Member Article

Knaresborough Art Makers Getting Closer To Nature With Banks Group Grant Support

Visitors to a charity-run North Yorkshire arts centre will be enjoying getting closer to nature thanks to a four-figure grant from property and renewable energy firm the Banks Group.

The Arts & Crafts Centre in Knaresborough run by the Henshaws Society For Blind People has used a £5,000 grant from the Banks Community Fund to enhance the woodland area that sits behind the Bond End premises and which is used as a location for artistic activities for people with a range of disabilities.

A range of new plants and shrubs have been planted in the one-hectare space by some of the charity’s volunteers, with other improvements made to make it as easy as possible to navigate for its various users.

Originally founded more than 180 years ago, Henshaws supports people living with sight loss and a range of other disabilities across the north of England to achieve their ambitions and to go beyond expectations.

The Arts & Crafts Centre was set up more than 25 years ago and offers a diverse range of different workshops, including jewellery-making, woodwork and horticulture, all of which are led by expert tutors.

It is used by around 100 artmakers every week, a figure which include members of the general public as well as the charity’s different service users.

Henshaws also runs a specialist college in Harrogate which offers day and residential places for young people aged 18 to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities. The college’s curriculum covers four distinct topic areas – social and creative learning, living and work, health and well-being, and skills for life.

Connor Crawford, deputy trusts and grants manager at Henshaws, says: “The support, advice and training provided by the charity enables our service users and their families to build skills, develop confidence, help each other and look forward to a more positive future.

“The Arts & Crafts Centre provides a forum for a wide range of different creative activities that are accessible to everyone, and the woodland area is a central part of this provision.

“It provides a wonderful environment in which everyone can let their imaginations run free and we know how much all our visitors appreciate that it’s there.

“We have to carry maintenance and planting work in the woodland every year, which obviously comes at a cost, and the support we’ve received from the Banks Community Fund is making a big difference to how we’ve been able to cover it.”

The Banks Group, which has an office at Harewood near Leeds, has a long track record of successful Yorkshire developments across all its divisions, including the Castle Hill Farm residential development in Harrogate and onshore wind farms near Leeds, Barnsley Sheffield, Doncaster.

Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at The Banks Group, adds: “The centre is a wonderful community asset that provides lots of fantastic opportunities for its users to get creative.

“The woodland is really springing into life and we hope as many local people as possible take the time to explore what outdoor activities they might be able to take part in.”

Anyone from a community group close to a Banks Group project who is interested in applying for funding from the Banks Community Fund should first contact the fund manager via fundmanager@bankscommunityfund.org.uk or on 0191 378 6342 before applying for a grant to check if their group or project is eligible.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Julian Christopher .