The Tunstall Kids and Community Club is based near Catterick, Richmondshire. A group of parents, children and friends contacted Richmondshire CVS in 2008 for advice on how to get the Club started.
Richmondshire CVS was able to help with support from the York and North Yorkshire Funding Advice Network (FAN). FAN is part of the York & North Yorkshire Infrastructure Consortium. York & North Yorkshire Infrastructure Consortium is a partnership of local support and development organisations that provide support for at least 600 frontline voluntary organisations and community groups. Funded by Capacitybuilders and the Big Lottery BASIS 2 programme.
Staff at Richmondshire CVS had received accredited training in funding advice organised by FAN. The funding adviser visited Kids and Community Club several times to get a clear idea of what they wanted to achieve. They then helped to get things formalised by helping with:
agreeing an appropriate legal structure and a constitution
developing a child protection policy
opening a bank account
It was clear from the start that the group wanted to offer various activities and sessions and involve all generations. The funding adviser’s search pointed to the best all round funder being the Big Lottery’s Awards for All. He helped the group to develop a complete project plan, including clear finances and specific outcomes. The application was successful and the club was awarded the full £5,845 requested for activities and equipment for a fortnightly evening children’s club in the village hall, gardening, Rural Arts sessions and visits to interesting local places. The evening children’s club was so successful that the sessions soon became weekly. The group put in another bid for £1,000 to O2 to develop a community garden. To round off a very successful first year, a celebration, attended by members of the whole community, was held in the village hall, with home-made soups and cakes, competitions and a visual review of what had been achieved.
The Funding Advice Network is one of a number of professional networks across York and North Yorkshire, including community accounting, human resources, volunteering and rural voice.
This case study is part of a series, published in Building links: why support and development organisations matter for Yorkshire and the Humber.