Author: Cumbria Community Foundation
Women and girls projects share in £3.4 million of national funding.
Almost 500 of Cumbria’s most vulnerable women and girls will benefit from charitable funding through projects focusing on those at risk of crisis.
Three community groups have received grants of between £5,000 – £10,000 from the Tampon Tax Community Fund, administered by Cumbria Community Foundation, to work with women of all ages, focussing on preventative services.
Charities to receive funding include Springfield Domestic Abuse Support in Kendal, Gateway 4 Women in Carlisle and Women’s Community Matters in Barrow.
Springfield Domestic Abuse Support will carry out one to one support and counselling to help 100 women build their skills and confidence and improve health and wellbeing. The grant will allow the charity to improve current support on offer, providing more appointments and reducing the waiting list. Women have sometimes had to wait up to 3 weeks for an initial meeting, with another member of staff available women will been seen within a week.
Angela Speak, Project Lead Community Support Service/Deputy Springfield Service Manager, said: “Demand for our support has more than doubled in the past year and we will be using the funding to provide an additional staff member on a part time contract for 12 months. This will make a huge difference to our service and reduce the current pressure on our service and waiting times for appointments.”
Women’s Community Matters will employ two part-time Project Assistants who will work alongside the Project Manager and other staff to support the delivery of a range of additional activities for young women to build their skills, confidence and improve health and wellbeing.
Many women travel to the centre in Barrow from Ulverston, Millom, Askam and Grange and this project will support around 300 different women over a 6 month period, helping to improve their own mental health and wellbeing by accessing a range of opportunities for social connection and learning.
A delighted Rebecca Rawlings, Senior Officer at Women’s Community Matters, said: “We are really grateful for this opportunity to support women with their mental health and wellbeing. We have developed the idea alongside women who access the centre and we are all looking forward to developing more opportunities for women and girls in the community.”
Gateway 4 Women will use the money to run the Pause for Thought project, which will build the confidence and self-worth of young women through activities and discussions. It will provide opportunity to connect with other young women who have similar experiences as a process to recovery, sharing their stories as part of the group process.
Jennifer Campbell, Chief Executive, said: “Building on the popularity and success of our existing course programme: ‘Beautiful Woman, Beautiful Me’, we will be introducing a similar personal development course ‘Pause for Thought’ tailored for young women aged 14-19.”
Ellen Clements, Senior Grants and Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “We are aware that there is a high number of women who face multiple disadvantages in Cumbria. I welcome the chance to use the Tampon Tax proceeds to help change the lives of these women. The grants will make a big difference to the projects funded, enabling women in Cumbria to build their confidence and self-worth.”
VACANCY – 20th Anniversary Events and Fundraising Coordinator
20th Anniversary Events and Fundraising Coordinator (fixed-term position until February 2020)
(25 – 30 hours per week negotiable) per week across 5 days
£20-21K full-time equivalent, depending on experience
2019 is the 20th anniversary of the Foundation. We have titled the year: ‘Giving Back, Looking Forward’. It will be a year in which we aim to widen people’s involvement in the Community Foundation, by communicating the impact and positive change achieved through our grant making, having distributed £42m since 1999.
As part of our year-long campaign, we are encouraging people and businesses to get involved and take part in their own challenge or host an event to help raise money for the Cumbria Fund.
We are seeking a confident, enthusiastic and driven individual who has a passion for Cumbria and will act as the central point of contact with event hosts to ensure top quality support and follow-ups.
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Annalee Holliday or Anne Meeghan on 01900 825760
The post is based at our offices in Dovenby near Cockermouth.
If you want to work with a highly respected organisation in a challenging but interesting role then download the job description and application form.
Closing date for applications is midnight Sunday 3rd February 2019.
Interviews commence week beginning 11th February 2019.
Spashing out for Cumbrian causes
It was a cold and wet start to the year for the team at Cumbria Community Foundation who have so far raised more than £4,500 for charitable causes right across the county.
