SOCIAL IMPACT

RAISING THE BAR - STORIES

Take time out for a chat

TransPennine Express (TPE) has launched a brand-new initiative, ‘chatty benches’, in a push to end loneliness and increase conversations amongst customers, following more than a year of reduced interactions amongst the public due to the pandemic. With more than 9m people in the UK experiencing loneliness, TPE understands it may be the person sitting next to you who is quietly struggling. Consequently, the train company has launched the ‘chatty benches’, which will now be signposted at all of TPE’s managed stations** throughout the North. To mark the launch, colleagues, customers and representatives from the Campaign to End Loneliness took a seat at the world’s longest railway bench, at Scarborough train station, TPE’s very first ‘chatty bench’. In a recent study conducted by the Campaign to End Loneliness, 71% of adults in the North of England thought that loneliness would be a serious issue beyond Covid-19. Now, TPE is committed to raising awareness of loneliness and helping customers in the North and Scotland who currently suffer, or who have suffered from loneliness during the pandemic. Partnership Marketing Manager for TransPennine Express, Lisa Hewitt said: “We’re very excited to be launching the ‘chatty benches’ initiative at stations throughout the North. We know, now more than ever, getting together has never felt better. We want to raise awareness of the issue and encourage moments of interaction to support those who have experienced loneliness, helping them make new connections whilst also enabling them to reconnect with family and friends.”

Tour De Ramsdens

Our team of cyclists took on the 100 mile route across our 14 offices, starting at York at 6 am and finishing at the Ramsden Street office in Huddersfield at 7:30 pm, in aid of the Yorkshire Children’s Centre. Yorkshire Children’s Centre, which was set up by Brian Jackson over 40 years ago, is dedicated to improving the lives of residents in Kirklees, offering their support to children, young people, adults, families and the elderly. The charity has been fundamental in helping the local community throughout the pandemic, from offering befriending and victim support services to helping people get back to work. Sara Altman, Head of Income and Partnerships at the Yorkshire Children’s Centre commented: “We would like to say a huge thank you to the team and all of the cyclists at Ramsdens Solicitors who have taken on the #TourDeRamsdens 100 mile cycle challenge to support the work of YCC. As a registered charity, we rely on the business community to help us raise the £3m needed each year to provide our vital services for children, young people and adults across Kirklees. We are delighted that the team at Ramsdens have chosen to support YCC, and are all extremely grateful for their kindness and generosity.” So far the team have raised an amazing £1,075 (inc Gift Aid) for the charity, smashing their original target of £500. Jonathan Cornes, lead organiser of the charity event said: “I want to say thank you to all the staff across Ramsdens for their hospitality and encouragement for the Tour de Ramsdens and to everyone who has supported us and donated.”

Bus journeys are a springboard

Harrogate’s leading bus operator, The Harrogate Bus Company, has stepped in to help local students with special educational needs to build independence as they travel. The bus firm is providing free travel across Harrogate and Knaresborough for groups of students and their teachers from Springwater School in Starbeck, to help them to get around town and gain travel skills along the way. All young people attending the school have moderate to complex learning disabilities, and their teachers say the bus firm’s support is vital to help them rebuild social confidence as their learning community recovers from the impact of the pandemic. Springwater School Sixth Form teacher Kelly Tomlinson said: “We’re very grateful to The Harrogate Bus Company for supporting us. Our students will benefit from being able to visit venues and integrate with the local community, gaining independent travel training skills as they go. “Our Sixth Form classes especially benefit from travelling by bus, as students are accessing a curriculum that prepares them for adulthood. Being able to travel together to town to use community facilities, access local shops and so on will make all the difference to their progress.” The Harrogate Bus Company’s General Manager, Steve Ottley, said: “We’re delighted to be able to help Springwater School with group travel on our buses – it’s something we supported before the pandemic, and it’s more important now than ever that we do all we can to make travel safe and enjoyable for the students.”

RAISING THE BAR - OPPORTUNITIES

Make a wish come true

When You Wish Upon a Star has a simple mission, to grant the Wishes of children aged 4 – 16 living with a life threatening illness. Our Wishes have the power to transform the lives of the children and families we work with and since 1990 we have proudly granted over 18,500 across the UK. We are a small national charity which receives no Government funding and are reliant on donations from individuals and businesses in our communities. The COVID pandemic has meant that many of our Wishes have sadly, but necessarily, had to be put on hold. We currently have over 100 children on our Wish list and we are working hard to generate the funds to grant all these Wishes when it is safe to do so. By donating to When You Wish Upon a Star you would be helping dreams come true for our inspiring Wish children and making magical memories for the whole family. Please contact Alex Byers alex.byers@whenyouwish.org.uk or call 07918 850931 for information on our Wish granting work or to make a donation.

Looking for valuable treasure

The role of a treasurer is a very important one. Not only with thousands of pounds flowing through the Church’s funds, but the PCC is also an independent charity, and will need to conform to Charity Commission guidance. The treasurer does not need to be an accountant, but experience of bookkeeping and accountancy practices would be very helpful to the role. The current treasurer will work with you to handover the accounts and you will receive additional ongoing support and training with the diocese and the Association of Church Accountants and Treasurers (ACAT) as well as from the software service providers WYCAS and MMA. Do you know someone who might be suitable for this role? Please get in touch. To find out more, please contact Hannah Lievesley (Vicar) Telephone 0113 2103497 or email hannah.lievesley@leeds.anglican.org

Make a big splash

SNAPS is a Leeds charity that delivers physiotherapy, swimming lessons, recreational activities, a football club and holistic family support for children with additional needs and their families. Our aim is to make the ‘impossible’, possible for children. A partnership with SNAPS will provide your business with a rewarding relationship that makes a huge difference to families in the local community. We will bring the work of SNAPS to life with photos, case studies and videos, impact reports, and where possible in-person visits, ensuring your team have a meaningful link to the families we support. A dedicated member of staff will work with you and tailor the partnership to what suits your business best. We will provide bespoke opportunities for team building, accessibility education and PR, along with chances to volunteer at fun-packed events such as our SNAPS Superhero Zoom. To find out more about partnering with SNAPS, please contact Eve Holdsworth on 07511 158304 or email eve@snapsyorkshire.org. Visit our website at www.snapsyorkshire.org

PLEDGES

We pledge to offer free digital interactive mental health resources through the launch of our Lets Stop

Shouting Awareness Day on

November 6 2021.

Watoto Play

We pledge to reduce the amount of paper used within the business by implementing digital and cloud based systems we aim to reduce our paper usage by over 50%.

ESC Solutions

We pledge to educate the next generation of digital talent and support the growth of socially conscious enterprises in Yorkshire.

We will help people develop their digital skills with 1-to-1 training, with a holistic approach to learning.

Brand Ambition

The West and North Yorkshire Chamber encourages local businesses to support their wider community through its social impact initiative – Raising the Bar.

This year the Raising the Bar initiative will focus on creating new engaging content and events, to assist you and your business to act responsibly in 2021. The Raising the Bar Pledge Campaign has been developed to encourage businesses to think about their social impact and the positive influence they have.

It doesn’t matter how big or small your pledge is, and it doesn’t have to be a monetary contribution, it’s about businesses across the district pitching in to make a collective impact.

Make your commitment to managing your social impact by making a Pledge at www.raising-the-bar.org.uk/create-a-pledge

All Pledges published on the Raising the Bar website will be shared and promoted online to highlight the excellent work you and your business is doing, encouraging others to follow your lead.