Pat Haygarth

Pat is chair of the Greatwood and Horseclose Residents’ Association and has championed the cause of local residents on her estates for a number of years.

She has worked hard in setting up and running a number of community initiatives to help combat the social isolation of older residents and has been a driving force in raising the profile of the South Skipton Project, an initiative established to tackle multi deprivation on the two estates where she lives.

Pat also champions the cause of young people and is keenly aware of the need to ensure young people on her estates need to be supported in order to achieve their potential.

Pat brings warmth to the community centre whenever she is there. She cares about people and cares about her community and her positivity rubs off on those around her and those who work with her. Pat always sees the best in the people who live in her community.

She consistently gives her time to the community centre affairs, attending meetings and more recently taking on a seat at the South Skipton partnership steering group. This multi-agency steering group has valued the inputs from Pat already, being able to see the strategic direction for the project and communicate her enthusiasm and positive energy for change to others in the community.

Pat leads a Knit Natter Group, a chair exercise group and Thursday lunch groups on the estate. The groups are valued by their users and forms a part of people’s weekly social calendar, a big contributor to tackling the isolation that many older people on the Greatwood and Horseclose estates face.

Pat is also part of the Community Centre Management Committee and with her colleagues has increased the usage of the centre which runs at almost full capacity now and this has increased its income by over 50 per cent.

The Residents’ Association with Pat as its chair has supported youth groups running at the community centre and she has helped set up and organise summer events, a Christmas event and entered a float in this year’s Skipton Gala. The float won first prize in the best organisational float section with a World War 1 theme.

Deanna Craven

Over the last year Deanna raised over £3,000 for Victoria Hall in Settle by single-handedly organising three ‘All Sorts Markets’ and setting up her own ‘Victoria Hall’ stall selling books, clothes and household items, in addition to providing refreshments and organising volunteer support for over 60 shows.

She recognised the continuing problems faced by the hall’s trustees in maintaining and running a Grade II-listed building with drastically reduced funding.

Deanna single-handedly organises the three Bank Holiday All Sorts Markets and Book Fairs and these have raised over £2,000 in the last year.

Deanna continues to co-ordinate all the volunteers for the various music, drama and poetry events; last year there were 60, which require front-of -house staff and stewards. She attends all events in order to provide refreshments for those attending. This will entail her arriving well before the start of an event and ensuring all the clearing up of the kitchen after, often staying late into the night.

On a Monday morning Deanna cleans the dressing room, the store room, the stairs and prepares the kitchen for the Indoor Market cafe and her stall. She is also an active volunteer in running the cafe itself which raises nearly £4,000 per annum for the benefit of the Hall.

Deanna has been a Trustee of Victoria Hall for 11 years and never fails to attend a meeting. Her contribution at all levels, from cleaning, active fundraising, and helping at all events, right through to strategic input at trustee level helps to ensure that Victoria Hall remains a sustainable self-funding asset for the whole community.

Deanna in many ways is the backbone of the organisation but she works very much in the background, not seeking recognition for what she does – she very much has her heart in the Hall and the community. It is hard to believe that Deanna is in her mid seventies given the energy she puts into everything she does. She is an inspiration to all and sets high standards.

Without Deanna’s valued input Victoria Hall would be a poorer place both financially and how it is seen by the community it serves.

Edna Smith

Edna was always associated with and was a very hard-working member of the old Ickornshaw Chapel, and since that closed she joined St Andrew’s Methodist Church where she has been a faithful worker for many years.

She has a strong alto voice, and has been a choir member with Keighley Vocal Union, Colne Ladies, and others in the area. She is treasurer and booking secretary at St Andrew’s, cleaned when there has been no cleaner, helped with decorating and alterations, strims the Bar Chapel graveyard on a regular basis and together with her son has lopped unsafe branches from trees. She was quickly on the scene when the police were called in due to flags being stolen from graves and she liaises with the undertakers and ministers about burial ground issues.

She is even to be seen seen with a carrier bag picking up litter on a walk down the village.

St. Andrews introduced and has housed the village playgroup for around 40 years, only recently moving out to more suitable premises at the new village hall – she had to negotiate with them and other groups many times, always in a kind and diplomatic manner.

Edna seems to have boundless energy, and has helped with meals on wheels, the community café, supported her late husband Malcolm during the 35 years he was a parish councillor.

St. Andrew’s housed most of the village groups during the two-year transition period from the old to the new village hall, which created a lot more work and planning. Edna has held a couple of fundraising events at her own home for the new hall, whichis now up and running.

When the chapel premises were almost empty again due to most groups having moved to the new village hall, Edna realised the need to raise some income – so started a community charity shop NEW2U in the space which had become available, with a percentage of the profits going to other projects in the community, and some towards the upkeep of the chapel building.

This charity outlet has gone from strength to strength, and now opens three times per week . Together with a team of helpers, Edna has now raised around £2,000 during the first few months, and generous donations have been made to local charities.

Recently the kitchen at St. Andrews is being refurbished from the profits, the work being done by volunteers from the village.

Edna is also is a member of the Cowling Companions, and the Walking and Social Group.

She is a ‘silver surfer’ and has coped well with computer knowledge, much to her own interest and of great benefit to her contributions to church and community.

She has also helped with surveys and petitions on behalf of the parish council, and is always open to new suggestions and ideas.