Staff and trustees kick-started a year-long fundraising campaign to celebrate the charity’s 20th anniversary in 2019, by splashing out and venturing into the chilly waters of Windermere on 8th January.
The money raised will go into the Cumbria Fund, which awards more than £100,000 to 50 community projects each year and helps improve the lives of disadvantaged people across Cumbria.
It’s all part of a year of special events called ‘Giving Back, Looking Forward’, which will celebrate the charity’s achievements to date and encourage the community to get involved in their own fundraising challenges.
Annalee Holliday, Grants & Donor Services Officer at the Foundation, said: “This year is the Foundation’s 20th Anniversary and we’ve set ourselves the target of raising £250,000 for the Cumbria Fund over the next 12 months. We hope that we have inspired other people to set themselves a challenge in 2019 and support the fundraising appeal.”
Some of the charities to benefit from the Cumbria Fund include: West Cumbria Domestic Violence Support, known as the Freedom Project, Furness Homeless Support, South Lakeland Mind, Allerdale Disability Association, Carlisle Mencap, Cumbria Deaf Association, Eden and South Lakeland Credit Union, Windermere Youth Project and many more.
Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive of the Foundation, said the dip was “Absolutely exhilarating. It’s great to do this with the team as we celebrate our 20 year anniversary.
“The team were very brave, and it was very difficult as the waters were baltic! Thanks to everyone who has donated so far, we have raised an amazing amount of money, which will support community projects across Cumbria. We would like to thank Maryport Inshore Rescue and Simon Berry, High Sherriff of Cumbria and Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa owner who supported the team on the day.”
Donations can still be made online: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/windermeredip
If you have been inspired to support Cumbria Community Foundation, a fundraising guide is available to download from the CCF website to help you plan your own challenge: https://www.cumbriafoundation.org/20th-anniversary/challenge/
Greggs Fund
Ian Gregg OBE helped turn his family’s small Tyneside bakery into a national institution. At the age of 25, he took over the reins of Greggs the Bakers, what has grown to be the UK’s largest retail bakery. He was Managing Director for nearly 20 years, Chairman for 18 years and during that time established The Greggs Foundation, which focuses on relieving social deprivation.
When Ian and his wife, Jane, moved to Cumbria, they set up the Greggs Fund with the community foundation to support Cumbrian projects. The income from the long-term fund contributes to the Cumbria Fund, where donations of all sizes are pooled together to grow this unrestricted fund and respond to the growing needs of local communities by providing much-needed funding to charitable organisations.
Ian said: “We are fortunate to live in Cumbria. But within this beautiful landscape many communities suffer deprivation in one form or another. CCF has the knowledge and experience to make best use of available funds to address some of these issues. We feel our donations are well managed and focused with as much input from us as we chose.”
As Ian states, there are areas in Cumbria where people live in poverty. 1 in 8 households have an income of less than £10,000 a year. People who struggle financially often turn to high interest lenders for help, ending up in more debt. Eden and South Lakeland Credit Union are tackling this issue by providing fair loans and a simple way of saving and received a grant from the Cumbria Fund to establish an outreach office in Kendal town centre.
The outreach office, open three days a week, is a forerunner for a permanent town centre office in Kendal. Since receiving the funding, the credit union has recruited over 50 volunteers. Doug Elsby, Trustee, said: “People are often surprised by the competitive rates on offer and choose one of our loans, knowing the interest paid goes to help those who find credit harder to come by.”
Ian also has a fund with the Community Foundation in Tyne and Wear and advises philanthropists: “Look to work with like-minded people to increase the impact you can have and not to be afraid to step back and let good, competent organisations determine the best use for your giving.”
Splashing out for charity
It’s going to be a cold and wet start to the year for the team at one of Cumbria’s leading charities.
To kick-start a year-long fundraising campaign to celebrate Cumbria Community Foundation’s 20th anniversary in 2019, staff and trustees will be splashing out and venturing into the icy cold waters of Windermere on 8th January.
