We hope the following FAQ-style information will help you understand our group and our website. Please do get in contact if there’s anything we’ve missed.
Joining the Community
How do I join your community group?
You can join our community group using our registration page if you haven’t already.
What happens after I join?
Joining means you’ll start receiving the emails you subscribed to when you registered, along with information about our WhatsApp Community, Facebook group and Instagram account.
Other than that, joining does not commit you to volunteering or attending events — how much you get involved is entirely up to you.
How do my neighbours join the community group?
If you know people from the area who have not yet joined but are keen to do so, please send them our registration link: https://sherwooddales.org.uk/register. Please help us spread the word!
Does joining mean I am obliged to do anything?
Absolutely not! Volunteering is entirely optional. By joining, you are simply requesting that we keep you up-to-date via the email subscriptions you select when you register. These can be changed at any time on your account page.
Does it cost anything to join?
Absolutely not! Joining is completely free.
The Community Group
What does the community group do?
You can learn more about our aims and objectives on our homepage, and on our community group page.
What has the community group achieved so far?
Please see our achievements timeline for more details.
What streets do you cover?
You can find a list of streets that we cover on our area page, along with a map.
Who is behind the community group?
The group was set up by Rob Mabbott and Steve Barker. You can find out more about who is involved with our group in our people section.
How do I contact you?
Please use our contact form.
Events and Meetings
Do you hold regular meetings and events I can attend?
Yes, we aim to hold members’ meetings a few times a year. Please keep an eye on our events page to see what’s coming up, and make sure you’ve subscribed to meetings and events in the email subscriptions section of your account page so you don’t miss out.
Do I have to attend meetings?
No. They are entirely optional.
Are meetings in person or online?
We currently only meet in person, although we would like to enable people to join our meetings online in the future as well.
Who can attend events?
Anybody who lives in the area and anyone we invite.
Do I need to book events in advance?
For some events, particularly when capacity is limited, we may require you to book in advance.
Volunteering
How do I volunteer my time?
Please check out our volunteering page to learn more about ways you can support our group by volunteering your time. If you want to help us out in ways we don’t currently mention, please get in contact with us.
Do I have to commit long-term to volunteer?
Not at all. You only give up your time when it works for you to do so.
Can I step down from a role easily?
Yes, absolutely. We would appreciate it if you could hand over anything you are working on, but this is optional.
Donations
How can I donate money?
Please visit our donate page to find out how you can help the community by giving money.
Is there anything else I can donate?
You can donate books to the Ribblesdale Book Exchange.
Social Media and Internet
We ask that you keep all posts relevant and follow our Terms and Conditions at all times and on all platforms, paying particular attention to our community conduct standards. If you repeatedly break our rules, you may be removed from all our platforms.
The Website
How do I find what I’m looking for on the website?
We have tried to organise the links at the top of the page to be as helpful as possible, including our search feature which can help you find what you’re looking for.
How do I ask you to add something to the website?
Please contact us to get it added to our site.
Can I add a shortcut to the website on my device?
Yes, you can. The method for this varies by device. For phones and tablets, please check this link: How to Add a Website to the Home Screen on iPhone and Android. For desktop and laptop computers, use this link: Easy Ways to Make a Website Shortcut on Windows or macOS.
You can also add the website to your bookmarks in your browser by following these steps: How to Bookmark a Website in Any Browser.
What do I do if I forget my password?
You can use the password reset feature to regain access to your account.
Not everyone uses social media, and we don’t want anyone to be excluded. However, almost everyone has an internet connection and will be able to access our website.
How do I stop being a member of the website?
To delete your account on the website, simply click the Delete Account link on your account page. You will no longer receive emails from us after you do this.
Emails
What email addresses will you contact me from?
We will contact you via our website using notifications@sherwooddales.org.uk. If you reply to one of our emails, we will also contact you using info@sherwooddales.org.uk.
What can I do if I’m not receiving your emails?
It is likely that emails are being delivered to your spam/junk folder, so please check there first. To help guide our emails to your inbox, we recommend that you add the two addresses given above to your safe sender list. The process for this varies by email provider, but you should be able to find instructions online. If you need any help, please get in contact.
How do I stop emails from being sent?
You can stop optional emails, such as newsletters, surveys and meeting and event updates, by changing your email subscription preferences on your account page or using the unsubscribe links in those emails.
Unsubscribing from optional emails does not stop essential communications needed to administer your account or community membership, moderate our platforms, or address safety matters.
If you wish to leave the website entirely, you can delete your account through your account page.
How does the community group use WhatsApp?
We use a WhatsApp Community to help people in the area stay informed. This has an announcements-only group which admins can post to. There is also a group for each street. Residents of each street can join the relevant street group, and can post and reply messages on there. Street Champions will promote messages posted in a street group to the community-wide announcements group as and when required.
