ICB & Calderdale Council Join Us on a Tour Seeing Calderdale’s Impact First Hand

At the Community Foundation for Calderdale (CFFC), we are proud of the strong relationships we hold with our funders. Part of that partnership means not just sharing reports, statistics, and case studies but also taking funders around Calderdale to see for themselves the incredible work happening in our community.

This month, colleagues from the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Calderdale Council joined us for a tour of local charities and community groups. We hired a minibus and driver from Calderdale Community Transport who took us on a tour to see a mix of projects making a real difference.

Our first stop was at Focus4Hope in Brighouse, where Louise Reed spoke candidly about the funding challenges facing many charities. From covering core costs to securing longer term funding, the struggle is very real and worrying. But what shone through was the honesty of the conversation, and how much funders felt there were there to listen, take on board what was said, and feed it back.

Louise reminded us that Focus4Hope is about far more than food parcels or emergency support, it’s about helping people rebuild their lives after a crisis. Their work offers wraparound support that is tailored to individuals as they recognise that everyone’s journey is different. As well as signposting people to other services, they work with other organisations to help individual cases who may slip through the net and to get the best outcome for that person.

We also heard from Adele, a huge advocate of Focus4Hope and described them as a lifeline. She told us how the weekly meals and the social supermarket have really helped her, and she is trying new foods and eating healthier. But it was also really clear that the social interaction and knowing someone cares about her had made a tremendous difference. Stories like hers are the reason this work matters so much.

Christine, from Brighouse Food Bank and Turning Point Counselling, spoke about the patterns she is seeing in food poverty and the importance of addressing the root causes through money management, debt support, and counselling. Ursula from Turning Point Counselling Services agreed and with mental health concerns woven through so many of these challenges, it was a reminder of just how interconnected these issues are.

Next, we toured ROKT in Brighouse which also received funding from CFFC when they were flooded. ROKT is best known for its climbing wall, the team there delivers a huge range of initiatives from healthy holidays programmes for children eligible for free school meals to pioneering menopause support, and inclusive SEND provision.

We were particularly impressed by the sensory room and by hearing how their escape rooms are used both for fundraising and for speech therapy assessments. The creativity and innovation at ROKT are a real testament to the “can do” spirit we saw throughout the day.

We visited the social initiative café at Project Colt in Elland for lunch. For some of us, it was the first time trying a “havercake” which are similar to pancakes and they were absolutely delicious! Over lunch, the group reflected on what we’d seen so far, with a sense that this tour was just the beginning of something bigger.

Project Colt’s site is home to a wide range of social enterprises and initiatives, each run making the most of limited resources (which was another theme thread throughout the day.) It was clear why they are known as a “can do” organisation as well.

In the afternoon, we were welcomed at Holy Nativity Church in Mixenden. Colleagues from Mixenden Activity Centre, North Halifax Partnership, and Noah’s Ark joined us for a frank and open discussion about the needs in this part of Calderdale and the impact funding can make.

It was encouraging to see funders engaging with community leaders and listening to the brilliant work that is happening but importantly, what else is needed. Everyone agreed that Calderdale is delivering some pioneering and innovative work, but that more needs to be done to reduce inequalities and build resilience.

When CFFC manages a fund on behalf of an organisation, we provide detailed reports, monitoring data, and case studies to show the difference funding has made. But taking funders on a tour like this brings the work to life in a way that no report can capture because we meet people and hear their stories and the difference it has made to their life.

We are grateful to our colleagues at the ICB and Calderdale Council for joining us on this tour, and to all the charities who hosted us and shared their work and challenges.  There was a clear theme running throughout the day: Calderdale is full of pioneering people delivering amazing services with limited resources, and always with a “can do” attitude.

Together, with funders and partners, we can build on this work and ensure Calderdale continues to be a place where communities are supported, resilient, and thriving.