Furness Opportunities and Challenges


Furness Opportunities and Challenges is a new report prepared by Cumbria Community Foundation. It is the third in a series and follows the successful Cumbria Revealed (2017) and West Cumbria Opportunities and Challenges (2019) reports.

Several meetings were held to give people a chance to influence the Furness report. The community had the opportunity to share information about social issues in Furness and the good work that is being done in the area around them.

Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive of Cumbria Community Foundation: “This was a major piece of work that and has included detailed discussions with the councils, BAE, MP Simon Fell and the wider community.

“The report looks at everything from health and unemployment to education and housing as well looking at the important work that is already being done in Furness and some of the opportunities here too,” he said.

“Covid has highlighted many of these issues, but this report is not just be about the pandemic – it takes a longer view of Furness and really delves into the data,” he added.

All three reports provide an analysis of the challenges and opportunities in the county, highlighting some of the work already being undertaken to address disadvantage and identifying opportunities for social impact investors to target their efforts and help communities to thrive.

The reports provide an effective tool for securing additional investment to address priority community needs and have been widely shared, informing local policies and investment strategies. They are also used by many third sector groups to prioritise their work and to access funding locally and nationally.

View the full report or contact us to request a printed copy.

You can watch  the launch of the report here.