News

In Harmony Opera North
In Harmony was launched in 2013 to support those children that might not otherwise have had the opportunity that music can deliver: the development of community, singing and instrumental playing.

The programme now engages over 3,200 children and young people in full-time education every week, delivering an inclusive programme of music education and performance opportunities at four infant schools, eight primary schools, and one secondary school.

Of these students, approximately 42% are in receipt of free school meals and 22% have special educational needs.

Since we first started supporting the In Harmony Programme we have donated a total of £375,500 which includes future projects.

Martin House Children Hospice
We have currently made donations totalling £143,000.

Bradford City of Culture
Bradford became the fourth UK City of Culture in January 2025, with events taking place throughout Bradford District to celebrate Bradford’s heritage and dynamic contemporary culture, with performances, exhibitions, events and activities inspired by the extraordinary variety of its landscape, from the city’s historic centre to the breathtaking countryside surroundings.

Most of all, it celebrated the people of Bradford, from local artists and creative organisations to the diverse communities who call Bradford home.

The Charles and Elsie Sykes Trust led the funding for the educational component of the programme of events. This comprised 3 elements – a slam poetry competition, several Young Creatives training places, and Bradford Made which is a curriculum module focussing on the manufacturing heritage of Bradford. Over the two years we were involved, we donated a total of £250,000 to support this work.

Flourishing Families
We have been a supporter of flourishing families since 2020.  Our most recent funding is contributing to their Springboard Programme which has two main areas of focus – Healthy Families and Happy Families. Healthy Families would take their Family Cookery Clubs to the next level and develop new ways of providing family support so that long term health outcomes can be transformed and families can be empowered to thrive. Happy Families will develop a comprehensive and cohesive child and family mental wellbeing programme including tailored responses to more specific challenges and equipping parents to empower them make a very significant difference to the lives of the whole family.

The charity received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service in HM The King’s birthday honours in November 2023 for transforming futures and equipping families with the skills to flourish.

Since we started working with Flourishing Families we have donated a total of £130,000.

Small Grants Scheme
The Charles and Elsie Sykes Trust prides itself on supporting many small charities across Yorkshire. In a typical year we award grants to small charities amounting to circa £150,000. For a detailed breakdown of these grants please take a look at our Annual Report and Accounts filed with the Charity Commission.

For further information regarding other grants awarded by the Charles and Elsie Sykes Trust go to the Charity Commission website using this link