Cumbria Community Foundation

Elbows, hamstrings & flies - the joys of training for the Rivers Ride

2011-08-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last week’s press-ups, sit ups and cycling up steep hills combo with Barry, Andy and Iona resulted in what I can only describe as the most painful elbows I’ve had in my life (and that’s including some particularly sore arms when I was playing amateur rugby league) Thanks go to my son Tom who helped me dry my back and button my shirts for work for a couple of days. He wasn’t happy about the back drying bit but I explained it was good practise for when he’s looking after me full time in a few years.

In terms of this weeks pain update I appear to have a hamstring pull which is causing a little bit of difficulty as I sit at a desk for most of the day. I’ve cycled home to Workington from Westlakes a few times this week which was very pleasant due to the weather. Last night I had a quarter mile race-off with a Jack Russell at Distington which I won but only just. Charlie-eeeeeeeeeeee! (his owner had a great set of lungs) was a hell of a sprinter but I think he was only playing with me as he stopped for a wee half way through and still caught me up.

I know that my current protein intake is more than sufficient as I’m swallowing a couple of hundred flies per night. In terms of size the flies appear to be bigger the closer you get to Workington. I wonder why that is? This weeks business idea – fly paper strips dangling from the front of your cycle helmet may stop the Workington midges knocking your teeth out? Maybe not. I’ll keep trying….

Gary McKeating

Barry Turns the Heat Up or 'Don't worry it's only your ligaments'

2011-07-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

As the weeks tick down towards the 18th September and the 3 passes on the 85 miles Rivers Route fail to shrink things are getting more serious.

The scene – the school hall at Paddle, just outside Cockermouth

The participants – nervous and more nervous

The Boss – Barry Johnson, elite athlete and trainer

We may not have been wearing old fashioned gym shorts and white t shirts – but it felt like we were properly back in school. That sense of nervous expectation when you’re not quite sure what the teacher’s going to ask you to do. I won’t distress readers with the details but when I said to our trainer ‘this exercise really makes my elbows hurt he replied with a slight smile ‘yes it will do, don’t worry, it’s only your ligaments’.

In truth Barry was a gentleman and never asked us to do more than we could manage, but I’m still not sure why we need to have arms like Popeye for riding a bike!

We’ve had a great deal of interest in the Jennings Rivers Ride – entirely down to the wonderful efforts of Matt Whitehurst and his stunt riding on the waters of Buttermere – photo attached which has gone ‘viral’ on the internet. (Warm thanks to the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue team and the expert photography of Charlie Hedley).

The loneliness of the long distance chubster

2011-06-20T00:29:00.000-07:00

The loneliness of the long distance chubster.

You know the problem with cycling in West Cumbria? The lack of a roof and windscreen wipers. My training this week has gone OK but the weather has been against me. Wearing glasses in the rain and the state of the roads combines to make cycling here in West Cumbria a perilous activity. If you can’t see the craters until you hit them…….

I’ve got a good few miles in cycling to my parents in Workington, complaining about my backside then setting off back to High Harrington again. The hill from Low Harrington to High Harrington is a good one for getting the heart rate up. However, I’ve found that since I last cycled in anger my lungs must have shrunk considerably and are no longer fit for purpose for a man of my comfortable build. Currently I think that a pigeon would be disappointed with their capacity. Hopefully that will improve over the next few weeks.

My new found regime has me generating questions that my personal trainer can hopefully help with: rather than an energy bar and a litre of water which can be a bit tasteless, can I replace it with a kebab and Vimto?

The exercise regime that Barry Johnson has given us is going well. As I lie in the sitting room doing planks and static press ups it also has the added benefit of cheering the wife and kids up. Who needs the Sky Comedy Channel?

The Rivers Ride - Training Diary - Chapter 1

2011-06-20T00:27:00.000-07:00

Barry ‘the coach’ meets the three intrepid Rivers Riders

This is the story of two middle aged men preparing to take part in Cumbria’s newest cycle challenge – the Cumbria Rivers Ride. Both of us are the wrong side of 40, both enjoy good food and neither could be described as athletes!

I run the Cumbria Community Foundation, Cumbria’s special grant making charity and Gary McKeating is Head of socio-economics with NMP. Gary and I will report regularly on our efforts to prepare for the Ride which will take place on 18th September starting and finishing in Fitz Park, Keswick. We’ll be joined by our colleague Iona Frost Pennington, owner of Muncaster Castle and current High Sheriff of Cumbria.

We’re very fortunate to have secured the help of Barry Johnson who is a highly skilled fitness coach. We met Barry at Dovenby Hall one morning for a ‘fitness assessment’. There was a real sense of apprehension and nervous energy in the air. Barry trains champions and is an elite athlete himself. Nervous energy is only a few steps away from total fear. But very quickly Barry put us at our ease. After a few questions about our medical histories, a blood pressure check and a gentle warm up we began our exercises.

There’s already a great sense of camaraderie between us, but boys will be boys and neither me nor Gary wanted to fail or be beaten. Gary excelled in the static press up, his Popeye arms holding his magnificent frame aloft for the required 60 seconds. Me and Iona quickly fell to the floor …… We went onto to do ‘the plank’ and the static sit up as well as ‘the sit’. All these exercises are aimed at developing our ‘core strength’.

We were all delighted to learn that our core strength exercises will only take ten minutes a day five times a week. On top of that we have to try and cycle 20 miles in total a week. It all sounds too good to be true ……… so watch this space.

The Rivers Ride gives us three choices, an 8 mile ride, a 40 mile ride and ‘the big day out’ – 85 miles and three mountain passes. So with Barry’s help which one will we choose?

To find out more about the Rivers Ride and to book visit www.cumbriafoundation.org

Big Society and Big Local

2010-08-18T03:35:00.000-07:00

David Cameron has now officially launched the ‘Big Society’ initiative with parts of Eden identified as a ‘vanguard’ area.

Generally speaking the Government wants to see more services delivered by local charities and for local people to have more control, with a range of barriers removed to help charities get on with looking after people. This change runs alongside the knowledge that we will see massive cuts in public sector funding.

