Month: April 2019
Funding available for groups in Brampton
Community projects in around the parish of Brampton are being encouraged to apply for funding.
The William Milburn Charitable Trust, administered by Cumbria Community Foundation, offers grants between £500 and £5,000 for projects addressing local needs and creating opportunities that make a real difference to people in the community. Larger grants may be considered depending on the activity.
Cumbria Community Foundation has managed the Trust since 2014 and in that time has distributed almost £40,000 in grants. Priority is given to projects working in rural communities and supporting disadvantaged children and young people.
Geltsdale Arts received a grant for £1,500 to support last year’s Music on the Marr festival. Tom Speight, Chair of Geltsdale Arts, said: “The grant contributed to three things – creating a young musicians showcase to give local teenagers the chance to perform in front of a live audience, allowing accompanied under 16s into the festival for free, and sponsoring a ‘give what you can’ concert on the opening night to offer better access for people with less money. We are proud to support local children, people and businesses – the grant stayed local and supported local.”
Ellen Clements, Senior Grants & Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation said: “We are proud to manage funds like the William Milburn Charitable Trust as they are vital in supporting some of our most rural communities. It gives people a real opportunity to improve the lives of people and places where they live.”
The closing date for applications is 10th May 2019 to be reviewed by the panel on 11th June 2019. To apply visit www.cumbriafoundation.org or for more information contact Ellen Clements on 01900 825760 or email ellen@cumbriafoundation.org.
Revitalising charitable trusts to support local communities
Local charities make up the lifeblood of our communities and make a daily difference to millions of people.
The Government’s Revitalising Trusts initiative aims to unlock £20m of inactive trusts through a partnership with UK Community Foundations and the Charity Commission.
There are many charitable trust funds in England and Wales that are inactive. The original founders and trustees may have died and many of the funds are now relatively small pots of money which makes it difficult to ensure they have a meaningful and local impact. Collectively these trusts total a significant amount which remains inactive in bank accounts but which could be used to support local voluntary and community groups and make a huge difference to local communities.
This initiative will provide a huge boost to local charities in Cumbria by distributing funds from inactive trusts to good causes.
Trustees of charities across Cumbria have started to receive letters from the Charity Commission if they have not distributed significant funds over the last five years.
Charitable trusts may struggle to use their income for a number of reasons, including:
- Their original purpose is out of date
- Trustees struggle to find suitable organisations or people to support
- The real value of the fund has been eroded
- The trust is unable to find new trustees
- The burden of administration becomes too onerous
Community foundations are an effective and sustainable option for revitalising trusts and keeping them working to support local projects. We have staff with the professional skills and local knowledge to take on the management of these trusts, so they can continue to provide funding for the long term benefit of local communities, as the trusts originally intended.
If you are a trustee and would like to know more about how Cumbria Community Foundation can help to rejuvenate the assets of an ineffective fund, or take over the trusteeship of an active fund with a view to ensuring the objects of the fund continue to be met, then please contact us on 01900 825760.
Cumbrian causes receive more than £270,000
More than 30 charitable groups across Cumbria have received £248,000 to address a range of issues including mental health, disabilities and improving health and wellbeing. 40 people have also received a share of more than £25,000 towards training fees, sporting activities and victim support.
The money came from 30 grant making funds, administered by Cumbria Community Foundation, including those set up by Castle Green Hotel, Cumbria Victims Charitable Trust, English Lakes Hotels, Thomas Graham & Sons and Westmorland Ltd.
People First Independent Advocacy received nearly £6,000 from the Brian & Ann Clark Fund to purchase equipment for its ‘Hospitality Academy Garden’, a vital component to the Carlisle conference centre. It offers people with learning difficulties the chance to care for the garden, which forms a key part of their Open Awards Qualification, develop work skills and move towards paid employment.
Lisa Blackwell, Fundraising Officer and Business Team Leader said: “Our Hospitality Academy learners are over the moon with the news of the successful grant application, and they are eager to begin the work in the garden; putting all of their learning into practice and implementing the ‘pot to plate’ model at the People First Conference and Centre for Learning in Carlisle.”
Young carers across South Lakeland will be better supported after receiving £15,000 over three years. South Lakeland Carers, based in Kendal, will use the money to expand its one-to-one support service.
