4th March 2013
Children from five schools across the county are each celebrating winning £200 worth of pencils in a competition run by Cumbria Community Foundation and The Cumberland Pencil Company.
The youngsters took up the artistic challenge of re-creating the Winter Warmth Fund Logo – a house with a woolly hat on – in a bid to win the prizes.
The winners were announced by the Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev James Newcome, at a special ceremony at The Pencil Museum in Keswick this morning.
The competition was designed to raise awareness of the Winter Warmth Fund which raises money for older Cumbrian’s who are struggling to keep warm. So far this winter, the fund has raised and distributed more than £43,500.
The wining schools are:
ALLERDALE Ashfield Junior School, High Street, Workington
BARROW Chapel Street Infant and Nursery, Dalton in Furness
CARLISLE Stanwix School, Church Street, Carlisle
EDEN Threlkeld Primary School, Threlkeld
SOUTH LAKELAND Heron Hill Primary School, Hayfell Avenue, Kendal
Each school received a certificate and were invited to choose Derwent Pencils up to the value of £200.
David Sharrock, Director and General Manager of The Cumberland Pencil Company, said: “We are delighted to support Cumbria Community Foundation’s Winter Warmth Fund by donating prizes for the schools competition. Raising awareness of the needs of the elderly during our cold Cumbrian winters will hopefully encourage more fundraising to help towards their ever-increasing fuel bills.”
Andy Beeforth, Director of Cumbria Community Foundation, explains the difference the Winter Warmth Fund has made: “So far this year we have raised and distributed £43,500, most of which has helped cold Cumbrian pensioners survive the worst of the winter. The appeal is still open for donations until the end of March.”
Bishop James said: “I was touched by the stories of some of the many hundreds of people who were helped by last year’s Winter Warmth Appeal. Their bodies were warmed by other people’s generosity and so was my heart. This year’s appeal has been equally successful.”
Cumbria Community Foundation’s Winter Warmth Fund Appeal saves lives by reducing both fuel poverty and the number of people in Cumbria living in cold homes.
It does this by asking for donations from the community. This money is then given to those in extreme need. Some of the donations come from older people who get the Government’s Winter Fuel Payment, but feel they don’t need it as much as others.