I’d like to shine a light on some projects that hopefully exemplify how a small amount of money can help a lot of people and save money at the same time.

The first project is the Village Agents project run by Age UK South Lakeland (Age Concern to you and me). The scheme placed 9 coordinators in communities throughout the District with the aim of making sure older people had access to information and services to create village action groups and recruit new volunteers.

Working ten hours a week the agents plus the volunteers that have become involved have already helped nearly 850 people. By speaking with local people new activity clubs have been set up, people put in touch with local arthritis support groups, helped people claim over £60K in additional benefits, got involved in keep fit activities and accessed free loft insulation. One grateful lady sent her Village Agent a note saying ‘It made the long, hard winter more bearable knowing you were there’.

The Northern Fells Group which operates in and around Caldbeck and Hesket Newmarket set up a handy man and good neighbours scheme a few years ago to make sure that anyone who needed help with small tasks could get it. The scheme now has 18 volunteers operating over 200 square miles and serving 3,600 residents. Simple things like changing a light bulb can be hazardous if you’re unsteady on your feet and have to climb up onto a chair.

What schemes like this do is enable people to stay in their own homes, seek support when they need them and stay fitter, longer, reducing the risk of accidents and long stays in hospital. Funded by the Lottery the project is now looking for longer term funding. I hope that local GP’s, who will soon be involved in commissioning the health services we access look at schemes like this and take the wise decision to fund them.

Two areas of the county have been identified by the Big Lottery to receive £1m each in new funding over a 10 year period. Big Local is a new lottery funded scheme which has identified 50 communities including Barrow Island and Ewanrigg. Long term funding into two of the counties most disadvantaged communities is most welcome.

New Government New Honours

2010-08-18T03:32:00.000-07:00

Cumbria Life

I’d like to open this blog with some good news and congratulations. Cumbria benefitted from a host of awards in the Queens Birthday Honours and three of them were to people for their contribution to the local community and charities.

One was Captain John Green. I’ve had the pleasure of working with John for many years. John to me epitomises a good citizen, he has a wide range of skills and contacts which he uses to good effect, however he is always modest, humorous and generous in his approach. The second was Norman Stoller for his philanthropic work through the Norman Stoller Charitable Trust. The third person is Juliet Westoll who has been a central figure in the Cumbria Woman of the Year Award for many years. The new Government has great expectations for charities in fixing our problems. One of the things they identify is the role of ‘community organisers’. Well the Cumbria Woman of the Year award has been shining a light on and celebrating the myriad work of wonderful women ‘community organisers’.

With a new government comes some new language. The ‘Big Society’ is one term. In many of Cumbria’s communities I think we already have a ‘big society’ with over 3,500 charities. Another new phrase to become accustomed to is ‘civil society organisation’. I think that’s charities and community and voluntary groups to you and me.

I’ve mentioned ‘community organisers’ and I think this means those fabulous people that have an idea, get off their behinds and make things happen. The Government wants to train a ‘whole new generation’ of ‘community organiser’s’. I’m not sure people can be trained to have the essential fizz that makes them want to do things, but we can encourage those people who stand up and have a go.

People are now beginning to consider the likely effect of major cuts in welfare spending. There’s a strong link between poverty and health, educational attainment and other issues. Cumbria is very diverse and many of our most disadvantaged residents are not readily seen because they either exist in small numbers in rural locations or are found in peripheral communities in Barrow, West Cumbria and Carlisle. Sadly these communities rank alongside the most deprived in the country. How our charities are able to respond to these challenges will be fundamental in the lives of the unemployed, young people, the elderly and disabled.

I’d like to make a plug for a new initiative. The Cumbria Advice Network is a new collaboration with the Citizens Advice Bureau, Carlisle Law Centre and Shelter Cumbria at its heart. The aim of the network is simple, to improve access to information for people in need. In an internet age it’s easy to assume all you need to do is log on and read whatever you need, however complex problems require the ability to sit down with someone and be taken step by step through their issues. It has taken a lot of energy, time and commitment on the part of many people to get this far. To find out more visit www.cumbriaadvicenetwork.org.uk/can/.

May's musings - how involved should charities be in political life?

2010-04-29T00:42:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have seen me making random outbursts at the television and radio. The reason why? Well I’m afraid the run up to the General Election has seen me get more and more annoyed with politicians of all persuasions who have dodged questions or made grand proclamations.

I do enjoy a good bit of political knock about and was fortunate enough to attend the live broadcast of Any Questions organised by Eden Valley Hospice and hosted by the Rheged Centre. Eric Pickles, Chairman of the Conservative party gave a master class in old style political verbal sparring leaving the Health Secretary Andy Burnham reeling on the ropes.

But despite my anger and frustration I know the value of our democracy and opportunities afforded by the political process. My role allows me some insight into the complexities of the political world and I realise that we need politicians skilled in the art of the game.

Young people’s engagement and commentary in the run up to this election has impressed me. If our communities and our democracy are going to thrive we need people with skills and knowledge and passion and a wish to be leaders. We also need people who are able to question and challenge our politicians and local institutions if they are not doing the best they can for us.

Facing a world with less money after this election means we will need creativity, leadership, and vitality. I’m delighted to say that local and national charities provide young people with many opportunities to develop their confidence and skills. I’ve enjoyed judging the Young Farmers public speaking competition in the past and charities like Raleigh International and the Project Trust give young people real life challenges as well as adventures. The Scouting movement has never been more popular and with the support of volunteers through the Girl Guide movement the Community Foundation runs two ‘Youth Banks’. These are groups of young people promoting and managing their own local grant making programme. They learn to make decisions about spending money, manage meetings and consider competing interests and needs.

Some people are uncomfortable with charities becoming involved in the world of politics. Many national charities have produced their own manifestos in an attempt to promote the interests they represent. Although I have some reservations about the power some charities wield because of their wealth I strongly believe that charities should speak out. All charities were created to meet a need and it is entirely legitimate for them to spend their time and resources promoting that need.

What do you think charities role should be in the world of politics?
To engage in debate visit www.cumbriafoundation.org and log into the Director Blog

April's thoughts - exactly how like business are charities?

