HARCVS is one of several local voluntary and community organisations which hold the Duke of York Community Initiative (DOYCI) Award. This is a Royal Award presented to community projects based in Yorkshire. Successful schemes need to be owned, developed and led by the people they serve and should be of real value to the community, well run and an inspiration to others.
The benefits of becoming an Award Holder include Royal recognition of excellence, the use of the royal logo which enhances fund raising credibility and of course the promotion of organisational pride.
In addition, as an Award Holder you become members of the DOYCI family and have the opportunity to access business management support through workshops, mentoring and networking and also apply for small grants via an in-house funding stream.
The annual Award Holders’ Conference brings together winners from all over Yorkshire for a one day event and for the past two years HARCVS has been delighted to host one of the workshops. Karen and Anna from our team have run the “See and be Seen” workshop which gives participants practical hints and tips on how to improve their visibility in their community. You’ve an opportunity to take part in this popular workshop when it returns to Harrogate on 7 March 2019.
The Conference was held at the excellent Regen Centre in Riccall near Selby, with over 40 award winners in attendance from a wide range of organisations. The Harrogate District was well represented with several award winners from our area in attendance - HS4LC, Friends of the Valley Gardens, Orb Community Arts and Claro Enterprises.
As Karen says “It’s a real honour to receive a Duke of York Community Initiative Award and we’ve been delighted to run our workshop at the last two annual conferences. Each year we’ve had the opportunity to meet people from some amazing charities making a huge difference in their communities, and we learn as much from them as they do from us, if not more.”
More information on what is involved is available via thedukeofyorkscommunityinitiative.org.uk
