Community Story: Tadcaster Volunteer Community Support Association

For our first feature profiling a recent recipient of a grant from the Yorkshire GREEN Local Community Fund from National Grid Electricity Transmission we are in Tadcaster in North Yorkshire to meet with the Tadcaster Volunteer Community Support Association to find out more about a truly fantastic solar panel project. Luke Upton chatted with Ian Talbot, to talk about the varied work they do in their community, the impact of grant funding, major challenges and more.

Luke Upton (LU): Great to connect Ian, to get us started, could you tell us some more about the community you serve in North Yorkshire? And why your support is needed.

Ian Talbot (IT):  No problem, Luke. Thank you for the opportunity to showcase our organisation. Tadcaster Volunteer Community Support Assoc. (TVCSA) started over 35 years ago as a Volunteer Car Scheme in Tadcaster and the surrounding villages. Our volunteer drivers (pictured above) use their own cars to support people who are restricted by age, disability, etc. and allow them independence and quality of life - taking them to medical appointments, shopping trips and visit relatives in care, but also social trips such as to hairdressers, social groups or fitness classes. In recent years, we have expanded to run more Community Transport schemes and now run Harrogate, Ripon and Richmond as well as Tadcaster. We have 80 volunteer drivers providing 13,000 journeys per year for 1,600 Clients.

We also operate a charity shop that recycles/reuses over 1.5 tonnes of pre-loved donations per week.  It provides affordable goods to c.100 clients per day (estimated as 1000 unique individuals per year) whilst raising funds to cover the operating costs of the charity.  We work closely with other charities and donate surplus stock free of charge to Baby Banks, Scouts & Guides, School PTA’s, Nurseries & Play Groups, Homeless and Refugee Groups and a Women’s Refuge, helping those organisations to operate more financially sustainable.

We offer a range of advisory services to individuals, including energy advice and assessments, facilitate applications for benefits such as pension credit, attendance allowance and blue badges/bus passes.  We also offer mental health support, physical health and wellbeing activities and are developing a community café.

In addition to volunteering opportunities, we offer work experience and work rehabilitation opportunities, for SEND individuals struggling to obtain placements, with the objective to prepare people to transition into paid employment.

Much of our work is supported by North Yorkshire Council Adult Social Care, and Healthwatch UK and we have pioneered a study on Incontinence Poverty and now offer affordable products to clients on limited incomes.  We also run a free Disability Aids loan service to people waiting for assessments or needing temporary assistance.

In November 2024 the charity was recognised at the highest level when it was awarded a Kings Award for Voluntary Service, the equivalent of an MBE for charitable organisations.

LU: Thank you, that’s such an impressive breadth of work you do for your community. If you can pick one, what’s been your particular focus in recent years?

IT:  For the past eight years we have operated a community building in Tadcaster, the last three years of which has been in our own 200 year old building that our Men’s Shed are helping to refurbish and modernise. The building was previously a Chinese restaurant and has a commercial kitchen, which we will use to provide pensioner lunches and meals-on-wheels. We want the building to be a warm space in winter and a cool space in summer whilst being as close to a zero-emission building as possible. In addition to reducing the carbon footprint of the charity, this will reduce the cost of energy and make the charity more financially sustainable.

LU: You’ve just received funding from the Yorkshire GREEN Local Community Fund from National Grid Energy Transmission. Can you tell us some more about the project it will help fund and what it aims to deliver?

IT: Our project is to install over 8kW of solar panels on the property roof in conjunction with a 26kWhr storage battery.  This system will supply the existing 3,000kWhr/yr of electrical energy used by the charity and provide a surplus of 5,000kWhr/yr that will allow the 15,000kWhr/yr of gas used in Central Heating to be converted to Air Source Heat Pumps in a future project.

The solar panels and batteries will provide an immediate financial benefit to the charity, eliminating electricity bills and providing a profit from the sale of surplus electricity to offset against the gas used for heating.  It will also provide an immediate CO2 reduction of 3,200kg/yr (estimated) of CO2 equivalents.

Our old building (pictured below) needs significant further improvements before it is suitable for Air Source Heat Pumps.  We have already installed underfloor heating on the ground floor but an initial survey against Passive House Standards has identified we also need to replace the single glazed windows and reduce air flow through the building, particularly where missing ceilings leave rooms open to the rafters. 

LU: Sounds fantastic. How important is this kind of funding to your organisation?

IT:  This funding from National Grid Energy Transmission is vitally important for us. We are on a zero-carbon journey which this funding will significantly contribute towards.  We aim to achieve a CO2 reduction of  4,100kg/yr (estimated) of CO2 equivalents and contribute to the national imperative for climate action.  Without this kind of funding, it would take a long time for the charity to generate the capital to invest in solar panels and a battery installation. 

Additionally, we will reduce operating overheads by £1.5k/yr, allowing us to bring forward further energy saving initiatives, which will then accelerate the time when our income will provide more public benefit services.  This funding represents a step change for the development of the charity, so a big thank you to the Yorkshire GREEN Local Community Fund for making this possible.

LU: Great stuff Ian, before I finish, as I always like to ask, more money aside, what would help you most?

IT: Very simple…. volunteers! The only people employed in our charity are the three Administrators whose job is to take client bookings and schedule volunteer drivers, and even these are job-shared by six part time staff.  Every other role is carried out by the 120 wonderful and generous people who volunteer to help their communities through our charity. 

These volunteers include: the numerous drivers out transporting clients across the county, those in the shop, sorting donations onto shelves and staffing the sales desk, the counsellors and advisors supporting clients needing assistance, the leaders of interest groups providing social contact and learning to participants and the management and trustees who ensure the charity runs responsibly and efficiently.

As we continue to grow, we are constantly looking for more people to offer their time and expertise as volunteers giving a little back to help those less fortunate in their community. So get in touch if you’d like to get involved with our wonderful team and community!

LU: Thanks for a great interview, is there anything else you'd like to tell the Localgiving community about?

IT: It was especially serendipitous for us that the Yorkshire GREEN Local Community Fund, a project with an objective to facilitate the construction and use of renewable energy, was able to allocate funds to TVCSA’s community organisation project to install renewable generation.  We are extremely grateful to National Grid Energy Transmission and all the team at Localgiving for making this possible and thank you again!

LU: Brilliant, thanks Ian. We look forward to keeping our community up to date with your progress. Keep up the great work!

Find out more about the TVSCA by clicking here. 

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