2010-04-29T00:40:00.000-07:00

I was in conversation with a local businessman recently discussing the economic situation and prospects for both our organisations. He said ‘of course it’s different for us in private business’. His inference was that charities somehow had it easy. Charities are seen in a different light from private business and I agree they are different, but my question today is how different?

Charities don’t exist to make profit but they do have objects they want to achieve and funders who measure their success. Perform poorly and the money stops coming in.

Charities may not have shareholders, but they do have stakeholders, people and organisations that use and fund charities activities. Charities ignore their shareholders at their peril.

Competition is often seen as something that happens in a cut throat way between supermarkets and other businesses. However many charities compete with private businesses in the open market for contracts and against each other for support from the public.

The pound in people’s pockets is being spent with greater discernment as a result of the recession, but successful retailers and successful charities have still been able to increase their income and sales.

Globalization and the growth of multi national companies have strongly shaped the business world, but it also is something that affects local charities. We have a slow increase in national charities winning contracts and providing services in the county. But what happens when head office decides Cumbria is no longer a priority and a service closes (as recently happened with a national children’s charity). Our indigenous charities by their very nature, as with our locally owned businesses, retain a loyalty to the people they serve.

Charities need to build brands, develop the markets they serve and sell their services just as private businesses do. Innovations in social care, education and the environmental movement have all come from charities. Many of our charities are as entrepreneurial and quick on their feet as any modern business. They are able to spot an opportunity and respond accordingly. Their investment capital may not come from a bank or the sale of shares, but rather a grant or a legacy.

Businesses and charities all operate under the same legal framework. Charities quite rightly receive no concessions when it comes to the law and health and safety. Charities are exempt from corporation tax but pay VAT like all other businesses.

One area which charities receive significant scrutiny over and which passes almost without comment in the world of business is that of administration costs. No one wants to see money wasted, especially if it’s being given to a charity. However no one asks the check out operator how much does Tesco spend on administration when they buy their groceries. Very rarely does anyone ask ‘is there enough money spent on the management and administration of a charity’. However a lack of administration can be far more dangerous than too much.

I would like charities to be closely scrutinized to check they are using their money well, but with the recognition that they operate in broadly the same world as businesses.

Our grant making ethos - do you agree?

2010-04-29T00:39:00.000-07:00

Grant aid is the life blood of many charities. The most successful charities draw in millions of pounds in grants. When local people get together to develop a project one of the first questions asked is ‘can we get a grant for this?’

So how do people set out on the journey to find some money for their project and what experience do they have? I run a grant making trust, so this is a subject close to my heart. I’d like to share some tips and hints for people wanting to be successful in their fundraising.

Many applicants are very humble and some approach the exercise as if they were coming forward with a begging bowl. I would like people to be confident, proud and bold in describing what they want to do.

Some funders seem to give the impression that their purpose is to hold onto their funds like grim death. They make their applicants jump through a thousand hoops before, with one last painful gasp; they apply the signature to the grant cheque.

People just need to tell me clearly why they want to run their project, what problem it will address and why their solution is the right one. What budding applicants need to remember is that trusts and foundations exist to give out money. We want to form positive relationships and partnerships with the groups we fund. My own organisation gives out money donated from individuals, businesses and public bodies and I need to be able to tell the people who gave us the money what we’ve been able to achieve in partnership with the groups we fund.

We want an open and honest dialogue with the groups we fund. If things go wrong we want people to tell us so that we can learn together. We report successes and failures to our Grant Committee. If you let us know why things went wrong and what you’re going to different next time then it is more than likely we’ll give you a second chance.

The Community Foundation recently held a celebration with community groups that had benefitted from the £2.5m Nuclear Management Partners Community Fund. The Fund has given out £850,000 to 63 groups and £70,000 to 69 individuals in less than a year. The range of activities supported is fantastic; from young people experimenting with running their own businesses through the Young Enterprise Scheme to Age Concern recruiting and training volunteers to develop new services.

Some of these organisations have received multiple grants from the Community Foundation over the last ten years. A local business leader leaving the event told me how the evening had a real family atmosphere. I asked him what that meant and he said ‘you know them and they know you. Things are always easy between you, but most importantly you care about each other’. I’m delighted we have that type of relationship with the groups we fund and want it to continue that way.

Thoughts for February 2010

2010-04-29T00:37:00.000-07:00

I’ve spent three months away from Cumbria and returned to a county once again rocked by disasters. The resilience of our communities has once again been tested.

The Community Foundation has run the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund and we are close to collecting £2m for the appeal. Over four hundred people have had support from the Fund and more than £650,000 distributed. The generosity of Cumbrian people and businesses has been evidenced again and I’d like to say a huge thank you.

Whilst away I travelled in Morocco and Australia and what we have experienced is sadly not unique. These countries have experienced extremes of weather. Australia has had both drought and floods and communities I visited on the edge of the Sahara had gone seven years without normal rainfall.

The shared theme in all three communities has been people’s wish to help and common humanity. I think this wish to help is in part stimulated by an understanding of suffering and what it means not to have things.

I travelled in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco with a group of University students. It was very interesting to see how these young men lived their lives. All of them were poor by any standard you would use in the UK. However they threw themselves at life with vigour and energy. They were particularly keen to learn and improve themselves. I know University students in the UK have to work hard to earn money to minimize their debts, but I’m not sure I’ve met students here with such zeal for self improvement.

These young men were also imbued with the strongest traditions of hospitality. Any food or shelter was shared. In a country where people have so little, what people do have is shared. People would not consider driving past someone stood by the road if they had room in their car. My student friends told me how they hitch hiked across the country, often being given food and money by the people who gave them lifts.

I think extreme events remind people of what they can do. But in such a relatively comfortable country, where much of the need is subtle or hidden we do not so easily the need or know what can be done.

Barclays Bank supported six awards for ‘flood heroes’. Five of the awards went to groups and organisations and the sixth went to a member of the public who stopped and picked up a wet and disheveled flood victim who was walking home along a busy main road in the dark. This person stopped, picked the person up and kept in contact with them, making sure that all of the help possible was made available to them. The actions of this ‘hero’ were quite rightly praised. But should they be viewed as so exceptional?

