Directory to help find York’s community sports clubs

As part of work to increase levels of physical activity across the city, City of York Council has produced a directory of York’s community sports clubs.

The directory includes information and contact details for 115 voluntary sports clubs in the city offering a range of sporting and physical activity opportunities from angling to walking.

There is something for everyone with activities for all ages and abilities seven days a week, all-year round.

5,000 copies have been printed and are being distributed to schools, libraries and community centres across the city. The guide is also available to view online at www.york.gov.uk/communitysportsclubs.

 

In addition to this directory, the council’s Yorwellbeing service also offers support to local sports clubs through the Yorwellbeing club development offer. The service offers support on a variety of areas such as; funding applications, national governing body accreditations, facility development projects and community engagement.

For more information on the sports club directory or the club development offer please contact yorwellbeing@york.gov.uk or call 01904 553377.

Clubs who aren’t included within this year’s edition of the directory are asked to get in touch with the Yorwellbeing service so they can be incorporated into future publications.

Future of Windsor House site being discussed

Proposal for Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children

Windsor House

A report is being discussed next week which is expected to result in confirmation of plans to close the Windsor House elderly persons home on Ascot Way. The proposal was first discussed in September and now Council officials are reporting back on the discussions that they have had with residents, their relations and staff.

5 residents have recently moved out leaving 17 to find new homes. The Council says that there is currently a good supply of alternative accommodation options available including Glen Lodge.

The care home has 33 staff in total, the majority of who work part time.

The main criticism of the closure relates to timing. Promised modern elderly care facilities on the west of the City will not be available for 2 or 3 years.

Lincoln Court

Hedges blocked view and light from Lincoln Court flats in the summer

Considerable concerns have been expressed by residents of the adjacent Lincoln Court sheltered development.

These self-contained flats which include some communal space, are not included in the closure plans. However, the building has been allowed to deteriorate recently. Window frames are rotten, while an ongoing criticism has been about poor management of parking facilities.  Some boundary hedges weren’t cut in the summer, effectively isolated the elderly residents from the rest of the community.

York must do better in the way that it treats its tenants at Lincoln Court. They need to be given

assurances about the future of their flats as well as a date when modernisation works will commence.

The future of the Windsor Garth site

The Council has unveiled what seems to be a caring and imagination use for the Ascot Way site when the existing buildings have been demolished.

The report describes a possible state of the art facility for disabled children

 

“Should Windsor House close, the site could be redeveloped as the location for the Centre of Excellence for Disabled Children and their Families, for housing or sold.”

Just as society doesn’t always treat the elderly as well as it should, the same could be said of people with disabilities. The principle of the proposed facility would therefore be welcome.

However, there are two significant issues to be addressed before any further development is considered in this neighbourhood.

Traffic congestion and lack of off street parking are now major problems.

They have worsened since 66 additional homes were built on the Hob Stones site and were exacerbated by the Council decision not to let the garages in Newbury Avenue pending the redevelopment of that site. The two issues are linked with inadequate “on street” parking space making access difficult even for the bus service.

There have been calls to introduce a “one way” system or even reopen the second access from Kingsway West.

Whatever the solution may be, one must be found before any development takes place which could further increase vehicle movements in the area.

Now Drainage Board highlights Lowfields playing field development issues

click to view complete letter

According to the “Save Lowfields Playing Field Action Groups“ Facebook page the Ainsty Internal Drainage Board is unhappy with the Council’s plans to develop the playing field.

The Drainage Board comments come a few days after Sport England recorded a formal (holding) objection to the plans. Sport England say that the Council proposed alternative football pitch location (Sim Balk Lane) is unconvincing with any facility there likely to be used mainly by Bishopthorpe.

Lowfields Green – a candidate for the least imaginative architecture award?

Concerns about water run off rates, from what is currently a self draining grassed field, are not unexpected.

A glace at the Council unimaginative serried rows of new houses (see left) as well as offering little streetscape relief, have minimal green space provision.

Sport England objection

Hard surfaces increase water run off rates and neighbouring properties could be adversley affected.

Hopefully the Council will now withdraw its proposals and come with something that not only increases the availability of homes in the area but also addresses some endemic failings.

Not least amongst these are the lack of open space and sports pitches in the Westfield ward.

One of the consequences of poor leisure and other public services is that life expectancy in the area is significantly below the Citywide average

 

Liberal Democrat Councillor supporting young people’s voice across Yorkshire and the Humber

Ashley Mason with Members of Youth Parliament and Youth Council Leads from across Yorkshire and the Humber

Liberal Democrat and City of York Councillor, Ashley Mason, is taking a regional role to champion the voice of over 500,000 young people in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Cllr Mason, who has a track record in supporting the York Youth Council, has been supporting the regional Youth Work Unit to ensure young people have access to information and resources, in order to enable them to have their say in local and regional decision-making.

