Barrow’s vital support networks have been awarded £2.8 million over the next four years.
Team Barrow – a £200m partnership between central government, Westmorland and Furness Council and BAE Systems to help regenerate the town – has awarded the cash to the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector, helping to support delivery of its 10‑year plan.
The cash comes from the Sue Johnson Impact Fund – named in honour of the adopted Barrovian whose work with Dropzone Youth Projects transformed the lives of many young people and families.
It was previously known as the Strategic Priorities Fund, an element of Team Barrow’s £5m Social Impact Fund.
Peter Anstiss, chief executive of Team Barrow, said: “The Sue Johnson Impact Fund is a vital component in the delivery of our 10‑year plan. Renaming the fund in Sue’s honour reflects the extraordinary legacy she left across Barrow’s communities.
“To achieve our ambitions for the town, we need to work hand‑in‑hand with the charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises who support local people every day. Their work makes a real and lasting difference, and this funding recognises that.”
The fund was designed through a series of workshops in 2025 involving local groups, residents and community partners.
Together they shaped the eligibility criteria, priorities and the funding process – ensuring the investment responds directly to local needs.
Cath Corkill, a director at Dropzone Youth Projects, said: “Sue was not only my colleague and office buddy she was one of my closest friends and I loved her dearly.
“Her strength and dedication to her role helped, supported, and touched so many hearts, enabled young people to engage, learn and be happy and worked tirelessly for all our communities.
“Naming this fund after Sue is such a lovely gesture and reaffirms how important she was within our sector.”
The £2.8m package will be distributed in annual instalments over the next four years to 12 local organisations, including:
- Women’s Community Matters
- Barrow Island Community Sports Trust
- Cumbria CVS
- Age UK South Cumbria
- A Stitch Different CIC
- Barrow Citizens Advice
- Barrow and District Disability Association
- Dropzone Youth Projects
- Carers Support Furness
- Mind in Furness
- Walney Community Trust
- Youthability
Team Barrow has also made £400,000 available for the People Helping People Fund, which is managed by Cumbria Community Foundation.
The fund supports a range of projects that strengthen the community by bringing residents together through social activities.
Annalee Holliday, head of grants practice and programmes at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that Cumbria Community Foundation has been chosen to lead the participatory grant making scheme in Barrow once again.
“Last year the project was a great success, thanks to the people from across Barrow who got involved with creating the fund. They brought their own local insight and real-life experience to the community panel, shaping what the funding would support and then assessing the applications. It really was collaborative working at its best.”
A one‑off £100,000 grant has been allocated to Barrow Resolve CIC, a community-driven organisation dedicated to dismantling the barriers of poverty and social exclusion in the town.
Hayley Stevens, a director at Barrow Resolve CIC, said: “I want to thank Team Barrow and partners for giving us a chance to create the positive change that is much needed by the people of Barrow and I hope that the work we do will create positive change to the way services work with people.”
