Charitable projects across the county have received a share of more than £235,000 addressing a range of issues including homelessness, mental health and domestic violence.

More than 40 charitable organisations and 11 people received a share of the funds at Cumbria Community Foundation’s recent grants panel.

The money came from funds set up by local people and businesses including Herdy, Russell Armer, Westmorland Ltd and author Hunter Davies.

The 106 Bus Partnership received £2,000 from the Pappagallino Fund to support its vital bus service for residents in the Eden area.

The service means that elderly rural residents have transport to do their weekly shopping, attend regular health appointments, pick up prescriptions and attend vaccination centres.

Chairman, John Owen, said: “We have had a very difficult 12 months with Covid restrictions meaning our passenger numbers have been quite restricted. However, are determined to keep the route running so that isolated rural residents, without their own transport can get to the shop and attend Covid testing and vaccination appointments.

“As restrictions ease, we expect to see more people using the bus again. We’re also putting together some ideas for days out using the 106 bus route for people who are planning to holiday at home this summer. The money from Cumbria Community Foundation has helped us over the financial challenges of Covid and will ensure that the route can continue into the future. “

School children from Heron Hill Primary School in Kendal are learning to become young apiarists thanks to £3,000 from the Holehird Trust and Russell Armer Fund.

There is a real buzz at the school around their new interest in beekeeping after the children were introduced to the activity by chair of school governors Jacqui Cottam, who is an experienced apiarist and established the Bee Team.

Jacqui said: “The funding will prove invaluable to our project over the next year. Our Bee Team Young Apprentice Scheme, targets children who may be at risk of not achieving their potential in life.

“The scheme allows pupils who may not have the ‘social leg up’ many youngsters have, by giving them not only nationally recognised qualifications, but most importantly, life skills, a reference, confidence and work experience to take to the next step of their journey, as well as educating and enthusing the next generation of beekeepers.”

Carlisle based iCan Health and Fitness CIC received £5,971 to support its new WeCan Cook project. The pilot project will provide simple, healthy cookery classes to add to its current list of services including a community gym that focuses on promoting healthy weight.

Julia Clifford, Director, said: “We have been inundated with requests from our community to start an interactive cooking programme, where people cook alongside a chef. This is very much the way we do everything, we enable people to gain skills through interaction, rather than teaching through a dictating model that we are so used to here in the UK. We will offer six four-week sessions for five beneficiaries each month to learn healthy, affordable dishes to enhance their wellbeing.”

A project for the environment and youth work sector designed to engage and inspire young people from across the Westmorland area was awarded £32,220 from the Westmorland Family Community Fund.

The Oaklea Trust’s Green Mentor Scheme will encourage young people to take part in environmental learning and action over the next two years.

Susan Green, Director, said: “The project is designed to engage and inspire young people from across the Westmorland area of Cumbria, to take part in environmental learning and action.

“We can now employ a Green Mentor Youth leader to recruit and support groups of young people aged 13-18 in environmental social action projects.

“This project fits with our workplace behaviour of being kind, in this case to the planet and develops the partnership with the Ernest Cook Trust who initially launched this concept across the UK.

There was also another boost for disadvantaged students across the county as they benefit from a grant of £27,559 from the Printers Inc Social Mobility Fund to purchase laptops for their studies.

£7,639 was also awarded to 11 people to support their career development through educational grants.

Ellen Clements, Senior Grants Officer, said: “There are many worthy organisations in Cumbria that hold communities together. This is a great example of how philanthropy is helping local people and helping our communities to thrive. We are grateful for the continued support of all our fund holders.”

Would you like to be part of our team?

Grants & Programmes Officer

 Cumbria Community Foundation is one of the county’s leading/largest grant makers and addresses poverty and disadvantage by providing vital funding to local voluntary and community organisations through donations from individuals, companies, charitable trusts and statutory organisations.

We’re seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual with knowledge of the needs of the county and experience of charities and community organisations to join our team. This role will focus on supporting community projects with funding, administering grant programmes, working closely with fundholders and have responsibility for leading on wider health and wellbeing initiatives.

