Community organisations and partnerships within Bridekirk, Blindcrake, Gilcrux, and Plumbland are eligible to receive an initial to £175,000 grant aid from the Tallentire Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund.

Cumbria Community Foundation has been appointed by RES to manage the community fund and are looking to recruit volunteers for the Advisory Panel. The fund will provide grants to support community, educational or environmental activities in Bridekirk, Blindcrake, Gilcrux, and Plumbland.

The role of the panel is to advise on grant application to the Tallentire Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund and it will meet at least twice a year. Training will be provided and members will have the opportunity to meet funded groups.

Ideally applicants will have some experience of working or volunteering for a community organisation and must live in the parishes of Bridekirk, Blindcrake, Gilcrux, and Plumbland.

Annalee Holliday, Grants and Donor Service Officer from Cumbria Community Foundation said: “We like to involve as many local people as possible when making grants, ensuring our awards reflect the local needs of each community. This is a great opportunity for local people to become involved with our grant process.”

If you are interested, please complete the simple application form and return it by 4th November 2013 to Annalee Holliday on annalee@cumbriafoundation.org who can also answer any questions on 01900 825760.

We want charitable organisations in Clifton and Winscales to apply for a grant through the Winscales Moor Community Benefit Fund.  The Fund supports activities which have a positive impact on the environment in the parishes of Winscales, Great Clifton and Little Clifton.

Set up by Your Energy Ltd, the fund prioritises projects that promote the sustainable use of energy and resources. This includes support for nature conservation, solar panel installation and environmental workshops.

Annalee Holliday, Grants and Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation said: “A recent award of £2,500 went to the Great Clifton Village Hall Committee to install a new energy efficient entrance door. The new door has reduced draughts and energy bills.”

Applications can be submitted via the Foundation’s website and must be received by Friday 25th October.

If you would like further information on the fund or to apply for a grant visit our website. If you would like help with an application, please contact Annalee on 01900 825760.

Cumbria Community Foundation will be hosting their latest grants tour in Copeland. Taking place on Tuesday 15 October in Cleator Moor, the tour celebrates the Foundation and the charitable causes it supports.

The visit will explore a selection of the organisations that the Foundation has funded.  It gives an insight to where the funds have been spent and who has benefited in the community. Attendees include Donors and Trustees as well as grant panel members.   The visits will take place across four venues based in Cleator Moor. The first, Copeland Occupational and Social Centre, provides confidence building activities for people with physical disabilities ages 18-65 in a warm and friendly environment. The tour will then move on to Home to Work Ltd, a social enterprise that works to deliver key worklessness activity in underperforming /priority areas across Copeland. The third organisation is Cleator Moor bowling Club, a small community club with a membership of people ageing from 23 to 87 of varying abilities. Finally the tour will visit Phoenix Youth Project which provides community based learning, linking young people, parents and volunteers.

Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive said: “The grants tours are a fantastic way to show those who are committed to supporting the Foundation how the funding is used.  These deserving organisations will be able to show the guests their projects and how they have put the money to good use.  The tour provides a platform for groups to say thank you directly to their supporters.”

Grants tours take place across Cumbria frequently, with the next being held in South Lakes in November.  Donors trustees and members of the Foundation regularly attend the events; however they are open to anyone who shares an interest in CCF’s work and the local community.

If you’d like to join the tour or require further information, please contact us at events@cumbriafoundation.org

The decision has been taken to postpone this Sunday’s Jennings Rivers Ride.

Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive of Cumbria Community Foundation said ‘Rider safety is paramount and the combination of high winds and heavy rains means it is not appropriate to hold the event.  We have taken this decision following advice from Rather Be Cycling our cycling logistics support partners.’  The event involves routes which cross high level Lake District Mountain passes and also a family ride involving young children.

We have not taken this decision lightly and we know that some riders will be disappointed but we would prefer to postpone the event now and hold it on a day when people came be both safe and have a more enjoyable ride.  We hope to announce the new date shortly.

Community organisations and partnerships within Silloth and the parishes of Home St Cuthberts, Holme Low and Holme Abbey are eligible to apply for grants from the Hellrigg Wind Farm Community  Fund.

RWE npower renewables contributes approximately £15,000 annually to support f the communities neighbouring the Hellrigg Wind Farm. The fund provides grants to support community, educational or environmental activities.