We learn how much we need our neighbours and local charities when the skies empty for hours on end and threaten our homes, but do we think about them when the sun shines?

Festivals - October 2009

2009-10-05T01:53:00.001-07:00

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.

Linen league - November 2009

2009-10-05T01:49:00.000-07:00

Was a member of your family ever a member of the Linen League in Carlisle? Do you know what the Linen League was? I certainly didn’t until recently.

The Linen League was a band of dedicated women whose role was to raise funds to purchase bedding and nurses uniforms and also to repair the bedding and uniforms at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle. The League’s activities, as far as I understand, ran up until the beginning of the welfare state and the creation of the National Health Service. I’m not sure if other cities and towns had Linen Leagues, but I’m pretty sure they will have done.

We’re about to enter a period of unprecedented austerity in public finances. What this will mean for the National Health Service is not yet known. All political parties have foresworn their commitment to the NHS, but out of necessity huge savings will have to be made.

I’m not suggesting we should go back to the days of the Linen League, but unless you’re closely involved in the life of hospitals and health services you may not know just how many volunteers and local charities already provide direct and indirect support to patients. Organisations such as the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service are still involved in providing coffee bars and book loan services. My own organisation has made grants to the Hospital Radio in Westmorland General Hospital and they have some of the most up to date programming and technology available in the world of radio.

As more and more is known about particular medical conditions the need for information and advice escalates. The internet is a wonderful tool, but having someone who can actually decipher the papers and talk from experience is vital. The range of cancer charities and condition specific support groups, often run by people with direct experience of an illness, are invaluable.

The importance of facilities provided near to home was demonstrated hugely a few years ago when thousands of Cumbrians took to the streets in support of their cottage hospitals. These same hospitals all have ‘leagues of friends’ who still continue the legacy of the Linen League.

These services already exist and are testament to people’s willingness and interest in giving up their time for others. So what can we expect as we go forward? We know how expensive it is to treat people in hospital and how much people normally prefer to be in their own, infection free, homes.

But after 60 years of the NHS how prepared are we to give back and do more? This article is available as blog on www.cumbriafoundation.org. If you have a view and want to continue the discussion please visit it and let me have your thoughts.

Cumbrian festivals - September 2009

2009-09-30T02:04:00.001-07:00

Census of Cumbrian charities - August 2009

2009-09-30T02:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Twitter - July 2009

2009-07-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

DIRECTOR’S BLOG
Andrew Beeforth’s latest Cumbria Life article

see also the website http://www.cumbrialife.co.uk

July 2009

Do you twitter? I’m not asking about your conversational style, but enquiring about whether you are participating in one of the more recent forms of what I have only just learned is called ‘social media’. Twitter is along with Bebo, MySpace, Facebook, ‘LinkedIn’, Flikr and blogging all ways of keeping in touch with people who share interests and passions.

But why raise this on the charities page? Well, because if used properly they can be harnessed to raise money and enhance the work of charities.

You may be suspicious of these ‘time wasting distractions’, however if you are in your teens or twenties gaining information and communicating through multiple internet based platforms is already second nature. Watch your children or grandchildren use a computer. It’ll be an education to see how their fingers glide across the keyboard and seamlessly move from screen to screen.

Social media is not all about telling people what you had for tea or whether you’re going to the pub. Matters of real importance and new social and political movements have been born and developed through these tools. The protests following the Iranian elections are just one example.

Businesses that fail to grasp new technology are likely to fall behind their competitors. So it’s important for our local communities that our charities adopt these tools if they haven’t already.

The cost of participation is very small. Most of the software is free and for less than £200 a group can buy a camera and digital sound recorder. With these tools they can upload pictures and movie clips onto interactive sites which show in a very real way the value of a group’s activities. We experience significant movements of people into and out of the county. Are these the tools for reaching out to the Cumbrian diaspora, that is people who have lived and worked here, but now are away but retain an association and affection for our communities? With over 3,000 local charities in the county they can also be the introduction to our very welcome ‘offcomers’.

What’s also important about Facebook, blogs and Twitter is that unlike conventional web sites they provide opportunities for people to enter into discussions. Users of a caring service can provide feedback and make suggestions for how services could be improved and share ideas with other users. Donors can challenge a charity about its stance on particular issues and do so in an entirely public space.

Thanks for reading. I’m off to do some tweeting and to update my status on Facebook, but only after popping next door to say hi to the neighbours.

For previous articles go to http://www.cumbriafoundation.org/news_events/index.htm
© Copyright 2009 Cumbria Community Foundation
All rights reserved 13/07/2009
Registered charity 1075120

Keswick to Barrow walk - June 2009

2009-07-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

DIRECTOR’S BLOG
Andrew Beeforth’s latest Cumbria Life article

see also the website http://www.cumbrialife.co.uk

June 2009

We’re all familiar with the Great North Run and the London Marathon, and many of us will have begun to be aware of the Great North swim. But I’m not sure how many people outside Barrow in Furness and West Cumbria are familiar with an equally, if not more challenging event with a longer pedigree than all of them? What am I writing about? Well it’s the Keswick to Barrow walk. I had the great privilege of being a volunteer marshal a few weeks ago and witness over two thousand people run and walk past me.

I was at the top of the hill about Skelwith Bridge where runners and walkers were already 20 miles into the 40 miles route, but despite rain, hailstones and driving wind the overwhelming impression was of beaming smiles and laughter.

The idea of walking from Keswick to Barrow originated in 1966 as a result of a statement made by the late US President, John F Kennedy to the effect that "every American should be capable of walking 50 miles a day". At this time the first Polaris submarine HMS Resolution was being built at the shipyard in Barrow and several American experts were resident in the area assisting with the project.

With the idea now conceived, plans were soon under way to organise a walk and build
relationships with the crew of the submarine and the workers at the then ‘Vickers’ shipyard. The initiative was taken by the Installation Manager (Submarines) to formally challenge the Commanding Officer of HMS Resolution to form a team and walk from Keswick to Barrow (approx 50 miles) on 1st April 1967.