It’s all part of a year of special events called ‘Giving Back, Looking Forward’ which will celebrate the charity’s achievements to date and encourage the community to get involved in their own fundraising challenges.
All money raised will go into the Cumbria Fund, which supports around 50 community projects each year and helps improve the lives of disadvantaged people across the county. One charity to benefit is West Cumbria Domestic Violence Support. Known as the Freedom Project, it received £10,000 to support its running costs to provide free, long-term support to adults, children and perpetrators of domestic violence.
Richard Roberts, Director and co-owner of Gedye & Sons Solicitors and a trustee at the Foundation will be joining in on the day, along with another trustee John Wilson, former Managing Partner and founder of Baines Wilson LLP. Richard said: “It’s my birthday that day so what better way of celebrating than with a dip in Windermere to launch the Foundation’s 20th birthday?”
Annalee Holliday, Grants & Donor Services Officer at the Foundation, said: “We wanted to do something to challenge ourselves. It’s going to be freezing but we’re not one to shy away from a challenge, and the CCF team hope to raise £1,000 for the Cumbria Fund. We hope people will be inspired to either support our cause or create their own challenge.”
Can you dip into your pockets and sponsor the CCF team? Donations can be made here: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/windermeredip
Schools at the forefront of the nation’s ‘Food for Life’ scheme
Around 1,000 children have been learning about the importance of local produce thanks to a grant of £11,840 from the Westmorland Family Community Fund.
The Soil Association’s Food for Life School Award programme benefited four primary schools, close to Tebay Services in the Eden Valley: Orton Primary School, Kirkby Stephen Primary School, Crosby Ravensworth Primary School and Beaconside Primary School.
The programme links to the curriculum and encourages a better understanding of growing, cooking and learning to love good food. Its aim is to engage children, parents, staff and the wider community to create a powerful voice for long-term change.
Schools work to a bronze, silver or gold standard, evidencing their achievements against agreed criteria. Activities have included a Farmers Market at Rheged, sausage making masterclasses and design a plate competition.
The Food for Life programme project has been a great success with each school taking part in all the activities on offer. The pupils enjoyed the programme and their appreciation of where food comes from and the importance of good food.
Ian Nutt, Head of Development at The Soil Association, said: “The project has been a great success with each school taking part in all the activities on offer while working towards their Bronze award. It has been wonderful to see how much the pupils enjoyed the programme and their appreciation of where food comes from and the importance of good food.”
Westmorland Family Community Fund have continued to support this project for a further three years with the introduction of a fifth school: Tebay Primary School.
Double your donations to Winter Warmth Appeal
Older people in Cumbria need your donations this winter so they don’t have to choose between heating and eating.
In a bad winter, 300 older people in Cumbria die due to effects of the cold. The Winter Warmth Appeal, run by Cumbria Community Foundation, collects people’s warm generosity and gives it back out to vulnerable older people to ensure they can heat their homes properly and remain safe and well during the colder months.
Age UK Carlisle & Eden and Age UK South Lakeland have seen an increase in demand for support this winter and have already distributed £45,000, which was raised as part of the Winter Warmth Appeal.
Hannah Kitching, Age UK South Lakeland, said: “The Winter Warmth Fund can be a lifesaver for hundreds of older people. A cold home can be a real danger for many of our vulnerable clients. The extra money the fund provides means that older people no longer have to choose between eating and remaining warm. This is often the sad reality that leads to many avoidable hospital admissions.”
A 73 year old from Windermere doesn’t have to worry about putting the heating on this winter: “The Winter Warmth grant gave me peace of mind, for which I am very grateful. It was the last thing I expected. It will help me in a lot of ways, especially in terms of my health. It makes me feel safer as my house can now be warm, so my joints feel better and I won’t be in as much pain.”
A recipient from Eden said: “I am able to put the heating on during the winter without worrying about the cost. The grant was very useful during the “Beast from the East” in February and March this year.”