Cumbria Community Foundation was appointed by RWE npower renewables to manage the community fund, which was established in 2012.  Groups who benefited last year include Abbeytown Junior Football Club who received £7,500 to upgrade their community sports pavilion, Silloth & District Community Transport Ltd which received £1,000 for running the community bus and Abbeytown Youth Group who were awarded £4,000 for youth activities for rurally isolated young people.

Kathryn Harries from RWE npower renewables said: “Our Community investment funds provides a valuable, long term, sustainable and reliable source of income for the local communities that neighbour our developments. It is flexible funding that can address what is really important to communities and we’re delighted to see this funding making a difference to the communities surrounding our Hellrigg Wind Farm.”

Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive from Cumbria Community Foundation commented: “We are delighted to be working with EDF Energy Renewables, who like many businesses operating in Cumbria, are committed to finding ways to help their community.  This comes at a time when local charities need more support than ever.”

Applications must be received by Friday 18th October for a decision on 13th November 2013. For more information on the Hellrigg Wind Farm Community Fund or to apply please click here or email annalee@cumbriafoundation.org

An annual essay competition for sixth formers who attend any Cumbrian comprehensive school is being announced next week at the start of the new term, thanks to the Hunter Davies Fund via Cumbria Community Foundation. The winning entry will receive £1,000 – half to go to their school library and the other half to the winning sixth former.

The winning essay will be published in Cumbria Life magazine and a book containing around 30-40 of the best essays will also be designed and published by Steve Matthews of Bookends and Bookcase in Carlisle. It is hoped it will lead to an annual collection of the best essays.

The title of the essay will be “What I did in my hols.” “Yes, it’s a corny title,” says Hunter Davies who is inaugurating the prize, “but that’s the point. It’s slightly ironic, leaving it open to the student to make of it what he or she wants.  It can be any sort of holiday they have had, at any time, and they can have done nothing but stay in bed all the time, helped their granddad or gone off to Thailand.

“It has to be non-fiction, i.e. based on a real event or experience, as opposed to fantasy or science-fiction, but really all we are looking for is good writing – can they write fluently,  amusingly, interestingly,  structure properly, hold your attention, and most of all make you read to the end.

“The main purpose is to encourage writing skills – which after all everyone needs in life these days, more than ever, for work and for pleasure, now that  we all seem to spend most of our time in some of sort  communication.”

The judges are Steve Matthews, author, publisher and owner of Bookends and Bookcase in Carlisle, Cumbria Life Editor Richard Eccles and headed by Hunter Davies.

The competition is being organised by Cumbria Community Foundation. For further information contact Annalee Holliday or Becca Wilkinson on 01900 825760 or visit our website which has full details of the rules.

Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive of the Foundation said “We’re delighted Hunter has created this fund with the Foundation.  We’re grateful for his generosity and his thoughtfulness. The prize will provide an incentive for a number of young aspiring writers to get creative and shine a light on their writing skills.”  He went onto say “The Fund demonstrates how people can make a real difference to an issue they care about by creating a fund with the Foundation”.

Cumbria Community Foundation has been selected as charity partner by SIBA North West for its 2013 beer festival and competition. The organisation – the Society of Independent Brewers – will donate the cover price of its event guide and has invited the charity to undertake its own fundraising activities around the event.

Bringing together brewers from across the North West, battling it out to be named best in the region, the event will showcase talent from breweries large and small. In keeping with its aim of supporting and promoting independent breweries, SIBA NW is also keen to benefit the community in which the event is held.

It is hoped the beer competition and festival will help to raise more than £3,000 for the charity. Organisers also hope the partnership will help to promote the charity among the thousands of visitors expected to attend the event, which is being held from Thursday October 24 to Saturday, October 26.

Greg Bolton, chairman of SIBA North West, said: “The ethos behind SIBA is to support independent brewers, to provide guidance and help promote their business. In a similar manner, Cumbria Community Foundation helps community organisations to access funding and to increase awareness of the work they do, to potential funders and users. We wanted to invite a charity to take part in the event and allow us to give something back to the local community. This seemed the ideal partnership and we will be delighted to welcome Foundation friends and volunteers to the festival in October.”

