The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has extended the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund to March 2026. Through this funding, Cumbria Community Foundation has received a further £260,000 towards the Furness For You partnership project, encouraging volunteering and building social connections in Barrow-in-Furness.

Barrow-in-Furness was recognised by Government as having significant levels of deprivation and higher levels of need in terms of civil society and community infrastructure.

Since the KYN Fund was launched in January 2023, UK Community Foundations (UKCF) – a national network of place-based community foundations – has delivered up to £14 million of £19 million government funding made available, of which Cumbria Community Foundation has distributed more than £1m to a number of projects. Additionally, Cumbria Community Foundation was able to contribute further funds through local match funding.

In April 2025, the Fund was extended until March 2026, with an additional £4.5 million of government funding. Of this £4.5 million, £2.6 million has been awarded to UKCF by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

With its extended allocation of £260,000, Cumbria Community Foundation, a member of UKCF, will continue supporting existing projects and work with local voluntary networks to implement long-lasting, scalable initiatives that last beyond March 2026.

The Furness For You project is a partnership of local charities and voluntary organisations, led by charity Groundwork North East and Cumbria. The partnership offers a variety of meaningful activities to address isolation and loneliness, help people build confidence, meet new people, acquire new skills and encourage volunteering.

Annalee Holliday, Head of Grants Practice and Programmes at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “A recent evaluation confirmed that Furness For You has had a significant impact on participants, many of whom reported increased social connection, improved mental health, and personal growth. Beneficiaries described overcoming deep-rooted fears and anxieties to engage with activities, often after months or years of isolation.

“This valuable funding, together with match funding of nearly £11,000 from the Pappagallino Fund, will help extend and develop delivery, and support even more people.”

The Furness For You partnership has launched an online support hub designed to connect people across the Furness area with the help, services and activities they need.

The free website – furnessforyou.org.uk – brings together information from a wide range of organisations and builds on the partnership’s missions to tackle social isolation, promote volunteering, and strengthen community ties.

An exciting new fund created by local people, for local people in Barrow to support community projects and help those in need is now open for applications.

Throughout July, local residents who volunteered to join a community panel have been taking part in workshops to decide how they would like £85,000 of grant funding to be spent.

The participatory element of the Barrow Social Impact Fund has been provided by Team Barrow and managed by Cumbria Community Foundation, and aims to strengthen communities, build the resilience of voluntary and community groups and make Barrow a better place to live, work, study, and visit.

The community panel has named the fund the People Helping People Fund, and decided that it will support projects in Barrow that do one of the following:
• Bring people together through social activities
• Improve local community spaces
• Create opportunities for young people (aged 14 to 18)
• Celebrate and promote positive stories in Barrow
• Provide early intervention or recovery support for those affected by alcohol or drug use

The volunteers have also helped design the application process, with an emphasis on making it as accessible as possible.

Application forms are in easy-read format, and there will be several ‘meet the fund’ sessions in Barrow and online for anyone thinking of applying.

Annalee Holliday, Head of Grants Practice and Programmes at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “It has been fantastic working with the community panel in Barrow, who have brought real-life experience and local insight to the table. Their involvement has ensured that funding decisions are shaped by the people who know the community best, helping to target support where it will have the greatest impact.

“Thank you so much to all of the volunteers who gave up their time to create the People Helping People Fund, and of course to Team Barrow’s Barrow Social Impact Fund for providing the funding.

“I encourage anyone thinking of applying to come along to one of the ‘meet the fund’ events where panel members – local residents who helped shaped the fund – will be available to answer questions and support with applications.”

Peter Anstiss, Chief Executive Officer of Team Barrow, said: “I very much value the opportunity for Team Barrow to contribute to this important programme of work. The ability to help those in need by allocating money from the Barrow Social Impact Fund to Cumbria Community Foundation fits with the core objectives of the 10-year Plan for Barrow and ensures local people are at the heart of distributing this funding to achieve maximum benefit for the community.”

Members of the community panel said how much they had enjoyed and valued the opportunity to help create the new fund and make decisions about where funding should go locally.

One said: “This has been the first time I have felt valued and listened to as a member of the community.”

Another said the workshops had given them “new connections, a buzz of ideas and energy, and a broader understanding of some of the different challenges faced by people… that there are so many people who share the same values and vision for Barrow.”

Their involvement has ensured that funding decisions are grounded in lived experience and reflect the priorities of local people, helping to direct support where it is needed most.

