Here's a bit about us...

BEAT is a recently constituted charitable organisation which has developed out of the HAVA (Hawksworth, Abbeydales and Vesper Area) Big Local project as it’s legacy. The Hawksworth Wood area of Leeds was identified as one of the UK’s most disadvantaged areas by the National Lottery-funded project Big Local who invested £1m over 14 years to HAVA. Big Local has a natural conclusion in 2025.

 

BEAT’s vision and purpose is to build on the work initiated by HAVA in Hawksworth Wood to create and embed: 

A thriving, engaged and hopeful community, with equity, sustainability, cohesion, and empowerment at its core.

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Our four strategic aims are:

• Facilitate services and activities for community benefit;

• Support ambitions for our community with learning, training, employment and the arts;

• Bring together different facets of the community; and,

• infrastructure in our community.

 

BEAT will deliver it’s four strategic aims using the same key focus areas as HAVA:

• Health and Wellbeing

• Education and Employment

• Community Infrastructure.

 

Hawksworth Wood is economically deprived with limited community infrastructure, however it should be said it is also a community rich with great depths of relationships, kindness, and spirit. Its history as a deprived area has fuelled resident’s advocacy and support for each other and their love of their ‘home’ both geographical and literal. The community has a creativity which is demonstrated though events such as Light Night and the Walking Advent.

 

It is important for us to ensure we are entirely community led, ‘nothing done to us without us’ so we stay more on the beat of the community to keep our USP. This is reflected in our constitution, requiring a minimum of 51% of trustees to be residents of Hawksworth Wood.

There are no other organisations currently working in the geographical location that have the breadth of services and activity that HAVA and subsequently BEAT have.

 

So far, the seed organisation HAVA has made a huge impact on the local community and has had both revenue and capital impacts. HAVA has run community days, driven and funded investment in the local green spaces to help with wellbeing and supported both charitable organisations and small enterprises to grow.

 

This has supported economic engagement of residents and social deprivation improvements. HAVA are currently working effectively with partners and BEAT would continue this tradition.

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BEAT has been seeded by HAVA and will remain rooted in many of the Big Local values, and  continue to deliver community led activities including.

• Encouraging improved health & wellbeing for community members.

• Reducing social isolation and loneliness.

• Improving community cohesion and inclusivity for all sections of our community.

• Feeding families/ sharing meals with others.

• Building connections.

• Shared experiences.

• Intergenerational experiences.

• Addressing anti-social behaviours, connecting, empowering young people.

• Encouraging ownership and respect of local assets.