Harrogate charity in £5,000 boost to make woodlands more accessible at its arts and crafts centre

Henshaws Society For Blind People has used the grant from the Banks Community Fund, which has an office in Harewood, to enhance the woodland area that sits behind the Bond End premises and which is used as a location for artistic activities for people with a range of disabilities.

A range of new plants and shrubs have been planted in the one-hectare space by volunteers, with other improvements made to make it as easier to navigate for its various users.

Originally founded more than 180 years ago, Henshaws supports people living with sight loss and a range of other disabilities across the north of England to achieve their ambitions and to go beyond expectations.

The Arts & Crafts Centre was set up more than 25 years ago and offers a diverse range of different workshops, including jewellery-making, woodwork and horticulture, all of which are led by expert tutors.

It is used by around 100 artmakers every week, a figure which include members of the general public as well as the charity’s different service users.

Henshaws also runs a specialist college in Harrogate which offers day and residential places for young people aged 18 to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities.

The college’s curriculum includes social and creative learning, skills for life and much more.

Connor Crawford, Henshaws’ deputy trusts and grants manager, said: “Our Arts & Crafts Centre provides a forum for a wide range of different creative activities that are accessible to everyone, and the woodland area is a central part of this provision.

“We have to carry maintenance and planting work in the woodland every year, which obviously comes at a cost, and the support we’ve received from the Banks Community Fund is making a big difference.”

Anyone from a community group close to a Banks Group project who is interested in applying for funding from its community fund should first contact the fund manager via [email protected] or on 0191 378 6342 before applying to check if their group or project is eligible.