Artistic projects in parts of Cumbria are being encouraged to apply for funding to help rejuvenate the arts sector after lockdown.

The Westmorland Arts Trust, managed by Cumbria Community Foundation, supports charitable projects that benefit residents in the former county of Westmorland, giving them access to the highest quality music, drama and the visual arts.

Grants of up to £2,000 are available to offer creative and cultural activities for people, particularly young adults and children, in the former county of Westmorland.

Funding will cover the costs of organising events, including volunteer expenses, artist fees and marketing costs and promotion. The fund is open to voluntary and community organisations that have charitable aims and have professional input.

Last year, Lake District Summer Music received £1,000 to support its summer festival in venues across Cumbria including Kendal, Ambleside, Hawkshead, Grange-over-Sands, Bowness, Windermere and Kirkby Lonsdale.

Nick Hardisty, Festival Manager, said: “After so many months of enforced isolation, people really needed something to lift their spirits and help them reconnect with the community.

“To bring music back and see the smiling faces from our audience, it was clear how much it meant to everyone to experience live performances again. It was a year full of uncertainty and we could not have done it without the support of Westmorland Arts Trust.”

Previous grant recipients include Bendrigg Trust in Kendal, one of the few specialist outdoor centres in the UK working specifically with disabled and disadvantaged people. It received £1,628 to run its Arty Pants project and give disabled youngsters the chance to experience the arts, find hidden talents and develop creative skills.

The Westmorland Arts Trust was set up in 1996 by the provisions in the will of Dr Elizabeth Kemp, for the purpose of the education of the public in the arts of music, drama and the visual arts. In 2012, it was transferred to the Community Foundation.

Ellen Clements, Senior Grants & Programmes Officer at the Foundation, said: “Since 2012, almost £100,000 has benefited communities in the local area, supporting over 70 projects. These include festivals, music groups and arts activities, helping to strengthen cultural involvement and opportunities in the area.”

For more information or to apply click here or call Ellen Clements on 01900 820827 or email ellen@cumbriafoundation.org

West Cumbria based business vows to give back to its local community through Cumbria Community Foundation.

MissionCX is a purpose driven company based in Whitehaven. It provides specialist commissioning services delivering mission critical projects in the UK and France. Its team of staff are dedicated to supporting charitable projects across the region and recently set up the MissionCX Fund.

The fund, managed by Cumbria Community Foundation, raises money, which is invested, and income generated is given out in grants via the Cumbria Fund. Donations are pooled together to grow the unrestricted fund and respond to the growing needs of local communities by providing much-needed funding, year on year, to charitable organisations.

Ben Slater, Managing Director & Senior Management Consultant, said: “We are committed to leaving a lasting, positive legacy for our local community, through our 1% pledge initiative, which commits 1% of our profits, equity, time and product to philanthropic endeavours. Cumbria Community Foundation will manage our fund ensuring that our annual contributions are distributed to those in our community that need it most. It is our intent to grow our acorn into an oak tree, maximising our social impact.”

The MissionCX Fund is part of the Cumbria Fund, which has supported awarded more than £1.4 million in grants to 500 projects that improve the lives of disadvantaged children and families, improve life skills, education, employability and enterprise for disadvantaged people, support vulnerable older people, improve the health and wellbeing of people and strengthen and supports fragile communities.

Andy Beeforth, CEO at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “The creation of a fund is an enjoyable and rewarding experience. We work with our fundholders to learn about their needs and wishes and create funds that match their interests and need in the community.

“By utilising the knowledge and expertise of our staff, trustees and volunteers, grants are channelled to the best effect giving donors a great sense of satisfaction and confidence.”

For more information on how you can help local causes by setting up your own fund please click  here.

Cumbria Community Foundation is looking for young people living in West Cumbria aged between 16-25 who are passionate about their community and making a difference, to join the 2021 #CanDo Youth Advisory Panel.

#CanDo encourages community organisations to apply for funding for community projects, led by young people. Those applications are then considered by a youth panel, putting the decisions firmly in the hands of the next generation.

The Youth Advisory Panel will be made up of up to 15 young people with a wide range of lived experiences and a diversity of backgrounds and will form a crucial part of the Foundation’s grantmaking and steer its charitable work in a more youth-led direction.

Funded by Sellafield Ltd, with match funding from Thomas Graham & Sons and local donors, #CanDo is part of Transforming West Cumbria, a multi-year social investment programme developed by Cumbria Community Foundation.

People who take part will have the opportunity to meet other young people and get a unique view into the charity sector. The panel is expected to meet up to four times a year and will be held virtually with an in-person meeting if possible, with pandemic restrictions.

Emily Dixon, 16, from Cleator Moor who was part of the panel last year, said: “The panel was a great experience to be a part of. It was nice to be able to speak to people and share ideas even with the current circumstances. Everyone was really willing to get involved and all the ideas were very different.”

Gary McKeating, Head of Community and Development at Sellafield Ltd, said: “This is a great opportunity for young people to get involved and be empowered to make a difference in their communities, I would encourage people to apply, you will also develop new skills and meet new people along the way.”

