Dear Westow Parish,
It feels like five minutes since we last wrote to you and it’s hard to believe a whole year has gone by. Perhaps it’s the increasing demand and pace of work this year that has made it go so quickly. The themes we have been dealing with particularly in your area of benefit mainly relate to increasing anxiety around income and fear of energy costs, health, and security. We are also seeing concerns around housing and access to local services, particularly for those experiencing rural or other isolation.
In the Ryedale district in 2022-2023 we helped 1,171 individuals with 7,265 problems. In Westow Parish we helped 3 people.
We gave a range of advice from a one-off simple consumer enquiry through to specialist preventative services to stop debt/ homelessness occurring, and representation at tribunals and court. We ran a main service in Malton which had drop-in sessions or appointments most days of the week, along with outreach advice at Pickering, Helmsley and Kirkbymoorside.
Our Mobile Advice Van and Bus also visited various locations throughout the year including markets, libraries, community groups, and events. We were joined by some of our partners including Warm & Well in North Yorkshire, IDAS, NY Fire and Rescue Service, and MIND, helping to promote all our services and reaching those in real isolation.
We are not a popular charity for public donations as most of the public think we are a statutory body which is not true. Demand for our service is at crisis point at the current time. Before Covid our helpline had a demand of an average 250 calls a week. It now has an average of 650 calls a week. We are trying to do what we believe is vital for our vulnerable clients and keep all our on-ground services open while meeting our phone demand. In some areas we are one of the few open-door services left that people can walk into and get support and talk to real people.
Please help us keep our service on the ground and face to face. We can assure you that any donations received, no matter how small, will be spent delivering our service to people in your area. If you would like to make a donation, and are unsure how to do this, please reply to this email for further information.
If you cannot help this year we understand and ask that you help publicise our services to your community. If you would like more information or for us to come and give a talk to Westow Parish council about the work we do, please let us know.
Yours truly,
PP. Carol Shreeve, CEO