Lily Arnold, Centre Co-ordinator at Woodhouse Community Centre (Oblong)
We love working with Your Back Yard, they have given our community incredible opportunities at the centre. The feedback we have from class participants is overwhelmingly positive, and we are so grateful the kids boxercise class is coming back next year thanks to support from YBY. It is one of the most popular activities the centre has! We love working with YBY as they are very flexible and eager to work with the community and collaborate with exciting organisations, and they listen to the needs of the local community first. Basically you are all legends and I feel so lucky to work with you!
Janet Tasker, Daisyfield Grange
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!
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 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.
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.