About Community Support North Yorkshire
Helping your organisation to flourish.
Community Support North Yorkshire helps voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups to grow and thrive by providing specialist advice, guidance and training.
We are a local infrastructure support organisation for North Yorkshire. Our experienced team is here to help established and aspiring trustees, employees and management committees with a wide range of organisational support including:
- Finding potential grants and funds, support with applications and fundraising ideas.
- Understanding governance structure, registration and compliance.
- Helping you engage with your community and delivering effective services.
- Business planning and financial management.
- Developing policies and good safeguarding practices.
- Strengthening social media and marketing activities.
- Recruiting and managing new volunteers, including attracting new trustees.
- Carrying out an organisational health check.
We can connect you with quality resources, peer support and personal development opportunities, as well as offer one-to-one advice.
Community Support North Yorkshire is a service provided by Community First Yorkshire and funded by North Yorkshire County Council and NHS North Yorkshire.
To get in touch simply complete our online registration form and one of our Community Support North Yorkshire team will get in touch.

Amy Gibbons
Events Assistant
As an events assistant, Amy helps with organising training and events. She also supports the leadership programmes.

Amy Tew
Community Support Delivery Manager
Contact Amy for: information about the Community Support North Yorkshire service.

Andy Ryland
Development Officer
Contact Andy for: Men’s Sheds, funding, training and governance.

Andy Shield
Development Officer
Contact Andy for: Governance, funding, Community Led Housing, training and skills audits.

Bridget Blanchard
Development & Innovation Manager
Contact Bridget for: ideas about new ways of working with the voluntary and community sector in North Yorkshire, leadership mentoring and coaching.

Hilary Ashton
Development Officer
Contact Hilary for: advice on choosing a charitable structure, constitutions, trustee issues, community buildings, funding, strategic and/or financial planning, volunteering.

Joanne Abbott
Development Officer
Contact Joanne for: advice on choosing a charitable structure, constitutions, trustee issues, community buildings, funding, strategic and/or financial planning, volunteering.

Leah Furniss
Development Officer
Contact Leah for: advice on choosing a charitable structure, constitutions, trustee issues, community buildings, funding, strategic and/or financial planning, volunteering.

Lizzie Clapham
Development Officer
Contact Lizzie for: volunteering, charity finance and organisational development.

Mark Hopley
Head of Community Support North Yorkshire
Contact Mark for: Mark leads our team of Development Officers who work across North Yorkshire supporting community groups, charities and social business. Mark has a particular focus on the emerging health arena.

Nicky Ruddick (nee Smith)
Development Officer
Contact Nicky for: advice on governance including registering as a charity, community buildings, children and young people’s projects and tap into her vast experience of grant funding.

Stella Antonio
Information Officer
Contact Stella for: information to be included in Community First Yorkshire News and the Funding Bulletin.