Canopy Housing calendar 2026

Calendar
2026

Sidra - volunteer
“I love volunteering with Canopy.
I’ve learnt so many new skills, I feel
empowered and get to work with an
incredible team of lovely,
supportive and caring people.
Canopy has changed my life & is one of
the best things I’ve ever experienced”

January 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1
2 3 4
New Year’s Day
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31

“Canopy’s a pretty good place
you know, everyone loves a good
laugh. The site workers are super
Harrison friendly and if you don’t feel up
to something, you’re never forced.
They help you through it and then you realise
you can do it!”
Harrison - volunteer
Francis
“I had a stroke nearly 3 years ago
and I came to Canopy as part
of my recovery. I’m learning painting
and how to lay new floors.
I get up on a Monday morning and I have
something I really want to do.
I really enjoy being at Canopy!”
Francis - volunteer
Johnson
“Canopy is really good for new
people who arrive in the city.
It’s a good thing to be involved
in for people trying to get leave to remain,
because it shows how much people want to
contribute to their communities”
Johnson - volunteer

February 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18
19 20 21 22
Eid-Ramadan begins
23 24 25 26 27 28

HELP
“I’d be dead if it wasn’t
for my support worker” Tenant
“Thank you, you’ve taken a
lot of stress off my back”
Tenant
SUPPORT
“Thanks so much for
the support & the house -
you’ve changed my life”
Tenant
GUIDANCE
Laura -
Support Worker
Rebecca -
Housing Officer
“Thank you for helping me
see things more clearly”
Tenant

March 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
International Women’s
Day
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20
21 22
Eid al-Fitr, end of
Ramadan
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31

Volunteer Recognition Day
[20th April]
Why not volunteer
at Canopy...
80 volunteers
gave 830 days
of volunteering
in 2025
38% of our
volunteers
were female
in 2025
...contact us on
0113 294 6868

April 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1 2 3
4 5
6
Good Friday Holiday
7 8 9 10 11 12
Easter Monday Holiday
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20
21 22 23 24 25 26
Volunteer Recognition
Day
27 28 29 30

Danelly -
volunteer
“Canopy really welcomes
people. It feels like you’re being
welcomed into a family. It’s my
first experience working on site &
I feel looked after.
I’m writing a PhD about retrofit,
decarbonisation & circular
economies so I wanted to know
more about how peole in
construction use & choose
materials, which I’m learning
about at Canopy...
...I like that they put on socials &
help people get to know each
other. There’s so much effort put
into helping volunteers intergrate
& work well together.
It’s really interesting to get to
know peole who have really
different backgrounds & it feels
rich to be in a team with people
who have different life
experiences &
different skills to contribute”

May 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1 2 3
4
5 6 7 8 9 10
May Bank Holiday
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25
26 27 28 29 30 31
Spring Bank Holiday

Retrofit
In 2025, Canopy gave a
free ‘how to retrofit
a house’ open workshop.
Members of the public had
a go at fitting wood fibre
board, using sealing tape &
installing airtightness
membrane to improve
energy efficiency.

June 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1 2 3 4 5
6 7
World Environment Day
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20
21
World Refugee Day
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30

Scarborough
trip
Postcard
Every year we take a coach
to the seaside, full of our
tenants & volunteers!

July 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31

Igor’s page
Igor is one of Canopy’s
fantastic volunteers but he’s
also a fantastic photographer!
He takes lots of great pictures
on site and here are a few of
Igor’s photos.
Igor

August 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
August Bank Holiday

Canopy organises various
events for our volunteers,
including walks in
the Yorkshire Dales.
In 2025 one event
was a bit
different than usual -
a chance to learn
heritage skills
in a wool
spinning workshop.
Everyone
enjoyed this session!

September 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30

“I come to Canopy because it helps with
my mental health. I meet other people
which supports me with isolation & I
really enjoy meeting other people with
different nationalities.
I feel that I’m wanted in social life
when I’m at Canopy. It gives me
comfort listening to people & them
listening to me.
I’m learning new skills & using tools
I’ve never used before. I’m getting
satisfaction for what I’m actually doing
for Canopy Housing.
We do a bit of singing to whatever
blasts from the radio & it cheers the
day up you know!
It’s not all about getting the properties
done. We take us time & enjoy what
we’re doing”
Steve - volunteer

October 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1 2 3 4
5 6
7 8 9 10
11
World Habitat Day
World Mental Health
Day
World Homeless Day
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31
Hallowe’en