A spokesperson for Age UK Carlisle and Eden, said: “The Winter Warmth grant is a godsend to many older people who during the winter are faced with the terrible choice of keeping warm or eating. We deal with many clients who live in remote areas in old properties which do not have insulation and are not on the mains gas network, so they are reliant on expensive types of fuel such as oil or solid fuel”.
Any online donations to the Winter Warmth Appeal this week will be DOUBLED as part of the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2018, which runs from midday on 27 November to midday on 4 December.
The Big Give Christmas Challenge is the UK’s biggest online match funding campaign which helps UK-registered charities raise funds for their cause. It offers supporters of participating charities the opportunity to have their DONATION DOUBLED on theBigGive.org.uk website when the campaign goes live at midday on #GivingTuesday, 27 November 2018.
Annalee Holliday, Grants & Donor Services and Communications Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “During the last eight years, the Winter Warmth Appeal has raised almost £700,000 – we know Cumbrians are well known for their community spirit. We are calling on their warm generosity again to help us raise even more money this year by doubling their donation during the Christmas Challenge week.”
To make a donation from midday on 27 November to midday on 4 December please click here.
Giving Tuesday is on Tuesday 27 November this year and promotes giving money, time or thanks for charities all across the world.
New board members introduced for Trustees Week
More than one million people across the UK play a vital role in the decision making of almost 200,000 charities by being a trustee.
Trustees Week recognises the great work these people do voluntarily and aims to encourage more people from all walks of life to get involved and to make a difference in their community.
Cumbria Community Foundation has recently welcomed two new trustees to its board: Kevin Walsh and John Wilson.
Kevin Walsh has been involved has been involved in traffic and transport in the county for many years, starting at Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council before moving to Cumbria County Council. An active Rotarian for over 25 years, Kevin was District Governor for Cumbria and Lancashire in 2013/14. He is also a trustee of Age UK Carlisle and Eden, Chairman of the Carlisle Dementia Action Alliance and a member of the Foundation’s grants panel.
Kevin said: “Having received a number of grants for Rotary led projects over the years, seen first-hand the impact that the Cumbria Flood Fund had on those in desperate need, and being acutely aware that communities are increasingly having to fend for themselves, I am delighted to have been asked to become more involved with the Community Foundation.”
John Wilson is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer and business adviser. He is the former Managing Partner and founder of Baines Wilson LLP, the specialist commercial law firm based in Cumbria and Lancashire.
He set the firm up in 1999 having moved back to Cumbria in 1996. John remains involved with Baines Wilson as a senior consultant. John is also a non-executive director of Penrith Farmers’ and Kidds plc and was Founder and former Chair of West Cumbria Rivers Trust, an environmental charity. He is also involved in various other charitable and sporting bodies.
John said: “CCF is a superb organisation and I’m proud to say that I, and Baines Wilson, have been involved since its formation. Coincidentally, my own business was founded at the same time meaning both CCF and Baines Wilson celebrate their 20th anniversaries next year. Now having some more time available, I was honoured to accept the opportunity to help the charity as a trustee with its extremely important work and I will do my best to make a significant contribution.”
Cumbria Community Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Andy Beeforth, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kevin and John to the board and look forward to seeing how their knowledge and expertise will contribute to the success of the Foundation.”
West Cumbrian causes awarded a share of £370,000
Community projects across West Cumbria have received a share of almost £370,000 to tackle issues such as youth crime, loneliness and financial exclusion.
The money was awarded at our quarterly West Cumbria grants panel and will support more than 30 charitable projects, some over several years. Funding was also given to 19 young people towards academic study and foreign travel for school pupils.
The money came from more than 20 funds, including those set up by local corporate businesses, Lamont Pridmore, Shepley Engineers and United Utilities.
Cumbria Youth Alliance (CYA) works with young people from some of the most deprived areas of West Cumbria to help them reach their full potential. The First Steps to Employment project received £8,135 from the Beverley Trust to provide one-to-one tailor-made support for 16 – 24 year olds and help them develop a plan to identify and reach their employment goals.
