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.”

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 3^rd February 2019.

Interviews commence week beginning 11^th February 2019.

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.

Four intrepid cyclists will take on one of the UK’s toughest cycle challenges to raise money for Cumbria Community Foundation.

Dubbed Scotland’s Route 66, the North Coast 500 runs from Inverness, to the Kyle of Lochalsh on the West Coast, via the rugged north coast to John O’Groats, before heading down the east coast, completing the loop in Inverness.

Led by Richard Lancaster, head of the Penrith branch of Handelsbanken, the four cyclists aim to complete the journey in six days. Saddling up alongside Richard will be Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive of Community Foundation, Simon Peet, who up until recently owned Jim Peet (Agriculture) Limited, and Steve Aynsley, Director of Shot2Go.

The team have called themselves The Cumbrian Proclaimers and will cycle a minimum of 80 miles each day and ascend to heights greater than Mount Everest.

Andy Beeforth said: “This is by far the biggest physical challenge I’ve ever taken on. I’ve never ridden 80 miles in a day before, so the thought of doing that day after day for six days is very daunting. I’m hugely grateful to Richard, Simon and Steve for their support. The money raised will boost our grant making in support of some the most disadvantaged people in the county.”

Richard Lancaster said: “This is going to be a real challenge but when you think of the people and communities in Cumbria who will benefit from the money we are raising it makes it all very worthwhile. We really hope sponsors will get behind us to help us reach the target we have set. As a bank who works at the heart of communities throughout Cumbria, Handelsbanken is very proud to continue our support of Cumbria Community Foundation through the challenge of the North Coast 500.”

The four riders have set the ambitious target of raising £20,000 and are self-funding the trip. They have also received sponsorship in the form of reduced cost motorhome hire from GSKMotorhomes, and essential spares and a spare bike, provided by Wheelbase of Staveley.

All money raised will be used to make grants through the Foundation Grants Programme, which awards more than £150,000 each year and has supported activities such as Home to Work’s unemployment project, Carlisle Mencap’s sports development programme, South Lakeland Carers dementia support group, Shap Community CIO’s redevelopment, and support to victims of abuse through The Birchall Trust.

To sponsor the riders, visit: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/cumbrianproclaimers

To keep up to date with their challenge visit their Facebook page.