The walk has gone from strength to strength with a 13% increase in participants on 2008 levels all supported by a dedicated team of volunteers organising this major logistical exercise.

Through sponsorships and donations it is predicted that in the region of £230,000 will be raised for local and national charities. What is most touching is that many of the participants are raising funds for causes which are close to their hearts for reasons which are deeply personal to them.

I think this highlights one of the key drivers in people’s involvement in local charities - the ability to make a difference to an issue or a cause that they’d like to change.

Nearly 1,950 completed this year’s event. I’d like to congratulate each and every one of them on a truly magnificent achievement.

For more information about how you can be involved please visit www.keswick2barrow.co.uk.
For previous articles go to http://www.cumbriafoundation.org/news_events/index.htm
© Copyright 2009 Cumbria Community Foundation
All rights reserved 13/07/2009
Registered charity 1075120

Young Enterprise - May 2009

2009-07-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

DIRECTOR’S BLOG
Andrew Beeforth’s latest Cumbria Life article

see also the website http://www.cumbrialife.co.uk

May 2009

A few weeks ago I had the great privilege of spending two hours in the freezing cold one Sunday afternoon in the entrance to the Lanes Shopping Centre in Carlisle. I would happily have risked frost bite to experience more of the infectious enthusiasm shown by young people from seven West Cumbrian schools who were selling products through the Young Enterprise Scheme.

I’ve known about Young Enterprise through the children of family friends who have tried to sell me things on and off over the years, but it wasn’t until I met these young people face to face did I learn quite what a rigorous and demanding process they were going through.

As we look into an uncertain economic future, one thing that’s undeniable is the need to inspire young people to learn and to develop new business ideas. TV programmes like Dragon’s Den have clearly made business ‘sexy’ but it’s charities like Young Enterprise which help young people try their ideas out for real.

Each ‘business’ has a volunteer mentor who helps them develop their proposals and
teaches them the basics. They are then expected to sell their products, analyzing
performance and making adjustments along the way. I learnt of board room takeovers,
wholesale change in product ranges and re-branding exercises. I asked a group from
Maryport what made their products stand out. Before I had chance to draw breath one
budding Alan Sugar forced a business card under my nose and repeated the business’
strap line “unique designs at credit crunching prices”, I can’t think of a single business in the county that wouldn’t want to employ that young man.

Sadly not all young people in the county are so motivated. We have some truly
exceptional schools across the county, but we also have large areas where young people simply lose their way and fail to fulfil their potential. We need to do something about this poverty of aspiration. This month at the Community Foundation we have launched the ‘Live the Dream Fund’, a new bursary scheme for learners of all ages. Money isn’t the whole story, but lack of it can stop people. Also as we make awards and publicise the successes we hope to provide role models that will shape the attitudes of young people for years to come.

We have ambitious plans for a new charity in Carlisle which seeks to shape young
people’s lives for the better. The ‘Youth Zone’ will be a new £5 million youth facility in the centre of the city. Modelled on the highly successful Bolton Lads and Girls Club, it aims to provide state of the art leisure, recreation and support services. I wish it well.

An African proverb says ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, I agree. The question you might ask yourself is ‘what am I doing to raise the children in my area?’

Cumbria Grassroots Endowment Challenge Update – Year two begins

The Grassroots Endowment Challenge is seeking to raise money to build permanent grant making funds at the Community Foundation. What’s better is the Government is matching all local donations. These permanent funds are invested and the income used to make grants to local charities – in perpetuity. We welcome donations of all sizes to our main Cumbria Fund and for people able to donate larger sums they can create their own fund.

We’re seeking to raise £1m by March 2011. Year two of the appeal has got off to a good start with a donation of £10,000 from the steel stockists Thomas Graham. Thomas Graham is building a grant fund to support children and young people’s activities throughout Cumbria.

How the scheme works

For every £2 you give the Government will add £1 through the Challenge. If you pay tax and use Gift Aid then £2 becomes £2.56. Add in the match and the fund receives £3.82.

For more visit www.cumbriafoundation.org
For previous articles go to http://www.cumbriafoundation.org/news_events/index.htm
© Copyright 2009 Cumbria Community Foundation
All rights reserved 28/05/2009
Registered charity 1075120

10th anniversary - April 2009

2009-07-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

DIRECTOR’S BLOG
Andrew Beeforth’s Cumbria Life article

see also the website http://www.cumbrialife.co.uk

April 2009

This month my own organisation, the Cumbria Community Foundation, celebrates its 10th
anniversary. So I’m being a little self indulgent and sharing the story of an organisation that I hope you agree has become an increasingly important part of Cumbria Life.

Firstly I should say what we do – it’s very simple – the Community Foundation makes grants to good causes. We do this because we want to help people in need and make Cumbria a better place to live and work. Since 1999 we’ve given out more than £11.5m to more than 2,000 groups and over 2,000 individuals. From Bewcastle to Barrow in Furness and from Dent to Burgh by Sands people have felt the benefit of the Foundation’s grants.

We’ve grown quite a lot since those early days. In the beginning we had one fund and gave away £24,000. Last year we managed over forty different grant funds, making grants worth over £1.3m to over 500 groups and 200 people. We’re only able to give money out because people and organisations choose to give money into the community through the Foundation.

Like all charities the Community Foundation came into being as the result of discussions amongst like minded people. We owe a debt of gratitude to John Spedding, Arthur Sanderson and the other founding trustees – thank you. British Nuclear Fuels then set the ball rolling with a founding donation of £1m.

Our first big contribution to Cumbrian life came in 2001, when we launched an appeal to help people affected by the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak. We raised over £2.1m and made grants to groups and individuals which provided emotional, practical and financial help to hundreds of families.

When the storms and floods hit Cumbria in January 2005 we responded again, raising over £800k and co-ordinated much of the charitable recovery effort.

In between disasters we’ve developed new permanent sources of funding, creating funds such as the Kipling Fund for the elderly, the income from which makes grants to projects benefiting older people. The Violet Laidlaw Fund is a more recent example. Violet was a Cumbrian who always cared for the needs of the homeless and her money is already making a difference to people who have no permanent home.

Anyone can give through the Foundation. International companies like HSBC Bank have a fund with the Foundation as well as local businesses and families.

