ACTION TO SAVE CHARITY FIGHTING TO IMPROVE HORBURY’S QUALITY OF LIFE

Urgent action is being taken to save a charity that has been at the heart of Horbury life for nearly half a century.

Since 1968 Horbury Civic Society has been working to promote and protect the beauty, history and distinctive character of the town and its surroundings. 

But in recent years it has been unable to attract new members willing to play their part in making the town better place for present and future generations.

The society feared it would have to close but made an appeal for help to the Yorkshire and Humber Association of Civic Societies (YHACS), the umbrella group for more than 40 societies in the region, including Horbury.

YHACS has stepped in and taken responsibility for running the charity, installing a new committee, including a replacement chair and officers to revive the society’s fortunes, recruit new members and in due course hand over to a committee made up of local volunteers.

The society’s new chair, Kevin Trickett, who is also chair of YHACS and president of neighbouring Wakefield Civic Society, said: “Horbury Civic Society and its committee members have done sterling work to enhance the town over many years. However, the committee had reduced in number and those who remained weren’t getting any younger. By stepping in to help now, we hope we can ensure that the charity has a healthy future for many years to come. 

“We are therefore appealing to local people who care about Horbury to step forward and join us.”

Horbury and YHACS are affiliated to Civic Voice, a national charity representing 290 societies with 75,000 members, whose ambition is “for England to be a place where every individual can say ‘I am proud of where I live’.”

Launching its recent manifesto, Civic Voice president and TV personality Griff Rhys Jones, said: “We need to give all citizens opportunities to actively shape the future of their place and to give communities the powers they need to enable their town and city centres to prosper.” Kevin Trickett added “As part of a regional and national movement, Horbury Civic Society shares a long tradition of civic societies providing a voice for local people to help shape the place where they live. We want to see that tradition continue by re-energising the Society and attracting new members.”

YHACS is inviting people who would like to help shape the future of Horbury to get in contact via emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or via Twitter @HorburyCivicS.

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS

For further details contact:1

Kevin Trickett, Chair, Yorkshire and Humber Association of Civic Societies and Horbury

Civic Society, also President, Wakefield Civic Society - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address); 

For information about the civic movement in the region and nationally, see http://www.yhacs.org.uk and http://www.civicvoice.org.uk