20 charitable groups across West Cumbria have received £104,000 to address a range of issues including anti-social behaviour, domestic violence and improving health and wellbeing.

The money came from 20 grant making funds, administered by Cumbria Community Foundation, including those set up by local businesses such as Cumbria Housing Partners, Doosan Babcock, Lamont Pridmore and Shepley Engineers.

Nine young people also received a share of £7,482 towards school trips and a postgraduate apprenticeship.

Castle Hill Trust CIO, which manages The Settlement in Maryport, received £1,500 from the Abbeyfield Carlisle Society Community First Fund and the Solway Fund for its ‘Over Here, Over There’ Community Festival.

Jim O’Rourke, Chair of the Trustees said: “We are delighted to receive funding for our community festival in September this year, celebrating the rich heritage of migration and maritime endeavour in the town.”

The four day festival celebrates the lives and times of four notable Maryport residents in Victorian times. The exhibition is open to the public on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th September with traditional music and a storytelling event plus opportunities for local residents to engage with their family history through the Cumbria Family History Society and record their origins.

The Castle Hill Trust also received £3,000 to set up a Men in Sheds project in the cellar. A volunteer woodwork teacher will oversee the weekly workshops and address social isolation of older men in the town.

West Cumbria Domestic Violence Support received £10,000 from the Cumbria Fund towards the ‘Keeping Families Together’ service.

This service is free of charge to all those who need it. Project manager, Carole Launder, said: “The grant enables us to continue providing a free counselling service. We aim to break down the barriers that prevent individuals and families accessing help.

“We work with families suffering from the trauma of domestic and sexual abuse. The service is based on referrals, either from a member of the family or from a trusted partner – our second largest source of referrals is Children’s Services and the Police.”

A community café in Mirehouse received a £2,000 grant from the Shepley Group Fund to cover its rental costs.

Mirehouse Community Centre Association runs the Top of The Shops Café on Meadow Road, which was formerly the local library.

Katrina MacEwan, Development Lead, said: “We have five regular and dedicated volunteers offering tasty, low cost food. Everyone is made to feel very welcome. Groups are encouraged to meet here, such as the local Men in Sheds, the maternity group and the disabled women’s group. Going forward, we hope to introduce daily group meetings of various kinds, online training, and movie nights.”

Annalee Holliday, Grants & Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “There are many worthy organisations that continue to provide help to the local communities. In particular the grant to support families affected by domestic violence will make a positive difference to the most vulnerable people in our community. We are ever grateful to the generosity of our fundholders to enable us to support these vital services.”

The closing date for Cumbria Community Foundation’s next West Cumbria grants panel is 18^th September 2019. For more information, visit www.cumbriafoundation.org or call a member of the grants team on 01900 825760.

Community projects across the county have received a share of £177,000 to tackle issues such as rural isolation, unemployment and health and wellbeing.

37 charitable organisations received a share of the funds at Cumbria Community Foundation’s recent grants panel. The funding will support a wide range of projects across the county, including a music group for those with dementia in Appleby, children’s creative workshops in Kendal, meals on wheels for the residents of Brampton and a business support programme for young people who want to start a farming related business.

8 people have also received a share of £6,085 towards horticulture training fees and university related costs.

The money came from 25 grant making funds, administered by Cumbria Community Foundation, including those set up by EDF Energy Renewable, Castle Green Hotel, Out of Eden, Westmorland Arts Trust and the William Milburn Charitable Trust.

The Farmer Network received £45,000 over three years from the Barker Fund, the Brian & Ann Clark Fund and the Evening Hill Grassroots Fund to encourage young people into the farming industry. The Business Support for Young People programme is offered to 18- 30 year olds who have a farm-related business idea but are limited by the resources or opportunities available to them. It comprises a short course on the basics of business planning, one-to-one support from an experienced farm business adviser and the chance to apply for a low interest loan and training grant, plus ongoing support from a volunteer business mentor.