Cllr Mason is now working to create an online digital platform for all young people to access. It will contain useful information on how decisions are made, which bodies are responsible for services and what the role is of their elected representatives.

On Saturday the 18th November, Councillor Mason met with 12 young people, from respective Local Authorities, to discuss the creation of a possible digital platform. The discussion included Members of Youth Parliament and Youth Council from: Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, York, Doncaster, North Yorkshire, Rotherham, Barnsley and North East Lincolnshire.

Cllr Ashley Mason said:

“It was great to discuss my plans with these highly engaged and passionate young people. It was abundantly clear that there is a lot of disparity across the 12 local authorities, in regards to engagement and access to information. This new resource will help any young person wanting to learn more about organisations such as Councils and CCGs and in turn, help them influence the decisions that affect young people in their communities.

Cllr Mason added “I have given up a lot of my time to this project work; championing the voices of young people is something I feel very passionate about. It is so encouraging to have the full support of the young people I have spoken too and to hear what impact this could have. I am also very grateful to the Regional Youth Work Unit, who are equally as enthusiastic about this project as I am,”

The website is intended to be launched at the Young Peoples Convention in Northallerton, January 2018. The project is currently being self-financed by Cllr Mason, but anyone interested in supporting or contributing to this valuable project should email cllr.amason@york.gov.uk

Brighter futures for children in care in York

Employee volunteering charity York Cares and the council have been working together on a project to help young people in care acquire the skills and experience to prepare them for their next steps.

Called Bright Futures, this ongoing joint project aims to help those aged between 11 and 18 by matching them with employers from across the city who can offer taster days, behind the scenes visits and skills workshops.

This week of opportunities took place ahead of activities run around the tenth national Takeover Challenge which this year will run from 24 November 2017. The Challenge involves organisations across England opening their doors to children and young people and letting them take over adult roles.

York Cares works with many of the city’s leading employers several of whom, over the course of the Bright Futures week, delivered activities to young people in care in Years 7 to 13. Many different sectors were showcased by employers throughout the week from construction to performing arts giving young people an insight into a range of careers.

Activities that have taken place included building firm Evora offering a young person an insight into architecture and setting them the challenge to design their own house. A group of young people took to the bikes at York Sport Village and learnt about the range of roles available within the leisure industry. Young people also visited York Theatre Royal, Askham Bryan College, Portakabin, and The Dormouse pub which have all given young people a taster of what they could expect from working there.

After one activity, a young person said, “I will probably come back here and apply for a job!” demonstrating how inspiring activities with employers can be for young people thinking about their futures.
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What’s on in York; My Minster – make a mural at Dringhouses Library

Nov _3Samuel Parsons Map

Dringhouses Library :

Fri 3 Nov :

3.00pm – 5.00pm :

£2 per child/£5 family ticket

Artist Anna Harding will help you make a mural of the wonderful York Minster, to help decorate Dringhouses Library. Make the Minster, and then make a picture of yourself to go in the mural! Sponsored by York Evening Decorative and Fine Art Society (YEDFAS).

Booking advisable to avoid disappointment.

This event is aimed at 4-12 year old.

For further information please call Dringhouses Library on (01904) 552674 or email dringhouses@exploreyork.org.uk.

What’s on in York: “Waiting for Sogmog” at Clifton Library

Noc _2Sogmog

Clifton Explore Library

Thu 2 Nov

10.00am – 12.00pm

Free

Come and meet children’s author Danny Crow who will be doing a reading from his latest book “Waiting for Sogmog”.

There will be a chance to talk to Danny and ask questions about his book.

Lots of Cat based crafts and activities.

Refreshments.

For ages 4 – 10 year old.

For more information please call Clifton Explore Library on (01904) 552662 or email clifton@exploreyork.org.uk.

 

Exhibition for new single temporary accommodation site in York

Residents and business are being invited to see plans on 1st November for a single building to be converted to meet City of York Council’s accommodation requirements for temporarily homeless people.

Following approval by senior councillors on 16 March 2017, James House on James Street has been bought and is in the pre-planning stage.

Now, ahead of an application for planning permission being submitted in early November, residents are invited to see for themselves an exhibition of plans for the proposed 57 self-contained flats which will be owned and managed by City of York Council.

The project is being supported by a £2.365m grant from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

The plans aim to consolidate into one building, much of the accommodation for temporarily homeless people currently scattered across the city. It will also replace the accommodation at Ordnance Lane.

At James House, it’s proposed that the more-easily managed building will include a public reception, staff offices, interview rooms and a training kitchen. It will have council staff on site from 8am to 8pm seven days a week, and will have on-site security staff outside those times.

In addition to the formal planning application consultations, the public exhibition of the proposed scheme will be held on Wednesday 1 November between 9:30am and 3pm at the Raylor Centre, James Street, YO10 3DW which is next door to James House itself.

For more detail on the scheme, please email jameshouse@york.gov.uk