THIS Easter families across Ilkley are being supported by local people to ensure no child goes hungry. After the success of the Christmas and half-term schemes, Ilkley Youth Association, Addingham Youth Centre in partnership with the Great Get Together secured funding from Bradford Council to provide meals and activities for 129 families.
Ilkley Grammar School families received board games collected by Christchurch, access to online dance and keep fit classes, a chance to join the Great Big Art Exhibition, and an Easter Camp at Addingham Youth Centre. The grant money for the IGS families secured Morrisons Meal Boxes, and Ilkley Foodbank supplemented this with the store cupboard food.
Becky Malby, of Ilkley Great Get Together, said: “As we spent all the grant money on food we thank Booths for giving us all the boxes we needed, and Martinez for yet again letting us borrow their van for moving food.
“As well as meal parcels the 129 families all received an Easter Treat Box, with a basket of knitted chicks, 2 Easter Eggs, homemade Easter biscuits (thank you Sacred Heart children for baking so many!) and some Easter sweets. The knitters and bakers from the Great Get Together and the Ilkley Sewing Scrubs group as well as Christchurch and the Soroptomists made all this possible, and the masses of volunteers who ferried, sorted and packed.
“The biggest thank you is to the schools for opening up school over the holidays and delivering the Easter meals to families, working really hard to ensure the whole operation ran so smoothly. With particular thanks to Vee Hepworth from IGS who has been patient, kind and without whom we just couldn’t have made such fantastic provision.”
Ilkley Youth and Community associations (IYCA) distributed two weeks of free school meals on Monday from the youth centre on Little Lane, Ilkley.
Chairman of IYCA Martin Smith said: “We were greatly helped by Moin Moin Bakery, Tesco supermarket, Get Together, Olicana Stationary, Soroptimists, The Art Shop, Sacred Heart School, New Brook Street Deli and Waste Not. For the activities we thank Maureen Williams’ dancing school, Friends of Ilkley Moor, Koko Academy Martial Arts, Space to Aspire, Forest School for assisting in forming and running the events. Also thanks to Kyle Green, Stephen and Colin Butler, the two George’s, Mike Halling of Ilkley Rugby Club and Good Neighbours for their help and support.”
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