Farmer Network Project Manager, Kate Gascoyne, said: “The first group will be starting this October 2019 and we want to hear from young people who are keen to develop a business idea related to farming.  We are delighted to receive this grant which, in these uncertain times, we will use to guide and support these young people to enable them to become the future of farming in Cumbria.”

In Brampton, Meals on Wheels (Cumbria) received £2,497 from the William Milburn Charitable Trust Fund to help run the service. Around 45 hot meals are delivered weekly by volunteers, along with cold meals for the weekend, and the grant will support the project coordinators salary.

People accessing the Meals on Wheels service are mostly older, housebound and either unable to shop or cook for themselves. The provision of regular, hot, nutritious food not only benefits their health, the service also improves their mental wellbeing by providing a regular visit from a friendly face who can enhance, what for some people are very long lonely days.

David Price, from Meals on Wheels (Cumbria) said: “We started providing meals for Brampton earlier this year, expanding the existing service already in Carlisle. We hope to increase awareness of the service to the elderly and infirmed in the town and help recruit local volunteers to deliver meals. The support is also very practical in providing consumables like foil containers to deliver the meals in. Since the closure of the county service in 2013, many people don’t know that a daily meals service exists. Although our aim is to encourage people to cook for themselves, we recognise that with age, this can become difficult. In receiving a hot lunchtime meal and a visit from a friendly volunteer, our hope is many can retain their independence for as long as possible.”

Kendal Windows on Art’s (KWoA) Moving On Up project received £1,150 from the Castle Green Grassroots Fund to offer a range of creative workshops for youngsters in the Heron Hill community.

Children will collaborate with their younger and older peers, explore their creativity and develop their individual creative skills through a range of mediums such as drawing and painting, theatre set and costume design, drama and dance. These activities will then lead to a community event for the children’s families.

The Appleby Hub, run by The Oaklea Trust, can continue to offer a range of community activities thanks to a grant of £7,190 from the Westmorland Family Community Fund and the Out of Eden Fund.

People affected with mental health issues, those with dementia, and young people will benefit as the funding contributed to three community projects: A Safe Place support group for those who are struggling with their mental health, My Smart Music for those with dementia and their carers, and a youth group for young people aged 11-18 years.

Susan Green, Director, said: “Oaklea’s vision is of a society where individuals are enabled to be effective citizens irrespective of age, disability or disadvantage. The issues faced by the beneficiaries include challenges associated with rural isolation and progressive mental health conditions.”

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.”

The closing date for Cumbria Community Foundation’s next main grants panel is 27^th September 2019. For more information, visit www.cumbriafoundation.org or call a member of the grants team on 01900 825760.

Volunteers from all walks of life and all corners of Cumbria met Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Tuesday 11th June.

Cumbria Community Foundation nominated 50 volunteers and community representatives to join them to welcome the royal couple to Keswick.

For the charity, which has given £44 million to good causes in the past 20 years, it’s the highlight of its anniversary year so far.

Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive, said: “We welcomed The Duke and Duchess with some of the most selfless people from communities around Cumbria. One thing that makes us different to other places, is the way that people look at an issue, have an idea and set about fixing it. Our role at the Community Foundation is to bring people together who want to help Cumbrian communities make a real difference, whether that’s our fundholders, who have helped us give out more than £44 million in grants, or the community leaders we support who are addressing real issues and changing lives for the better.

“So, on Tuesday, we had representatives from a number of voluntary groups who have had financial support from Cumbria Community Foundation, but who would not exist without the efforts of their volunteers.

“Keswick Mountain Rescue Team, who have received £15,000 in grants came along. Their expertise in swift water rescue was invaluable during the floods. We have also helped Keswick Flood Action Group, who mobilise a little army of volunteers when the floods strike, they’ve had more than £30,000.

“Their Royal Highnesses met representatives from the Howgill Family Centre, an essential community resource offering a huge amount of support to families across west Cumbria. It has received just over £230,000 in grants and through its many volunteers, provides skills, health and social care services.