Download the job description and application form. 

For an informal discussion about the role, contact Jenny Benson on 01900 825760.

Closing date is Midnight Tuesday 8^th June 2021.

Interviews will take place on Wednesday, 23^rd June 2021.

Our offices are in Dovenby near Cockermouth, but the role is currently home-based due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Charitable groups and community projects in and around the Furness area are being encouraged to apply for funding.

Cumbria Community Foundation manages over a hundred grant making funds and awards on average £2 million a year to community organisations. Funding for projects in the Furness area are considered four times a year through the Furness Grants Committee.

Last month, four community projects received a share of £45,000 from the Furness Grants Committee. The money came from funds set up by local people and businesses including the Barrow Community Trust Fund, Brian and Ann Clark Fund and Cumbria Young People’s Fund.

The Cumbria Victims Charitable Trust Fund also made a grant of £350 to an individual affected by domestic violence.

Drop Zone Youth Projects received £18,500 from the Cumbria Fund and the Cumbria Young People’s Fund to renovate the orchard area of Dalton Train Station.

Cath Corkill, Project Manager, said: “This project is an innovative piece of work and to have it funded is really positive.  We are linking up with Dalton Town Tidy Group and Network Rail. It will enable us to give opportunities to young people over the summer to engage with their local communities. Through this piece of work, we will offer practical, accredited opportunities for young people who are currently struggling to engage in school.”

Brathay Trust received £20,464 from the Young Persons Opportunity Fund for The Divert Project. This early intervention project will work with 30 young people from Barrow who are at risk of offending, may be disengaging with education and would benefit from positive support.

Gemma Jones, Assistant Head of Community – Cumbria and North West, said: “Through our work in Barrow and relationships with schools and the Youth Offending Service, we know that young people often don’t receive the support they need until they have reached crisis point, and we want to provide an early intervention that will help them understand their potential, the choices available to them and support them to take action to improve their own lives.”

“The 12-week programme will combine one-to-one  and positive group activities, focusing on personal development and life skills using outdoor, creative and nature-based activities.”

Ellen Clements, Senior Grants & Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “We are grateful to the generosity of our fundholders to enable us to support these vital groups.

“The funding creates real opportunities for organisations that make a difference in the communities in which they serve. We would like to hear from any community groups in the Furness area to discuss your projects and see how our funds can support your needs.”

For more information call Ellen Clements on 01900 820824. The closing date for the next Furness Grants Panel is 25^th June 2021.

Cumbria Community Foundation is continuing to support community groups in West Cumbria through grants worth almost £370,000.

44 charitable organisations received a share of the funds at its recent West Cumbria Grants Committee. The money came from funds set up by local people and businesses including Lord Egremont, CCL Secure, LLWR, Shepley Group and Sellafield Ltd.

2 individuals also received grants to support their career development through educational grants.

Helping to improve digital connectivity, Isel Valley Community Partnership CIC received £15,000 from the Tallentire Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund to bring fibre broadband to rural homes in the Blindcrake area.

David Roberts from the partnership said: “Our partnership was set up to facilitate the roll out of full fibre broadband in the Isel Valley which is presently served by poor telephone and internet services. Government grants fall well short of the overall cost, so together with the work of volunteers, the substantial grant from Cumbria Community Foundation will go a long way in bridging the funding gap. This grant means that our project has every chance of a successful outcome for the benefit of the residents in what is officially considered a remote and hard to reach rural area.”

New charitable organisation, BEE UNIQUE, based in Flimby, was set up to support families with autistic children. It received £2,000 from the CCL Secure Community Fund and the Shepley Group Fund to purchase sensory and tactile play equipment for community events. Founders, Nadia Shaw and Dave Parsons, said: “We have been overwhelmed with the support that we have received to date and it has allowed us to purchase the equipment to hold small events for a single family at a time during COVID restrictions, but the grant allows us to grow along with the easing of the lockdown and cater for more families.”

