15th April 2025
The benefits of volunteering are numerous and far-reaching – both for the organisations and communities supported by volunteers, and for each individual giving up their own time to help others.
Volunteering can give people a sense of purpose, help them maintain and improve their self-worth and mental health, and give them the confidence to make positive changes to their lives.
The Know Your Neighbourhood (KYN) Fund was created by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in communities across England with the poorest outcomes for health and wellbeing.
The funding enables charities and voluntary groups to offer activities that will help to improve wellbeing, skills, confidence and social connections for individuals, and give opportunities for volunteering. Barrow-in-Furness is one of those communities benefitting from the KYN Fund, with the Foundation managing that funding.
Partnership
The charity Groundwork North East and Cumbria leads a partnership of 10 local charities and voluntary organisations known collectively as Furness For You. 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.
Victoria Myers from Groundwork said: “Our partnership delivers our aims through co-ordinated community-led activities creating volunteering opportunities to bolster the project. This builds confidence for beneficiaries and volunteers.”
With KYN funding of £930,000, the Foundation has made a significant investment in this partnership. The funding supports the running of the partnership and the activities of the 10 partner organisations by improving staff capacity and providing materials. The project hopes to support almost 1,000 new beneficiaries and around 500 new volunteers.
Victoria said: “Most of our beneficiaries begin volunteering because they feel lonely or isolated, and taking this step has significant personal and health benefits. It can also be a step towards creating economic growth, upskilling and providing a stepping stone into employment.”
Collectively the partnership is creating a new collaborative system and cultural change across the Barrow area, with a pooling of knowledge and resources, and joined up delivery.