Out and about with the High Sheriffs of North Yorkshire and East Riding

Recent visits that Bec and Esther have taken with the High Sheriffs of North Yorkshire and the East Riding have highlighted just how varied, creative and essential community organisations are across the region. Both Nigel Corner and Neil Sanderson have seen first-hand how groups are quietly transforming lives every day — creating spaces where people can rebuild confidence, build friendships, and access the support they need to move forward.

In North Yorkshire, Nigel has been focusing on organisations that help people find new opportunities and fresh horizons, including ex-offenders, veterans and those who have experienced homelessness.

In the East Riding, Neil Sanderson is drawing on his background in the food industry to explore the vital role food plays in bringing communities together, and is keen to strengthen links between community organisations and the commercial sector so they can create even greater impact together.

New opportunities and fresh horizons

A strong theme running through Nigel’s visits is the way community organisations help people rebuild self-esteem, rediscover purpose and open up new possibilities.

At Menfulness, he saw how connection, counselling, shared activity and peer support are helping men navigate difficult times. The group offers a welcoming space for honest conversation and mutual support, with an allotment and outdoor seating area funded by Two Ridings providing a simple but powerful place to spend time together.

At Three13, people facing significant challenges are gaining hands-on experience in carpentry, gardening and food preparation, building both practical skills and confidence. Watching one group prepare soup from vegetables they had grown themselves was a simple but striking example of the sense of achievement the project creates.

That same sense of belonging was clear at Veterans Working Party CIC in Catterick, where volunteers have transformed a labyrinth in Coronation Park into a welcoming community space, while also supporting one another through shared experience, skill-building and genuine friendship.

Stories that stay with you

Nigel’s interest in literacy and opportunity was brought to life during a visit to Shared Story CIC and Bookcase for All. Shared Story CICs “Not a Book Club” brings people together to read, reflect and discuss ideas in a safe and welcoming environment, but it has become much more than a reading group.

People participating spoke about overcoming loneliness and improving wellbeing through simple, meaningful connection. For Nigel, who has described books as “a light in the dark” at points in his own life, it was a powerful reminder of how reading and conversation can open doors to new possibilities.

Bookcase for All make it their mission to bring books to people experiencing homelessness. Stories are shared in all sorts of way.

Food, community and belonging

Across Hull and the East Riding, Neil’s visits highlighted the central role food often plays in community life.

At Giroscope’s Kitchen 23, young people are gaining real-world experience in a professional kitchen, building skills and confidence through hands-on training. Nearby, Solidarity Hull uses food as a way to reduce isolation and bring people together through its Food Justice project, supporting families with nutritious meals in a warm, welcoming setting.

At aScEND, which supports children, young people and families living with special educational needs and neurodiversity, the Brewable Cafe offers affordable food alongside volunteering opportunities and a safe space to develop new skills and confidence.

Neil also visited Holme Family Connect, home to the area’s only baby bank, which provides essential items such as nappies, clothing, cots and pushchairs to families across East Yorkshire.

One visit that particularly stood out was The Acorns in Market Weighton. At first glance it looks like a charity shop, but inside it is a vibrant community hub offering food support, advice, social activities and a genuinely welcoming space where people feel at home.

Volunteers, staff and visitors all describe it in the same way: as a family. Alongside its day-to-day support, The Acorns reinvests any surplus into the community through small grants that help other local organisations thrive.

Quiet impact, lasting change

Taken together, these visits are a reminder of the quiet but powerful work happening across our region every day. Whether helping someone build confidence, find companionship, access essentials, or simply feel that they belong, these grassroots organisations are changing lives in ways that are often unseen but deeply felt.

We are grateful to both High Sheriffs for taking the time to learn about, celebrate and champion the people and organisations making such a difference across Yorkshire, and for their genuine appreciation of the work being done on the ground.