The Fund visits grantees in Yorkshire

KCCF recently visited Yorkshire and met with grantees in Leeds and York to see how our funding is helping to transform lives and build sustainable communities.

Meanwood Valley Urban Farm

We were delighted to be joined for a tour of Meanwood Valley Urban Farm by small grantees Out Together, SNAPS Yorkshire, Principle Trust Children’s Charity, Get Out More and St Mary’s Church, Great Ouseburn. Together, we learned how the Farm reconnects urban people with their food and nature – particularly through the market garden, which provides fresh vegetable boxes to more than 100 local families each week. The Fund has supported the Farm since 1992 and His Majesty The King, visited in 2002. It was wonderful to hear more about the history of the Farm from Honorary President and Founder Robert Collins MBE.

Our thanks to Meanwood for hosting us, and to all who joined us – it was wonderful to hear more about the impact our grants funding is having in communities across Yorkshire, whether that be providing respite breaks to ill or disadvantaged children, outdoor volunteering placements for vulnerable adults, supporting heritage and conservation work, ‘Stay and Play’ sessions for families with additional needs or enabling bespoke befriending support to the elderly LGBTQ+ population.

Yorkshire Arboretum

The Fund has supported the Arboretum since 2019, providing funding for three projects:

• Establishing a new Tree Health Centre for upskilling professionals and the public in issues regarding tree diseases and pests
• Investigating oral contraceptive methods for grey squirrels
• Establishing a new breeding colony of red squirrels

It was fantastic to visit the Tree Health Centre and red squirrel breeding colony. The Arboretum is making a real difference in educating the public and professionals about tree health and pest control, as well as working to boost red squirrel numbers both in captivity and in the wild.