Our story
How it started
Our journey began with the signing of the lease
In 2020 the world changed due to the Covid19 pandemic, not only personally for our Founder, Gabby, but also the many people who had previously accessed support through groups, activities and face to face support.
Gabby and the founding team of Directors met to discuss a concept that would help people navigate services post lock down but also a desire was quickly established for the sense of a #safespace needed to be created, for those isolated or seeking support for many reasons.
In September 2021 the keys were collected to 46 John William Street, a perfectly located ‘office’ opposite Huddersfield Train Station with good public transportation links and a space that could be moulded to suit the needs of the organisation.
A huge effort was undertaken to convert the space into a café, training kitchen and community hub – 63 days of stripping walls, floors, sanding, painting, building and joinery work and so many people came together to ensure this happened, mostly volunteers and for that we are so very grateful.
Fast forward to our second year of trading, training and building our community hub and we are proud to support many different organisations plus running successful LGBTQ+ youth groups, social groups, volunteering and employability skills training – continuing to do all we can to support our community.
Our Board
Gabrielle (Gabby) Hurt is Founder and CEO of Hive Huddersfield CIC or lovingly known as simply ‘Hive.’ You will find Gabby most days in Hive supporting the many groups, project managing Hive Youth, managing the day-to-day finances, and making the odd latte or two. With a background in Adult Education, Income Generation, Sales, and Project Management all those experiences are put to use on a daily basis.
Howard Roache joined in 2021 and supports Hive with administrative duties and extensive knowledge of the hospitality sector and offering support to the Board at a strategic level.
Alex Vickers joined as a director in 2022. Alex brings with her a sense of calm, supporting nature and brilliant skills that help support the team with key decisions around SEN support and managing the kitchen.
Susanna Shotter joined in 2022 to help shape the strategic and operational direction of Hive, supporting Gabby in the day to day running of Hive. Susanna is also Chief Executive of the inspiring Aspire Creating Communities charity.
We are fortunate to have a varied skill set and Directors with lived experience that helps us to shape our projects and will continue to be crucial in our development and future success.
Thank you to our funders and supporters for their continued support and investment into our projects, our key funders for 2023 are listed below:
- TSL Kirklees
- One Community
- National Lottery – Awards for All
- Loose Change Charity
- Cummins Turbo – Global Giving
- Ward Councillors
- Kirklees Community Plus
- Huddersfield Common Good Trust
Contact Us
Address
West Yorkshire
HD1 1ER
Call
01484 614 254