Harrogate charity says 'joining Saint Michael’s Hospice offers the best opportunity to protect our work'

Saint Michael’s Hospice and Harrogate & District Community Action (HADCA) are moving forward with plans to bring the two organisations together to secure a stronger and more sustainable future for HADCA’s work.

The move comes at a time of increasing challenges for all charities and aims to protect HADCA’s valuable contribution to the local voluntary sector, while creating new opportunities to local support charities, volunteers and communities.

The decision follows detailed due diligence led by the charities and careful consideration by the respective Boards.

The strategic decision to move forward has been made, with the organisations now working through the necessary legal, regulatory and practical arrangements.

A date for the transition has not yet been confirmed.

Tony Collins, Chief Executive of Saint Michael’s Hospice, said: “We believe HADCA’s work is too valuable not to have a strong future.

“By bringing our organisations together, we have the opportunity to combine HADCA’s local knowledge, trusted relationships and voluntary sector expertise with the resources, infrastructure and experience of Saint Michael’s.

“We want to become an even stronger champion for positive change and build on what HADCA has achieved and help its work reach even further.”

Saint Michael's Hospice in Harrogate was established in 1987 and welcomed its first inpatient care services the following year.

The roots of Harrogate & District Community Action, which supports and connects charities, community organisations and volunteers across the Harrogate district, go back to 1963 with the establishment of Ripon CVS.

The core Harrogate organisation was originally founded in 1988 as Harrogate and Area CVS.

The move builds on an established relationship between the two organisations.

Saint Michael’s and HADCA have already worked together on funding applications, community projects and secondment opportunities, sharing expertise and creating opportunities for their teams to learn from one another.

Saint Michael’s also makes use of HADCA’s services, alongside its own community of around 700 volunteers, giving it first-hand experience of the value HADCA brings.

Helen Bourner, Chair of HADCA, said: “We are immensely proud of HADCA’s contribution to the local voluntary and community sector and of everything our staff, volunteers, members, trustees and partners have achieved together.

”We believe joining Saint Michael’s offers the best opportunity to protect and develop our work for the long term.

“Saint Michael’s understands the value of HADCA because we have already worked together successfully.

“This gives us confidence that our relationships, knowledge and experience can become part of something stronger, helping us continue to support local organisations and communities for years to come.”

Volunteering will be an important part of the two groups’ shared ambition.

By building on HADCA’s volunteering expertise and Saint Michael’s established volunteer community, the aim is to connect more people with meaningful volunteering opportunities, encourage collaboration across the sector and help communities respond to changing needs.