Funding to help Tadcaster and Sherburn-in-Elmet recover from Covid

The Welcome Back Fund, which is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and distributed by the Government, has allocated £80,409 to the Selby district, for Selby, Sherburn-in-Elmet and Tadcaster.

Selby District Council is using the funds to provide improvements which will have the most positive impact in each community, working with town and parish councils, and other local stakeholders to ensure the results are even more positive.

Coun David Buckle, Lead Executive member for Communities and Economic Development at Selby District Council said: “One of the great successes of this is the way different authorities and organisations have come together to find the best solutions.

“We wanted to achieve the maximum possible with the money available and the enthusiasm and knowledge of our colleagues locally has meant the communities involved will see bigger, longer-lasting, improvements.

“This is a wonderful example of different organisations working together to make a real difference for residents.”

Across the three centres Welcome Back films are being used to encourage community participation and in Selby focus on the work of Selby Big Local and Selby District Association of Voluntary Service (AVS).

In Tadcaster, working with the Town Council, funding has financed additional hanging baskets, fresh daffodil planting on the north side of the bridge, the replacement of old planters from the town centre.

Temporary railings were installed at the war memorial, to allow wreaths to be hung for Remembrance Sunday and which can be used for other events.

Bus station benches have been revitalised with fresh paint and varnish and extra Christmas lights installed on the north side of the bridge. New benches will also appear at The Barn.

Covid safety signage has been financed, with sanitiser stations at the library, The Barn and the Town Council Ark building.

Welcome back films will be used to encourage residents to get involved in community activities, featuring TadCrafters, TadGrafters, The Barn and Tadcaster Community Swimming Pool.

Visitors will be encouraged to make the most of events such as markets through advertising and a new ‘welcome’ sign.

The Town Council has put aside £5,000 for events in the town centre, organised by TEMPT, including the Super SaTADay with took place in September, along with funding to help mark the fifth anniversary of Tadcaster bridge being rebuilt, after it collapsed due to severe flooding.

Sherburn-in-Elmet has Welcome Back films, featuring venues including the Sherburn and Villages Community Library, Old Girls’ School Community Centre and Eversley Park Centre, to help encourage people back to pre-pandemic activities.

Welcome Back funding also paid for new planters on Low Street, chosen by Sherburn Community Association, which maintains planters in the area and Sherburn-in-Elmet Gala Association have been involved in arranging festive lighting lamp post upgrades as part of the package.

A new events calendar, created by local company Creative Shed Agency, an idea put forward by Sherburn-in-Elmet Community Trust, will provide an easy to use webpage on www.sherburninelmet.co.uk/events to provide a one stop location for residents to see what’s happening in their community and for groups to easily add events and activities.

A new information booklet will also be distributed to households and be made available in the library, providing a directory of community clubs, activities, services, businesses and other attractions.

Sanitiser stations will be provided at community venues, accessible seating installed in Fairways and Eversley parks and Sherburn Wombles litter picking group provided with new equipment.

All three locations are involved in a project by Social Vision (York based social enterprise) under the funding scheme, which will be used to pilot new activities residents can get involved in.

The pilot will be used to help identify those activities with a sustainable future, which aim to become a long-term part of the community.

Footfall counts are being done in each area to monitor visitor numbers to assess the success in getting people back to their old habits of visiting town centres.