Beetle Bank Social Farm | Latest news

The Long Game - Free County Lines Workshops

09 April 2025

We are offering free workshops on avoiding county lines as part of Phase 2 of 'The Long Game', a youth-led project funded through the Community Safety Serious Violence Fund by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Policing, Fire and Crime. Now entering its second phase, we are expanding across York and North Yorkshire to deliver free workshops for the following groups.
These workshops are delivered by Adam, a young person with lived experience of exploitation in the county lines system....

Young mum praises stop smoking team

21 March 2025

A young mum who started smoking aged 12 has told how City of York Council’s Health Trainers helped her quit smoking for good so she can stay healthier and live longer.

Mum-of-2 Alex, from York, has told her story on No Smoking Day (Wednesday 12 March) as the Health Trainer service expands its successful Swap2Stop programme further with new online support group sessions. You can watch Alex's story online (YouTube).
Referrals for stop smoking support have doubled since the launch of Swap...

Council secures funding for warmer homes

21 March 2025

Council leaders have confirmed that City of York Council will receive more than £3.4 million of funding thanks to 2 separate grants.

The funding, announced this week by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, will be used to upgrade around 280 homes over the next 3 years, to reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty and improve the comfort and health of council homes.
The first grant of around £1.4 million will be used to improve the energy efficiency of around 140 co...

STEW - designed to raise funds for grassroots groups

05 March 2025

Join York Together at the Bluebird Bakery in Acomb for our first community dinner, STEW. This event will be held on the 2nd April 2025 from 6:15 pm - 9 pm.
For only £6 a ticket, attendees will receive a drink and share a warming stew (hence the name), whilst hearing from people tackling social injustice in their community. Buy your tickets here.
At the event, three local people will have just four minutes each to pitch their community grassroots project idea in front of the audience in o...

Women Unlocked Mentoring Programme

19 February 2025

Women Unlocked- Free mentoring opportunity available for young women aged 16-24 in North Yorkshire

This is a brand-new opportunity for young women & girls in North Yorkshire. The Women Unlocked Mentoring Programme (WUMP) will provide individual and group mentoring to support young women to reach their goals in education; careers; and beyond.
Participants will also have the opportunity to work on a special campaign across the county to raise awareness of a gender equality or Violence Ag...

Great British Spring Clean

19 February 2025

City of York Council is appealing to residents, schools, businesses and community groups to get involved in the Great British Spring Clean 2025.
This year the ninth annual Great British Spring Clean will take place from 21 March - 06 April 2025.
During the Great British Spring Clean, the council will lend a hand to support anyone taking part, including:

providing equipment, to help make jobs quicker and easier to do
collecting bagged litter
promoting community events
offering practical a...

New CEO to lead York-based charity Accessible Arts & Media

28 January 2025

York-based charity Accessible Arts & Media will soon have a new CEO at the helm, with its inspirational co-founder stepping down after over 30 years.

Having recently relocated the organisation to a new, purpose-built space at Clifton Explore, charity leader Rose Kent leaves in March.

“Little did I know when I founded the Accessible Arts arm of the charity back in 1992 that I’d still be here 32 years later”, says Rose. “It’s been a real privilege to run...

Financial Inclusion Fund 2025/26 – Invitation to bid

27 January 2025

The Council has, for several years, funded innovative projects that promote the aims of its Finacial Inclusion Steering Group. Bids are now invited for funding from April 2025 for innovative one-year projects that deliver our finacial inclusion and affordability objectives, support our targeted neighbourhood approach and will make a real difference to people's lives.The minium funding available will be £50,000, there could be up to £100,000 available if approved as part of the Counci...