OUR STORY
The Wharfedale Foundation has its origins in Scargill House at Kettlewell in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire. The house was sold to the Church of England and from 1959 the charitable company Scargill House Ltd. operated a Christian residential community with a particular ministry to guests coming to Scargill for teaching and spiritual refreshment.
From the early 2000s the direction of Scargill House shifted to focus on issues of social justice, inclusivity and the environment. When financial difficulties forced the closure of the house in 2008, it was again sold and the proceeds used to establish a grant making trust. Scargill House Ltd, whilst remaining the same charity, was renamed The Wharfedale Foundation.
The house was purchased by a newly formed registered charity, The Scargill Movement (supported by the community at Lee Abbey), who are committed to furthering the original vision, ministry and mission of the house as a Christian community.
The two charities The Wharfedale Foundation and The Scargill Movement recognise their common ancestry and maintain contact and an appreciation of their complementary roles.
In 2019, as The Wharfedale Foundation reached its 10th anniversary, we celebrated that milestone and the fact that, through the continuing activities of The Scargill Movement, the ministry of Scargill House had been in operation for 60 years.
THE FINAL CHAPTER
When The Wharfedale Foundation was originally established, the founders were clear in their intention to support a broad range of causes tackling isolation and exclusion, integrating marginalised groups and addressing disadvantage in order to help build stronger, more inclusive communities.
Over the years, Trustees have remained committed to these founding principles, continuing to support organisations across Yorkshire and the Humber whose work reflects the Foundation’s values of inclusion, community cohesion and social justice.
A longstanding feature of the Foundation’s approach has been a commitment to flexible and trust-based funding, including support for core costs and proportionate reporting requirements. Trustees have always believed that organisations themselves are best placed to understand the needs of their communities and how funding can achieve the greatest impact.
Following a lengthy period of reflection and planning, Trustees took the decision to undertake a strategic spend-out of the Foundation’s remaining funds. This decision was shaped by the increasing pressures facing communities and grassroots organisations following the pandemic and during the cost-of-living crisis, alongside a belief that the Foundation’s resources could achieve greater impact if distributed more actively within a defined period of time.
Through its final funding programme, the Foundation has provided a limited number of larger grants — typically between £10,000 and £25,000 — designed to strengthen the sustainability and resilience of smaller grassroots organisations and projects across the region.
Hannah Dobson, Chair of Trustees, said:
“The decision to undertake a strategic spend-out was made thoughtfully and with great care. Trustees felt strongly that this was the right moment to focus the Foundation’s remaining resources where they could make the greatest difference. We are incredibly proud of the organisations and communities we have supported over the years, and we hope this final phase of funding will leave a lasting impact across Yorkshire and the Humber.”
As the Foundation approaches the conclusion of its work, Trustees are also developing a legacy report reflecting on the journey, impact and values of The Wharfedale Foundation, together with the thinking behind the strategic spend-out process.
OUR TRUSTEES
Ian Cloke – Trustee
Iain is a community development worker based in South Yorkshire. He has a background in voluntary, community and faiths sector infrastructure and is currently leading a later life engagement strategy with Age UK Rotherham. Iain is an experienced charity trustee and has volunteered and led local community and faith based responses to poverty and social exclusion for over 30 years.
Hannah Dobson – Trustee
Hannah is a photographer based in North Lincolnshire with previous experience in customer service, complaints and compliance. Hannah coordinates the running of a food bank together with being a trustee for another charity. She is passionate about the voluntary sector and is excited to be asked to join the trustee board and support all the interesting and community inspiring projects going on across the area.
Uell Kennedy – Trustee
Uell worked in business finance for many years (he is qualified as a Fund Manager) before giving up the corporate life to work for the church. As a Church of England priest he had a diocesan-wide role advising on fundraising, stewardship and governance until his retirement in 2018. Uell is a member of the Institute of Fundraising.
Sajda Shah – Trustee
Sajda has spent nearly 20 years as a public health manager at North Lincolnshire Council with a focus on addressing health inequalities. She has wide experience in the voluntary sector both locally and regionally, including supporting women’s groups and south Asian communities. In the South Humber she is Chair of governors of a primary school and on the board of two youth groups.
Jane Thompson – Trustee
Jane has worked in the voluntary sector in paid and voluntary roles, including as a trustee, for nearly 40 years. She has extensive experience of managing projects, budgets, teams and grant programmes. Since 1999 she has worked in voluntary and community sector infrastructure, managing information services and funding advice at Hull CVS, Humber All Nations Alliance and most recently as a grants officer with Forum in Hull. Jane lives in Hull with her husband and two cats and enjoys modern board games, knitting and reading French novels.
Rachel Boggs – Administrator
Rachel worked for 20 years as an analyst/programmer and then IT project manager for a multi-national manufacturer. Since 2007 she has been freelance supporting churches and charities with their governance, administration, finance and IT and has wide experience with both funders and front-line charities.