Dinner event raises hundreds of pounds for grassroots projects in York
At a sold-out dinner called STEW, York residents gathered to eat, but also to decide where funding should go.
The event, held by York Together at Bluebird Bakery on April 2, raised £547 through ticket sales.
This was shared between three grassroots groups, with Make Space York receiving the largest share of £397.
Abigail Gaines from Make Space York said: "I came away from STEW with a full heart.
"This was a wonderful community event with a supportive atmosphere.
"York has so many amazing grassroots initiatives, good people doing good things, and to hear about some of them at this event was fantastic."
The remaining funds were split between Stubborn Roots and Ageing Without Children, each of which received £75.
Anjelica Finnegan, development lead for York Together, said: "We have been genuinely moved by the warmth and encouragement in the room on the night.
"It's rare to find a space where people come together like this: to eat, to listen, and to collectively decide what kind of future they want for their city."
The event saw attendees enjoy a meal and listen to pitches from the three groups, before voting for the cause that resonated most.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
12-08-2025
- Forbes
This ‘Buffett Favorite' Dividend Is An Incredible CEF Bargain
When it comes to a closed-end fund (CEF), many investors are always focused on one thing: the dividend. It makes sense: CEFs pay 8.5% yields, on average, according to data from my CEF Insider service. But sometimes it pays to look beyond those big payouts, because by doing so, you could find a CEF with a track record so strong that its total return (dividends and gains combined) beats that of a CEF with a high yield. I don't know about you, but I'm willing to take more of my return in the form of price gains if it means, say, doubling my money in five years! This CEF Winner Is Hiding Behind Its 'Low' Payout That's been the case with the SRH Total Return Fund (STEW), whose dividend—at 3.8%—is pretty, well, meh, for a CEF. As a result, it's often overlooked, which is what's happening now. We can see that in the fund's discount to net asset value (NAV, or the value of its underlying portfolio), which is just under 20% today (more on this shortly). That ridiculous discount is an insult to this proven fund, which has doubled an investor's money, with dividends reinvested, in the last half-decade. That's a fantastic return by any measure. It even beat the S&P 500, which is up around 103% since then. The funny thing is, the strategy behind this money-making fund is simple, which is why its bargain valuation is so surprising. Inspired by Warren Buffett, STEW uses a value-investing approach that makes the fund less volatile than the broader market while helping it rise in value over the long haul. Its largest investment is in Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B), which is about 45% of the fund's assets. Additionally, STEW looks for valuable underpriced stocks, which is why it also holds JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), pipeline operator Enterprise Products Partners (EPD), Microsoft (MSFT) and other high-quality firms with long histories of returning cash to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks. This is all good stuff, but now let me show you the best part: that bargain valuation I mentioned a second ago. This is where a big difference between CEFs and ETFs comes in: ETFs can issue shares as necessary, so they don't trade at discounts (or at least significant ones). But STEW, as a CEF, has a fixed number of shares (hence the 'closed' in the term 'closed-end fund'). As a result, a CEF's shares can trade up or down depending on market demand, in addition to their movements on the value of the fund's assets. That, in turn, means CEFs can sometimes trade well below NAV. And STEW's discount, as I mentioned a second ago, is truly massive: just under 20%! Note that this markdown was even wider in recent months. In fact, STEW's discount has slowly grown larger over the last five years despite the fact that the fund beat the market. This inefficiency can't last, which is why STEW's discount suddenly shrank in recent weeks. Its discount is likely to shrink further as more investors catch on. All of this might sound familiar if you've been reading my articles for a while, because in a March 31, 2025, piece, I pointed out that STEW's massive (then 23.1%) discount was unlikely to last. It has shrunk a bit since then, and I see it shrinking more. Now, let me wheel back to the dividend part of the picture here. To be sure, that 3.8% payout is, as mentioned, on the small side for a CEF. But it's also masking something else, besides STEW's strong total return: dividend growth. That too has been strong, with the payout soaring 62% in the last five years. And lately, STEW's payout growth has been accelerating: It's just another reason why with CEFs (or any income investment, really), it pays to look beyond the yield. STEW, with its discount, performance history and growing payout, is a perfect example of that. Michael Foster is the Lead Research Analyst for Contrarian Outlook. For more great income ideas, click here for our latest report 'Indestructible Income: 5 Bargain Funds with Steady 10% Dividends.' Disclosure: none
