Author: Cumbria Community Foundation
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.
New skills, new confidence, new business launched
A project designed to get people out of unemployment and back into work 
has led to one young woman launching her own business.
Thanks to almost £100,000 in grant funding, the Skills 4 You project in Cleator Moor has boosted confidence and given hundreds of people skills to make positive changes and get them back into employment.
One such person is Lisa from Cleator. She lost her job and was feeling low. She found the Skills 4 You project, which teaches woodcraft and upcycling to help people who have a chronic lack of confidence, caused by mental or physical health challenges.
When Lisa joined the craft group, she was feeling anxious, having regular panic attacks and suffering from depression. But, determined to try lots of craft techniques, she quickly got the hang of decoupage and painting, so much so that in 2018, she started her own business upcycling and re-purposing old furniture and mirrors.
Lisa said: “The course was a major influence; it gave me the inspiration and 
confidence to start my own business after a terrible time in my life”.
The future now looks bright for Lisa. She is enjoying her new adventure, learning new skills as she develops her business and selling her unique furniture through social media. She explained: “It’s a fantastic feeling to take a piece of furniture that nobody wants anymore and turn it into a centre piece that will be cherished by its new owner.”
Christina Timney, Grants and Information Officer at Home to Work, said: “We are so pleased that we were able to be part of Lisa’s journey through the rough times to where she is now.”
Lisa’s story is a familiar one, and although Lisa has an array of qualifications and many years of experience behind her, West Cumbria has high levels of unemployment, where a shocking one in four adults living in Copeland have no qualifications.
Trying to address this issue is the Skills 4 You project, run by social enterprise, Home to Work, by providing training opportunities to local residents. The project was launched in 2014 and has been supported by Cumbria Community Foundation for the last four years, to offer practical skills, mainly to 16 – 24 year olds, and a range of short courses to help people get on to mainstream accredited courses.
The eight-week training offers the opportunity to learn woodworking and crafting in an on-site workshop. Alongside the practical training, the course offers mentoring, support in writing a CV and how to perform in a job interview. It also looks at the social skills in life which can support mental health and wellbeing.
The activities on offer include restoring furniture, recycling salvaged timber to make garden furniture, planters or picnic tables, and creating simple wooden items like small toys, bird boxes, bird tables and sandpits.
The training course also helped Joe from Whitehaven. He left school at 16 with six GCSEs and had numerous jobs over the years. However, when he became unemployed, he started at Skills 4 You as by then, he had 4 children and wanted to be able to support his family.
Joe competed the Skills 4 You programme and went on to work in grounds maintenance. He said: “The Skills 4 You programme gave me the confidence and motivation that I needed to tackle the labour market. I was approached by Home to Work to apply for an apprentice position working with the Whitehaven Lengthsman scheme. I was delighted to be offered the job, working towards an NVQ in amenity horticulture.”
Christina continues: “We are so proud of what our clients and the project has achieved. Our team has formed relationships with local people, many of whom lacked confidence, were in poor physical and mental health, and had no opportunity to learn new skills, as well as employers who advertise vacancies with us.”
Home to work was first supported by the Foundation in 2007. £998 from the Sellafield Site Fund replaced old garden equipment for the Works 4 You project, developed to generate income by providing grounds maintenance services and employment to the local community. The garden scheme had been running for 6 years and the grant contributed to 2 lawnmowers and 2 strimmer’s to enable the charity to deliver garden services to the elderly and deprived communities of Cleator Moor, Frizington and Workington.
The great escape
Described by one member as “The Great Escape”, Caldbeck’s heart-warming community project “Men in Sheds” provides a perfect social haven for men to share their love of woodwork and a bit of a ‘craic’.
Men in Sheds is exactly as it sounds, a shed known as the Old Joiners Workshop where men can seek friendship and pursue their practical interests. It’s a larger version of an ideal garden shed, located by the very beautiful, but secluded, Caldbeck Pond. It’s accessed by residents from the local area, often with the help of volunteers due to their age and isolation. Stepping inside you will discover a friendly, safe and inclusive environment where members share tools and resources to work on projects of their own choice at their own pace.
