Big Energy Saving WeekACT was at Newbiggin Village Hall Community Caféand Nicholforest Exchange at Penton during BigEnergy Saving Week, providing free advice to helpconsumers save energy, cut their bills, and get allthe support they are entitled to.

Big Energy Saving Week is a national campaign runby Citizens Advice Bureau from 27 to 31 January,and supported by ACRE (Action with Communitiesin Rural England), charities, the Government, andthe energy industry.

The week aims to help consumers check they areon the best deal, switch tariff or supplier, and takeup help to insulate their homes and reduce theirenergy usage. More information available onlinehere: www.bigenergysavingweek.org.ukACT promotes Big Energy Saving Week

at Nicholforest Exchange

ACT GazetteIssue 17 Spring 2014

ACT champions community & rural issues

Save the Date:Solway Tourism Initiative

Wednesday 12 March, 12.15 - 3pmCulterham Village Hall, Mawbry

Community Led Planning TrainingTuesday 25 March, 4pm - 8pm

Thursby Parish Hall

Fresh Start EventMonday 31 March (pg11 more dates)

Ambleside Parish Centre

Community Buildings EventWednesday 30 April, 4pm - 9pm

Thornthwaite-cum-Braithwaite VictoryMemorial Hall (nr. Keswick)

Contact Dani at ACT to book a placeTel: 01768 840827

Email: info@cumbriaaction.org.uk

What’s inside this issue:

CommunitiesCase Study: Nicholforest Exchange

Community Led Planning in Cumbria

Community BuildingsVillage Halls and Incorporation - limiting liability

Maintaining portable electric appliances

ACRE National Village Halls SurveyCommunity Building Events & Support from ACT

ACT News - Project Updates & Events

State of Rural Cumbria Report - Rural Disadvantage

Case Study: Western Dales Community Bus

ACRE Headlines - Articles from ACRE’s website

Other News - Events, Funding, Opportunities

ACT

Use this QR Code andyour smart phone app togo direct to our website.

TwitterFollow us @ACTCumbria

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Hi All,

Communities often showtheir skills, knowledge andcare in an emergency.

Many Cumbrian communities know how torespond in an emergency, because they havelearnt the hard way. The Emergency andpublic services, when they reach you, can bea lifeline. But what happens when they cannotreach you because the roads are cut off orcommunication systems are down?

Given the challenges of the weather recently,more and more people and communities areconsidering having an emergency plan, fortheir Parish, community, group or home. ACTdoes not have a role in an emergency, but wedo know that pre-emergency planning andpost emergency support can make asignificant difference to safety and recovery.

The 10 Step Community EmergencyPlanning Toolkit on the ACT website can helpyou consider issues and plan so that you andyour community have the opportunity to feelsome control in an emergency situation.Simple things like:

Where are the torches in your house in caseof a power cut?

Will any of your neighbours need help?

Are there vulnerable people in your widercommunity that may need some support?

How will information be circulated for peoplein your community about what’s happening?

The Toolkit helps groups, communities orParish Councils to plan before emergencieshappen. ACT is currently helping communitiesin Eden through Sustain Eden, a projectfunded by the Big Lottery. The EnvironmentAgency, County Council and District Councilsare also supporting communities throughoutthe County to ‘be prepared’.

So take a look at the Toolkit on our websiteand have a think about how you can plan andfeel more in control in an emergency:www.cumbriaaction.org.uk/ResourcesPublications/ToolkitsWorkbooks

If you are reading this on a screen, it’sprobably because we have your email addressand can inform you when the ACT Gazette ispublished on our website. We produce fewerhard copies of the Gazette now due toincreased printing and postage costs but dostill send them out where needed.

If you still receive a hard copy and don’t needto, please contact us with your email addressand we can update your details. Why notbecome an ACT Supporter too? It’s free andhelps us to evidence to our funders that theinformation and support we provide toCumbrian communities is valued. Go to:www.cumbriaaction.org.uk/ACTHome/JoinUsor contact us for more information.

New this month is our Fresh Start programmefor women looking to use their skills in newand different ways (pg. 11 for more details).Fresh Start is a follow on project from theRural Women’s Network which closed in 2008.

The RWN model was so successful that theCumbria Chamber and Business Growth Hubhave adopted it and are making a lot ofsupport and training available through theirweb portal: www.cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk/sector/4/Womens-Growth-Network.

There is a lot of business and social enterprisesupport available at present. It’s worth a visitto the Cumbria Growth hub portal to see howyour enterprise could benefit.

The Hadfield Trust is a well known funder ofcommunity projects in Cumbria. We haverecently received a grant from them to provideinformation for community buildings.

In talking through ACT’s application, the Trustwere really positive about wanting moreapplications from Community Buildings andVillage Halls. That’s the sort of news you wantto hear. So visit their website and considerwhat opportunities there might be for yourcommunity: www.hadfieldtrust.org.uk

Remember if you support us - we canbetter support you! Sign up now!

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Nicholforest is situated in Carlisle districtin Cumbria, on the border with Scotland.The Parish has a population of 370 spreadacross several small hamlets: Bushfield,Catlowdy, Kershopefoot, Penton,Scuggate, Stoneygate and Warwicksland.

