£10k boost to pioneering outreach project

August 29, 2012

We are delighted to announce that an incredible £10,000 has been secured to enable our pioneering outreach project ‘People and the DALES’ to continue into the autumn.

Our friends at the Yorkshire Dales Society (YDS) share our passion for the enjoyment and protection of the Dales, and now have generously donated to this life-changing project.  Peaple and the DALES encourages people from disadvantaged and urban backgrounds to experience the Dales through activities such as walks, farm visits, conservation work and crafts.  So far more than 4000 people have benefited from the project.

The donation came at a critical time when the future of the project was uncertain.  This financial boost will allow us to retain key members of experienced staff, ensuring project continuity, and will enable us to continue to offer invaluable experiences in the Dales between now and autumn through a programme of activity days.  It will benefit people with health problems or disabilities, or from black and minority ethnic or economically deprived communities.

Aris Iqbal and Shamsa Kanwal Aris from Advocacy Support (a group which provides support to refugees in Leeds)

Crucially this financial boost will also enable more detailed evaluation of the project so far, and preparation of a business plan for future funding bids, putting us in a strong position to secure other longer term funding opportunities which would allow this life-changing outreach work to continue for many more years.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Yorkshire Dales Society for their generosity and passion.  Thanks to their help, we are very hopeful that we will now be well placed to secure more long term funding to allow this pioneering project to continue into the future.

Thanks also go to Access to Nature, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Fields Studies Council and the many individuals and partner organisations involved in helping to make the project such a success so far.

You can find out more about YDS on their website at www.yds.org.uk