Twenty charitable groups across West Cumbria have received £104,000 to address a range of issues including anti-social behaviour, domestic violence and improving health and wellbeing.
The money came from 20 grant making funds, administered by Cumbria Community Foundation, including those set up by local businesses such as Cumbria Housing Partners, Doosan Babcock, Lamont Pridmore and Shepley Engineers.
Nine young people also received a share of £7,482 towards school trips and a postgraduate apprenticeship.
Castle Hill Trust CIO, which manages The Settlement in Maryport, received £1,500 from the Abbeyfield Carlisle Society Community First Fund and the Solway Fund for its ‘Over Here, Over There’ Community Festival.
Jim O’Rourke, Chair of the Trustees said: “We are delighted to receive funding for our community festival in September this year, celebrating the rich heritage of migration and maritime endeavour in the town.”
The four day festival celebrates the lives and times of four notable Maryport residents in Victorian times. The exhibition is open to the public on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th September with traditional music and a storytelling event plus opportunities for local residents to engage with their family history through the Cumbria Family History Society and record their origins.
The Castle Hill Trust also received £3,000 to set up a Men in Sheds project in the cellar. A volunteer woodwork teacher will oversee the weekly workshops and address social isolation of older men in the town.
West Cumbria Domestic Violence Support received £10,000 from the Cumbria Fund towards the ‘Keeping Families Together’ service.
This service is free of charge to all those who need it. Project manager, Carole Launder, said: “The grant enables us to continue providing a free counselling service. We aim to break down the barriers that prevent individuals and families accessing help.
“We work with families suffering from the trauma of domestic and sexual abuse. The service is based on referrals, either from a member of the family or from a trusted partner – our second largest source of referrals is Children’s Services and the Police.”
A community café in Mirehouse received a £2,000 grant from the Shepley Group Fund to cover its rental costs.
Mirehouse Community Centre Association runs the Top of The Shops Café on Meadow Road, which was formerly the local library.
Katrina MacEwan, Development Lead, said: “We have five regular and dedicated volunteers offering tasty, low cost food. Everyone is made to feel very welcome. Groups are encouraged to meet here, such as the local Men in Sheds, the maternity group and the disabled women’s group. Going forward, we hope to introduce daily group meetings of various kinds, online training, and movie nights.”
Annalee Holliday, Grants & Donor Services Officer at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “There are many worthy organisations that continue to provide help to the local communities. In particular the grant to support families affected by domestic violence will make a positive difference to the most vulnerable people in our community. We are ever grateful to the generosity of our fundholders to enable us to support these vital services.”
The closing date for Cumbria Community Foundation’s next West Cumbria grants panel is 18th September 2019. For more information, visit www.cumbriafoundation.org or call a member of the grants team on 01900 825760.
