Young people thriving thanks to multiyear funding from the Bettys & Taylors Family Fund

The story of Bettys & Taylors is deeply connected to food, hospitality and the belief that opportunity can change lives. The values that shaped the business are rooted in the early life of Bettys Tea Rooms founder Frederick Belmont, whose experiences continue to influence the company’s direction and charitable giving today. 

This year, the Bettys & Taylors Family Fund has awarded £127,800 to five community organisations working with young people across Yorkshire. Four of these grants are multi-year awards, providing organisations with the stability and confidence to plan ahead, invest in long-term projects and create lasting impact. 

Together, these five organisations will support more than 600 young people. 

The fund focuses on supporting vulnerable young people aged up to 25, helping them build confidence, develop practical skills and take steps towards employment in food, catering and hospitality. Funding is directed to communities within 20 miles of a Bettys Tea Room, ensuring the fund remains closely connected to the places where the business has its roots and where its employees live and work. 

Gaining qualifications, building confidence and progressing towards employment 

Through food-based training, supportive relationships and hands-on experience, these organisations will help young people gain qualifications, grow in confidence and move closer to employment. 

Here’s how the grants are making a difference: 

Three13 Training and Enterprise Ltd 

Three13 received funding for two strands of work supporting young people facing barriers to employment. 

The first will expand a hospitality skills programme in Northallerton, building on a successful pilot to provide hands-on experience in a real working environment. The grant will also contribute towards staff and overhead costs, alongside an intensive short course that helps young people gain a recognised food qualification while accessing personalised support and employment advice. 

Young People Count 

Young People Count, a community-based youth charity supporting young people aged 11–18 in and around Pocklington, is expanding its popular cooking club into a more structured programme that encourages teenagers to explore careers in food and hospitality. 

Funding will cover staff time, ingredients, equipment and support from a professional chef, enabling participants to achieve recognised food safety qualifications while developing practical cooking skills. 

Chocolate & Co 

Chocolate & Co, a York-based community café and charity, provides paid employment, skills training and wraparound wellbeing support for people facing barriers to work, including homelessness, addiction recovery and experience of the criminal justice system. 

Funding will strengthen its work-based training model for young people facing significant disadvantage, helping them build confidence, life skills and workplace experience. The charity will also employ one trainee each year for the next three years, supporting people with lived experience of homelessness, addiction or the criminal justice system into stable employment within the food sector. 

Outside the Box 

In Ilkley, Outside the Box is receiving funding to provide on-the-job café training for young adults with learning disabilities. 

The grant will support staff time, equipment, supplies and training materials, helping participants gain practical workplace experience in a supportive environment while developing the wider skills needed for greater independence and confidence. 

North East Windhill Community Association (NEWCA) 

North East Windhill Community Association (NEWCA), a community centre in the heart of Windhill, Shipley, received funding for two connected projects that help disadvantaged young people take steps towards careers in catering and hospitality. 

The grant will support a structured training programme that includes formal qualifications, equipment and holistic support. It will also enable volunteering placements within the association’s community café, giving young people valuable real-world experience alongside job and benefits advice and food industry training. 

While each organisation brings something unique to its community, they all share a common belief: that every young person deserves the opportunity to thrive. 

Get involved – apply for the next round 

Applications for the next round of the Bettys & Taylors Family Fund will open later in the year. Apply at  Two Ridings Community Foundation.