A milestone week for Holbeck Together – and a meeting with His Majesty King Charles III

Many people will have seen the wonderful coverage of His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Consort’s visit to Yorkshire which has taken place this week.

We had the absolute honour of our Chief Officer Elissa Newman being invited to meet King Charles III at a closed round table meeting on his visit to Leeds this week. Hosted by one of our key supporters, Leeds Building Society, Holbeck Together was joined by five other local charities. This was an opportunity for us to share with The King, some direct insights into what the current situation is like for our community in Holbeck.

The meeting was linked with financial services representation in the city and our presence was a living example of how businesses such as Leeds Building Society commit and support local communities. Since 2017 Leeds Building Society have supported our charity by providing office space at The Old Box Office from which we can provide our services. They have also annually supported us with food collections, Christmas present drives and other fundraising initiatives. Their support of our work, services and activities needs to be applauded and we further thank them for giving us the opportunity to speak directly to The King about our work.

Elissa Newman, Chief Officer, Holbeck Together noted: “This has been an important week for our organisation and the community we serve as we mark the fact that we have been based as a charity in the community for 30 years. We are acutely aware of the challenges that face many people in the UK at the moment due to the cost of living crisis.

In meeting His Majesty King Charles III I gave a very stark representation of what it is like for people living in areas such as Holbeck – the choices people have to make between basics such as food, clothing, heating. The health, employment and housing challenges many face on a day-to-day basis. He was very interested to hear about our Social Supermarket initiative and the way in which organisations like ours are responding to the need for warm spaces.

So, this week has been a significant milestone for Holbeck Together – one of representation to the country’s most significant leader, followed by an opportunity to come together, on Friday 11 November, as a community and acknowledge our activity in the area over the last 30 years. As we move forward, we’d like to reiterate our commitment to being the community hub for all generations of Holbeck – a safe and warm as well as a space for people to connect, grow and thrive.”