Brenda Holden, Chair of Howgill Family Centre, said: “On behalf of everyone, can I say an enormous thank you for including us in the royal visit event. We felt privileged to have attended and meeting the Duchess of Cambridge was a real honour. Networking with the other groups before the Duke and Duchess arrived was brilliant – we met people who can help us and who we can help which is always a bonus.”

“One woman who has started more than one life-changing community initiative in west Cumbria is Rachel Holliday and she joined us too. Her first initiative was to set up Calderwood House, a hostel for the homeless in Egremont which hosts people for up to six months and helps them get back on their feet. Her latest idea is Women out West, helping women in all kinds of circumstances, from victims of domestic violence, to those affected by separation or divorce, women living in poverty or on low incomes, to those who want to set up their own business.” Andy said.

He continues: “And perhaps one of the most inspiring projects is We Will – a group of teenagers from Maryport who are providing Youth Mental Health First Aid to tackle teenage mental health issues. This grassroots group started with a grant of £10,000.”

Rachel Suddart, who supports the We Will youth mental health group, said: “Thank you for inviting the group to be part of your birthday celebrations. They were thrilled to be asked, really enjoyed the event and were blown away by the Duke and Duchess’ knowledge and interest in their campaign. It was also a terrific experience for them to be able to meet and talk with other local volunteer organisations.”

Andy continues: “For the past 20 years we have supported people in their communities to make lasting change. I am grateful to have the opportunity to shine a light on some of those by introducing some really remarkable Cumbrians to The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

“I am really privileged to be one of those invited, it’s great for our charity and it’s great for Cumbria.”

Cumbria Community Foundation is shining a light on issues in the community to help guide businesses that wish to invest in improving lives in West Cumbria.

The document, called West Cumbria Opportunities and Challenges, provides an accessible, evidence-based picture of need across West Cumbria with examples of projects that improve the lives of residents.

Cumbria Community Foundation was commissioned to write the report for Sellafield to highlight the opportunities and areas of economic and social need in West Cumbria.

Some of the issues highlighted in the report include:

• Childhood obesity – one in ten children are starting school overweight
•  Adult obesity – two thirds of people in both Allerdale and Copeland are overweight.
• Deprivation – one in seven households are living on less than £10,000 a year.
• Education – one in four adults have no qualifications.
•  Schools – half of all secondary schools are performing below national average.

The document isn’t all doom and gloom. It celebrates everything that west Cumbria has to offer, like:

• Being the global Centre of Nuclear Excellence.
• Being the home of innovative world leading businesses (M-Sport, Iggesund, Innovia).
• Having low crime – it’s one of the safest places to live in the UK.
• Some outstanding schools.

Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive of Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “Sellafield approached us to write this independent report after seeing the quality of the research we presented in our countywide document ‘Cumbria Revealed – a County of Contrasts’ in 2017. I hope this new report will help people and organisations who want to devise programmes or create activities to tackle the needs of those living in west Cumbria.

“We’re celebrating our twentieth anniversary as a charity and we know that the solutions to the issues lie within the people and organisations already in these communities. What we need is investment in the areas identified to create real and lasting change in the areas we’ve highlighted.

“West Cumbria is an area of contrasts where a high-wage technology-based economy is contrasted with high levels of youth unemployment and some shockingly poor levels of health and wellbeing. Some the key issues are skills shortages, access to jobs and services, low aspirations, poverty, health and wellbeing, social isolation and obesity.”

The evidence used in the report has been drawn from different sources and presented under key themes:

Growing Up, Living and Working, Ageing, Housing and Homelessness, Fuel Poverty, Debt, Transport and Access to Services, Healthy Living, Safe Communities, Strong Communities.

It looks to the future and explains how businesses can get involved. Sellafield Ltd published its Social Impact Strategy last year and will measure its success by using the National Themes Outcomes Measurements Framework. The Social Impact Strategy says it wants to:

• Improve access to sustainable incomes by increasing skills, knowledge aspirations and access to opportunities.
• Enable resilient economies by growing the local economy and securing new opportunities.
• Build thriving communities that create self-reliance and address community needs.
• Create effective stakeholder and partnership working for collective impact.

