Latest News
Electronic copies of the following documents are available on our website or can be obtained by telephoning 01904 769176. Printed copies will be available at the meeting.
- Agenda AGM for financial year ending March 31 st 2024
- Minutes of AGM for financial year ending March 31 st 2023
- Trustee’s Report and Unaudited Accounts for year ending March 31 st 2024 **
Please note that only Members of the Association are entitled to vote at the AGM but members of
the public are very welcome to attend. Membership Forms are available by emailing the
Community Office and will be available prior to the start of the meeting. These must be approved
by the Trustees before voting is permitted.
** The Trustee’s Report and Unaudited Accounts have been approved by the Independent
Examiner and the Board of Trustees but are awaiting the necessary signatures in the next few
days. An updated copy will then be placed on the website.
Keith Tomlinson
(Company Secretary)
Summer Youth Groups Running Wednesdays
We are excited to announce our Summer Youth Groups, every Wednesday at Oaken Grove Community Center!
More information can be found on our Youth Provision page.
Changing Place Building Work To Begin
We are delighted that the building work for our new Changing Place facility will be starting at Oaken Grove Community Centre from Monday 11th March. The changing place is a fully equipped accessible toilet facility for individuals with a physical disability, with equipment such as hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches and space for carers.
The work will be taking place at the rear of the community centre building, near the conservatory, and will seek to cause as little disruption and noise as possible. Contractors will be accessing the building area via the lawned area of the garden.
The pathway around the building and all fire exits will remain accessible.
A contractor’s compound will be established in the car park at Oaken Grove Community Centre, so there will be a slight reduction in parking available for a few weeks.
The Library and Community Centre will stay open throughout this building project, and the vehicular and pedestrian entrances will remain operational.
There will, however, be some dates where we will need to either close or delay opening the community centre and library for a period of time. The first of these dates is Wednesday 20th March where the community centre and library will both be closed all day.
Closure Dates
- Wednesday 20th March – Library, Cafe and Community Centre closed all day (Youth Group unaffected)
- Wednesday 27th March – Library, Cafe and Community Centre closed all day
Please check social media and our website for the most up to date information.
We hope this work will not cause too much disturbance, and look forward to being able to share this valuable facility with the local community once it is complete.
If you have any questions, please feel free to the Community Services Manager via email at info@hwyca.co.uk
Award-Winning Art on Display
We are delighted to have artwork by pupils from two York schools on display in the Reading Cafe at Oaken Grove. Children from schools across the work, including Ralph Butterfield Primary and Lord Deramore schools, submitted art work as part of UNESCO’s Draw With Denmark project. The creations were on the theme of “Green Together- Partnerships for a Sustainable Future”. The winning entries have been made into animations as part of the project.
The work was featured on BBC Look North’s website as well as on the programme itself. The video of our feature is available below.
The artwork is available to see at Oaken Grove until Easter.
Free Christmas Fun Day – Saturday 9th December
Get ready for some festive fun! Oaken Grove Community Centre and Haxby & Wigginton Explore Library will be holding a Christmas Fun Day on Saturday 9th December.
The event will feature a Mini Christmas Disco, Story Time, Lego, Chocolate Tombola, and a Book Stall, among other exciting activities. Dance to Christmas tunes, join in with Lego Club or buy some last minute gifts.
The Reading Cafe will be serving seasonal treats, including mince pies and hot chocolate, to further enhance the festive spirit of the day. This event is the perfect opportunity for families and friends to come together, celebrate the holiday season, and create lasting memories.
The Christmas Fun Day will take place on 9th December from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend. For more information please email info@hwyca.co.uk
We hope to see you there for a jolly good time!
Help us promote this event by download and print the poster by clicking here.
Notice of Annual General Meeting
An Annual General Meeting for Haxby & Wigginton Youth & Community Association will be held at Oaken Grove Community Centre on Tuesday 12th December 2023 at 7.00pm.
All local residents and users of the Centre are welcome to attend.
Electronic copies of the following documents are available below or can be obtained by telephoning 01904 769176. Printed Copies will be available at the meeting.
- AGM Agenda for financial year ending March 2023
- ProxyCard 2023
- Trustee’s Report and Unaudited Accounts for year ending March 31st 2023 **
- AGM minutes for Financial Year April 2021 to March 2022
Please note that only Members of the Association are entitled to vote at the AGM but members of the public are very welcome to attend. Membership Forms are available by emailing the Community Office and will be available prior to the start of the meeting. These must be approved by the Trustees before voting is permitted.
