Dent, Silloth, Brampton, Keswick, Ulverston, Windermere, Carlisle, Maryport, Sedbergh, Tarns, Whitehaven …………….. No, I’m not trying to fill this month’s column by using Sir Clement Freud’s infamous technique of spinning out a minute of speaking without hesitation, repetition or deviation by employing a long list of words or places.
But what do these fine Cumbrian locations have in common? They all play host to festivals - musical, culinary and literary. For example, Windermere plays host to the Lake District Summer Music Festival which offers music ranging from popular classics to some of the most challenging and demanding pieces in the classical repertoire.
Tarns, just outside Silloth is home to Solfest, Cumbria’s ‘mini Glastonbury’ where young people from 0 to 90 come together to experience a wonderfully eclectic mix of music. The rejuvenated Carlisle Festival brings the Cathedral Close alive with vibrant music and welcomes in a secular audience that might otherwise pass by Carlisle’s most precious corner.
The other common element, and why they feature in this column, is that these events are conceived, planned, organized and run by local charities led by volunteers. We normally think of charities as being associated with delivering meals on wheels, running play groups and other caring services. But in Cumbria much of our cultural and artistic opportunities are provided through local charities and non profit organisations. Theatre by the Lake, Brewery Arts Centre, Helena Thompson Museum, Dove Cottage, Rosehill Theatre and Blackwell are just some of our permanent locations run by charitable trusts.
Music and art inspire people; at their best they can help us attain new levels of understanding and peace. In Cumbria where audiences and venues for cultural and artistic events may be small the only way to lay things on is in the old fashioned tradition of do it yourself. People with a real passion and interest throw themselves into making things happen – and they do it for free!
The benefits are so wide ranging, from enhancing the experience of our visitors to bringing art and performances to people who wouldn’t otherwise see them. I know that people choose to visit and stay in the county to take part in these events.
My own organisation has played a very small part in funding events such as the Maryport Blues Festival and Solfest. We’ve been able to watch these events grow in popularity and the people behind them grow in stature and confidence. They help build pride in towns and bring a buzz and excitement.
In these credit crunch times how about looking around and seeing what’s on offer in your own backyard and try an autumn ‘staycation’ in Cumbria provided by your very own charities.
Wednesday 30 September 2009
Census of Cumbrian charities - August 2009
How big is the charity world of Cumbria? Up until very recently we struggled to answer these questions. However last month I spoke at the launch of the first ever in depth census undertaken of charities in Cumbria. Using Charity Commission data from 2005/06 the census tells an interesting story.
Income to Cumbrian charities was in excess of £275m. Charities employed 5,500 people and involved 18,500 people as volunteers. These figures are drawn from the records of more than 2,000 registered charities with their home base in the county.
Picking out the employment numbers gives us an idea of how the charity sector compares with others: ‘with a workforce of 5,500 in registered charities in Cumbria this sector is significantly larger than agriculture and forestry (3,299), energy and water (896), mining and quarrying (615) and financial intermediation (2,613)’. It is not always helpful to make these sorts of comparisons, because charities operate across several sectors of the economy; however it still provides a startling benchmark.
The picture is a skewed one, with only 35 organisations receiving 92% of the income. These include the county’s six independent schools, the two hospices, two outdoor education centres and major arts facilities. In contrast 60% of charities have an annual income of under £10,000.
We’ve always known that Cumbria has strong communities. This is born out with evidence that we have 4.1 charities per thousand people, the same figure as for Scotland and the South West of England which top the national table of statistics.
But our charities are not spread evenly across Cumbria. South Lakeland has the largest number with 31% of the charities and 22% of the population. In contrast Barrow is home to 15% of the population and only 5% of the charities. We think this difference relates in part to a strong historical reliance on the shipyard and its associated institutions but also the rural nature of South Lakeland with many small organisations.
Cumbria has a very large number of very small charities compared to the national pattern with more than 60% of the sector having an annual income of £10,000 or less. This certainly matches our geography.
Although the census is the best record we have it still omits information from some of our smallest organisations because the Charity Commission does not require them to return information. Equally some of our larger non profit organisations do not report to the Charity Commission.
The census was compiled by the Cumbria Council for Voluntary Service and will be repeated annually so that we can track changes over time. For a full copy of the census please visit www.thirdsectorcumbria.org.uk/information_information_other_publications.html
Do you want to respond to anything I’ve said, in this or previous articles? If so you can comment at my new blog - http://www.cumbriafoundation.blogspot.com/ I look forward to hearing from you.
Income to Cumbrian charities was in excess of £275m. Charities employed 5,500 people and involved 18,500 people as volunteers. These figures are drawn from the records of more than 2,000 registered charities with their home base in the county.
Picking out the employment numbers gives us an idea of how the charity sector compares with others: ‘with a workforce of 5,500 in registered charities in Cumbria this sector is significantly larger than agriculture and forestry (3,299), energy and water (896), mining and quarrying (615) and financial intermediation (2,613)’. It is not always helpful to make these sorts of comparisons, because charities operate across several sectors of the economy; however it still provides a startling benchmark.
The picture is a skewed one, with only 35 organisations receiving 92% of the income. These include the county’s six independent schools, the two hospices, two outdoor education centres and major arts facilities. In contrast 60% of charities have an annual income of under £10,000.
We’ve always known that Cumbria has strong communities. This is born out with evidence that we have 4.1 charities per thousand people, the same figure as for Scotland and the South West of England which top the national table of statistics.
But our charities are not spread evenly across Cumbria. South Lakeland has the largest number with 31% of the charities and 22% of the population. In contrast Barrow is home to 15% of the population and only 5% of the charities. We think this difference relates in part to a strong historical reliance on the shipyard and its associated institutions but also the rural nature of South Lakeland with many small organisations.
Cumbria has a very large number of very small charities compared to the national pattern with more than 60% of the sector having an annual income of £10,000 or less. This certainly matches our geography.
Although the census is the best record we have it still omits information from some of our smallest organisations because the Charity Commission does not require them to return information. Equally some of our larger non profit organisations do not report to the Charity Commission.
The census was compiled by the Cumbria Council for Voluntary Service and will be repeated annually so that we can track changes over time. For a full copy of the census please visit www.thirdsectorcumbria.org.uk/information_information_other_publications.html
Do you want to respond to anything I’ve said, in this or previous articles? If so you can comment at my new blog - http://www.cumbriafoundation.blogspot.com/ I look forward to hearing from you.
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