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
Dinner event raises hundreds of pounds for grassroots projects in York
A community meal in York has funded three grassroots projects. At a sold-out dinner called STEW, York residents gathered to eat, but also to decide where funding should go. The event, held by York Together at Bluebird Bakery on April 2, raised £547 through ticket sales. This was shared between three grassroots groups, with Make Space York receiving the largest share of £397. Abigail Gaines from Make Space York said: "I came away from STEW with a full heart. "This was a wonderful community event with a supportive atmosphere. "York has so many amazing grassroots initiatives, good people doing good things, and to hear about some of them at this event was fantastic." The remaining funds were split between Stubborn Roots and Ageing Without Children, each of which received £75. Anjelica Finnegan, development lead for York Together, said: "We have been genuinely moved by the warmth and encouragement in the room on the night. "It's rare to find a space where people come together like this: to eat, to listen, and to collectively decide what kind of future they want for their city." The event saw attendees enjoy a meal and listen to pitches from the three groups, before voting for the cause that resonated most.
Forbes
31-03-2025
- Forbes
Why Index Funds Are Out, And These 3 Big Dividends Are In
Investment asset allocation and rebalance concept. getty In our Thursday article, we talked about a 'quiet shift' in the markets, from growth stocks to value—and we named 2 CEFs yielding 9%+ that are primed to profit from it. Yes, the recent jump in volatility is a big reason for that. So today, we're going to look at another side of the rotation we're seeing—a shift from passive investing to active. As we move further into 2025, it's getting clearer to me that we're into a stock-picker's market. Sitting in an index fund just won't cut it. That said, at my CEF Insider service, we're still bullish on stocks (and stock-focused closed-end funds, many of which hand us 8%+ yields), and we'll get into two stock-focused funds, along with another that holds preferred stocks—kind of a stock/bond hybrid—below. Because there's no question that success in this market will require active management—moving into, and out of, the right stocks and sectors at the right times. Of course, many mainstream investors aren't interested in that—it's too much work! Which is why I'm betting that many of them are likely to give CEFs a closer look as we move further into 2025. As they do, they'll discover what we've known at CEF Insider for years: CEFs let you sit back and collect high yields (and price upside) while 'farming out' picking the actual investments to a professional human manager. That makes now a great time to pick up some well-run CEFs as active management (finally!) regains appeal. Doing so lets us buy our CEFs at a discount to net asset value (NAV, or the value of their underlying portfolios), especially in the wake of the recent selloff. Then, as more investors pile in, we get to ride along as those discounts shrink, pulling our CEFs' market prices higher as they do. Which brings me back to those three CEFs I mentioned off the top—the Liberty All-Star Growth Fund (ASG)—a CEF Insider holding—the SRH Total Return Fund (STEW) and the Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred and Income Securities Fund (FFC). All are trading at discounts and boast dividends that are either sky-high (9.4% in the case of ASG) or set to grow (like STEW's 4%-yielding payout). ASG is a multi-manager fund that invests in large-, mid-, and small-cap growth stocks. This means it leverages the knowledge of experts in different sectors (tech, financial, etc.), as well as experts with experience investing in big companies, small companies and everything in between. ASG is interesting now because, in a sense, it gives us two discounts. The first is the fund's discount to NAV, which is 7.9% as I write this, even though the fund has delivered an 8.4% annualized total return over the last decade, based on its market price, as of this