Learning new skills & having FUN!
Esperance
Billy
“What I think about Canopy as a volunteer who’s been
here almost three years...I absolutely adore Canopy!
Even when new members of staff arrive they quickly
pick up the same vibe as other members of staff,
there is definitely a culture being built here!
Working with new people can be daunting, but site
workers put people together who could work well together.
People always ask me why I do the work if I’m not
getting paid, but the skills are more important than the
money. Everyone feels like that, they just willingly &
genuinely want to be here!
Canopy has inspired me to apply to start my
level 1 City & Guilds multi-skills course. Who knows,
maybe I’ll be a carpenter within a year!”
Esperance - volunteer
Che has been volunteering at Canopy for
over 18 years. Che is deaf and has a
special sign for every Canopy staff
member, which are often funny and
usually relate to hairstyles!
He’s pretty good at balancing too, giving
everyone a good laugh on site.
Thank you Che.
Che

November 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1
2 3 4 5
6 7 8
Bonfire Night
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19
20 21 22
International Mens Day
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30

Merry Christmas
everyone!
The Canopy
Christmas meal
for all our
tenants & volunteers is
the highlight of our
festive season!

December 2026
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1 2 3 4 5
6
International Volunteer
Day
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25
26
27
28 29 30 31
Christmas Day
Boxing Day
New Year’s Eve

A big Thank You to...
Volunteers: Alex, Alexander, Alfie, Ali, Andrew, Anthony, Arlan, Billy, Billy, Boubacar,
Charlene, Che, Dane, Danelly, Dantel, Doug, Dylan, Emil, Esperance, Francis, Frank, Fraser,
Hala, Hannah, Harrison, Harrison, Hattie, Helen, Helen, Igor, Ismail, Johnathan, Johnson,
Jonathan, Kathryn, Lacie, Lee, Liam, Lorieane, Lucy, Manuela, Matilda, Megan, Michelle,
Milly, Ming, Mohammad, Nejat, Nichola, Queenie, Rebecca, Rhys, Rikaya, Rocky, Roshan,
Sadam, Safia, Sage, Seun, Shane, Sidra, Steve, Teshan, Tilla, Valentin, Vince, Xav.
Board: Andrea Cowans (Chair), Keith Gibson (Deputy Chair), Danielle Joy (Treasurer),
Jenn Bravo, Martyn Broadest, Lyn Charters, Janet Onslow, Naz Parkar, Mark Rutherford,
Kinga Salisbury, Louay Taha.
Backers/Funders: Energy Redress Scheme, Forum Central, LandAid, Leeds City Council,
North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub, npower Business Solutions Foundation, Leeds City
Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority. A big thank you to all individual donors who
give as they earn, make one off payments or donate every month. All the staff would like
to express deep gratitude & remember Bridget Relton, who left a generous donation to
Canopy Housing in her will.
Friends, Partners and Associates: Jenny Lehan, Michael Wicks and Josh Meek at Unity
Trust Bank, Jack and Jo at Editional Studios, Jim and Jenny at LEDA, Lorna Hebden and
Claire Wiggans at Leeds City Council, Howard at Ctek, James Hartley at LATCH, Jon
Fitzmaurice, Martin and Caroline at Giroscope, Jamie and Colin at Wrapt, Sara Edmonds and
Rachael Owens at National Retrofit Hub, Diane Hubbard at Green Footsteps, Steve Hoey,
Tom Chance, Tom Hocking, Kate Hutchinson, Charlotte Ravenscroft, Heather Sandover,
Lucy Rider, Ewan Metcalfe, Lucy The Mermaid, Claude Hendrickson MBE, Bryony, Josie,
and Tony at Locality, Danielle and the team at Optimo, Brighid and Jack at Action on
Empty Homes, David Glew, Mark Collett and Mark Davis at Leeds Sustainability Institute,
Hannah at Energy Savings Trust, Emma and Jamie-Lee at Tees Valley, Cara and Matthew
at Ashden, Magdalena and Glo at SEDA, Centre for Alternative Technology, Doing Good
Leeds, Heritage Trust Network, People Powered Retrofit, Resonance, World Habitat, AAB,
and Voluntary Action Leeds, Isabelle Sparrow, volunteers from John Lewis Partners.

We are a charitable community benefit
society. Registration Number 28665R.
Exempt Charity Number XR21692.
Staff are available by phone
or e-mail, Monday to Friday,
9.30am - 4.30pm.
Office: 66 Burley Lodge Rd, Leeds, LS6 1QF
Canopy is an award-winning, self-help housing project.
We retrofit empty homes with teams of volunteers,
house homeless people and families, train unemployed people in
construction skills, create jobs, tackle climate change and
contribute to the regeneration of disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
You can donate to Canopy
by following the link below:
Volunteering: 07956 152595
Rent account queries: 07545 922621
Tenant support: 07956 152596
Repairs: 07527 353423
Emergency repairs: 01924 400 499
Our office is open:
Tuesday to Thursday
10am to 3pm 0113 294 6868
www.canopyhousing.org / Email: info@canopyhousing.org

Calendar designed by
Gary Trewin at Canopy!