Grants totalling £393,500 have been awarded to community groups across Cumbria.

A total of 58 charitable organisations received a share of the funds at Cumbria Community Foundation’s recent grants panel.

The money will support a wide range of projects across the county such as improving community and sports facilities, offer additional youth provision, support those at risk of homelessness and give help to those with addiction issues.

17 people also received financial support towards educational and training related costs, including support to one young person’s participation of the World Challenge Expedition in Borneo.

The money came from funds administered by Cumbria Community Foundation, including those set up by Cumberland Building Society, Shepley Group and Thomas Graham & Sons Ltd.

Copeland Age and Advice Service (CAAS) CIC received £30,000 over three years from the Roselands Trust Fund and the Cumbria Fund to continue supporting older people in the local area.

Centre Manager, Becky Goddard said: “This vital funding will enable us to continue our current service provision while also enabling us to develop and expand the support we offer to our vulnerable client base, including the provision of our Dementia Support service and the set up and development of our low level aids, adaptions and equipment sales”.

“We are very excited about what the future holds for CAAS and with support of our funders, we will ensure that Copeland Age and Advice Service goes from strength to strength.”

Carlisle Key works with young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The charity received £4,000 from the Cumbria Fund, Violet Laidlaw Trust Fund and Elizabeth Fell Memorial Trust Fund to support its drop-in and one-to-one support service.

It runs a drop-in centre on Fisher Street which has remained open every day during the coronavirus outbreak and has also recently opened an 11-bed supported accommodation unit which is already nearing full occupation.

Iain Mcnee, Project and Outreach worker, said: “We provide assistance and support within our drop in service and our newly opened Supported Housing Accommodation. Our goal is to inspire young people with the knowledge and confidence to live independently and make a positive contribution to our local community and beyond.”

Heron Corn Mill in Beetham, near Kendal, is a Grade ll listed building situated on the banks of the River Bela and is one of the few working mills left in Cumbria. The re-developed barn is used as an educational and arts resource and a building for community hire. It received £4,963 from the Pappagallino Fund to continue its activities programme.

Audrey Steel, Creative Project Manager, said: “Our adapted programme in response to COVID-19, enables all our resident and community groups to stay engaged with us, whether this is through online resources, video meetings, or as with the elderly group, Powsowdie, a box delivered every month containing activities, resources and freshly prepared food, all to a theme, to gather memories and responses. Powsowdie is normally held at the Mill and is a reminiscence project. It is currently going out as a ‘boxed’ offering to isolated elderly or disabled people in the area.

One older lady said; “When my box arrived I was wondering what I could eat for tea – and this was taken care of by the wonderful tea provided! As I blew the bubbles I found in the box, I was reminded of me and my sister blowing bubbles in the garden many years ago. Thank you for the sweets – I haven’t tasted sherbet in years!”

Kent Estuary Youth (KEY) works with young people in Arnside, Levens and Milnthorpe, and received £3,000 from the Cumbria Young People’s Fund to sustain and extend the range of youth work on offer.

Greg Tagney, Trustee, said: “We are truly grateful for the support from CCF which enables KEY to continue our work with the young people within the Kent Estuary area.

“We believe in young people having a strong voice in their activities and in how KEY develops its work. We run a number of youth activities; youth club, youth cafe, schools alternative curriculum support, projects such as Random Acts of Kindness, summer holiday activities, development programmes, intergenerational work and community projects in which the young people lead their own input with the support of our staff.”

Ellen Clements, Grants & Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “There are many worthy organisations around the county that hold communities together and continue to support the needs of local people. We are ever grateful to the generosity of our fundholders to enable us to support these vital services, especially during times when local services are under pressure and struggling to meet local needs.”

For more information or to apply for a grant, visit www.cumbriafoundation.org or call a member of the grants team on 01900 825760.

Charities in Cumbria have received funding to help reduce the number of suicides and self-harm incidences in the county.

The impact of COVID-19 can lead to increased fear, frustration, and anxiety, causing stress and depression. Lots of people are struggling with having to stay at home, and with lockdown being extended for another three weeks, the effect on people’s mental health could be staggering.

The North East and North Cumbria Mental Health Integrated Care Systems (ICS) provided additional funding to the Cumbria COVID-19 Response Fund, managed by Cumbria Community Foundation, to enhance the support available to people struggling with their mental health and wellbeing.

Five organisations have received a share of more than £40,000 to support the suicide and self-harm prevention agenda. The money will help all ages, including vulnerable young people with chaotic lifestyles, parents who are juggling home working and home schooling, employees who have been furloughed or made redundant, and people with learning disabilities who are self-isolating.

Katherine McGleenan, suicide prevention lead across north east and north Cumbria, said: “We want to do everything possible to help people manage their mental health and wellbeing during this incredibly difficult and stressful time. Maintaining good mental health and wellbeing are key to supporting people to stay safe and well through times of crisis like this. We are therefore delighted to be able to work with Cumbria Community Foundation to support projects that will help provide support for people who are perhaps feeling at the moment there is less support available. This is especially important for people in our communities who are more vulnerable and already are struggling.”