** The Trustee’s Report and Unaudited Accounts have been approved by the Independent Examiner and the Board of Trustees but are awaiting the necessary signatures in the next few days. An updated copy will then be placed on the website.
Keith Tomlinson
(Company Secretary)
Planning Application Submitted
We’ve just been notified that we were successful in obtaining funding to create a changing places facility at Oaken Grove Community Centre. A changing places facility is a large toilet facility including a hoist and a large changing bench, with space for a person and their carer. This will be adding a much-needed resource to our users and to the local area as a whole.
The addition of this facility will require a small extension to the rear of the building. The level of disruption won’t be as great as our most recent building work, and we are delighted that the building will not be required to close at any point during this work. A planning application for expansion has been submitted, with work expected to start in the Autumn if the application is successful, with completion in the New Year.
For more information, please email info@hwyca.co.uk
Join us for our official opening!
We a delighted to be holding our official opening celebration on Saturday 11th March from 10:00am – 4:00pm. The official opening ceremony will take place at 12:00pm.
The Library will be open as usual, and will be running a Lego building session as well as Story Time.
Oaken Grove will be showcasing their Youth Provision as well as holding Mini Discos throughout the day.
Key Times are as follows:
- 10:00am – Oaken Grove and the Library, including Cafe, open
- 10:15am – 10:45am – Explore Story Time
- 11:00am – 12:00pm – Explore Lego Club
- 12:00pm – 12:15pm – Official Opening Ceremony
- 12:30pm – 12:50pm – RhythmTime Taster Session (Babies)
- 1:15:pm – 1:35pm – RhythmTime Taster Session (18mths +)
- 3:00pm – Reading Café Closes
- 4:00pm – Event Closes
Throughout the day there will be free crafts, games, youth activities and a mini disco!
The Reading Café will be offering a 10% discount on everything on the day as well an exclusive discount for your next visit.
We hope you can join us.
Notice of Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting will be held at Oaken Grove Community Centre on
Thursday 15th December 2022 at 7.00pm
All local residents and users of the Centre are welcome to attend.
Electronic copies of the following documents are available via the links below, or can be obtained by telephoning 01904 769176 or emailing info@hwyca.co.uk. Printed Copies will be available at the meeting.
- Agenda AGM for financial year ending March 31st 2022
- Minutes of AGM for financial year ending March 31st 2020
- Minutes of AGM for financial year ending March 31st 2021
- Trustee’s Report and Unaudited Accounts for year ending March 31st 2022**
Please note that only Members of the Association are entitled to vote at the AGM but members of the public are very welcome to attend. Membership Forms are available by emailing the Community Office and will be available prior to the start of the meeting. These must be approved by the Trustees before voting is permitted.
** The Trustee’s Report and Unaudited Accounts have been approved by the Independent Examiner and the Board of Trustees but are awaiting signature by the treasurer on his return from holiday.
Keith Tomlinson
(Company Secretary)
We have exciting news!
We are delighted to announce that we will be reopening our doors on Tuesday 3rd January 2023!
Both Oaken Grove Community Centre and the new Haxby & Wigginton Explore Library will open on 3rd January. More details will be announced soon, but we look forward to being able to welcome you back!
Oaken Grove Community Centre will reopen with new and improved rooms to hire. There will be a brand new kitchen and upgrades throughout the building such as new automatic doors, new windows and flooring, updated lighting, and improved public toilets.
The library will have a purpose built adult library, a dedicated children’s and young adults section, a reading café, free Wi-Fi and computers, and an exciting programme of events and activities for all ages.
The press release from City of York Council can be read by clicking here: Press Release
To keep up to date with the latest information please sign up to our newsletter via the button below.
Sign up for our newsletter
We are launching a new e-newsletter to coincide with the reopening of Oaken Grove Community Centre.
The newsletter will keep you up to date with news about activities and events, fundraising and volunteering opportunities, as well as everything else that is going on at Oaken Grove.
To keep up to date, please subscribe to the newsletter by clicking the button below.
Haxby & Wigginton Library and Oaken Grove Community Centre
Building work to transform Oaken Grove Community Centre will be starting on 21st June 2022. We will be closing our doors to the public on Saturday 28 May and will re-open in the Autumn.
When we reopen we will have new and refurbished community rooms, as well as new automatic doors, windows and flooring, updated lighting and toilet facilities. Rooms will be available to hire from Autumn 2022 onwards. Once building work is complete, Oaken Grove Community Centre will also be the home of the new library for Haxby and Wigginton. This will include a reading café, free Wi-Fi and computers, and an exciting programme of events and activities for all ages. More information can be found on the York Explore website.