Mike Seaton, Chief Executive Officer said: “One-to-one support provides a young carer with a safe space to talk about the impact their caring role has upon their life, to work through different scenarios, explore potential coping strategies and to plan for the future. It also provides the young carer with a voice, so their support worker can advocate on their behalf with their school or sometimes their parent/ guardians.”
Cumbria Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs received £10,000 from the Cumbria Fund to raise awareness of the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Working alongside not-for-profit group, The Well Communities, sessions have been designed specifically for young farmers to address the mental, emotional, physical and legal consequences of abusing drugs and alcohol, how to deal with peer pressure and where to get help.
Joanne Mills, Chief Officer, said: “The three-year grant will be used to fund the ongoing Drugs and Alcohol Awareness Initiative, which Cumbria YFC is currently rolling out to members aged 12 – 26. Sessions have already been rolled out to 145 young farmers in the last 2 months with further sessions planned in the coming months.”
County Chair, Eamon Monaghan, who has led on the initiative within Cumbria YFC, said: “The grant will give us the opportunity to ensure that our members are able to access help and advice on these important issues and we are very grateful to Cumbria Community Foundation for funding this important work.”
The Lend A Hand scheme, run by Northern Fells Rural Community Development Group received more than £28,000 from the Cumbria Fund over the next three years. The service provides a life line for many elderly and disabled residents across Allerdale and Eden who require either handyman or personal/domestic support in their homes.
Libby Graham, Fundraising Coordinator, said: “More than 30 volunteers provide practical help to individuals including helping with shopping, respite for carers, arranging meals on wheels, gardening, accompanying individuals to appointments, befriending and encouraging and facilitating attendance at social activities or events. The project is coordinated by a part time employee who recruits, trains and matches volunteers to clients in order to provide the service. This is the lynch pin of the project.”
Ellen Clements, Grants & Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “There are many worthy organisations around the county that continue to provide help to the local communities. We are ever grateful to the generosity of our fund holders to enable us to support these vital services.”
Community park gives opportunities for all
Imagine achieving your dream of going to university and achieving a first class honours degree, only to then be unable to find a job.
This is not an isolated issue in Cumbria. However, thanks to a community park in Ulverston, social inclusion is at the heart of the learning and volunteering opportunities made available.
Ford Park, an eight-acre community park in the heart of Ulverston, provides recreational facilities and a wide range of community based projects, activities and events. It’s a community initiative, with truly inclusive volunteering including those who feel socially isolated, have additional needs or are from vulnerable groups.
Matthew has volunteered at Ford Park since he finished university. He said: “I am profoundly deaf and communicate through British Sign Language. I’ve been unable to find paid work even though I have a first class honours degree. Ford Park makes me feel useful and wanted. The staff have given me lots of encouragement and given me more confidence with hearing people.”
Ford Park Community Group provides inclusive volunteering opportunities, supporting a whole variety of people from across South Lakeland and the Furness Peninsula. More than £57,000 worth of grants have been awarded via Cumbria Community Foundation since 2006.
In 2017, Ford Park received £50,000 from the Fresh Ideas Fund to convert part of its walled kitchen garden so it could grow and sell herbaceous plants, heritage vegetable plants and winter potted bulbs. The funding also helped towards developing the Coach House Cafe’s small shop, which sold heritage and child friendly seeds and provides activity sheets to promote family friendly gardening.
The grant was also used to evaluate community views, experience and opinions of the Park to help diversify what it has to offer and attract more community involvement.
Some of the volunteers have health issues and additional needs and may have had a negative experience of formal education or employment.
Jill Salmon, Chief Executive Officer, said: “For some of our volunteers there is limited support for them and having somewhere they can come and work two days a week is a huge part of their lives.
“Being involved in the project has helped to build their confidence and they feel welcomed as part of a group. Volunteers feel healthier physically and are more inclined to engage in further physical activity.”
One volunteer who suffered ill health said: “When I come through the gates of Ford Park I leave my anxiety behind. I have returned to work since my accident but volunteering helps me to maintain my mental health.”
The project has also helped increase employability, and some of the volunteers have gone on into paid employment.
Jill said: “The grant enabled the initial development, purchase of stock and training for volunteers and an apprentice. The nursery is now at a stage where plants are being propagated from our own stock for sale, volunteers are trained and competent, the apprentice is now in a long term paid position and visitors have come to know the nursery as part of Ford Park’s offer. The outlook is for a long-term, sustainable addition to the park that provides an income stream to the organisation and further opportunities for volunteers within the community.”