writing. That 7.9% discount is well below its five-year average of 1%, which is our first discount here. The other one is on the fund's stocks themselves, and we can see the recent dip in those by looking at its NAV performance, including dividends. That's entirely the result of the last few weeks of volatility: ASG Total Returns Ycharts Meantime, ASG offers a rich 9.4% dividend yield. Unlike ETFs, which typically provide minimal yield, ASG's managed-distribution policy (meaning ASG management can raise or lower payouts depending on what's best for the fund's long-term returns. Moreover, ASG's overall yield is actually higher than it looks, since management regularly pays special dividends. ASG Dividend Income Calendar With a discount to NAV and a dip in its portfolio performance, ASG is set up to gain as more investors 'farm out' their stock picking. Buy it now and we could collect that 9.4% 'base' payout in the meantime. Next up is the SRH Total Return Fund (STEW), which sports one of the biggest discounts in CEFs, at 23.1%. That's wild when you consider that STEW delivered a tidy 12.7% annualized return over the last decade. Moreover, that 23.1% discount is nearly five percentage points wider than STEW's long-term average of 18.2%. STEW Discount Ycharts STEW's top holdings include Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B), which comprises nearly 40% of the portfolio between the two share classes, as well as other well-known large caps, like JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Cisco Systems (CSCO) and pipeline master limited partnership (MLP) Enterprise Products Partners (EPD). So why is this fund trading at such a deep discount? Simply put: neglect. STEW doesn't have the same name recognition as some larger CEFs. But with markets now rewarding active strategies and investors looking to large caps during this volatility, that's set to change. STEW is also valuable because management can put 40% of their portfolio in stocks like BRK when they're undervalued, while SEC rules limit passive funds to stick to no more than about 10% of their assets in any one holding. Once investors pick up on STEW's strong performance and deep discount, the gap should narrow. And with a very well-covered dividend, you're very likely to see higher payouts over time, building on the 4% yield you'd get on a buy made today. In fact, history strongly suggests that's exactly what'll happen here: STEW Dividend Ycharts Just in the past five years, STEW's payout has jumped 62%, and as you can see at the right of this chart, its payout growth is accelerating. That bodes well for anyone buying this bargain-priced CEF today. The Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Securities Income Fund (FFC) holds preferred shares, which trade on an exchange, like stocks, and represent ownership in a company. But their price movements are more like those of bonds. And, like bonds, they're sensitive to interest rates. More on that in a second. Banks and insurance companies are the main issuers of preferreds, which is why 54% of FFC's portfolio consists of financial services firms, with preferreds from the likes of Wells Fargo and MetLife. That's something to keep in mind when you're considering how FFC fits into your overall portfolio weighting. Beyond that, the fund is a good way to pick up a basket of preferreds and lock in a 6.8% yield while doing so. FFC Dividend Income Calendar Above you can see the rate sensitivity of FFC's dividend in action, with the payout moving lower as rates rose in 2022 and 2023, then steadying and rising as rates topped out and began to move lower (along with a special dividend late last year). Here's what makes FFC particularly interesting now: It historically trades at a premium to NAV of 1%, but it's currently at a 5.8% discount. That's a big break from its norm, and it's unlikely to last. Preferred securities tend to do well when rates are stabilizing, and that's where we are now, with Jay Powell saying he's content to hold off on further cuts until the effects of Trump administration policies (especially around tariffs) become clearer. Even so, the latest projections from the Federal Open Market Committee do still indicate that two rate cuts are expected in 2025, probably toward the end of the year. When that happens, preferreds will benefit, and funds like FFC are likely to see renewed interest—which I see pushing the fund's discount back toward a premium. That leaves us with FFC's 6.8% dividend (with potential for more payout growth) to collect while we wait. Michael Foster is the Lead Research Analyst for Contrarian Outlook. For more great income ideas, click here for our latest report 'Indestructible Income: 5 Bargain Funds with Steady 8.6% Dividends.' Disclosure: none
