Community Works Thirsk

Merger News

Please note that The Clock and Thirsk Community Care have merged to form Community Works and we are in the process of adapting the websites to fit the new organisation.

Community Works is a new organisation; an exciting result of a merger between The Clock and Thirsk Community Care. The two charities have combined their staff, resources and services as part of their long term plan to become self-sustaining. The newly formed Board of Trustees see it as a time for ambition and are working towards Community Works being the leading voluntary organisation in the area. Community Works will be the first point of contact for children, young people and adults who need to access a service. It will also be an organisation with expertise for other voluntary organisations and a delivery partner for statutory organisations.

Community Works' Vision

Our vision is that Communities in North Yorkshire, particularly around Thirsk, are strong, resilient and vibrant, and individuals in the community feel that they belong, are connected and live independent, active fulfilled lives.

Our Mission

We will facilitate partnerships to support people in North Yorkshire, particularly from Thirsk to connect with and contribute to their community by providing opportunities for them to improve their economic, health and social wellbeing.

Social objectives

Increase Social Inclusion – We want our communities to be more socially included. Over the next three years our work will help more of our members to belong, join in, and contribute to community life. Fewer people will feel isolated and will have taken up opportunities to make and sustain friendships. More members will have moved on to join other local community groups with our support and taken part in ‘giving back’ activities that have grown their feelings of community belonging. As part of this we will have delivered focused pieces of work supporting people with mental health problems, older people, unemployed young people, and people with long-term ill health, and helped build community life in places were little currently exists, including the newly developing communities in Sowerby.

Increase Community Resilience – We want our communities to be more resilient, able to step up and solve their own problems. Over the next three years Community Works will focus on growing more active volunteers who recognise and value the merits of ‘giving back’. Our work will connect the power of local people with the time and will to support others to people and communities in need, building teams of volunteers who can identify community need and deliver community-led solutions. In order to do this, we will actively grow our own volunteer team to deliver a range of volunteer-led services.

Improve Well-being – Over the next three years we will develop work which supports a range of vulnerable people to improve their physical and mental wellbeing. Our activities will enable more people to develop their confidence, self-esteem and coping strategies, adopt healthy living behaviours (such as better exercise and diet) and reduce reliance on damaging coping strategies (such as self-harm, substance abuse, and anti-social behaviour). More people, particularly those over 25, will have been able to increase their resilience to the chaotic circumstances in which many of them live, enabling them to take positive steps to achieving their potential.

Increase Economic Prosperity – We want our members to broaden the sense of what is possible in their lives and develop hope in their futures. Our work over the next three years will support local people to gain learning, skill and experiences that increase their access to new opportunities. Where users are of working age, we will support them to improve their employability and access to higher value work. As part of this we will build a range of sustainable services and activities which offer users meaningful opportunities to gain work-related experience that has value to employers.

Our Organisation – Community Works will work towards becoming a sustainable organisation, overcoming current short-term, austerity-driven challenges. It will grow its income to a turnover of some £600,000 a year, develop a more diverse range of funding streams, and take control of its future by continuing to develop a range of small social enterprises that both cover their own costs and generate a surplus towards the Charity’s core costs. The organisation will maintain and build on its strong reputation for community and learning delivery and be known as a ‘can do’ and ‘go to organisation’ with key North Yorkshire stakeholders.

What Makes Us Special

Our Values

Six values underpin all that we do and govern our external and internal behaviour.

Integrity – We conduct our business in an honest, transparent and ethical way
Involvement – We involve our members in developing and giving feedback about our activities and every service-user is supported to take part in our programmes, opportunities and activities
Inclusivity – We have high regard for the feelings, wishes and rights of others
Openness – We are committed to a culture of teamwork and cooperation
Quality – We strive for excellence in all our activities
Community – We will complement, rather than duplicate, the resources available in our community, collaborating with other agencies and partners when it is appropriate to do so

Unique Selling Points

We are a charity – Everything we do is focused on improving the lives of our beneficiaries
We are a community hub – Community Works operates from several safe, warm and accessible buildings in and near Thirsk town centre and provides a range of spaces for people of all ages to undertake activities. All of the buildings are welcoming space where people want to come, and our delivery is always reliable, consistent, and supportive. It’s a safe place for all vulnerable groups, including people with dementia and mental ill-health
Jack of all trades – Responding to the paucity of services in its rural locations, Community Works will deliver a breadth of activities which, in more urban areas, would be offered by a range of specialist providers. It supports users with issues such as homelessness, domestic violence, long-term unemployment, mental ill health and long-term illness, isolation and educational under-achievement. Its services are designed to respond to the needs of individual clients and their families, whether they need a one-off intervention or longer-term support
The first port of call in a crisis – With its emergency foodbank, clothing, furniture provision, laundry facilities and the hosting of services like Citizens Advice - on top of its expertise in issues like homelessness, Community Works will be the first port of call for people in crisis
Partnerships that work – Community Works will increasingly collaborate with other agencies to solve community issues. For example, when local people needed a local advice service, The Clock stepped up to host Citizens Advice. When the police wanted a place to deliver work with young people at risk of offending, The Clock partnered with them in provided the venue
Our work is user-led – Our approach puts users in charge of their journey with us. Our work starts where members ‘are,’ building on their strengths to help them do what they want to do and go where they want to go. We support them to make choices that offer brighter and broader futures and achieve their potential.
Supportive to stakeholders – Community Works values the support and place-shaping provided by funders and policy makers, and is pleased to both support local communities by giving decision-makers feedback, and develop services which meet the needs of individuals, communities and stakeholders