Cumbria Community Foundation

04/06/2026

** People of Barrow - get involved! **

Last year, the People Helping People Fund supported grassroots projects across Barrow. From community gardens to large-scale art projects, people from across the town got involved to make a difference, improving lives and driving real change.

Laura from Walney Community Trust explains how the fund made possible the Breaking Bread project, tackling poverty and isolation. The project brought together local people to share a hot meal (with dessert 😋) twice a month from November to May, serving more than 300 people.

"The feedback has been great, with people saying they feel a real sense of community now," said Laura. "People were scared and didn't want to come out of the house, but now they come to the community centre, come to different activities... all in all, a real success."

This year, a further £85,000 is available for community projects in Barrow. Once again, a panel of local volunteers will decide how this money is spent.

If you live in Barrow, care about your community and want to have your say, this is your chance. Details of how to sign up can be found below 👇

The funding, managed by Cumbria Community Foundation on behalf of Team Barrow, has been provided by the UK Government and Team Barrow’s Delivery Board through a grant from the Social Impact Fund, which aims to make Barrow a better place to live, work, study, visit, and invest in.

03/06/2026

This we want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of our trustees, grants committee members and others who give up their time for free to ensure the safe and effective running of Cumbria Community Foundation. We simply couldn't do what we do without you.

Across the county, organisations we fund are powered by volunteers, giving their time, energy and expertise to help improve lives and boost communities. We salute you all ❤️

[Image description: A collage of head shots of around 30 Cumbria Community Foundation volunteers, mostly smiling into the camera. ]

02/06/2026

Don't forget, to find out more abut this fantastic opportunity for Barrow, join the online information session at 1pm this Thursday 4 June💡

If you'd like to attend, contact Laura on 015394 31602 or email [email protected].

Please spread the word 🙏

Live in Barrow? Care about your community? Then get involved!

This is your chance to have your say on how £85,000 is spent on community projects in Barrow.

A panel of volunteers will determine which local groups and projects the funding should support – so why not apply to take part?

Find out how to apply to be a panel member at https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/BarrowParticipatoryGrantMakingScheme2026

The funding, managed by Cumbria Community Foundation on behalf of Team Barrow, has been provided by the UK Government and Team Barrow’s Delivery Board through a grant from the Social Impact Fund, which aims to make Barrow a better place to live, work, study, visit, and invest in.

27/05/2026

Live in Barrow? Care about your community? Then get involved!

This is your chance to have your say on how £85,000 is spent on community projects in Barrow.

A panel of volunteers will determine which local groups and projects the funding should support – so why not apply to take part?

Find out how to apply to be a panel member at https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/BarrowParticipatoryGrantMakingScheme2026

The funding, managed by Cumbria Community Foundation on behalf of Team Barrow, has been provided by the UK Government and Team Barrow’s Delivery Board through a grant from the Social Impact Fund, which aims to make Barrow a better place to live, work, study, visit, and invest in.

22/05/2026

Our office will be closed from 5pm today until 9am Tuesday 26 May... and apparently, the sun is going to make an appearance - even in Cumbria 😮

Don't forget your sunscreen 😎

20/05/2026

** Please spread the word in Furness **

As a charity, we cannot operate without our amazing board of trustees. We have some vacancies coming up and are particularly keen to recruit new trustees in the Furness area.

If you've worked in the charity, public or private sector, volunteered in your community, or faced challenges that connect you personally to the causes we support, such as poverty, disability, rural isolation, or mental health challenges, we’d like to hear from you. What matters most is your commitment to making a difference in Cumbria.

New trustees based in Furness or West Cumbria will also sit on the Grants Committee for that area.

Closing date: Friday 29 May. See below for more information on how to apply 👀👇

20/05/2026

If you're involved in a Cumbrian social enterprise or thinking of starting one, this could be a great opportunity to share ideas and make connections ⬇️

19/05/2026

Have your say on how £85,000 is spent on community projects in Barrow 💡

Last year, the People Helping People Fund supported projects across Barrow, from woodland wellbeing sessions to community art exhibitions. More funding is available for 2026 - and once again, local people will decide how the money is spent.

A panel of volunteers will determine which local groups the funding should support – so why not apply to take part?

If you live in Barrow, care about your community and want to have your say, this is your chance.

To find out how to apply to be a panel member, scan the QR code or check out the comments.

The funding, managed by Cumbria Community Foundation on behalf of Team Barrow, has been provided by the UK Government and Team Barrow’s Delivery Board through a grant from the Social Impact Fund, which aims to make Barrow a better place to live, work, study, visit, and invest in.

07/05/2026

As a team, we try to get away from the office from time to time to reconnect, meet some of the amazing people we have funded, and hopefully learn something.

Thank you to People First Independent Advocacy who hosted us at their Carlisle headquarters last week. It was wonderful to hear from Harvey and Jay, currently enrolled in the catering academy as part of People First’s employability programme. The Community Foundation funded a job coach to support people with learning disabilities to secure and succeed in permanent paid employment. It was great to hear that Harvey and Jay are not only enjoying working with the job coach but mentoring other learners.

The catering academy students also provided lunch for us. This is always a key factor in determining the success of an away day and we can confirm it was top notch, especially the flapjacks 😋

We also had an excellent session on communication skills from Julie Bell and finished the day with a very relaxing chair yoga session from Cumbria Yoga Foundation. It was lovely to hear how funding from the Foundation has brought the benefits of yoga to hundreds of people across the county, improving both physical and mental health for many.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the day a success and gave us renewed vigour for the work we do 💪

[Image description: The CCF team stands outside the People First office in bright sunshine, and takes part in a relaxing chair yoga session (absolutely definitely not asleep, honest... 🙄) around tables in a conference room.]

05/05/2026

Huge thanks to The Shepley Group - their fund with Cumbria Community Foundation has given out grants totalling more than £150,000 since 2009.

We couldn't do what we do without the support of amazing businesses like this. Get in touch if you'd like to find out how your organisation could help change lives in Cumbria 🩵💚

Nine community projects have received a financial boost totalling more than £14,000 from a fund set up by a Cumbrian engineering firm.