The ‘meet the fund’ events will take place on:
• Friday 8 August, 12-3pm at Barrow Library Café
• Wednesday 27 August, 7-8pm online
• Thursday 28 August, 2-4pm at The Bridge, Portland Walk
• Thursday 28 August, 5-8pm at Walney Community Centre, Central Drive

Attendance is optional but encouraged for those seeking help with their application.

The People Helping People Fund will prioritise projects supporting vulnerable people, such as those facing isolation; creating opportunities for children, teens, and older adults; promoting Barrow’s strengths; and encouraging peer support and shared spaces.

Individuals working with a charitable group can apply for up to £750. Charities and groups with an income of less than £200,000 can apply for up to £10,000.

More details and the application forms can be found online at: https://www.cumbriafoundation.org/fund/people-helping-people-fund/

The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Friday 19 September 2025.

The community panel will meet in October to decide which projects will be awarded funding. Grants will be expected to be spent by May 2026.

Communities are pulling together to support vulnerable people during the coronavirus pandemic thanks to funding from the Cumbria COVID-19 Response Fund.

This week, a further £142,293 was awarded from the Fund, set up by Cumbria Community Foundation, to projects helping families on low incomes, homeless people, isolated older people and many more get through the coronavirus crisis.

The impact of COVID-19 on low-income households is likely to be more severe in the short term and recovery for these families will take much longer. The closure of schools places an additional strain on families who rely on the financial and social support that schools provide and who also need to work, while social distancing and lockdown make it difficult to maintain routine budgetary practices for managing on a low income.

Barrow is one of the most deprived areas in the county, one in three children are living in poverty. To help meet the additional needs and concerns of local people, the community has come together to create a coordinated community response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Barrow Borough Community Resilience Forum works closely with the Local Resilience Forum and includes representatives from six charities: The Well, Love Barrow Families, Women’s Community Matters, Drop Zone Youth Project, Age UK Barrow and self-harm awareness charity SAFA. It received £74,580 to ensure that all parts of the borough have access to support, advice, and practical help. In addition, organisations with expertise in key areas such as older people, mental health, families and addiction issues will be called on to work together to support those most at risk.

Love Barrow families is working with Drop Zone Youth Projects and The Well to deliver a meal each week to families who are most in need. Trina Robson, Director at Love Barrow Families, said: “This crisis has taken away the place where our families came together, and we are doing our best to continue to reach out to everyone and to put people in touch with each other. We know that it is relationships and love that count, and we are finding as many ways as possible to provide this. One way is through our volunteers providing a home cooked meal for all the families who need it every week and an activity or challenge that families can complete. We are using various means of having fun and staying in touch remotely and the funding will help us to do this. For our families this is a lifeline. It means that they can access the right support, be that psychological or practical, from the right place at the right moment to stay well and keep going through this difficult time.”

Rebecca Robson, Senior Officer at Women’s Community Matters, which has joined them in delivering meals and activities to the families they work with, said: “I would like to say a very big thank you to everyone who has donated to Cumbria COVID-19 Response Fund. We now have the privilege of being able to share the generosity of all those who donated with those who need it most.  I have seen and heard the comments from some of the families who will benefit, and I can assure you that it means more than we can ever measure.”

Drugs and alcohol rehabilitation support service, The Well, has adapted to offer online support seven days a week. Support includes virtual fitness classes and online meetings to help with Universal Credit, food bank vouchers, meals and support with addiction. Some clients live in rural areas such as Millom and the charity also supports the Egerton Court community now the Hub is closed. Ged Pickersgill, Senior Development Manager at The Well said: “In these unprecedented times, statutory services and the local third sector have come together to assist some of Barrow-in-Furness and South Lakelands most vulnerable individuals. The Well Communities are proud to be a small cog in a much bigger wheel.”

Ellen Clements, Senior Grants and Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “There is an incredible network of organisations that are passionate about their work. The Barrow Borough Community Resilience Forum is a great example of how people in Cumbria are proactively responding to the coronavirus outbreak. The effects of shielding and self-isolation can have a detrimental effect on both physical and mental wellbeing. By working collaboratively across all sectors to support residents with their needs during this time, whether it be with food, prescription collection, coping both physically and mentally, the project aims to reduce the impact that the current crisis is having on residents to bring about the best possible outcome.

“This project will offer community support and resilience services that have grown from community groups since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown. We can only support these groups thanks to the generosity of our donors. We continue to ask everyone who can give to the Fund, to please do so.”