Groups celebrate community cash win

After receiving over 2,000 votes from members of the public, the final winners have been revealed as Door 84, in York, Mud In Your Blood, in Scarborough, and Knaresborough Celtic Junior Football Club.

The Yorkshire Post teamed up with Vantage Toyota in August to launch the Community Drive, a competition which recognises the valuable work of charities and community groups in North Yorkshire.

Groups were invited to submit a bid for up to £2,000 of funding to help pay for activities or services that would benefit the wider community.

In total £6,000 has been provided to help a wide variety of good causes in North Yorkshire, from youth sports clubs and rural transport services, to air ambulances and a toilet trust.

In York the final winner was announced as creative youth scheme Door 84. The project aims to provide young people aged between eight and 17 with practical experience in positive and creative activities such as art, web design, fashion, film-making and street dance.

Scarborough’s winner was youth motorcycle initiative Mud In Your Blood. The not-for-profit cooperative promotes access to off-road biking with a particular focus on helping young people access the sport for the first time and reduce illegal biking.

In Knaresborough the winning project was Knaresborough Celtic Junior Football Club. The club aims to provide a safe and fun environment for children of all ages to learn about football and the money will be spent on new kits and facilities for the club house.

Runner-up projects in each area also received a share of the prize pool. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Snappy were runners-up in York, in Scarborough they were Scalby Toilet Trust and Scarborough Bowls Club and in Knaresborough they were the Little Red Bus network and the Forest School.

Vantage marketing manager, Louise Mcloughlin, said: “I’m very pleased to be announcing the final winners of the Community Drive. The competition has been a big success and has rewarded good causes across the county and hopefully raised awareness of some of the good work being carried out in our communities.

“It was a difficult job to pick the winners from so many worthy causes, and we’re very glad it was members of the public that had the final say. Because of the fantastic numbers of votes we wanted to recognise every shortlisted entry with a share of the prize pool.”

Following the competition’s success, Vantage Toyota is planning a calendar of new community activities over the coming months, beginning with the annual Dream Car art contest.