One member Bert, who is 90, and would normally be very isolated and alone, said: “I live for Tuesdays and Thursdays.” The atmosphere is welcoming and warm as the sun shines through the dusty windows and the smell of bacon butties and warm wood fills the air. This is the place to be if you want to enjoy the companionship of likeminded and caring friends. An absolute need in this area for people like Bert, where issues including fuel poverty, and lack of facilities, services and transport affect them.
The project meets twice a week and has more than 30 regular attendees. It not only provides respite for carers but a refuge for older men – some with early onset dementia. They also repair notice boards, vintage motorbikes and playgrounds. Their latest activity is making benches for Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
The vast number of projects, managed by Northern Fells Group, has received almost £200,000 in grants administered by Cumbria Community Foundation since 2004.
Libby Graham, Fundraising Coordinator, said: “The support offered by Cumbria Community Foundation and the grant aid we have received over the last 13 years, has been invaluable to the organisation and the communities of the seven parishes we serve. It has enabled the Northern Fells Group to pilot new initiatives, to expand our services and has provided the sustained continuity required to build and support our volunteer base, to ensure that our services are of the highest quality and to help us to continue to meet the changing needs of our users.”
The Men is Sheds project continues to go from strength to strength. The Shed Master, Ken Graham and volunteers are self-admitted ’a bunch of big kids in old bodies.’ The members also support their local pub and meet every week with family members to have tea and a catch up.
Northern Fells Group is a community owned and volunteer led charity. Covering 200 square miles of upland terrain where 4,000 residents live, work and play who can also be vulnerable, isolated and excluded from vital services.
To respond to needs of the local community, the charity developed a range of services in addition to Men in Sheds, including a community minibus, a Village Agent service, a Lend a Hand scheme, benefits awareness advice and holiday play schemes, along with social and recreational activities.
Over its time the group has helped many people. One gentleman has lived in the village since he retired from farming. Over the last few years, he suffered from high levels of anxiety, which meant that phone calls and any letters or bills caused a great problem. Small things easily overwhelmed him and he lost confidence in himself. The group provided social activities for him to attend on a regular basis such as Men in Sheds, where he was a regular for many years until going into a care home. He also attended lunch groups and other social activities run by the NFG. The Village Agent assisted him with ordering household aids and with sorting and filing bills and contacting utility providers. He used the minibus regularly when he gave up driving. He also used the Lend a Hand service to fit bathroom aids for safety.
Libby continues: “Residents face day-to-day issues like poor or no public transport, poor health and loneliness, and low incomes stretched by rising fuel prices. New people to the area and long term residents often don’t have family support networks.
“The grants mean that our services can continue to provide a lifeline for older, disabled and vulnerable people and are greatly valued by the wider community.”
Fundraisers brave the cold for charity sleep out
The yellow weather warning didn’t stop more than 60 eager campers giving up their warm homes over the weekend for a cold, wet and windy night under the stars to help older people stay warm in winter.
The Big Sleep is an annual event organised by Cumbria Community Foundation to raise money for their Winter Warmth Appeal, which supports older people in Cumbria who struggle to pay their heating and fuel bills in the colder months.
With temperatures around 2 degrees and dropping to nearly zero in the night campers enjoyed the friendly atmosphere while Little Sleepers were kept entertained by storyteller Ian Douglas and a family movie. Volunteers from Calderwood House, a homeless hostel in Egremont, kept everyone warm with their speciality coffee, and English Lakes Hotels provided the evening meal and breakfast rolls in the morning.
Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive of the charity, said: “We’ve had another fantastic year at the Big Sleep and a huge thank you to everyone who took part or who supported them. Since we launched the event six years ago, it has raised more than £100,000 and this money makes a huge difference enabling us to continue our work, helping older people within our community.