How do I join the WhatsApp community?
We ask that you register with our website before you join our WhatsApp community. We’ll do our best to invite you to the community by sending you a WhatsApp message once you’ve registered. If you’ve not received an invitation and want to join, please contact us.
How do I join the WhatsApp group for my road?
Once you’re a member of the community, you will be able to request to join the group for your street. See the how to join a group in a community page on the WhatsApp website for more information.
What can I post in our WhatsApp groups?
We have several WhatsApp groups, each serving a different purpose. Please keep messages relevant to the group you’re posting in.
For example, our CCTV footage group is for sharing and requesting relevant footage, while our volunteers group is for coordinating Sherwood Dales volunteering activities.
Why are we strict about this?
We want important messages to be easy to find, without being lost among unrelated posts. We also want residents to feel confident that joining a particular group won’t result in unwanted notifications about other subjects.
Too many irrelevant messages can cause people to mute or leave groups, making them less useful for everyone.
Your street group is generally the best place for wider neighbourhood discussions, local recommendations, events and appropriate charity appeals.
If you think something deserves wider circulation, please ask a Street Champion or administrator to consider sharing it with the wider community.
What happens if I post in the wrong group?
An administrator may remove your message. Wherever practicable, they will explain why and suggest a more suitable group. Please don’t take this personally — we’re simply trying to keep our communication channels useful and relevant.
Repeated disregard of our guidelines may result in restrictions on participation, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.
How do I leave the WhatsApp community?
To leave our community, please use the how to exit a community page on the WhatsApp website.
Do you have a Facebook group?
Yes we do, and you can find it here: Sherwood Dales Facebook group.
How do I join the Facebook group?
Simply click the link above and click Join Group. We ask that you register with our website before you join the Facebook group.
I don’t use Facebook, will I miss out?
You do not need to use social media to keep up with important community news. Our website is our main source of information. Register with the website and choose the email subscriptions relevant to you, including Meetings and Events and Community Newsletter, to receive those updates by email.
Social media may also include informal conversations and additional photographs that are not included in website updates or emails.
How do I leave the Facebook group?
To leave our Facebook group, please use the leave a Facebook group page on the Facebook website. Remember to select the device you’re using at the top of the guide to ensure you’re following the correct instructions.
Do you have an Instagram account?
Yes we do, and you can find it here: Sherwood Dales Instagram account.
We mainly use Instagram to show the progress made by our gardening volunteers and celebrate their work around Sherwood Dales. In future, we may also share photographs from our community social events, with appropriate permission.
Instagram complements our website, which remains our main source of community information.
How do I follow the Instagram account?
Simply click the link above and click Follow. You’ll need an Instagram account to follow us.
Do I need to be registered with the website to follow you on Instagram?
No. Our Instagram account is public, so anyone can follow it.
I don’t use Instagram, will I miss out?
You do not need to use social media to keep up with important community news. Our website is our main source of information. Register with the website and choose the email subscriptions relevant to you, including Meetings and Events and Community Newsletter, to receive those updates by email.
Social media may also include informal conversations and additional photographs that are not included in website updates or emails.
Can I contact you through Instagram?
Yes. You can send a direct message to our Instagram account. Our volunteers monitor messages, but replies may be delayed depending on their availability.
You can also use our website’s contact form. Please do not use Instagram for emergencies or urgent assistance. Crimes and incidents should be reported to the appropriate services; you can also tell our community group about them through our website’s Report page.
How do I stop following the Instagram account?
Open our Instagram account, click Following, then choose Unfollow.
What do I do if I move away from the area?
If you move away from the area and want to leave our various platforms, you’ll need to exit each one individually using the following instructions provided on this page:
- How do I stop being a member of the website?
- How do I leave the WhatsApp community?
- How do I leave the Facebook group?
- How do I stop following the Instagram account?
Account, Privacy and Data
What personal data do you store about me?
You can view and update your website registration details on your account page. We also hold information you provide through forms, comments and messages, together with technical information used to operate and protect the website. Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why we collect it and how to request a copy or deletion.
What information can other people see about me?
On our website, your name and any profile picture displayed alongside a comment may be publicly visible, together with the comment itself. Your account details, such as your address, email address and phone number, are not displayed publicly through your profile.
On Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, what others can see depends on the platform, your privacy settings and what you choose to share. Our Instagram account is public, so comments you leave on its posts may be seen by anyone. Please avoid posting private or sensitive information publicly.
We do not routinely share personal data with the police, council or other organisations. Some information may be processed by services that support the website, such as website hosting, email delivery and spam detection. Otherwise, we share personal data only with your permission or where required by law. See our Privacy Policy for full details.