We’re marking our birthday by launching a new 10th Anniversary Fund. This is a fund is aimed at supporting the cost of new events which celebrate community life. We want the fund to spark new connections and hopefully create new community wide traditions. Small grants of £500-£1,000 are available. However competition will be fierce because we’ve only set aside £10,000 for the fund.

For more information visit www.cumbriafoundation.org

Cumbria Grassroots Endowment Challenge Update – Year two begins

The Grassroots Endowment Challenge is seeking to raise money to build permanent grant making funds at the Community Foundation. What’s better is the Government is matching all local donations. These permanent funds are invested and the income used to make grants to local charities – in perpetuity. We welcome donations of all sizes to our main Cumbria Fund and for people able to donate larger sums they can create their own fund.

We’re seeking to raise £1m by March 2011. Year two of the appeal has got off to a good start with a donation of £10,000 from the steel stockists Thomas Graham. Thomas Graham is building a grant fund to support children and young people’s activities throughout Cumbria.

How the scheme works

For every £2 you give the Government will add £1 through the Challenge. If you pay tax and use Gift Aid then £2 becomes £2.56. Add in the match and the fund receives £3.82.

For more visit www.cumbriafoundation.org
© Copyright 2009 Cumbria Community Foundation
All rights reserved 28/05/2009
Registered charity 1075120

Cumbrian estate - March 2009

2009-07-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

DIRECTOR’S BLOG
Andrew Beeforth’s latest Cumbria Life article

see also the website http://www.cumbrialife.co.uk

March 2009

Last month I shared the secret to long life and happiness. If you didn’t read the article, get in touch and I’ll let you have a copy.

This time I’m going to share my experience of an evening walking the beat with a Community Police Safety Officer on one of the county’s less salubrious estates. Not my normal Thursday evening pursuit, but part of an important exercise to get a real feel for the issues that face such a place. This was part of a day where staff and trustees of the Community Foundation spent time with schools, community groups in cafes and on the streets.

Firstly, I’m not going to disclose the location. Many of the people living on the estate are very proud of their community and I don’t believe anything is gained from shining a spotlight on a place and telling people they’re ‘disadvantaged’.

I’m sorry to say that I can’t titillate you with tales of people ‘shooting up’ in alley ways or of burnt out cars in drug filled ghettos. That’s not because these things don’t happen, they just don’t happen at that time of the year. A Cumbrian winter, and especially the cold wet night we were out, is clearly not conducive to high visibility anti social behaviour. We were harangued by a small group of teenagers, but the Police Community Safety Officer (despite her limited stature) soon
sorted them with a combination of wit and directness.

For many of the residents life is hard. There is relatively high unemployment, local pay rates are low, and there are severe problems associated with alcohol and drug abuse. Domestic violence, high teenage pregnancy rates and poor performance at secondary school all influence aspiration and life chances.

But we also found staff in schools showing the most incredible love and dedication.

We met local councillors engaged and committed to making a difference. The police actually had a good relationship in the community and most importantly people choose to live there.

Some of the most important work was being done by self help groups. Quite fragile organisations made up of local people wanted to keep the local park clean, build a new playground or run activities for the kids. Other charities were working with young mums and dads, supporting them in their parenting roles.

It may surprise you to learn that as many as 10% of the people in Cumbria live in similar communities to the one we visited.

What did we learn as a grant maker? Nothing new is the answer, but it did help affirm the importance of backing local people who want to make a difference and improve the life for their friends and neighbours. It was also heart warming to meet people who are so dedicated in their professionalism. And finally it doesn’t harm to be reminded that Cumbria is not all about beautiful mountains and lakes.

For more information visit www.cumbriafoundation.org

Cumbria Grassroots Endowment Challenge Update – Year two begins

The Grassroots Endowment Challenge is seeking to raise money to build permanent grant making funds at the Community Foundation. What’s better is the Government is matching all local donations. These permanent funds are invested and the income used to make grants to local charities – in perpetuity. We welcome donations of all sizes to our main Cumbria Fund and for people able to donate larger sums they can create their own fund.

We’re seeking to raise £1m by March 2011. Year two of the appeal has got off to a good start with a donation of £10,000 from the steel stockists Thomas Graham. Thomas Graham is building a grant fund to support children and young people’s activities throughout Cumbria.

How the scheme works

For every £2 you give the Government will add £1 through the Challenge. If you pay tax and use Gift Aid then £2 becomes £2.56. Add in the match and the fund receives £3.82.

For more visit www.cumbriafoundation.org
© Copyright 2009 Cumbria Community Foundation
All rights reserved 28/05/2009
Registered charity 1075120

Volunteering - February 2009

2009-07-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

DIRECTOR’S BLOG
Andrew Beeforth’s Cumbria Life article

see also the website http://www.cumbrialife.co.uk

February 2009

As the winter continues to hold its grip on our imaginations it can be hard to energise ourselves.

We’ve maybe already broken our New Year’s promises and feeling less than good about life with rain coming down and the slow down in the economy making us all tighten our belts.

I may have a tonic, an idea that might bring you new friends, new skills and interests, and guess what? It won’t cost you anything.

So what am I talking about? Well it’s simple – volunteering. Many of you reading this article will already be aware of the benefits, and in fact Cumbria has a much higher than average level of volunteering. Volunteers are at the heart of our communities, providing the social, sporting and cultural opportunities we enjoy. We know that the work of groups receiving grant aid from the Cumbria Community Foundation involves over 10,000 volunteers a year.

So why do people volunteer? Quite simply they enjoy it. There is a direct correlation between the number of people you interact with and your happiness. A cost free way of dispelling the winter blues?

The key to success in volunteering is finding an organisation and activities that you really enjoy.

Some of our bigger local charities such as Age Concern have literally hundreds of people volunteering for them. Many of these organisations have volunteer coordinators who can help place you with a job and role that suits you best. Cumbria Council for Voluntary Service has a volunteer placement service. They hold details of different volunteering opportunities with a range of charities.

Whoever you volunteer with they should train you and provide you with the relevant tools to do the job including any safety checks such as child protection.

