Cumbria County Council’s Allerdale Local Committee awarded a number of grants to community organisations and projects at its latest meeting on 17 January 2020.
Through the Investing in Children and Young People report, Seaton Scout Group was awarded a total of £5,000, which includes £1,000 from the local members’ 0-19 divisional grant funding. The award of £5,000 meets the grant giving priorities previously agreed by local committee members. The Scout Group have been fundraising for a number of years to secure funding to provide a new Scout Hut which will also be open to the wider community. The grant of £5,000 will be used to cover utility upgrade costs including gas, electricity and water.
Since the last meeting of Allerdale Local Committee in November 2019, a total of eight community grants have been processed:
- £3,000 to Newlands Lane Allotments Association, to purchase insulated containers that will be fitted with tables and chairs to facilitate school visits and group activities.
- £2,500 to Camerton Village Hall, to tank, dry line and re-decorate the internal walls at the Hall.
- £1,100 to Fit 4 Life, to purchase a new step machine to be used at their gym.
- £900 to the Helena Thompson Museum, to purchase a new washing machine and tumble dryer.
- £1,500 to Lakeland Rowing Club, to purchase additional equipment, including a new boat.
- £500 to Keswick Film Club, to enable Carlisle College and University of Cumbria students to volunteer and gain work experience at Keswick Film Festival.
- £1,000 to Kirkgate Arts, to refurbish the public toilets.
- £750 to Harrington Scouts, towards purchasing a new 17 seater minibus for the Scout Group.
Also at the meeting, members received reports updating them on a few of the activities that have taken place throughout Allerdale where the Community Services Team have been actively involved. These included:
Care Leavers Forum – The Care Leavers Forum supports care leavers who may be feeling the effects of loneliness, social isolation and financial hardship. The Community Services Team supported this by contacting local businesses for donations and having collection points in all of Allerdale’s libraries to provide Christmas Hampers.
Feed and Read – this project addresses food poverty while maintaining literacy levels in an inclusive environment and was a great success during Summer 2019, offering 905 healthy lunches during the school holidays. This will again be offered during the February 2020 half term week with the theme of ‘Love Cumbria’ and will available be in all libraries in Allerdale.
Suicide Safer Allerdale was discussed at the meeting. The first multi-agency meeting recently took place to look at forming a network around suicide safer communities.
The newly formed network will consider:
- Suicide Prevention Awareness and Anti-stigma campaigning through local communities and social media.
- Training to partners and members of the community focussing on high risk groups.
- Community ‘Postvention’ support for bereaved families.
Local priorities are being developed and other partners and members of the community who can support this work are invited to join.
Councillor Alan Barry, Chair of Allerdale Local Committee, said: “I am pleased to support so many positive activities in Allerdale which serve our communities and provide opportunities for young people. It’s also great to get an update on the grants previously awarded and how community groups and projects are benefitting from them across the district.”
For more information on the grants available please contact the Allerdale Community Development Team on 01900 706013.
