YBY were able to organise digital sessions with some of our residents. Nothing was too much trouble for Victoria Kyra Lizzie and Olivia and the team. They came and did a series of sessions and worked individually with some of our residents. Everyone that took part was very happy with the sessions and what they got out of them. Their support was fantastic during this time they are a great bunch of people doing a fantastic job in the community.

Feedback from our Yoga Classes at Woodhouse Community Centre:

“love my classes every week, helps me relax and feel centred”

“thank you it is a very nice space and a kind teacher”

“great – really enjoyed the slow calming pace of the class”

“these sessions help me feel warm and relaxed”

“very relaxed, put at ease and well engaged”

“had a fab session the yoga instructor was brilliant with clear instructions”

Feedback from our under 16s Boxercise Classes at Woodhouse Community Centre:

“very good sessions, the class is good for the kids in the local community”

“the classes are amazing and make me feel happy”

“can we do boxing every day”

“my son loves the session, he loves coming”

“a very focused yet relaxing environment”

“the sessions have been amazing and my kids have built so much confidence!”

Barbara Dixon, Participant in Digital Cafes at Daisyfield Grange, now a Digital Champion!

We have really enjoyed the sessions with you and Lizzie. We just about knew the basics, but now we can send photos to friends and relations. Also, we can use apps to catch up on programmes we missed on TV. We can even book doctors’ appointments and use Qr Codes for COVID passes! Each person needed different things and Your Back Yard were very accommodating, making sure we were each learning understanding and improving. Thank you for your time and patience.

Katya, KatsahaYoga, delivered Yoga classes at Oblong Woodhouse Community Centre as a part of our LS6 Activities

I loved having the opportunity of working with Your Back Yard, offering Yoga For All classes from Woodhouse Community Centre & Chair Yoga at Wortley Community Centre.  YBY are friendly & professional & I look forward to working with them again! 

Tom Armstrong, Service Development Lead for RHEA:

“I must say what a pleasure it has been to working with YBY for the last year, yep not the most “normal” of years however you guys have done some phenomenal work and it’s always been a joy to partner with you. You’ve permanently been professional, friendly and always wanting to do the right thing for people, well done from me.” 

Fran Graham, Operations Manager for BEA/Bramley Lawn/OWLS/UpBEAt:

“Working with Your Back Yard has been a really good experience for BEA and OWLS. It’s a partnership. A real partnership. We talk, we throw ideas around, we mix and combine our areas of knowledge and interest, and that’s how we’ve kept improving the projects we’re working on together. The Your Back Yard team are very open to new ways of working, they listen, and act on it. We’re really happy with the partnership project that has created Walking Football games for older people in West Leeds and North West Leeds, it’s been exciting and invigorating to see the players getting a lot out of the sessions, but critically, the process has been really good between us, and we’re learning together all the time.”

Councillor Kevin Ritchie, Councillor for Bramley and Stanningley Ward:

Regarding the Bramley Fall Park Healthy Living Park project:

“It was great to see Bramley Fall Park so busy on a lovely summers day, with a range of activities on offer. Lots of fun was had by all, a great family day out, with something for everyone. Days like these are fantastic, bringing the community together and showing what great places parks are. Lots of new friendships were formed and the event hopefully inspired people to enjoy the parks even more.”

“The young children seemed thoroughly engaged in the Gruffalo story time, the woodland setting made the story much more exciting for everybody and will have encouraged more reading and introduced an stimulating environment close to home – bedtime stories will never be the same again!”

Suzanne Hallam, University of Leeds:

“The School of Sociology and Social Policy has been working with Your Back Yard for four years. Your Back Yard has provided our students with opportunities to use and develop a wide range of research and employability skills undertaking projects in the community. This has been really advantageous for our students who have used the experience to enable them to secure employment once they have graduated by allowing them to apply the conceptual knowledge they gain in their degree programmes to real life situations. A number of our students have continued to work with Your Back Yard following completion of their studies. Our School hopes to continue to work with the organisation in the future.”

