Nineteen Harrogate district groups share £89,005, over twice 2025's £37,473. Who got it, from a Killinghall play area to over-60s classes in Boroughbridge.
Nineteen charities and community groups across the Harrogate district have shared £89,005 from THE LOCAL FUND for the Harrogate District. That is more than twice what the fund gave out last year.
Two Ridings Community Foundation, which runs the fund, announced the awards on 8 September. It estimates that about 1,500 people will benefit from this round.
How this year compares
The foundation’s fund page lists what earlier rounds paid out:
| Year | Awarded | Groups |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | £55,340 | 23 |
| 2024 | £42,331 | 19 |
| 2025 | £37,473 | 17 |
| 2026 | £89,005 | 19 |
The main change this year is a second type of grant. For the first time the fund offered Organisational Development Grants alongside its usual Activity Grants. The fund page says those were worth up to £13,000 each over 12 to 24 months, and were open only to groups working with children and young people. Activity Grants were capped at £5,000.
Who got the money
Two groups received the new development grants:
- Harrogate Town AFC Community Foundation, to scale up its school-based mentoring and wellbeing programme, which mixes mentoring conversations with football sessions.
- Sporting Influence Foundation, to strengthen its leadership, governance and systems, and to get better at measuring its impact.
The Activity Grants ran from £5,000 down to £500. The largest went to Holding Space, for two eight-week creative wellbeing projects for vulnerable women and people experiencing homelessness. The smallest paid for Mental Health First Aid training for two team members at St Mark’s Church in Harrogate.
The foundation lists what the other groups will do with their grants:
- Killinghall Parish Council: refurbishing ageing wooden play equipment on The Glebe, the recreation ground in the village.
- Dancing for Wellbeing: keeping its gentle exercise classes for over-60s running in Boroughbridge.
- Boroughbridge Community Charity: digital help sessions on the NHS App, laptops, smartphones, WhatsApp and Teams.
- Orb Community Enterprise: monthly cooking and healthy-eating sessions led by Season Well, using ingredients from Orb’s Garden and Resurrected Bites.
- Aphasia Support: sessions for people living with aphasia.
- The Principle Trust: five respite breaks for families affected by domestic abuse or facing complex challenges.
- Emerging Voices: a weekly wellbeing choir for adults with lived experience of mental ill health.
- The Village Harrogate, part of Hope Church Harrogate: a six-week “Babies Matter” parenting programme.
- Harrogate & District Community Action: coordinating its Help at Home service for people who can no longer manage tasks themselves.
- Reflect: one-to-one support and a group retreat for people affected by pregnancy or baby loss.
- Harrogate Baptist Church: a group for secondary-school-age young people.
- Harrogate District of Sanctuary: two courses for Afghan women.
- Lifeline Harrogate: an annual seaside trip for residents of its supported housing for people experiencing homelessness.
- Wellspring Therapy & Training: more counsellor hours, to cut waiting times.
- Kirkby Malzeard Bowls Club: a mower, sprinklers, fertiliser and new sets of bowls. Kirkby Malzeard is a village about six miles north-west of Ripon.
The foundation did not publish the amount each of these groups received, beyond the two at either end of the range.
Where the money comes from
The fund was set up by Harrogate Borough Council, which was abolished when North Yorkshire Council took over in April 2023. The foundation describes it as a lasting legacy of the old council.
It is now backed by North Yorkshire Council, Harrogate & District Community Action and Two Ridings Community Foundation. Money also comes from local donors, the Harry Bolland Trust Fund and THE LOCAL LOTTO, which passes on at least 10p from every ticket sold.
In its nine years the fund has given out more than £490,000 through 182 grants, the foundation says.
What it means for you
- If you run a local group, applications are closed. This year’s Activity Grant deadline was 5 May, with decisions by the end of June, and the foundation has not yet announced the next round. Watch the fund page.
- If you want to help, you can donate to the fund through Two Ridings, or play THE LOCAL LOTTO, which passes part of every ticket to it.
- If you need one of these services, the list above is a quick map of who is doing what locally this year, from home help to counselling.
Harrogate Town Council runs a separate community grants scheme. Its £74,045 round closed on 15 September.
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