Ford Park is a true community initiative, it was originally funded by the West Cumbria and Furness Key Fund. In 2006 it was awarded for £4,800 to employ a Project Development Manager to co-ordinate talks with stakeholders and potential partners in the development of the site. Later on in 2014 a grant was given to help towards equipment for its Wild Flower Meadow project to bring older and younger people to address disadvantage and stereotyping and get them out and about in nature. Ford Park continues its success in being the heart of a community.
Horses helping vulnerable people in Cumbria
Sometimes a horse is the only bridge between despair and hope.
The amazing bond between human and horse is helping those most in need to feel less anxious.
Safety Net received £4,000 to run an innovative equine therapy project to help victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence work through issues around trust, self-belief and relationships and help rebuild their lives.
Working with the Calvert Trust in Keswick, the Equine Assisted Therapy was offered to 17 clients over 285 hourly sessions as an alternative to office-based therapy.
Lesley Storey, Chief Executive of Safety Net, said: “Clients who enjoyed the therapy reported feeling more positive about themselves and more valued because they’re no longer experiencing criticism or rejection for their behaviour. Where children and young people say that they lack friends, or are not liked, it often reflects their view that they’re not accepted or wanted by peers, which can be their perception rather than the reality of the situation. Equine therapy gives them the experience of developing real relationships and interactions with the horses, which can boost confidence in their ability to form bonds.
“We’ve also seen an improvement in self-esteem and confidence in relationships at home, at school, and, in many cases increased interest in leisure activities in their spare time.”
One young client who engaged extremely well with the therapy worked with a little grey Welsh pony. Due to her previous life experiences, she was quiet and passive and found it very difficult to offer her thoughts, opinions, or even to feel that she had the right to say when she didn’t like something. She didn’t want to engage with any type of traditional office-based therapy because she was worried about speaking with people she didn’t know. That little grey pony played a significant part in her improvement, in all aspects of her life, and she was able to make real change. This was seen in her day to day life, enabling her to go on engaging with, and enjoying, a range of positive and healthy activities.
Lesley continued: “We feel that the equine work played an important part in reducing post traumatic symptoms. Equine therapy can help our clients address difficult issues which they are reluctant to approach directly through counselling. We frequently see clients describing their own issues through their observations of the horse’s behaviours, or in the way that they interact with the horses. They gain therapeutically through this process, as they are able to make more sense of their experiences without becoming distressed by difficult memories or thoughts. The vast majority of clients, and their parents or carers, comment on how much they enjoy the sessions and the feeling of wellbeing they bring away with them.
Safety Net received its first grant, managed by the Foundation in 2005 and has received more than £183,000 in total. The Foundation has continued to support a variety of projects in Cumbria including a grant for £10,000 to provide outreach advice and guidance to relieve the trauma and distress of rape and sexual abuse in Wigton, Aspatria and Cockermouth. Other grants have funded early-intervention work at Whitehaven Academy, providing targeted teacher training, pupil peer mentoring, one-to-one therapy and support and drop in sessions by Safety Net’s specially trained therapists. A more recent grant was towards purchasing a new building in Workington to reduce waiting times, travel and offer more permanent support for people in West Cumbria.
West Cumbrian causes awarded a share of more than £200,000
Charitable causes across West Cumbria are financially better off after recently receiving a share of more than £200,000.
Cumbria Community Foundation awarded the money to more than 30 charitable groups at its quarterly West Cumbria grants panel. Funding was also given to 25 young people towards academic study and foreign travel.
The money came from 10 grant making funds, including those set up by local corporate businesses such as Shepley Engineers and United Utilities.
Cumbria Youth Alliance (CYA) based in Workington received £7,500 from the United Utilities Legacy Fund to run a mental health and emotional resilience project, called With the Future in Mind. Russell Maddams, CYA Emotional Resilience Senior Project Officer, said: “The project will train a network of young people in secondary schools and colleges across West Cumbria as peer leads around the emotional resilience agenda. Pupils will become Mental Health First Aid champions and support their fellow peers. The project aims to give young people the knowledge of where to go for help and what to look for if their friends are struggling with their mental health. This will ultimately leave a legacy in place with young people having a greater understanding of what constitutes good mental health and emotional resilience and where to go for help if they are struggling.”