Councillor Ralph Berry, Councillor for Wibsey Ward:

“Your Back Yard came in to help local people and elected members to refresh and renew a ‘Friend of’ group that had, over time, become inactive . We invested some ward money into getting Your Back Yard to draw up a plan to involve local people in the revival and renewal of the Friends of Wibsey Park group, by allowing them to bring forward their ideas. We secured new volunteers, a new vision, and a sense of local ownership. Your Back Yard were then asked to develop a new committee, invest money we had gained, and then enter bids for events (which succeeded!). A spectacularly successful bid came off, and we now have a significant sum of money to invest in the park. We also have a renewed body of volunteers, and a viable committee capable of seeking further funding.”

Dave Sandham, Chairman of Friends of Haw Hill Park:

“We engaged Your Back Yard to assist us with reviewing our management and funding options for our local park,  Your Back Yard did an excellent job of surveying our community and local schools and then analysing the data to produce some really useful insights  that have enabled us to progress some key projects in the park. I would happily recommend Your Back Yard and engage them in the future.”

Neil Coulson, Neil Coulson Associates:

“I worked with Your Back Yard (YBY) on a Big Potential-funded project that focused on partnering up with the Cardigan Centre in Leeds to further community regeneration. This involved developing a grassroots partnership to improve health and wellbeing.

YBY is an innovative social enterprise undertaking excellent work to revitalise local neighbourhoods. They have significant expertise in grassroots community development across a range of aspects – environment/use of green space, health, employment etc. They adopt an asset-based approach that recognises and builds on local communities’ strengths and capabilities. They are passionate about their work and committed to the pursuit of excellence in everything they do.”

Liz Parker, Ward Officer for Wibsey and Royds

“Your Back Yard piloting the summer programme really showed how well-used the park could be over summer, to the benefit of people of all ages, especially children and families who might be struggling to find things they can afford for children to do during holidays. The work helped forge relationships that will make it so much easier for the Friends of Wibsey Park to sustain a programme of activities this summer, and hopefully into the future.”

Fathers of children from Brackenhill Primary School:

“It was great fun day with Your Back Yard, and we enjoyed doing different activities in the park with our children. It gave us the opportunity to spend some quality time together, and have fun at the same time. All the activities were well planned and were very interactive.”

Kevin Coombs, Newcastle City Council:

“I just wanted to say a personal thanks for all your help with the Our Place application for Byker Old Town. We just got notification we were successful with our recent bid. Couldn’t have done it without you – so thank you very much!”

Parish Councillor and Chair of Aberford Master Plan Steering Group:

“Tony has been an invaluable source of advice and energy in consulting with the community in Aberford as an integral part of developing our Master Plan. The work he has undertaken has meant we have been able to reach out to the whole community – adults, children, young people, businesses and community groups – in ways we simply do not have the skills to do ourselves.”

Neighbourhood Transformation Manager, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council:

“The team worked collaboratively with residents and key partners to identify their issues and find solutions to ASB in East Herringthorpe. The workshops were facilitated to an excellent standard and the team made the local residents who attended feel very welcome. I would definitely work with them in the future and would highly recommend them!”

Estate Renewal Programme Manager, Community Well-being, Thurrock Council:

“Tony worked diligently in Thurrock to ensure that we got a number of small capital schemes off the ground for local young people. He worked at ease with different age groups and had a good approach with young people in particular.  Highly recommended.”

Director, Northern Architecture:

“Robin provided excellent facilitation that engaged everyone in agreeing a vision for the future of Northern Architecture.  He kept things moving and ensured that we ended up with a clear action plan for our next steps.”

Neighbourhood Crime and Justice Coordinator, Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council:

“Tony facilitated a lively debate with residents in relation to planning the projects, he displayed a sound knowledge of local issues and kept the group focussed and engaged throughout.  The chosen projects will deliver a real solution to the problems of anti-social behaviour in the area.”

Director, Acoria Media Community Radio:

“Robin’s input and support has been invaluable in getting us to this stage. We now have a sound business plan and a strong Lottery application, which we could not have achieved without his practical help and advice.”

Jen Vinton, Your Homes Newcastle:

“It was lovely to work with Your Back Yard. They were quickly able to grasp what we needed for this project and provided some very useful feedback on our proposals as well as helpful suggestions for moving forward.

The project was delivered in tight timescales and the presentation and final report were well received”.

Rev. Chris Pearson, Church of the Ascension, Easington Colliery:

“Robin and the team provided a detailed and robust assessment of the options for our church building, and provided a range of interesting proposals.  They have given us a lot of food for thought.”