Sally Scales, NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) Business Development Manager, said: “We are delighted the Beverley Trust supported the programme. The news has been particularly well received as it comes after the funder met with young people and heard first-hand how they have benefited.
“Youth unemployment is a major priority in West Cumbria and is five times higher than the national average in some areas. Young people have told us they feel like they have been ‘forgotten’ and ‘written off’, so this grant will allow us to continue to help them take the steps they need to pursue their chosen path into further education, training and employment opportunities.”
Citizens Advice Allerdale provides free, impartial advice on a wide range of issues to anyone who needs help. £4,500 from the Abbeyfield Carlisle Society Over 55 Fund and the Kipling Fund for Older People will contribute to the running costs of its older people’s benefits project, which gives advice and support to help older people maximise their income, as well as dealing with the underlying issues that lead to older people living in poverty.
Funding Officer, Lyndsay Carver, said: “Imagine being elderly and having ongoing physical or mental health problems. Getting help from other people begins to seem impossible and family and friends may no longer be there or do not have the skills to help with complex benefit problems. Thanks to the funding, our project will aim to provide an additional 100 one-to-one specialist appointments for older people to help them make sure they are getting the right benefits for them.”
Annalee Holliday, Grants & Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “We’re delighted to be able to support the many varied and often much-needed projects across West Cumbria, which bring people together while addressing issues such as poverty, loneliness, unemployment and health and wellbeing. We are ever grateful to our fundholders for supporting such worthy causes.”
The closing date for the next grants panel is 23rd November 2018. For more information on funds, click here or call a member of the grants team on 01900 825760.
Winter Warmth Appeal Launched for Ninth Year
Cumbria’s Deputy Lieutenant, Susie Bagot, is encouraging older people who receive the Government’s Winter Fuel payment – but don’t need it themselves – to give it to those in need.
Every winter, Cumbria Community Foundation launches a Winter Warmth Appeal to help poorer, older people to heat their homes.
More than 1,000 people are helped every year to keep warm, rather than choosing between heating their home or eating a meal.
Susie Bagot, MBE DL, Deputy Lieutenant of Cumbria, said: “I would encourage anyone who receives the Government’s Winter Fuel Payment, who doesn’t need it to pay their own fuel bills, to donate it to Cumbria Community Foundation’s Winter Warmth Appeal.
“Many may think that having paid their taxes they are entitled to retain the payment. We could, however, regard this bonus payment from the Government as an opportunity to make a targeted generous gift to those in our county who need an additional helping hand at a difficult time of the year. I can’t bear the thought of anyone being cold in the winter, especially the elderly or those with young children, and it is not difficult to imagine how hard it must be to have to choose between heating, eating or paying the rent.
“The Winter Fuel Payment is given to certain members of the population. It is income coming to us in Cumbria. We have a personal choice but how much better to have the satisfaction of knowing that it is going to those who really need it so urgently within our county.
Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive of the Foundation, said: “The appeal only exists because better-off donors want to use their Winter Fuel Payment to help others, and we provide a simple but effective way for them to make a difference.
“The financial burden can reduce some older people to living in one room, going to bed during the day, or making the choice between heating and eating.
“We appeal to anyone who feels they could support us for this very urgent need to act now so that we can be ready for the cold months ahead.”
The Winter Fuel Payment of between £100 and £300, depending on age and circumstances, is made to anyone born on or before 5 November 1953.
How to donate:
Online:
Please visit our BT MyDonate page to make a contribution.
Send a cheque:
Please make cheques payable to Cumbria Community Foundation and write ‘Winter Warmth Fund’ on the back. Send cheques to our office; Cumbria Community Foundation, Dovenby Hall, Dovenby, Cockermouth, CA13 0PN. If you are a tax payer, please also send a Gift Aid Declaration.
Phone:
Donate via credit/debit card over the phone by calling 01900 825760. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm.
The appeal, now in its ninth year, has raised more than £750,000 for those in need. It works in partnership with Age UK across the county who also offer advice and assistance such as benefits checks, signposting to other agencies and inviting people to attend activities and groups.