Selby Connected is a brand-new strategic partnership led by Up for Yorkshire and energy company Drax – to form a network of organisations from the private, public and voluntary sectors, working together to address the underlying challenges facing residents in Selby and surrounding villages.
Research conducted by Up for Yorkshire, found that fewer than one in three Selby residents know where to access financial advice and support, despite a wide range of services already existing locally.
Chris Hailey-Norris, Up for Yorkshire’s Chief Executive spoke about the need for collaboration between business and community groups following the initiatives launch, “What an event! Selby Connected is all about joining things up, using the collective reach of businesses and community organisations to make a practical difference, making information and resources easier to access.”
Analysis also found that lack of awareness of support is one of the most common barriers residents face, affecting access to employment, financial advice, health services and community provision. Only 27.7% of residents said they knew where to access financial advice, while awareness of specialist employment support such as skills training and work experience opportunities was below 25%.
At the same time, wider structural challenges continue to limit access to opportunity. More than 86% of the local area ranks among the most geographically disadvantaged in England for access to services, while residents report difficulty finding suitable local job opportunities despite rating their own skills positively.
Shona King, Head of Social Impact at Drax said:
“As a major employer in the region, we see first-hand both the strengths of this community and the challenges people face. Selby Connected brings organisations together to take a more coordinated, long-term approach, helping ensure that opportunities and support are easier to access for everyone.”
Selby Connected will focus on addressing these core issues by improving how information is shared, strengthening links between organisations, and making it easier for residents to connect with existing opportunities and support. This will include working directly with schools, colleges and community groups, promoting existing programmes, and launching pilot projects developed by the partnership.
The initiative will serve Selby and surrounding villages including Barlby, Barlow and Camblesforth, with a focus on creating long-term impact through collaboration rather than short-term interventions.
With more than 40% of residents saying businesses should play a bigger role in improving quality of life locally, Selby Connected aims to build a lasting, community-driven movement that connects people with the support, opportunities and services they need.
ENDS
Media contacts:
Kieran Wilson
E: [email protected]
T: 07729092807
About Drax
Drax’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future. Our strategic aims are to be a global leader in both carbon removals and sustainable biomass pellet production, and to be a UK leader in dispatchable, renewable generation.
Our operations
Drax owns and operates a portfolio of flexible, low-carbon and renewable UK power assets – biomass, hydro, and pumped storage generation – which provide dispatchable power and system support services to the electricity grid.
We are the UK’s largest source of renewable power by output, and Drax Power Station is the UK’s largest single source of renewable electricity by output.
Through our pellet production facilities in North America, Drax is a leading integrated producer of sustainable biomass. Drax has 18 operational and development pellet production sites which will have a nameplate capacity of around 5.4 million tonnes once expansions are complete.
Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK industrial and commercial customers, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.
