Projects to improve lives of vulnerable Cumbrians given boost

Family Wellbeing is part of the Transforming West Cumbria (TWC) programme, which has already positively impacted thousands since its launch three years ago.

The programme is funded through the Sellafield Ltd Social Impact Multiplied (SiX) programme and delivered by Cumbria Community Foundation.

TWC was created in response to a 2019 study commissioned by Sellafield Ltd, which found persistent social issues including 3,900 children living in poverty, one in seven households with an income below £10,000 a year, and more children in care than any other part of the county.

Initial funding of £600,000 was awarded in September 2020 for projects addressing issues from abuse and addiction to emotional resilience and speech improvement.

A report published last November showed that 1,456 families and 2,709 children benefitted from these projects.

Now, an additional £200,000 has been allocated to five organisations to continue some of this work.

Cumbria Addictions: Advice and Solutions (CADAS), Howgill Family Centre, Safety Net, Together We, and West Cumbria Domestic Violence Support, which operates as The Freedom Project, have all received funding to continue their vital services.

Angie Milfull, West Cumbria Family Support team leader at CADAS, said: "Our experiences growing with this pilot have only strengthened our belief in the project and our long-term plans to embed our family support service within the wider organisation, throughout the county."

Howgill Family Centre is able to continue its programme to improve speech and language skills in children up to four years old.

Faye Eldon, chief executive of Howgill Family Centre, said: "This funding is vital to support parents in the understanding of the importance of early language and how this can impact positively on their child’s future learning journey.

"Parents share stories, songs and have fun with their children, while meeting new people and this would not be possible without the funding we receive."

Safety Net provides support for those affected by rape, exploitation, sexual and domestic abuse across Cumbria.

Helen Davies, senior children and young person therapist at Safety Net, said: "The funding enables us to employ two part-time children and young people’s practitioners/play therapists, who work with whole families who have experienced abuse, including sexual violence, child sexual abuse, exploitation, rape, online abuse, and domestic violence."

Together We has been awarded funding to deliver psychological interventions to parents and family units with children aged five to 17 through its Together We Talk programme.

Together We's managing director, Sam Joughin, said: "Over the past four years Together We Talk has seen a vast demand for psychological support for children, young people and families.

"The need grows every year and with this funding we can continue our aims to empower families to better manage their physical and mental wellbeing."

Together We staff (Image: Supplied)

West Cumbria Domestic Violence Support was awarded funding to continue its McKenzie Friend project, giving legal support to victims of domestic violence.

The Freedom Project's charity manager, Vicky Pike, said: "The funding is going to allow us to continue this service for the next two years; but also train another member of staff to help the current McKenzie Friend manage workload and allow us to reach more families that need us."

Tracey West, senior social impact manager at Sellafield, said: "Working with the delivery organisations has been such an encouraging journey, when you hear the life experiences from those that our funding has impacted it drives us to develop more projects like Family Wellbeing."

Annalee Holliday, head of grants practice and programmes at Cumbria Community Foundation, said: “Transforming West Cumbria, through the Family Wellbeing programme, is making a significant difference in tackling some key challenges in our area.

“All of these projects have brought improvements to those with the greatest need.

"This additional funding from Sellafield Ltd will ensure more good work can be done to create thriving communities and a better future for families in West Cumbria.”

Earlier this year, Sellafield Ltd also created a Family Support Fund as part of the Social impact multiplied (SiX) programme, offering grants of up to £1,000 towards the cost of essentials for West Cumbrian families in financial hardship.

For more information about Family Wellbeing and the wider Transforming West Cumbria programme, visit cumbriafoundation.org/transforming-west-cumbria.