If you run or manage a business this might be the time to consider promoting volunteering at work. Volunteering provides a great opportunity to widen people’s experience and contacts and build confidence. It can help promote your business as socially responsible and your reputation in the community is enhanced. The Community Foundation manages the ProHelp scheme which recruits people with specialist skills such as architects, accountants and solicitors which offer time to local groups. Do you have a skill you’d like to share?

The current economic situation could be just the right time to volunteer. You can develop new skills and gain qualifications through volunteering. It can also provide a simple way of trying out new activities if you’re thinking of changing career.

Here are just a few examples:

Enjoy the outdoors and physical activity? Then contact the Wildlife Trust or British Trust for Conservation Volunteers.

Is drama and music your thing? Many of our theatres and arts centres are run by charities and would welcome your support.

Fancy yourself as a budding DJ or techie – then contact your local hospital radio.

If you enjoy working as part of a group then one of our service clubs such as the Rotary, Round Table and Soroptimists might be for you.

We have wonderful charities undertaking valuable and interesting work. Why not give them a try in 2009?

For more information visit www.cumbriafoundation.org

Cumbria Grassroots Endowment Challenge Update – Year two begins

The Grassroots Endowment Challenge is seeking to raise money to build permanent grant making funds at the Community Foundation. What’s better is the Government is matching all local donations. These permanent funds are invested and the income used to make grants to local charities – in perpetuity. We welcome donations of all sizes to our main Cumbria Fund and for people able to donate larger sums they can create their own fund.

We’re seeking to raise £1m by March 2011. Year two of the appeal has got off to a good start with a donation of £10,000 from the steel stockists Thomas Graham. Thomas Graham is building a grant fund to support children and young people’s activities throughout Cumbria.

How the scheme works

For every £2 you give the Government will add £1 through the Challenge. If you pay tax and use Gift Aid then £2 becomes £2.56. Add in the match and the fund receives £3.82.

For more visit www.cumbriafoundation.org
© Copyright 2009 Cumbria Community Foundation
All rights reserved 28/05/2009
Registered charity 1075120

Legacies - January 2009

2009-07-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

DIRECTOR’S BLOG
Andrew Beeforth’s latest Cumbria Life articlesee also the website http://www.cumbrialife.co.uk
January 2009

When times are hard, we all feel less inclined to give money to charity even though that’s when it’s needed most. But what happens when you no longer need your money?
Did you know that 75% of people in the UK don’t have a will? What can happen if you don’t make a will is that some or all of the money ends up with the tax man!

So why am I talking about this in my charities column? Well the simple answer is that all bequests to charities are exempt from inheritance tax. So whether you support a particular charity or not a really compelling reason for leaving a charitable bequest in your will is to reduce your tax liability and stop the tax man getting his hands on your money.

Of course people’s first and natural priority is to make provision for family and friends in their wills.

But have you ever sat down with your family to discuss with them what you’d like to see happen as a result of your will or how you might do something that creates a lasting personal memorial to you and the causes you care about?

Now I can’t claim to have the powers to extend human life, but interestingly statistics show that people who leave money to charities in their wills live longer than those that don’t.

We have at the Community Foundation a number of grant making funds which carry the names of people. All of them were created by loved ones following their deaths and all for specific purposes.

You don’t have to be Bill Gates to make a difference. All charities will be delighted to receive a legacy of any size. It’s important to speak to solicitor when drawing up a will to ensure that what you intend is what actually happens after your death. It’s relatively simple to set aside a sum for a charity or charities, perhaps only leaving money to charity once all your other commitments have been met. It’s also important to review your will and to keep an eye on the charities you wish to
support.

Cumbria has benefited greatly through legacy gifts to charities. In north Cumbria a lady called Joyce Wilkinson died and left her estate to create a charitable trust to benefit the causes and the community she cared most about. George Kipling, a farmer from Burgh by Sands left his entire estate to charity, supporting the hospice and air ambulance and creating two funds at the Community Foundation which benefit older people and children and young people’s projects in the county. The National Trust and Wildlife Trust have been able to build their land holdings through legacy gifts, preserving valuable landscapes and habitats for wildlife and public enjoyment.
Where people struggle, and where the Community Foundation can help, is when people have specific interests or communities they’d like to support. A fund at the Foundation can encapsulate their wishes and be guardians of their interests into the future.

I’d like to leave you with a quotation from an unnamed Greek philosopher:

When someone plants a tree under which they will never sit, then you know that civilisation has come to that land.

Wishing you all a long and happy life and a prosperous new year.

Contact: http://www.youngenterprisenw.org

Cumbria Grassroots Endowment Challenge Update – Year two begins

The Grassroots Endowment Challenge is seeking to raise money to build permanent grant making funds at the Community Foundation. What’s better is the Government is matching all local donations. These permanent funds are invested and the income used to make grants to local charities – in perpetuity. We welcome donations of all sizes to our main Cumbria Fund and for people able to donate larger sums they can create their own fund.

We’re seeking to raise £1m by March 2011. Year two of the appeal has got off to a good start with a donation of £10,000 from the steel stockists Thomas Graham. Thomas Graham is building a grant fund to support children and young people’s activities throughout Cumbria.

How the scheme works

For every £2 you give the Government will add £1 through the Challenge. If you pay tax and use Gift Aid then £2 becomes £2.56. Add in the match and the fund receives £3.82.

For more visit www.cumbriafoundation.org
© Copyright 2009 Cumbria Community Foundation
All rights reserved 28/05/2009
Registered charity 1075120

Credit crunch - December 2008

2009-07-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

DIRECTOR’S BLOG
Andrew Beeforth’s Cumbria Life article
see also the website http://www.cumbrialife.co.uk

December 2008

I’m penning this article in a hotel room in Montreal on the eve of a major iternational conference for community foundations. Over 700 people from 30 countries are spending three days learning about how they can improve their grant making and maximize the funds they raise to support their communities.

I’m here courtesy of the conference hosts to share the expertise we developed responding to the Foot and Mouth outbreak and the 2005 floods in Cumbria. Last year we wrote a handbook setting out the role of community foundations in disaster response.

