Securing funding and approval for new projects can sometimes feel like waiting for a bus – you can wait a while for one, and then three come along at once! We are excited to announce the successful approval of three new or returning projects for 2025; the JU:MP Connector Programme, the Open Gate group and the continuation of the Holidays, Activities and Food (HAF) Programme are all upcoming for early 2025!

Want to know more? Keep reading!

JU:MP Connector Programme

Having widespread success across Bradford, JU:MP is coming to Keighley! The Join Us: Move Play programme will build and develop play across areas of Keighley through a series of family forest school taster sessions, aiming to get more local people active.

Through February and March you can expect the first taster sessions to start popping up in local greenspaces like Park Wood, Lund Park and Cliffe Castle, with more regular play sessions in and out of schools starting to establish. As we head into April we will have a regular programme of play across Keighley, with Holiday Forest Schools and family events happening across the Easter holidays.

Keighley is full of hidden gems when it comes to green spaces, and we can’t wait to bring more outdoor play to schools and the local community alike.

The Open Gate Project

Thanks to funding from Bradford Council’s Local Community Support Grants we are looking forward to launching the Open Gate project this spring, a concept inspired by the Odensehuis movement, empowering people living with dementia to get out more, develop new friendships and regain independence.  Our practitioners will be facilitating a welcoming open-house type indoor/outdoor space, supporting participants rather than doing things for them.

Those with eyes on our social media will have seen our recent venture to Bradford Cathedral to participate in the Bradford 2025 Participatory Grant Making Social Prescribing Awards. Annie and Susan were pitching to other organisations, funders and stakeholders, with every participant (Get Out More included) voting on which projects they would like to see going forward.

After hearing plenty of pitches and brilliant ideas, it was time to vote. After a nervy wait, it was time to announce the projects that were selected… and the “Open Gate” project was chosen which means that in Bradford’s City of Culture year, the group will get extra funding to complement the nature-based activities facilitated by our practitioners, we will have a range of musicians, artists and wellbeing practitioners coming along! Well done to everyone who was involved in the process, and watch this space for the first sessions happening soon.

Holidays, Activities and Food Programme

Over the past three years, Hazel has been delivering the HAF programme during the Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays. Hosting a range of trips, forest schools, family sessions for communities around Keighley. HAF has proved to be a success to year on year, and has a massively positive impact on the children and families who come along, which is why we are over the moon that after some uncertainty, we are thrilled to be running the programme again in Easter!

This means more opportunities for local children to engage with their local woodlands or embark on trips to iconic Yorkshire attractions like Malham and Fountains Abbey, all tied together with nutritious food! We’re excited to continue providing this valuable service and look forward to seeing many familiar faces, and hopefully some new ones too!

It is a privilege to have so much going on, why not Get Out More during 2025?

Get in touch with us!