Gary McKeating, Head of Community and Development at Sellafield Ltd said: “The new Sellafield Social Impact strategy illustrates a significant shift in thinking. Sellafield has always recognised the close interdependency between our business and the local community and as we continue to make Sellafield safer, sooner, we are working to make sure that our local community, the UK as a whole and the nuclear sector receives the maximum value from the £2billion of taxpayers’ money spent at Sellafield every year.

“As a world class business, dealing with some of the most complex scientific and engineering challenges on the planet, we want our activities to benefit as many people and businesses as possible, but this isn’t just an issue for Sellafield Ltd, it’s for all of those companies in our supply chain as well.

“There’s a lot to be done, but by working collectively, we can address the issues raised in the report, and the entire community can succeed. Look at how the investments from Sellafield Ltd and the NDA leveraged in excess of £30m for the new Campus Whitehaven. This represents the biggest educational investment in Whitehaven for over half a century and will address some of the issues highlighted in the report. This is an illustration of the kind of social impact we should all be striving to achieve.”

A copy of the report is available on the Foundation’s website or for a hard copy or call 01900 825760.

“GIVING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD” is the title of Cumbria Community Foundation’s 20th anniversary year after two decades of life-changing work in the county.

It is also the title of its new book and as the title suggests, it’s not just a look back at the amazing things the charity has achieved, but a look ahead to many more years of connecting people who care with causes that matter.

It will be launched this week at a special event on Thursday 9th May at Rheged, near Penrith, along with an exhibition of 20 photographs that appear in the book.

Chief Executive, Andy Beeforth, said: “I have led Cumbria Community Foundation since day one and I am immensely proud of what has been achieved. From responding to disasters like Foot and Mouth and the three devastating floods to the little things we make happen every single day.

“It’s quite humbling to see this selection of photographs together in a book and to read the stories about truly inspiring Cumbrians. We are really fortunate as a charity that we have generous donors who set up funds, enthusiastic supporters who have dreams of a better Cumbria and go about making it happen, and of course thousands of people whose lives have changed in some way by either giving or receiving money.

“I am hoping that we can mark this momentous year by raising £250,000 for the Cumbria Fund 20th Anniversary Appeal – we’ve banked almost £30,000 – and I am confident that with a whole host of fundraising events planned by our supporters, we will achieve this target. We’re always grateful for help and anyone who wishes to take on a challenge to raise a bit of that total would be most welcome.”

The 94-page book is a celebration of everything the charity stands for, which is summed up in a specially commissioned poem by Barrow poet Kim Moore. She will read her piece, which is published in the book, at the launch event.

Broadcaster and author Melvyn Bragg has written an introduction to the book. He said: “Wherever you look, the people of Cumbria are helping the people of Cumbria, and friends of Cumbria, far and wide, are sending in welcome and moving contributions. It’s heartwarming, it’s effective, and in my view, it’s the only way forward to keep our unique society together and to give people the life chances we all want them to have.”

It was the vision of Cumbrians like John Fryer-Spedding who decided to take action to make the difference he wanted to see in the county. He gathered 20 like-minded philanthropists and started working tirelessly to see Cumbria Community Foundation born. He said he was inspired by the Queen’s Christmas broadcast in 1997, where she said: ‘I pray that we, the more fortunate ones, can unite and lend a helping hand wherever it is needed and not pass by on the other side.’ The founding group wanted to build a professionally managed endowment fund of £3m in four years. It went much better than that – since 1999 it has given out £44 million in grant aid. He said: “The Foundation has always aimed to back every corner of the county and every type of eligible need. Through its excellent grant-making it has steadily built a growing number of fundholders and supporters. We feel a long way from the starting line now.”

Copies of the book are available for a donation from Cumbria Community Foundation. All the money from the sale of Giving Back, Looking Forward will go to the Cumbria Fund 20th Anniversary Appeal.