Annalee Holliday, Senior Grants & Programmes Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “Young people have enormous potential to make a positive change – their involvement is crucial to the future of our communities. This group will bring expertise and a fresh pair of eyes to help us decide which projects are funded.”

Applications for the #CanDo Youth Advisory Panel will close on Friday 9^th July, 5pm.

The first meeting will take place on Tuesday 27th July and will be held virtually.

Click here to download the #CanDo Information Pack.

Click here to download the CanDo Youth Advisory Panel Application Form.

For more information or to apply, click here or call Annalee Holliday on 01900 820827 or email annalee@cumbriafoundation.org

A new fund managed by Cumbria Community Foundation has awarded its first grants to support the development on young people in West Cumbria.

The fund, set up by a generous couple who remain anonymous, focusses on supporting young people across the county from challenging backgrounds.

The Outdoor Partnership, a charity that offers equipment and qualifications in activities such as kayaking and climbing, received £19,989 to engage young people in Allerdale and Copeland in outdoor activities. By working with local youth organisations and schools, more than a 100 young people will access paddle boarding and cycling opportunities while receiving accredited qualifications. Some of the participants will be encouraged to continue their development through volunteering, coaching and be supported into employment in the outdoor sector.

Claire Bryant, Outdoor Activities Development Officer Cumbria said: “This award will enable us to deliver development sessions in partnership with local providers. The development sessions will be based on paddle sport and outdoor activities, finishing with a first aid or safety course, ensuring young people can access the outdoors safely. A legacy will be left with a fleet of Stand-Up Paddle Boards (SUP) provided to Copeland Canoe Club, to enable them to continue people’s paddling experiences.”

“The project will support young people’s health and wellbeing, tackling the effects of loneliness and isolation through sport and physical activity. It will also help improve people’s mental health through access to green spaces and improve their confidence and self-esteem through outdoor activities. We are delighted to be able to support young people across the coastal Cumbria area.”

Cockermouth Rugby Union Football Club received £2,674 to develop young people into junior sports coaches. Over the course of an academic year, 10 young people from Cockermouth School will access training, development and volunteering opportunities. They will help deliver sporting sessions to younger children and be supported to volunteer at local clubs and organisations.

Chris Wright, Head Coach at Cockermouth Rugby Union Football Club, said: “Our Elite star programme is designed to support and encourage young people to develop their leadership skills and volunteer in their community. The young people will be recruited  will look to develop self-confidence, organisational skills, coaching skills and event management.

“Head of PE at Cockermouth School, Mr Charters was pleased to support the programme due to their current sport leaders missing out on so much due to the pandemic. This will be a great opportunity for young people to build their CVS, networks and employability in the future.”

The generous fund holder said: “After a very tough year of lockdowns, disrupted education and outdoor activities, we are really keen to support young people getting back on their feet and for the fund to offer opportunities for personal development.”

Projects must have an emphasis on using the outdoors to expand horizons and self-confidence and work with specific groups of young people over a period rather than single one-off sessions or events. Funding will also support the development of leadership qualities in young people, especially those who have the potential to inspire their peer group and/or their own communities.

For more information on the fund, visit:  https://www.cumbriafoundation.org/fund/young-persons-opportunity-fund/ or contact Annalee Holliday on annalee@cumbriafoundation.org or 01900 820827.

A charitable fund set up to support those struggling to cope in north Cumbria has made more grants.

The £180,000 Psychological Support Fund was created by the NHS in north Cumbria and Cumbria County Council and is held by Cumbria Community Foundation.

It has supported bids which demonstrate a collaborative approach to tackle the impact of anxiety, isolation, and bereavement, which have become more challenging during covid.

Five were confirmed in early November and since then a further nine grants have been awarded. They are:

• Every Life Matters – £6,600 – to expand suicide bereavement support in west Cumbria and £3,409 for self-harm safe kits across north Cumbria
• Child bereavement UK – £22,564 – bereavement support practitioner for the county
• Hospice at Home West Cumbria – £10,000 – new services
• Cruse Bereavement Care £3,090 – training for new and existing bereavement volunteers in Carlisle and Allerdale
• Outreach Cumbria – £15,000 for the Talk-It-Out project for Allerdale and Carlisle
• Always Another Way – £12,000 for alternative and complementary therapies support worker in west Cumbria
• Spiral – £15,446 – volunteer training to support young people affected by bullying in Cumbria
• The Laurie Brewis Trust – £3,190 – supporting disabled young people’s mental health as they transition from youth into adult services in Carlisle and Eden

Peter Rooney, chief operating officer for NHS North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “We know the impact of covid on people’s mental health has been enormous. We have experienced a period of increased isolation, and we know for those that have lost family members and friends during this restrictions it has been hard to say good bye in the way we are used to. I’m delighted to see such a range of organisations working closely with people in our communities are being supported to keep up, and extend, that valuable work.”

Cllr Patricia Bell, Cabinet Member for Health and Care Services for Cumbria County Council, said: “When we agreed this project it was funding precisely this sort of local support that we had in mind. Covid has had, and continues to have, a real impact on people in our communities in many ways. These organisations provide a wide range of different services that make a real difference for people in these challenging times.”

Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive at Cumbria Community Foundation said: “The speed, agility and responsiveness of local charitable organisations in responding to issues exacerbated by the pandemic has been inspirational but the challenge facing them, and communities they serve, is immense. Thanks to this partnership between the Foundation, the NHS and Cumbria County Council, we have been able to award vital grants to projects that are really trying to improve mental health for people in their communities, while reducing pressures on the NHS.”

Derek Kirkaldy, Senior Trusts and Grants Fundraiser at Child Bereavement UK said: “Bereavement can often feel isolating for young people even without lockdown or a pandemic. Being able to meet with a Bereavement Support Practitioner and access group support virtually during this time has been invaluable for many young people in terms of not just grief, but coping with the pandemic. We have been able to support siblings who live apart by providing shared support sessions, which has been very helpful to families who want support together but cannot be physically together at this time, including pre-bereavement support.”

Debbie Wood, Trans & Talking Therapies Lead at Outreach Cumbria said: “We are very grateful for the grant as this will allow us to expand the psychotherapeutic support we offer to LGBT people in the north Cumbria. This is important given that LGBT people experience difficulties associated with being ‘different’ which have been shown to result in significantly more mental health problems than the general population, and which are not always well catered for in more generic statutory services. These difficulties have been further exacerbated by successive lockdowns which cut people off from their support networks and leave people stranded in unsupportive or even abusive environments. We intend to use this grant to assist our community in the short term, and to demonstrate the need for longer-term specialist support to be funded going forward.”

Andrea Sales, Organisational Manager at Always Another Way said: “We have so far received 20 referrals from a range of sources including health coaches, social prescribers, schools and health visitors. Clients are struggling with social isolation, changing dynamics with parent/child relationships due to lockdowns and lack of emotional support from outside of the family, all of which has a negative impact on mental health. We offer weekly support face to face, over the telephone and virtually. The majority of these tend to last at least an hour as individuals are really feeling the need to talk during such difficult times. We are aiming to increase referrals for under 18s and to provide group work interventions for all age groups.

There is also support for anyone aged 16 and over facing increased anxiety and other mental health challenges via Togetherall, an online service offering online peer-peer support, access to an anonymous community and lots of information, as well as courses and resources covering a range of mental health and wellbeing topics. The service can be accessed online from anywhere, at any time. All people need to do is register with their postcode at: www.togetherall.com/

The online support service Kooth is available for young people aged 11-18 in Cumbria https://www.kooth.com/

Pupils from across the county have been given much-needed laptops to learn from home.

Almost £90,000 has been awarded to provide IT equipment to more than 300 children and young people, helping teaching to be carried out remotely.

Cumbria Community Foundation awarded the money to ten schools from various funds, including the Mary Grave Trust, the Printers Inc Social Mobility Fund and the Westmorland Family Community Fund.

The Mary Grave Trust would normally have supported young people travelling abroad through educational or youth group trips, work experience or gap year activities. Due to the current travel restrictions, the Foundation has instead used this funding to help young people study from home.

Many children and young people do not have access to a device that is suitable for remote learning. Netherhall School, St Joseph’s Catholic High School and Workington Academy were among the schools to identify pupils who were digitally excluded.

Denise Richardson, Deputy Head St Joseph’s Catholic High School said: “On behalf of the school, we are delighted to have received a grant to purchase 24 laptops for students.”

“Our online school is working well and this equipment will help more students have their own laptop to access their live lessons and online work. It is vital for effective home learning that all our students have access to suitable devices. These laptops will also be used in school on our return, so that students can continue with online learning as a means of catching up on any work which they may have missed.”

Judith Schafer, chair of Cumbria Alliance of System Leaders, said: “The Cumbria Alliance of System Leaders launched a laptop for schools project in January to try and get IT kit to children who need it during the current lockdown. I am delighted that in response to this, schools have been supported by Cumbria Community Foundation.

“It’s so hard for students to engage in home learning without the right ICT equipment at home. Working from a smartphone or tablet is difficult, and even in homes where there is a computer, it may be being shared between siblings all trying to do lessons at the same time.

“Getting each child, that needs one,  their own laptop will transform what they can achieve at home, and that is so important given the disruption students have already experienced and the uncertainty about the future. This funding from Cumbria Community Foundation will go a very long way to making sure we reach as many students as we can, as quickly as we can. It’s also a long-lasting, as even when students return to the classroom, an increased reliance on IT may well be part of the learning experience in the future as part of the recovery curriculum schools will be working on. Giving every child access to the right IT kit long term is crucial.

Dr Jenny Benson, Director of Programmes and Partnerships at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “The lack of access to digital technology for all pupils is demonstrating existing inequalities in households.

“The Government scheme for laptops has been effective for those identified as having low incomes or eligibility for free school meals. However, there are so many other families that do not fit the specified criteria. We are delighted that we have been able to use our funds to meet the changing needs and to support so many young people undertaking home schooling at this challenging time.”