Staged at The Beer Hall at Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley, allowing visitors to soak up the atmosphere of an authentic working brewery, this will be the county’s biggest ever beer festival. The contest will see up to 80 of the region’s breweries enter more than 200 ales to be judged by a panel of experts which includes SIBA members, CAMRA experts and national food and drink journalists.

The Foundation will have a stand in the marquee of the beer festival from where its volunteers will sell the Beer Festival Guide for £1. Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive said: “We are very pleased to have been invited to be a part of this event and will be taking the opportunity not only to raise funds to support our community groups this year, but also to tell visitors about the amazing work being done every single day by volunteers all across our county.”

Cllr Norman Clarkson, Chairman of Cumbria County council in 2012-2013 today presented a cheque for £4,520 to Cumbria Community Foundation’s Chief Executive, Andy Beeforth.

The money was raised through charitable events during Cllr Clarkson’s year in office including an event hosted by Cllr and Mrs Clarkson at Muncaster Castle last October, supported by local organisations and companies.

Cllr Clarkson said: “All money raised has been held in the Chairman’s Good causes Fund and now my term of office is over I am delighted to present it to Cumbria Community Foundation for the benefit of vulnerable young people who are leaving the care system in the county.”

Andy Beeforth said: “This money will help build the Fryer Fund at the Community Foundation which specifically supports young people leaving care.  The money will receive a 50% uplift through the Government’s Community First scheme.  We’d all like to offer our warmest thanks to Norman and Yvonne for their hard work and supporting in raising these much needed funds”.

Managed by the Cumbria Community Foundation and funded by Cumbria County Council, the Neighbourhood Care Independence programme provides a range of practical help and advice services for people aged over-18 who need extra support from time to time.

Support available from the Neighbourhood Care Independence Programme includes: General information and advice on a wide range of issues Handyperson support for minor DIY tasks Short-term support after a spell in hospital Linking you to Friendship Groups other social activities Advice on where to buy or hire equipment to aid daily living, such as wheelchairs, commodes, lid openers, toilet seats and grab rails Hearing-aid maintenance and support ‘drop ins’ Support for Carers

Volunteering Opportunities If you would like to become involved in the Neighbourhood Care Independence programme, and are able to give some of your time and skills to help people in your community, a range of volunteer opportunities and roles are available. Training and on-going support will be provided.

Age UK West Cumbria, as lead for the west partnership, is planning to launch NCI with some volunteer week events in and around west Cumbria on 6th and 7th June.

Cumbria Third Sector Consortium are hosting the following events as part of volunteer week:

• Barrow: Monday 3 June – The Forum 2 – 4pm
• Millom: Tuesday 4 June – Millom Network Centre, 12-2pm
• Carlisle: Wednesday 5 June – Foxys, Brunton Park,  12-2pm
• Kendal: Thursday 6  June -Kendal Town Hall, 12-2pm
• Penrith: Friday 7 June – Parish Centre, St Andrews Place, 2-4pm

For advice on any of these services, or to volunteer, call:

0844 967 1885 for Carlisle, Eden, Barrow and South Lakeland
0844 384 3843 for Allerdale and Copeland.

You can also download the booklet for more information.

The Social Enterprise Development Award (SEDA) is a community investment programme established by Santander in partnership with community foundations to help growing social enterprises across the UK. A national competition is held annually with prizes awarded to fund growth.   The next round of SEDA will be launched in summer 2013 and will be open to any organisation that is a social enterprise which has been established and trading for more than two years and is increasing its trading income. Applicants must be able to show that at least 26% of total income is generated from trading activities (not including grant funding).

The organisation must directly benefit society in one or more of the following ways:
• improving social and community inclusion
• supporting disadvantaged people through skills, training and employment
• creating a greener environment

There will be a total of 9 awards to be made across North East England, Cumbria and Hull/East Yorkshire in 2013. 3 at £15,000, 3 at £30,000 and 3 at £50,000 depending on the turnover of the organisation – up to a maximum turnover of £1,000,000.

If you would like to learn more about the 2013 SEDA Awards and the application process there will be a workshop held on Monday 29th April at 2pm until 4pm at Ewanrigg and Netherton Community Centre, Ennerdale Road, Maryport, CA15 8HN.

Places will be limited, so please contact Annalee Holliday before 5pm on Friday 26th April on 01900 825760 or annalee@cumbriafoundation.org to confirm that your social enterprise meets the criteria and to book a place