Co-op’s reward scheme set to boost Hyde Park Source

Hyde Park Source has been chosen to benefit from the Co-op Local Community Fund.

The rewards scheme will see the charity, if selected, get a boost every time a Co-op member buys selected products or services from the store.

The money will go towards its £20,000 project to renovate its headquarters on Rosebank Road. It needs a new kitchen and bathroom, more insulation and new windows.

Hyde Park Source has already raised £15,000 through various activities and has had a grant from the National Lottery. It is also hoping for money from the City Connect Scheme to help continue its vital work.

Project coordinator Pete Tatham said: “We work with people from disadvantaged communities across Leeds. Our aim is to improve people’s health and wellbeing by improving the environment. We run weekly, supported sessions giving adults, young people and children the chance to learn about their local surroundings and feel a part of these spaces.

“We respond to requests from disadvantaged communities to transform neglected urban spaces and create attractive amenities for rest and recreation such as community gardens, seating and play areas, wildlife and outdoor learning areas, allotments, outdoor kitchens, and art installations.

“Each project is unique and is inspired, designed, implemented and maintained by local people.”

Examples of its work include an improved entrance way to a woodland for Woodhouse Ridge Action Group (WRAG), a new yard for Leeds GATE, and a new driveway and community garden for arts group Left Bank Leeds. It has also been working with Cross Green Growing Together helping them to install a new building, and re-doing their community garden and allotment.

Hyde Park Source delivers weekly projects like its National Lottery funded gardening group Outdoors, Active and Well, Live Well Leeds gardening groups at Seacroft and Kirkstall, and community action day programme Our Rosebank at its headquarters.

The charity believes in collaborative working and has teamed up with a variety of organisations such as Leeds’ Community Based Mental Health Services, Yorkshire Water and primary schools across Leeds.

Pete said the environmental charity help quite a lot of third sector organisations when they need gardens installing, saving them from using commercial contractors.

He added: “We are like a little building and gardening firm but we work a lot with volunteers and any surplus goes back into our charitable activities.”

Hyde Park Source also works closely with primary schools in Leeds to run environmental education sessions so that more children can connect with nature and improve their health and well being.

And Pete is urging people to support its work by selecting it as one of the good causes for the Co-op Local Community Fund.

Pete said: “To help us raise vital funds, we’ll be relying on Co-op members. When a member buys selected products or services from the Co-op they earn a five per cent reward for themselves, with a further one per cent for local causes like ours.”

Members can choose a cause via www.coop.co.uk/membership. Non-members can join in store or online.

Fact file:

Hyde Park Source was established in 1998 and its history is firmly rooted in LS6.

But it has since branched out to deliver projects across Leeds.

Hyde Park Source works with local communities to improve their surroundings, designing and creating attractive, exciting, safe and useful places for people to live, work and play.

The charity’s work is guided by its principles and pathways: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give.

Current projects include gardening group Live Well Leeds at LS14 Trust in Seacroft on Thursdays between 10am and noon.

Earlier this month it also held the Our Rosebank Woodland Gala where people enjoyed activities like making wooden flowers, face painting, cooking, spring bulb planting and leaf collecting. Our Rosebank meets regularly, see website for more details.

Hyde park Source has an impressive roll call of achievements over its 21-year history. In 2007 it was named Youth Group of the Year at the Celebrate Leeds Awards. Previous projects include the All Hallows Remembrance Garden, Rosebank Primary Wildlife Garden and Cottingley Springs Travellers’ Project.

According to its 2018 annual review it has completed around 268 projects, worked with 1,709 children and young people and had 1,229 regular volunteers. Source: www.hydeparksource.org.