Name: Rebecca Delin

Job title: Media and Content Officer

Employer: Cumbria Community Foundation

Where are you from? Whitehaven

Where do you live now? Whitehaven

Where do you work? I am very lucky to be based at Dovenby Hall in Cumbria Community Foundation’s offices, situated in beautiful grounds – I have a gorgeous view out of my office window.

How long have you done this job? Part-time since November 2018 and it’s perfect as it fits around my photography business.

Take us through a typical day: I start work at 8.15 after taking my daughter to school. I’m usually the first to arrive and the person who puts the kettle on. It’s then down to business!

I usually start by checking emails and our social media platforms. I then check the daily papers for relevant articles and then it’s all about creating content for social media, newsletters, press reports and our website to highlight the work of the Foundation and how it connects people who care with causes that matter in Cumbria.

It’s non-stop as it’s the Foundation’s 20th anniversary this year. Our target is to raise £250,000 for the Cumbria Fund to enable even more groups to do what they do best – helping improve lives in Cumbria.

We are encouraging people and businesses to get involved and take part in their own challenge to help raise money for the Cumbria Fund, which supports around 50 community projects each year.

I’m never stuck for something to write about as Cumbria Community Foundation has distributed £44million in grants to more than 4,000 groups and 8,000 individuals over the last 20 years. It’s my job to write about these groups.

I recently wrote a lovely story about the community of Caldbeck and how a vast number of projects, managed by Northern Fells Group, has received more than £122,000 in grants to support its community.

I visited the heart-warming community project called ‘Men in Sheds’. It was lovely to meet the group, and I had the opportunity to take some great photos.

I spend most of my time creating content. This includes writing grant stories and newsletters to designing leaflets and imagery. There is always plenty to do but we always make time for a lunch break, when we discuss the weekend’s shenanigans and the latest Netflix series that everyone is watching.

Because it’s so busy, the days fly by.

I always learn something new and look forward to learning about the next funded project, taking the next photograph or attending the next event.

What do you like most about the job? There is never a dull moment! I enjoy meeting new people, attending events and learning about great people in our community. Chatting with people about their lives and having the opportunity to create videos and take photographs is my favourite part of the job.

What do you like least? Tea breaks when I’m made to eat cake and biscuits, it’s just not great for the waistline.

Why did you want to do this job? It’s perfect for me! I have always admired the work of Cumbria Community Foundation and took this as a great opportunity to work with a great team of people who do great work with fundholders to meet the very real needs and issues in our local communities. It’s very rewarding, fulfilling and there is always something new to learn.

What jobs have you done previously? I am also a freelance photographer and have been for over 11 years, mainly portraits and commercial photography for social media. It’s taken me as far as Spain and once a year I still go and help a horse riding holiday business called Hacienda Horses with its media and photography. This is really great because I can take my family to enjoy the sunshine: the only thing is, we have been known to bring a rescue dog or two back, so we are a slightly bigger family now.

I also worked as a college lecturer for 13 years and I worked at The Beacon, Whitehaven Tourist Information Centre, and Summergrove Halls. While studying for a degree, I was lucky enough to gain work experience in South Africa with an events company and then with the SA Tourist Board as well as a working holiday in Greece and a job swap in Cyprus with Limassol Tourist Information Centre.

What qualifications or experience do you need? A relevant degree include advertising, public relations, business, digital marketing, media and journalism. It is helpful to support the team in promoting the organisation by raising its profile and awareness within the local community.

There are work-based routes too, such as Creative and Digital Media Apprenticeships.

Being self-motivated and a people-person is essential, along with having media skills that helps you connect with people. Having a creative skill such as photography is also very useful as marketing is very visual.

Ideally you need to be a dynamic storyteller with excellent writing skills, social media understanding and experience within PR, events and media relations.

What is a typical salary for this job? £24,000

Any advice for people wanting to get into your profession? Do as much training as you can to give you a variety of media skills, there are lots of opportunities online. Volunteer your skills to gain lots of experience – this is invaluable and helps to make contacts which may lead to a job in the future.

Be confident and never turn down an opportunity you never know where it might lead.

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.

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.