population and incorporating youth work. The issues of rural isolation and the lack of public transport opportunities are addressed accordingly, to benefit both businesses and residents. One of the main aims is to secure a sustainable future for Grassington as a thriving community.

The Hub was formed in 2010 by a steering group of committed local residents who felt there was a need for a central organisation to preserve and develop local facilities, including a library. It gained funding for premises and a full-time manager, and became a Limited Company and a charity in February 2010. Since then it has become a vital part of the life of the surrounding community, and has instigated a variety of social projects and provides resources for individuals and societies.

There is a board of seven trustees made up of representatives of the community who oversee the strategic management of the Hub, a management committee of 5 members who assist the manager in overseeing the day to day duties to ensure the organisation. There is also a team of 35 volunteers who assist the manager and part-time librarian in the day-to-day running of the Hub, plus eight volunteer drivers to run the community transport scheme and 45 volunteer drivers for the Helping Hands scheme.

Helping Hands also offers assistance with the collection and delivery of prescriptions and domestic supplies and a visitor service for the lonely and house bound residents.

Also help is given to local community groups through the provision of a ticketing services for local performances and also the marketing and promotion of these.

The organisation has recently been given use of a North Yorkshire County Council minibus, bridging the gaps made by the recent bus cuts.

Carleton Community Umbrella

The Carleton Community Umbrella is a not-for-profit organisation formed in 2010 to support community groups and

activities. To do this they organise a series of year-round events which attract crowds of over 400 people. The funds raised by these events are used to give direct financial support and practical help to anyone or any organisation providing community activities or services to the residents of Carleton. The umbrella organises a number of community events each year, including a duck race, the gala and sport weekend, a bonfire and fireworks display, a Christmas carol service and a community ‘Big Breakfast’ every bank holiday. They have bought and maintain a supply of equipment which is available to any village group free of charge and coordinate a village-wide event insurance policy that any Carleton-based organisation can subscribe to to reduce their running costs. Over the last three years, the Umbrella has made direct financial contributions of more than of £4,500 to several village groups, including the Ladies' Choir and Junior Village Football Team. It was established following the Queen's Diamond Jubilee,

The Committee members are:

Steve Richardson (Chair), Dave Alexander (Treasurer); Vicki Woodhead (Secretary) Graham Colledge, Philip Holmes, Thomas Holmes; John Franklin