Who are we?

We are The Barn in Tadcaster, where we run a wide range of youth groups and activities, supporting our young people by creating a high quality, accessible and safe space for all, supported by our fantastic team of youthworkers. Although we started our journey at The Barn in June 2019, we really came into our own after Easter 2020 when Covid struck the UK.

Dealing with the Pandemic

Our town's Community Action Group was based at The Barn and our first response was to set up Holiday Clubs for our young people over the long summer of 2020. A year later we recruited a team of youthworkers and have expanded our provisions ever since! Dealing with the fallout from Covid in relation to the mental health, physical health and loss of confidence and socialisation of our young people has been a significant part of our mission. Our outdoor facilities have been hugely helpful in that journey with us being able to provide access to a safe area for organised sports, play, skatepark, biking, scooters, basketball, 7 days a week. 

Our Vision

Our Vision now is to make our outdoor facilities as good as they can be so we can continue this journey for the years ahead. That means investing in the refurbishment of our skatepark equipment (ramps don't last forever, however sturdy and ours are reaching the end of their natural life); purchasing new bikes, boards and scooters; training volunteers to assist paid staff (essential to ensure we deliver a safe facility where young people can develop their skills, have fun and parents can be secure in the knowledge that they are looked out for); and if we are successful in raising the full amount we are aiming for, resurfacing the Games Area which is now very worn. 

Activity all year round!

Add to this winter trips away to indoor facilities so that our provision is year round! Our ambitions are to ensure that every day, every week in Tadcaster, young people have somewhere to go which is safe and allows them to develop their physicality and skills, whether that is skateboarding, netball, basketball, bike riding or just an informal kick around.

Community impact

Our impact is on our whole community, by investing in our SkateBarn we are opening up the Barn to many who do not access it for youth services, including under 6s, adults and those coming from outside our immediate catchment area.

SkateBarn is the kickstarter...

By discovering SkateBarn, new people are also discovering The Barn itself and learning about all the amazing services we deliver here - from childcare, to holiday clubs, to adult education through to older people's groups. It is worth saying too that our multi use games area, where SkateBarn is focused, is also accessible and available for other formal and informal games year round and we are keen that it is used as such, whether by organised teams (basketball, 5-aside football etc), or just for informal play. 

New balls please!

Our Games Area is already used extensively by our youth groups and holiday clubs, as well as for our weekly Skatepark. But we know we can do so much more if we invest properly in the quality of the facility. England Netball have become a recent user and supporter and have in just a few months given birth to a new Netball team for the town!

Why are we crowdfunding?

Since we started SkateBarn, we have always delivered it free of charge. That is primarily because all the equipment we have has either been donated, inherited or paid for through grants, for example from the North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner's office. We want to keep the facility free/low-cost for all, so that no-one is put off coming to us for financial reasons.

Safe and fun!

However, as the activity has become more popular - we open up every week from March through to October and also plan to undertake minibus trips out to other facilities in the region over the winter months - so it has become more expensive to staff. We are committed to the safety of our users and recognise that skateboarding, bmx and stunt scooters bring with them an element of risk and so the activity needs to be properly managed. We are also aware of our Safeguarding responsibilities for the young people using our premises and equipment. 

Football isn't for everyone!

Tadcaster is well served in terms of mainstream sports - football, cricket, tennis, swimming...but the Barn provides opportunities for more informal sports and our Multi Use Games Area is unique in the town. It is a safe place for young people to come to and learn new skills, to meet friends and to have fun in a non competitive way (well, mostly!).

How we’ll spend the money raised

We are aiming to raise £45,000 from this appeal. Money will be spent as follows:

1. Ensure the facility is properly staffed and our team of volunteers receive excellent training (manual handling/safety/safeguarding children): £9,000

2. Invest in the refurbishment of equipment and purchase new ramps and bikes/boards/scooters including a number which are inclusive i.e. friendly to disabled people: £15,000

3. Fund minibus hire to take kids out to other facilities during the winter months, particularly indoor parks: £1,000

4. Re-surface the whole Games Area: £20,000

What if we get even more!

Tadcaster deserves a permanent skatepark. Our facility is great but we would love to be able to fund a proper feasibility study into where and what a permanent facility could be and look like, working with our young people to co-design and eventually implement.

How you can play your part

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us! Use the button on our page to get started. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!