John Preston looks ahead to the Kirkstall Park Charity expanding its environmental and social work in the valley.
The Kirkstall Valley Park charity and limited company was set up in 2005, by former Kirkstall councillor John Illingworth and has worked through the last 20 years championing the Park concept and advocating where possible to take the idea forward. Â
Several design studies have been done by students from Leeds Beckett University School of Landscape Architecture. Sadly, major funding to implement the connectivity at the heart of the vision has not been forthcoming.
Kirkstall Valley Development Trust (KVDT) was established in 2016 and the original aims included environmental aspirations, including the Valley Park. Â
KVDT successfully took on the Kirkstall Valley Farm in 2019 and by the time of the Covid pandemic a more social mission had also developed, and this evolved into the Community Hub, Food Pantry etc now based at St Stephen’s Church Hall. Â
Some of the grants and trusts that could support the social side aspects of KVDT are only open to registered charities and KVDT is a community benefit society.
It is proposed that the Kirkstall Park Charity takes on some of the social projects run by KVDT and that representatives of KVDT join the KVP board. It is time for some of the KVP founders to retire and let others take forward the vision.
The two organisations would be legally independent, with their own trustees/directors, accounts etc, but would share the same vision and mission, branding and strategy with a formal legal agreement governing how they will work together to achieve shared goals. Â
Developing KVP instead of creating a new charity offers a number of advantages as it creates an opportunity for KVP to continue and develop and deliver a wider range of projects in collaboration with KVDT.
KVDT can begin fundraising for social projects sooner as they will not need to create a new organisation. In time KVDT may become the trading arm of KVP, but this all takes time.
Both parties have considered the proposal, and a meeting of the KVP Board on 27th March formally approved the changes. The next step is to hold an AGM which will be online on Thursday 24th April at 11am.
- If anyone wishes to comment on the change, or would like to join the new board, please contact Adele.Rae@kvdt.org.uk.
Sponsored content