Other organisations to receive funding included Allerdale Disability Association. It received £8,618 from the Pappagallino Fund to support people with multiple disabilities. Meals on Wheels (Cumbria) received £2,000 from the Beeby Family Fund to support older people in the Wigton area by supplying them with nourishing meals.

There was also another boost for secondary schools in Allerdale. £98,000 from the Mary Grave Trust Fund, Beverley Charitable Trust Fund and Live the Dream Fund was awarded to help disadvantage students have access to laptops to help with their studies.

Annalee Holliday, Senior Grants, Programmes & Communications Officer, said: “There are many worthy organisations in West Cumbria that hold communities together. This is a great example of how philanthropy is helping local people and helping our communities to thrive. We are grateful for the continued support of all our fund holders.”

Would you like to be part of our team?

Cumbria Community Foundation addresses disadvantage across the county by encouraging philanthropy from a wide range of public, corporate and individual supporters, and making life-changing grants with the income. We have ambitious targets for growing our income and the Development Team is responsible for this.

The Development Assistant role underpins the work of the team by undertaking research and project work, managing data, running online and in-person events, and providing information and practical support to staff and trustees.

Download the  Job Description and Application Form. For an informal discussion about the role, contact Jacqui Currie on 01900 820820. Our offices are in Dovenby near Cockermouth, but the role is currently home-based due to COVID-19 restrictions.

37.5 hours. £21K – £25K depending on skills and experience.

Closing date is midnight Sunday 18th April 2021. Interviews commence week beginning 26 April 2021.

A West Cumbrian businessman has been royally appointed to be this year’s High Sheriff of Cumbria.

David Beeby was appointed as Cumbria’s new High Sheriff at a virtual declaration ceremony held on 31st March. He succeeds Julie Barton in the ceremonial role.

David was born and brought up in Nottinghamshire where his family has farmed for more than 150 years. The youngest of five, David “grew up aspiring to be Robin Hood and not the Sheriff!”

He qualified as a Chartered Accountant before moving into industry. In 1987 he and his young family relocated to Cumbria when he was offered the role to run what was then called Smith Brothers in Whitehaven.

From 2004, until he retired in 2015, David was CEO of the Innovia Group based in Wigton. Before retiring, he proudly signed the contracts for the polymer substrate supply to the Bank of England and significant new investment in the Wigton site.

David said: “Alongside my business career I have been involved in several charitable roles including Chair of The Princes Trust in Cumbria and member of the management committee at Calvert Trust. I am currently Chair of Trustees of Cumbria Community Foundation and Chair of Cumbria CBI. I am also involved in working with a small number of companies.”

He plans to use his year in office to highlight and encourage opportunities for young people to advance, be confident, committed and community-minded.

“My theme for the year is ‘Better Tomorrows’ – I have selected that theme because very simply I would hope that all we do every day is about improving the foundations of Cumbria to create better tomorrows for all Cumbrians. While this is a generic ambition for everything that goes on in Cumbria, I am particularly concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on the younger generation. We all recognise this has had a negative impact on their education despite the best effort of educators and parents. Additionally, due to the inevitable damage to the economy over the last year, there will be limitations to opportunities in some career areas and impact on life choices.

“It is for this reason that, while I will seek to support all the fantastic work that goes on in Cumbria, I will place particular emphasis on the opportunities for young people. I hope to highlight, support and encourage all those activities that can help young people to develop the life skills to be good, successful, fulfilled and law-abiding citizens.”

The origins of the Office date back to Saxon times, when the ‘Shire Reeve’ was responsible to the king for the maintenance of law and order within the shire, or county, and for the collection and return of taxes due to the Crown. Today, there are 55 High Sheriffs serving the counties of England and Wales each year.

While the duties of the role have evolved over time, supporting the Crown and the judiciary remain central elements of the role today. Many High Sheriffs also assist Community Foundations and local charities working with vulnerable and other people both in endorsing and helping to raise the profile of their valuable work.

To find out more about the High Sheriff of Cumbria, visit www.highsheriffofcumbria.co.uk