Time to Change West Cumbria, which runs homeless hostel, Calderwood House in Egremont, received £1,000 from the Shepley Group Fund towards allotment costs. Residents are involved in preparing the land and growing food to use at the hostel while offering a therapeutic space to interact with the local Egremont community.
Time to Change West Cumbria received a further £10,000 from the United Utilities Legacy Fund for its new project: WOW! Women out West, a brand-new women’s centre based in Kells in Whitehaven.
Founder and Director, Rachel Holliday, said: “WOW! Women out West is an exciting initiative allowing women in need to access all the services they require to live a better life and look forward to a brighter future. We hope to be open by summer and would like to thank United Utilities for their support for this essential centre.”
Solway Community School Bike Club based in Silloth, received £1,323 from Hellrigg Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund for set up costs. The club aims to get students on their bikes and out into the countryside to improve fitness and wellbeing as well as helping with team building and leadership skills.
Andrew Callaway, a teacher at the school, said: “The money will be used to buy tools and spare parts to help the students learn how to maintain their bikes and ensure they are safe when we go out on rides. Training will also be given on how to safely lead group rides on the roads. The students are thrilled that we have been awarded this money and we can now make this dream into a reality.”
Workington Transport Heritage Trust can now put two of its young volunteers through their Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) driving course thanks to a £3,000 grant from Live the Dream Fund.
The Trust’s Secretary, Alistair Grey, said: “We need to encourage our young members to be actively involved in the operation of our preserved bus fleet to secure the future of the Trust. Gaining two professional qualified bus drivers will allow us to expand our activities and improve services for our customers.”
22 year old Nikita Wilson will benefit from the training. She said: “The chance to gain my bus licence now gives me the opportunity to broaden my horizons with the Trust and help to secure its future developments.”
Keith Turner, 24, said: “I have always been interested in larger vehicles, though mainly in the mechanics of them, but by gaining the bus licence I can look forward to driving our heritage buses out on the roads of West Cumbria and beyond.”
David Wallace, Volunteer Coordinator, said: “The future of our local transport heritage is in the hands of today’s youngsters and hopefully this grant will be the stepping stone not only to Nikita and Keith gaining their qualifications but to other young members to go down the same path in the near future.”
Haig Angling Club in Whitehaven received £5,000 from United Utilities Legacy Fund to redevelop the Mirehouse Ponds. Dave Heald, Secretary, said: “The redevelopment will make exiting on Mirehouse Road safer and make the area easily accessible to all, by improving paths, car parks and controlling the growth of the self-seeding trees and reeds in and around the ponds. It is important not only to the members of the club, but also to local residents within the Mirehouse area, who use the woodland walks for recreational use.”
Football facilities for girls in Workington will improve significantly thanks to £3,000 from the United Utilities Legacy Fund to build new changing rooms at Workington Reds Junior Diamonds Football Club.
The ladies youth section formed in 2015 and now has more than 100 players, fielding teams from u8 up to open age.
Paul MacKenzie, Under 14’s Coach for Workington Reds Junior Diamonds Football Club said: “We are seeing both boys and girls playing their fixtures at the same time and both needing to use the changing facilities. As the players have increased, there is now a need to install female only changing facilities.”
The grant awarded will be used to provide changing cabins for use on match days once the “The Diamonds Den” playing fields on Mossbay Road in Workington has been developed.
“We are delighted with the support given to us by Cumbria Community Foundation and the United Utilities Legacy Fund, along with the support from other local businesses and members of the public,” Paul continues.
Lia Challenger who plays for our Under 16 team, said: “I’ve been a member of the Diamonds for over 4 years and playing football has enabled me to make new friends, be part of a team, keep fit and be a more confident person. The Diamonds Den will give us our own place to play football and I’m sure we will see a lot more girls coming to join us over the next few years”.
Annalee Holliday, Grants & Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “There are many worthy organisations around the county that continue to provide help to the local communities. We are ever grateful to the generosity of our fundholders to enable us to support these vital services.”
The closing date for the next West Cumbria grants panel is 25th May 2019. For more information, visit www.cumbriafoundation.org or call a member of the grants team on 01900 825760.