“Extra funding is always great, but awareness is even better, and we want people to understand what fuel poverty is and how it affects people. The money raised will be used to provide grants to some of the poorest, most vulnerable older people in the county. Thank you to everyone who took part or supported the participants.”
Quotes from people around the county – images available on request to go with each quote:
Nicol Moffat and Rosie Edge from Maryport and Cockermouth, Home Group. Nicol said: “We work for Home Group, a local housing association, and we have had a lot of customers who are in fuel poverty and thought it would be a great idea to raise awareness.”
Kendal Event Medics provided first aid cover in-kind as they “wanted to support a great cause.”
Workington Fire Cadets, Keegan Milligan and Liam Sharples from Workington. They said: “We are raising money for people who are struggling to heat their homes in the winter, this is a great cause and we hope to raise £100 each, it will be great fun but very, very cold.”
Beth Nicholls from PPM Ltd. Beth said: “I work for PPM Ltd, in housing and property maintenance and we come across people living in fuel poverty – having to choose between “eat or heat”. This is a great opportunity to fundraise with our partners at Home Group. The cold weather really drives home the reality of how cold conditions can affect people in the winter months.”
Eve and Bethan Handy from South Lakes said: “It’s a great cause and a fun night.”
Laura Davies from Kendal: “I wanted to do something different to challenge myself. Camping right by the lake while raising money for Cumbrian people is a great idea.”
Andrew and Seth Eze (Team Brewin Dolphin) from Lancashire. Andrew said: “We are doing the Big Sleep to raise money for a brilliant cause (Winter Warmth Appeal) and to have an adventure with my son. My colleagues have done it in the past and we are looking forward to a great night of fundraising.”
Mark Barrow, Jenna Nixon, Sarah Wright from H&H Group, Carlisle and Kendal. Mark said: “The Big Sleep is something different and a great opportunity to camp by Windermere. We want to raise money for people who are experiencing fuel poverty and this is a realistic experience of how cold it can be for some people in the winter.”
Thomas Hood, Cheryl Hood, Lucy Benson, Laura Horrocks, Anita Benson, Georgina Smith and Marion Little from Napthens Solicitors in Kendal. Lucy said: “The Big Sleep is a great event to raise money for elderly people in Cumbria who are experiencing fuel poverty. We are in for a cold night and we hope to raise lots of money for a fantastic cause.”
Councillor Brian Hewitt, Vice Chairman of Lakes Parish Council, Ambleside said: “It’s my first time doing the Big Sleep for the Winter Warmth Appeal. Our county is very generous with food banks so this is a wonderful and different way to support Cumbrian people and help them to keep warm in the winter months. I personally would rather be hungry than cold, I hope to raise awareness and extra funds for this great cause.”
Team Dodd and Co, Jamie Dobson, Neil Boothman and Ian Topham from Penrith.
Jamie said: “It’s my fifth time at The Big Sleep. We are supporting Cumbria Community Foundation in raising money for the Winter Warm Appeal which helps people in Cumbria in fuel poverty which is a big issue and the government fuel allowance doesn’t go far enough and this is a great way to help those that need it.”
Simon Berry, High Sheriff of Cumbria. Simon, who is Chairman and Managing Director of English Lakes Hotels Resorts and Venues said: “I’m sleeping out for one night to raise money for people who can be cold every night, it just has to be done. It’s a privilege to be here and to support a great cause.”
Paul Lewis, Chief Finance Officer of Lakeland Limited. Paul said: “The Big sleep is a really good event to raise money for the Winter Warmth Appeal that supports local people. Cumbria Community Foundation is a great concept, it’s fantastic and I want to help support local people having just moved to the area.”
Sam Spencer – the Littlest Sleeper from Cockermouth, Mum, Joanne said: “Sam is very excited to be camping out under the stars. It’s a great atmosphere and we are enjoying our family adventure for a great cause.”
Hayden Holliday – Little Sleeper from Maryport said: “I am really looking forward to camping out tonight. It’s very cold, but we are going to brave it for this very good cause. I have raised £100 so far.”