We are now all facing a new type of disaster, a global banking crisis and recession, so I’m going to reflect on what this means for local charities and how they might respond.

The simple fact is there will be less money to go round. Banks, businesses and charitable trusts will all see a drop in the money they have to give away. A back of the envelope calculation would suggest Cumbrian charities will have a reduction in £2m worth of grant funds. This is on top of a similar sum lost to Cumbrian charities last year.

At least one Cumbrian charity had over £200,000 on deposit with an Icelandic bank. The future of those deposits is not clear. These are hard won funds and not easily replaced.

Not only will there be less money to go round, but there will also be increased demands made on some charities. A downturn in the economy, job losses and house repossessions all contribute significantly to social problems leading to an increased need for charity services such as money and debt advice, domestic violence and drug and alcohol support.

As a funder we will need to be additionally vigilant when reviewing applications. We will be looking for sound business cases for activities and ensuring that there is no degree of duplication.

We will want to be confident that we are investing in organisations that are well run and that the money we give out makes a real difference.

This is a time for the treasurers of charities to sharpen their pencils and review their spreadsheets.

Groups should actively explore whether they could merge with another charity.

Trustees should take time to consider whether their activities are the best way of supporting the people they exist to help.

For those people who give regularly to charity, this is a time to continue to commit or if possible increase our giving to help provide for the increase in need. Sadly, as people’s own incomes are affected by the recession, our capacity to give to charity is reduced. However as Christmas approaches, we can consider spending our money in ways which support charities, whether it’s buying charity Christmas cards, using charity shops and websites for gifts or making a donation to a charity someone cares about as a Christmas gift.

Next month I’ll be focusing on how we can continue to support charities after our lifetime ….

Cumbria Grassroots Endowment Challenge Update – Year two begins

The Grassroots Endowment Challenge is seeking to raise money to build permanent grant making funds at the Community Foundation. What’s better is the Government is matching all local donations. These permanent funds are invested and the income used to make grants to local charities – in perpetuity. We welcome donations of all sizes to our main Cumbria Fund and for people able to donate larger sums they can create their own fund.

We’re seeking to raise £1m by March 2011. Year two of the appeal has got off to a good start with a donation of £10,000 from the steel stockists Thomas Graham. Thomas Graham is building a grant fund to support children and young people’s activities throughout Cumbria.

How the scheme works

For every £2 you give the Government will add £1 through the Challenge. If you pay tax and use Gift Aid then £2 becomes £2.56. Add in the match and the fund receives £3.82.

For more visit www.cumbriafoundation.org
© Copyright 2009 Cumbria Community Foundation
All rights reserved 28/05/2009
Registered charity 1075120

Introduction - November 2008

2009-07-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

DIRECTOR’S BLOG
Andrew Beeforth’s latest Cumbria Life article
see also the website http://www.cumbrialife.co.uk
November 2008

As one of Cumbria Life’s newest columnists my brief is to share with readers insights into what is happening across the world of charities in Cumbria.

My role as Director of Cumbria Community Foundation provides a wonderful insight into Cumbria’s communities. In the last nine years we’ve given out grants worth more than £10m to over 1,600 local organisations.

I thought I would start by setting the scene. In Cumbria we have 2,400 registered charities. This seems like a huge number, and it is.

Many of the activities and services we enjoy are provided by charities. Stop for a moment and consider life in your town or village. Take away the sports clubs, the church, the village hall or community centre. Then consider where children go for child care and to play. What activities exist for older people and who cares for people when they’re not well?

Many of our best loved institutions are charities including the Theatre by the Lake, the Brewery Arts Centre, the hospices, the air ambulance and our Age Concern groups.

Public giving to charities is estimated to be £9 billion annually. A very large proportion of this giving goes to the big name charities like Oxfam, Save the Children and Cancer Research. However returns to the Charity Commission show charities in Cumbria had an income of £250 million in 2006/07. This is good but the benefits are not spread evenly and they could do so much more if they had the money.

The credit crunch, rise in prices and uncertainty about the economy makes us all consider our personal financial situation. One area that may be easy to cut is our giving to charities. But this is the time when charities can least afford to see a drop in income. Sadly financial problems in households can lead to an array of problems, which thankfully our charities exist to help.

Cumbrians are hugely generous, supporting local and national appeals at a level often far higher than in other parts of the country. Our own Grassroots Endowment Appeal which was launched in Cumbria Life has taken off with £101,000 donated or pledged to the £1m target.

Some may argue that we have too many charities. But why do we have charities? Well people see a need and want to do something about it. Most weeks someone will call into our office seeking support for a new group or project. Our job as a funder is to help explore with them their ideas and nurture them if there’s a genuine need and no one else is already working in the field.

Charities often address emerging needs. They played a huge part in supporting people in 2005. Communities Re-united was born out of the local churches to support victims of the flooding.

In 2001 countless charities responded by providing financial assistance, counselling and emotional support to people facing the consequences of Foot and Mouth Disease.

Local groups spring up to rescue important buildings and preserve valued green spaces. Others are formed by people who have experience of a particular problem.

Our charities provide us with a great deal to celebrate in Cumbria. We should value and cherish the people who work with and for them. Without them our lives would be so much poorer.

Cumbria Grassroots Endowment Challenge Update – Year two begins

The Grassroots Endowment Challenge is seeking to raise money to build permanent grant making funds at the Community Foundation. What’s better is the Government is matching all local donations. These permanent funds are invested and the income used to make grants to local charities – in perpetuity. We welcome donations of all sizes to our main Cumbria Fund and for people able to donate larger sums they can create their own fund.

We’re seeking to raise £1m by March 2011. Year two of the appeal has got off to a good start with a donation of £10,000 from the steel stockists Thomas Graham. Thomas Graham is building a grant fund to support children and young people’s activities throughout Cumbria.

How the scheme works

For every £2 you give the Government will add £1 through the Challenge. If you pay tax and use Gift Aid then £2 becomes £2.56. Add in the match and the fund receives £3.82.

For more visit www.cumbriafoundation.org
© Copyright 2009 Cumbria Community Foundation
All rights reserved 28/05/2009
Registered charity 1075120