by John Harris | Feb 11, 2026 | news
John has been working as a coach/mentor for fundraiser at Step by Step for a couple of years now. The work is all about supporting them through coaching and training – then reviewing draft applications so that they are the best they can be. This has resulted in the latest success – wth £30,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation for core costs.For 25 years, Step by Step has enhanced the lives of local families with disability in London.Step by Step provides recreation for children with moderate to severe physical, emotional and learning disabilities, from age two to adult. They arrange activities, sports, day trips, and playschemes, helping children thrive while giving parents a break on holidays and half-term.
by John Harris | Feb 11, 2026 | news
We have been supporting the OYCC with pro bono work for some time now – we believe that youth club facilities are vital to many young people. John worked with OYCC on a grant application (building up the consultation feedback) which has led to a grant for £17,000. This is significant in that this will pay for the sessional staff who work with OYCC over the next 12 months. We had supported them during Covid – running two focus groups online with high school students – this led to the formation of the youth club – but they needed more up-to-date feedback from their ‘customers’. It’s good to help fund a win!
by John Harris | Dec 20, 2025 | news
What great timing for the Bradford African Community to hear this news from Reaching Communities. As consultants on the Lloyds Bank Foundation register, we have been working with them on stages 1 and 2 since May this year and it has been a delight to collaborate with Asumani (CEO). This grant over 3 years will enable them to continue their work – and to develop it.The charity supports people from number of refugee camps across East Africa including the Congo Kinshasa, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zambia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Somalia and enables them to ‘become productive members of society’ as Usmani put it. This includes ESOL classes and job readiness programmes and helps people into volunteering roles so that they can gain much needed experience. The charity states that “Through our integration in the British main Communities, we experienced various challenges such as: Language barriers, Isolation, Difficulties to navigating new system, Emotional health difficulties and Limited income.”
by John Harris | Dec 17, 2025 | news
We are very pleased to be working with the Wharfedale Men’s Shed. Men’s Sheds are places bringing men together in mutually supportive and constructive ways. As well as breaking down isolation and loneliness, making new friends and learning or teaching practical skills, the Shed is contributing to the local community. Thet carry our projects with local wildlife groups, schools and businesses – creating bird boxes, benches and items made to order. Their quest right now is to generate the funds to instal a building which gives them enough space and access – at the moment they have only one day per week based at the Otley Courthouse. We will be supporting them in this mission.
by John Harris | Oct 9, 2025 | news
Having supported Otley Action for Older People to secure a grant of £52,000 to shape strategy, staffing roles and structures and funding and delivery models for dementia support,we are delighted to have started to explore how Third Sector Consultancy will work with Otley Action over the next two years. This was through a very competitive process so we are proud to have played a key role in winning this opportunity. We will report on different stages of this work over the contract period.
by John Harris | Sep 24, 2025 | news
“Thank you John for all the brilliant support you have given us over the past since last winter. It has been such a pleasure working with you, and I am truly grateful for the time, expertise, and strategic insight you have brought to our fundraising work.Your contribution has made a real difference, not just in terms of the funds raised – which speak for themselves, but also in helping shape our approach and sharpen our case for support. I have learned a great deal from working alongside you, and it has been incredibly helpful having your input during this period.”
by John Harris | Sep 6, 2025 | news
The primary vision for Hammersley Homes in Hampshire is to provide ongoing, lifelong support to people with enduring mental health issues. In recent decades there were psychiatric day centres and supported accommodation in psychiatric hostels. These are long gone leaving many people with only short-term support, vulnerable and becoming hospitalised, homeless, or unfairly imprisoned. Their plans are to maintain and develop the Outreach programme which provides consistent home visits and support – and to run regular group Connections sessions so that people are supported to meet with others and to grow. This year they ran their first focus group in order to develop the involvement of people in the shaping of services. John has been working with them for several months with the latest success being a £15,000 grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation.
by John Harris | Jul 13, 2025 | news
Another huge success from our work with ecoACTIVE was announced this summer. The Dukes Foundation informed EcoActive that the charity was selected as the Youth Advisory Board’s 2025 Charity of the Year. This comes with an initial grant of £15,000, with a second tranche of up to £15,000 contingent on the successful delivery and reporting of the agreed outcomes and impact conditions. The announcement said that their Youth Advisory Board undertook a robust process: each charity was independently assessed using a shared rubric, followed by an in-person session where members conducted a detailed review and discussion. EcoActive stood out unanimously. The Board were particularly impressed by: Your proven impact on school communities – delivering hands-on environmental learning that is measurable and meaningful. Your alignment with educational values – supporting children and young people to be active participants in climate action. Your capacity for partnership and scale – demonstrating readiness to expand your reach and deepen collaboration with educational institutions.
by John Harris | Jul 13, 2025 | news
John and Rachel have been working with ecoACTIVE for around 4 years now. It is a highly enjoyable and successful collaboration. We worked on three applications which came to fruition in June and July – amounting to £70,000 in grants over two years. John Lewis Partnership Foundation: JLFP awarded £20,000 to support an environmental learning and skills programme. This will include: Access to Nature and Forest School Sessions for Primary Schools and Nurseries; Sustainability Education and Green Skills Sessions for Secondary and Post-16 Pupils: Pollinator Training Pilot:- Development, piloting and evaluation of a new pollinator training programme with three schools located along the Hackney Buzzline (a pollinator corridor that ecoACTIVE is currently developing in partnership with the local authority and other landlords). Participants will learn to plant for local pollinators, create suitable habitats, and gain ecological skills for surveying, identifying and recording pollinators.
by John Harris | Jul 13, 2025 | news
We are delighted to share that our work has led to a £10,000 grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation – as a conribution to core costs. Otley Courthouse is an arts and resource which opened in 2004 – following an 8 year development period transforming a redundant magistrates court into a thriving community arts and culture centre. Since that time, a strong and varied programme of events has been established. They know that the arts and culture matter to people – and that community and connections matter. Otley Courthouse brings these two dimensions of life together. Each week they host many groups and classes including: exercise classes, community choirs, chair-based yoga, Pilates, knitting, Under 5’s groups and a dementia group. The community café is open daily. The Courthouse hosts around 200 events a year from film screenings to theatre, with a wide variety of music, comedy, and an annual Science Festival. They run school holiday activities for children and offer part time work and volunteering for young people. A range of community organisations meet here including Otley Maker Space, Wharfedale Men’s Shed which are both formal tenants. They also host a monthly craft fair, Otley Green Fair, and an Arts Festival. Otley Courthouse provides opportunities for people to make new friends and to feel connected in their community. For local people, this helps create a shared sense of purpose; feeling of being part of the community and shared support. Staff and volunteers have built up strong partnerships over the years with many local and regional organisations.