Among the recipients is Carlisle & Eden Mind. The charity received £10,000 to extend the MindLine service. Tara Quinn, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted to be awarded this funding, which will help continue our daytime MindLine service. We help over 2,000 people per year through MindLine and now, more than ever, we will aim to reach people who need a listening ear, those more at risk and those at risk of suicide. We are passionate about our services at Carlisle Eden Mind and this fundind will help us to continue delivery of an established and much needed helpline, throughout Cumbria.”

Evidence suggests that people with learning difficulties are at a higher risk of self-harm and self-injury. Carlisle Mencap has received reports of clients self-harming due to lockdown restrictions, and the charity received £6,556 to offer early-intervention support to help them and their families.

Sheila Gregory, Chief Executive, said: “We are very pleased to receive this funding which will really help to support people with learning disabilities and/or autism at this difficult time. Our staff are working hard to support our members through the crisis, but this can be a very challenging when we are limited in the amount of physical contact we have with people. The funds will enable us to give members and their families one to one support virtually or over the phone to alleviate their anxiety.”

With 24-hour rolling news and social media, it is impossible to get away from COVID-19. For children, it is especially hard as they are unable to meet with school friends and have less of a virtual network outside their families. If they are already in an abusive family, this can be exacerbated by the pandemic.

PAC, in Carlisle, provides counselling and therapy to youngsters who have acute needs brought on by childhood trauma, a family break up, physical, sexual or emotional abuse, or neglect. The charity received £10,000 to employ a therapist for an additional day a week over 12 months.

Other groups to receive support include People First Independent Advocacy who received £10,000 to provide a telephone and video counselling service, and £5,000 was awarded to Every Life Matters to get suicide prevention materials online and made widely available.

Cumbria has some of the highest rates of suicide, with one person per week taking their own life. The money awarded coincides with mental health awareness week, which runs between 18^th and 24th May and encourages people to talk.

Annalee Holliday, Grants & Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “The impact of COVID-19 is affecting not just people’s incomes but also their health. As well as practical support, it’s important that people have sufficient emotional support and reach out to their networks. We want to make sure that everyone has access to mental health support and guidance and to let people know that there are many charitable organisations across Cumbria ready to offer a listening ear, while reducing pressure on the NHS.”

A family from Cumbria has given charitable groups a lifeline as they battle to support people amidst the coronavirus lockdown.

Fourteen charities from Cumbria and North Lancashire have received a share of £310,000 in funding to help them respond to the challenge of coronavirus.

The donation was made to Cumbria Community Foundation who then distributed the money to groups providing support such as food delivery, telephone befriending, counselling and benefits advice. The money will also help charities to co-ordinate their response and benefit community groups that are at risk of collapse because of the crisis.

As the pandemic continues, so do the needs. People whose livelihoods are falling away are being forced to turn to food banks and to apply for Universal Credit for the first time. Citizen’s Advice are already seeing a significant increase in people seeking their help for multiple issues and received funding to help them deal with the unprecedented demand.

Andy Auld, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Carlisle and Eden, said: “People contacting us often need to address multiple issues at once – getting food vouchers, applying for benefits, and preventing eviction and reorganising debt repayments longer term.

“The crisis is disproportionately affecting those on lower incomes – people working in service industries, those on zero-hour contracts are among the first to be dismissed or furloughed. Many working people are already on low incomes and are struggling with any further reduction. We are particularly concerned about the links between the lockdown, poverty and mental health problems – these can lead on to difficulties with debt, housing etc.  Part of our work is to try to help break this cycle.”

Many charities are facing a massive cut in income but feel obliged to stay operational and to carry on supporting vulnerable people far beyond when a pure business decision would mandate closure.

“At Age UK South Lakeland, we have taken the decision to continue to deliver as full a service as possible and have remained open throughout this difficult period. This decision was not easy because all our shops have had to close at this time, significantly reducing our income. We should be under no illusion that the level of help required will not end with any relaxation of the current restrictions and many will require support well beyond the lifting of social isolation measures. However, we are here and ready to provide support and deliver the services needed. The funding received will help us to do that,” said Chief Officer, Hugh Tomlinson.

Other groups benefiting from funding include Hospice at Home Carlisle & North Lakeland and Hospice at Home West Cumbria, and St Mary’s Hospice in Ulverston and St John’s Hospice in Lancaster to care for patients at the end stages of life in their homes and provide help and support to their families.

The anonymous family said: “We’re grateful to Cumbria Community Foundation for facilitating this, based on their knowledge and experience. We appreciate their help and expertise in enabling us to provide much-needed funds to ensure people across Cumbria and North Lancashire continue to receive the support they so desperately need.”

Annalee Holliday, Grants & Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “The pandemic is making life more difficult than ever before for vulnerable people and the charities they rely upon are struggling to survive and deliver the services that are a lifeline across the region.

“Many of the charities, community and voluntary groups we support currently have no fundraising capability. They do brilliant work helping our most vulnerable people and communities but are unable to ask the wider world for donations, so we provide the easy way to donate to them, with all the due diligence and local knowledge needed.

“We are extremely grateful to the family for their generosity and supporting local charities that are providing a lifeline for those in desperate need during the pandemic.”