Phoebe Collister from Whitehaven who volunteered at The Big Sleep with her friend from school, Pippa, said: “I am absolutely enjoying helping out at The Big Sleep. Everybody is so friendly and we are having a great time. It’s great to see so many people taking part to raise money for the Winter Warmth Appeal. ”
You can still donate towards the Winter Warmth Appeal.
Visit http://www.cumbriafoundation.org/winter-warmth-fund/give-to-the-winter-warmth-fund or phone 01900 825760.
Or you can send a cheque to: ‘Cumbria Community Foundation’ and write ‘Winter Warmth’ on the back. Send it to: Cumbria Community Foundation, Dovenby Hall, Dovenby, Cockermouth, Cumbria, CA13 0PN
If you or someone you know is in need of support from the Winter Warmth Appeal, please contact your local Age UK.
More images to follow soon. The Big Sleep Gallery
In safe hands
A group of women whose lives have been transformed by learning the art of manicures and pedicures are now lifting other women out of despair.
They’ve all successfully completed a course to become nail technicians in a purpose-built salon at the Gateway 4 Women centre in Carlisle and are now mentoring the next intake of students.
Gateway 4 Women is a subsidiary of Cumbria Gateway, which was set up in 2011 to address issues around homelessness, substance misuse, mental illness and domestic abuse. It offers accommodation, structured programmes, drop-in breakfast clubs, skills training and work experience opportunities plus practical and emotional support to help vulnerable people recover and develop a positive healthy future in the community.
Cumbria Gateway received its first grant of £2,500 in 2011 to help towards equipment and furnishings of 4 flats. Since then, it has received more than £107,000 in grants. Grants have helped towards a breakfast club for homeless people. The breakfast club’s aim, with the help of peer mentors, is to reach out and inspire those that might be considering a new way of life. It has on average 26 regular attendees. Other projects supported included a handy person scheme and a peer led support service to support vulnerable people across the area to access much needed help and support.
In 2017 it opened a new women’s only centre, Gateway 4 Women,
to provide vital services that were not already available in north Cumbria, and has received more than £52,000 in grants. Based in Denton Holme, the centre is an educational and therapeutic one-stop shop for vulnerable women in Cumbria. It supports women who have been the victim of domestic violence, or who are undergoing drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes, those suffering with mental health issues and other vulnerable groups.
The beauty salon is open to the public and the accredited Nail Technician Course runs from there. Last year, the funding enabled 12 women to study the nine-month course and has given them the confidence to rebuild their lives. Some have gone on to use their qualification and skills to set up their own business or to work within the centre’s in-house salon.
Nicole started at Gateway 4 Women as a client accessing the support, she said: “After building up my confidence and self-esteem by participating in the course, I started to volunteer at the centre. That led me to become a full-time member of staff, helping to run the salon and mentoring clients.”
Denise attended the course and now volunteers in the salon at the centre, she said: “This was a new start for me, learning something new. It has given me back my confidence and a chance to make new friends and a new qualification. To then go on and be able to volunteer at the salon has been amazing. Here I can gain experience in a salon environment and also make my clients feel better about themselves.”
Angela participated on the course last year, as a mentor. She said: “Personally, I really enjoyed it and it has helped my confidence in my supporting abilities. I have enjoyed working with the ladies on the course and helping them to achieve their goals.”
Emma, who also completed the course in 2018, said: “This was an opportunity to work in a safe environment and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about nails, hands and feet. It has also helped me massively with my confidence and self-esteem and to make new friends.”
The course started in January and is fully subscribed. Another 12 women will have the opportunity to learn new skills and build their confidence while working with previous students who now volunteer as mentors.
The centre wouldn’t survive without grant funding and motivated volunteers who get together and make things happen.