We look forward to welcoming back our regular centre users, and can’t wait to be able to showcase our new spaces and welcome the local community back to Oaken Grove again.
This is the culmination of over two years of work and negotiation by Trustees at Haxby & Wigginton Youth & Community Association, Explore York and City of York Council and we are so excited to finally be able to start on this major development for Oaken Grove Community Centre. We look forward to this exciting new phase.
December 2021 Newsletter
Oaken Grove Community Centre is beginning to feel more like the social hub we are used to, as we reach the end of another unusual year. We hope that despite the ongoing pandemic we can continue to welcome people to engage safely with our activities. For more information about the achievements of 2021, please have a look at our December Newsletter. The office will be closed for Christmas from Thursday 23rd December and will reopen on Tuesday 4th January. The Library will be open until 1pm on Christmas Eve, and then reopens on Tuesday 4th January.
We would like to wish you a safe and happy Christmas, and we hope to see you in the New Year.
Library Proposal for Haxby and Wigginton
In early 2020 discussions commenced with Explore (who provide the library service to City of York) and City of York Council to examine options for Haxby Library to reopen from a permanent base at Oaken Grove Community Centre. Detailed negotiations have been ongoing to establish how the present temporary arrangements might evolve into a permanent solution which benefits the three organisations and the local community. The consultation period for this proposal has taken place, with further details available on the Explore website.
* * * UPDATE! The feedback from this consultation is available on the Explore Website. * * *
We’re Hiring!
We’re seeking to hire a confident individual to be our new Youth Support Worker. The role will assist our Senior and Project Youth Workers in delivering our youth and community provision ‘Community Ties’ during Term Time. More details and how to apply can be found in our Youth Support Worker Job Description!
A Defibrillator at Oaken Grove Community Centre
After unavoidable delay due to the impact of closure during the pandemic and resolution of additional funding, Haxby & Wigginton Youth & Community Association are delighted that a defibrillator has now been installed at Oaken Grove Community Centre.
The defibrillator is accessible 24/7 by retrieving a key for the main gates from a lock box on the fence outside the main entrance. The lock box is opened using a 4-digit code which is provided by the emergency services when they are contacted, as well as the access code for the defibrillator case. This process has been agreed with Yorkshire Ambulance Service and is commonly used elsewhere.
HWYCA would like to acknowledge the initial efforts of valued volunteers who instigated the fundraising initiative to raise money towards the defibrillator at Oaken Grove. The two fundraising events that they led raised 58% of the final cost of the scheme. The remainder has been funded by other charity funds, including one significant private donation.
2020 Inspected Accounts
In the meantime, we are herewith publishing our inspected accounts for 2020. If anyone has any questions please email info@hwyca.co.uk.
December Newsletter
We hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas this year, despite the challenges 2020 has put in our paths. We have added a issued a December 2020 – Newsletter which we hope will provide an update about what has been happening at Oaken Grove over the last few months, and our hopes for 2021. We hope you have a safe and happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the New Year.
Christmas Closure
Please note the office at Oaken Grove Community Centre will be closed from Thursday 17th December and will reopen on Monday 4th January. Please email any urgent enquiries to info@hwyca.co.uk.
Haxby Explore Library at Oaken Grove
On 7th September we welcomed Haxby Explore Library, who officially took up residence in Oaken Grove Community Centre. The library is currently open for drop-in browsing and borrowing, but they won’t be holding any in-person activities such as story times or reading groups yet. The Library is open 10:00am – 5:00pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 10:00am -1:00pm on Saturdays. They are closed on Thursdays and Sundays.
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
If you require assistance during the current situation, help may be available via the links below.
Further information is also available via our Facebook page.
York CVS:
There is a wealth of information and support available on the York CVS website.
York CVS are also offering Wellbeing Calls. Details can be found below:
City of York Council:
Those vulnerable residents who do not currently have any access to support, but who need help because of the impact of COVID-19, are asked to contact CYC’s Community Support Coordinators at:
Email: covid19help@york.gov.uk
Telephone: 01904 551550
Healthwatch York:
Healthwatch York has a free post address and will write letters to anyone who is isolated and doesn’t use the internet but still needs to be connected.
Their Freepost address is: Healthwatch York, FREEPOST RTEG-BLES-RRYJ 15 Priory Street YO1 6ET
General Advice and Guidance:
Further information can be found below: