DALES JAM
The aim of Dales Jam is to promote music making across all ages, abilities and instruments, using world music and performances. The band meets for weekly improvisation workshops at the Auction Mart in Skipton, and a number of gigs are played across the Dales each year. All members pay subscriptionswhich cover the costs of the workshops. Some gigs provide the sound system but others have to be augmented by hiring. The Craven Trust grant of £500 went towards sound equipment to make the band more self-sufficient.
This is the only club of its kind in the Craven area. It provides leisure time activities for people with learning difficulties (from Downs Syndrome, Aspergers, Epilepsy and multiple learning disabilities). There are indoor games such as table tennis, bowls, football, and listening to music, dancing etc. Trips are organised, such as a day on the canal or to a museum, or other events which members request. These are subsidised to keep the cost down. A Beamsley Trust grant of £1,000 contributed to equipment and trips.
This Scout troop (for boys and girls) needed 3 light tents in order to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme camping expeditions, as their current tents were worn out. They had also recently refurbished their store room in Wilsden Village Hall, making it secure, but needed to install new shelving. The Craven Trust grant of £495 allowed them to purchase these items.
This church has occupied its current site since 1871. The site has been redeveloped to create a new church and community centre. The new building is much larger than the church requires for its own activities and so it is able to share its premises with the wider community. A survey of residents in 2001 identified a shortage of accessible recreation facilities for young and less able people. The church responded to this by employing (and funding) two part-time youth workers. Volunteers also help to run two youth groups. The Craven Trust grant of £500 went towards purchasing some indoor games equipment.
A Beamsley Trust grant of £500 supported Macmillan grants in Keighley and Skipton to local people on low incomes, to cover the cost of a range of basic items and practical needs, thus reducing the worry financial problems cause while someone is dealing with the effects of cancer. Grants were made towards fuel bills and comfortable clothing to enable cancer patients to keep warm, and some grants provided a convalescence break to give a family time together away from hospitals and treatment. In total 30 local people received an average amount of £344, sometimes covering a number of items.
A Craven Trust grant of £300 contributed to the organisation of a cultural festival for around 230 people from the Keighley area. In order to encourage people from diverse backgrounds who are not used to attending Arts events, this first, very successful, festival was free. Young people in the workshops performed with others from Leeds, introducing Indian culture to a wider audience.
A Beamsley Trust grant of £500 contributed to purchasing a Hippocampe all-terrain buggy for a young boy with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy in Keighley. He attends mainstream school but is only able to walk short distances and is becoming more unsteady, with an increased risk of falling. The buggy will enhance his quality of life by enabling him to access more activities with his family and peers.