£28,265 Funding Boost for Barrow Community Groups
Cumbria Housing Partners Fund has granted a total of £28,265 to support the ongoing work of four projects in Barrow in Furness: Women’s Community Matters, Drop Zone Youth Projects, Marvellous Holiday Club and Love Barrow Families. Each received grants enabling them to deliver projects which directly support more than 350 people and benefit the wider community.
Women’s Community Matters has been awarded £12,000 to employ a newly qualified social worker to pilot a six month project #ibelieveyou, aimed at improving access to and availability of domestic abuse support services.
Rebecca Rawlings, Senior Officer – Women’s Community Matters said “The grant has made a huge difference to the support we are able to offer victims and survivors of domestic abuse. We want to send a heartfelt thank you to the funders. In the first 3 months the project has already supported 54 women and their children.”
Drop Zone Youth Project receives £5,451 to employ staff to deliver a healthy eating project in their four youth clubs.
Marvellous Holiday Club now has funding of £7,000 to employ two qualified teachers during the school holidays for the rest of this academic year.
Love Barrow Families was awarded £3,814 towards the installation of a new kitchen.
Janice Sharp, Assistant Director of Housing, Barrow Borough Council said:” It is a tremendous boost to have four of our community projects supported by these grants. By creating new employment we create opportunity. It is no secret Barrow in Furness is sadly ranked amongst the most disadvantaged towns in the country. As a borough council we are committed to improving the health and well-being of our communities. These projects are based in some of our most deprived areas; only by actively supporting people to aspire to more can we inspire longer term positive change for individuals and those communities. Through this funding Cumbria Housing Partners really is adding value to the communities they work in and creating better futures.”
Cumbria Housing Partners is the local procurement group for social housing landlords in Cumbria. The Cumbria Housing Partners Fund is administered by Cumbria Community Foundation.
John Clasper, Chair of Cumbria Housing Partners added: “ The funding these valued and vital projects have been awarded clearly show how the savings we make for our member landlords in buying materials, and contractors, or for repair and maintenance work on their homes is being reinvested to improve the lives of people living in our communities.”
Annalee Holliday, Grants & Donor Services Officer for Cumbria Community Foundation, said “Over the past year, the Cumbria Housing Partners Fund has invested almost £100,000 across the county to individuals, and community and voluntary organisations. The money has provided training opportunities and supported projects aimed at improving people’s employability or education, provided advice and guidance, supported and engaged people in their local community, and improved community facilities.”
For more information about Cumbria Housing Partners contact: LesleyD@cumbriahousingpartners.co.uk www.cumbriahousingpartners.co.uk
Healthy Eating Project
Andy Beeforth spends a night suspended above the Borrowdale Valley
A charity worker set out to spend a night suspended hundreds of feet above ground to highlight the plight of older people who struggle to heat their homes in winter.
Andy Beeforth, chief executive of Cumbria Community Foundation, settled down for the night on a narrow portaledge above the valley.
His adventure aimed to encourage people to join him for The Big Sleep on March 9, which will see hundreds of people camp out on the shore of Windermere to raise money for the foundation’s Winter Warmth Appeal.
Despite lying still, a twist in the platform forced Andy to make a late-night retreat and climb up the rock face in the dark to complete his adventure under the stars at Surprise View near Keswick.
His adventure was supported by Brampton climber Jim Fotheringham, with permission from the National Trust.
The Big Sleep raises awareness and money for Cumbria Community Foundation’s Winter Warmth Appeal – a grant-making fund which helps to keep older people warm every winter.
Mr Beeforth said: “Every year I have my own little mini challenge before the Big Sleep. I’ve slept out on the top of mountains, tried sleeping in a bed on a lake, had a nap in a bed in a cave and this was the most terrifying.
“There’s a serious reason for doing it. In a bad winter 300 older people die due to the effects of the cold weather in Cumbria. Our Winter Warmth appeal saves lives. I will do almost anything to raise awareness of the amazing difference people’s fundraising can make.”
For more information about The Big Sleep, or to donate to the appeal, visit www.cumbriafoundation.org/bigsleep