Archive projects

Below is a list of our projects that have now finished. While they are no longer running, they still provide useful insight into how we work with communities and vulnerable groups.

Aged Veterans Funding – Ex-Forces Support North Yorkshire | For past members of the armed forces over 65

Contact: 01904 704177

Ex-Forces Support North Yorkshire was a project which delivered a range of help and support to former members of HM Armed Forces aged 65 and over living in North Yorkshire. The project closed on 31 March 2020 and is no longer taking referrals. Click here to find out more about the project and the help it offered to Ex-Forces veterans.

North Yorkshire’s Unsung Heroes: Their Stories is a book created through the project sharing the experiences of ex-members of the Armed Forces. You can download it here.

Village Hall research project | Understanding the future potential of village halls and other community buildings as community businesses

Contact: communitysupport@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk | 01904 704177

Community First Yorkshire was one of only three organisations nationally to be awarded a grant from the Power to Change Research Institute to support community buildings as businesses.

The grant was used to better understand the size, scale, scope, potential growth and future pipeline of Village Halls/Rural community buildings as Community Businesses. Find out more about the project here.

Find out more about our community buildings support service and join a network event for community buildings’ organisers here.

Leeds Community Connect | Developing services for older people in rural Leeds

Contact: info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk | 01904 704177

Leeds Community Connect provided in-depth support and small grants to three communities in rural north-east Leeds to put in place new projects led by local volunteers to address issues around social isolation among older and vulnerable residents, using village halls as hubs for new services and activities. This project was funded by Leeds Older People’s Forum as part of their Time to Shine programme, with support from the Big Lottery Fund.

Community Hubs have been set up in Kippax, Rothwell and Micklefield.

Kirklees Men’s Sheds | Helping older men stay socially active

Contact: Andy Ryland | communitysupport@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk  | 07771 797073

Men’s Sheds are spaces for groups of men to come together and share tools and resources to work on projects together in a friendly and inclusive environment. The Men’s Shed movement started in Australia and has spread across the world, giving older men, often at risk of social isolation, the chance to gain new skills and new friends. Our project (which has now finished) worked with community groups across Kirklees to support the development of new Men’s Sheds in the district. Find out more about the project on it’s blog.

See examples of Men’s Sheds in Yorkshire here.

Emergency Planning | Helping rural communities plan for the worst

Contact: Mark Hopley | communitysupport@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk | 01904 704177

We worked with North Yorkshire County Council to help rural communities plan for extreme weather events and other emergencies. During 2017-18 we ran a number of information events at which representatives of rural communities could find out more about why they should have an emergency plan in place and what an emergency plan looks like. Communities that decide to go forward with developing a plan received in-depth support to involve local people in putting a plan in place. We also offered support to individual households in at-risk areas to put their own emergency plans together.