Local services include a church, pub, andvillage hall, with the nearest shops sevenmiles away.

BackgroundCommunity Exchanges are defined as regularcommunity-led events that:

Bring people together, particularly peoplewho might not otherwise meet

Provide access to services and informationReduce social isolation

With funding from North West Together weCan and NHS Cumbria, ACT had supported anumber of Community Exchanges to set up,and promoted the idea to halls acrossCumbria with a written toolkit and video casestudies.

In 2010 Nicholforest Village Hall Committeereceived information from ACT. With manyolder residents living on their own and limitedopportunities to get together, the committeefound the social aspect of an Exchangeparticularly attractive.

The committee also wanted to make the mostof the improved facilities at the hall sincemajor refurbishment in 2004.

The ProjectWhilst initiated by two volunteers in the VillageHall Committee, eight additional volunteerswere recruited to help with preparing food,setting up and serving.

A grant from North West Together We Can,administered by ACT, helped the group topurchase tablecloths, kitchen equipment,aprons, promotional A-boards, and leaflets.

Nicholforest Exchange at Penton opened inOctober 2011, running from 1pm to 4pm onthe last Wednesday of every month.

It’s important that the Exchange is selffinancing. Affectionately known by locals asthe ‘Soup Kitchen’ it offers a selection of homemade soups and hot desserts, with tea andcoffee for £5 a head.

Those coming each month can order meatfrom a local butchers, and vegetables, tocollect at the Exchange. Pies and otherproduce is also available to buy on the day,many taking them home for their eveningmeal.

Local people have stalls selling cards, gifts,jams, chutneys and other local produce, andthere is a books and jigsaw exchange.

Cumbria County Council Libraries Serviceprovide a volunteer run ‘Book Drop’ at theExchange which has seen an increase in thenumber of people joining the library. Bags ofbaby toys are also available to swap.

The Benefit Advice Service and other supportorganisations have also visited to provideinformation and advice on a range of issues.

What has been achieved?The Exchange regularly attracts between 50and 60 people each month. Many are olderresidents, however, visitors have ranged from6 months to over 90 years old.

The feedback has been extremely positive,with many people looking forward to comingevery month. Special occasions such asChristmas are particularly popular, everyonereceived a Christmas cracker, mince pies anda piece of cake from Santa.

The project is self financing with any profitbeing invested in new equipment. 10% ofsales from the butcher get donated back to theExchange. Volunteers making soups anddesserts are reimbursed for double the cost ofingredients.

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The success of the Exchange has attractedmore support and involvement from localauthorities including the setting up the BookDrop and regular visits from local councillors.

Half the people who come each month arefrom surrounding parishes, helping to build awider sense of community. People get to knowabout other local activities and events.

The Learning“It’s one of the best things we’ve ever done!”said coordinator Anna Robinson.

Look at what other communities have doneand learn from them. The group learnt fromother Exchanges but also made it their own.Once a month is manageable, with thenumber of volunteers here. Continuity is reallyimportant, the Exchange runs every month,only moving the date once when it was goingto fall on Christmas day.

Having asked if people wanted the food tovary, everyone said they were happy to keepthe choice of soups and desserts the same, asit is only once a month. This helps thevolunteers have a routine, but they also keepon thinking about how to improve things.

Initially there was a hairdresser and othermobile services but these are also available tovisit people in their homes, which is preferred,so didn’t continue at the Exchange.

Contact DetailsFor more information about NicholforestExchange contact Anna Robinson Tel: 01228577381 Email: anna.robinson95@yahoo.com orAnne Carlyle on Tel: 01228 577305 Emailcarlyle305@hotmail.co.uk

Contact ACT for more information about settingup a Community Exchange Tel: 01768 840827Email: info@cumbriaaction.org.uk

CommunityLed Planningin Cumbria

Natland Parish Plan

Natland, in South Lakeland, launched theirParish Plan on 1st February when 60 peoplepacked into the village hall to see the finishedplan and to celebrate its completion.

A summary has been delivered to localhouseholds, with an action plan coveringissues such as: footpaths and safer roads,and improving communication about localactivities and events. See below link to accessNatland’s new Plan on the ACT website.

Many communities are working on producingnew Community Led Plans and revisingexisting ones. Contact ACT to find out more.

Want to see other completed Plans?

Natland’s Parish Plan is available to read onour website. Search by district to read allcompleted plans in Cumbria. Also access ourfree guidance and resources:www.cumbriaaction.org.uk/what_we_do/community_plans

Funding

Thanks to funding from South LakelandDistrict Council, Community Led Plan Groupsin the district are now able to access grants ofup to £1,500 to support the production of theirplan. Please contact Julia Wilson at ACT tofind out how.

Eden District Council has also contributed to agrant fund for Community Led Planning inEden District. Communities will be able toapply for up to £500.

In other areas, ACT still has grants of up to£500 available to help produce a CommunityLed Plan. Contact us at ACT for moreinformation (see back page for details).

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Village Halls andIncorporation:

Limiting trustee liability

If your village hall is an unincorporated charitythen trustees can have personal liabilities.Action with Communities in Rural England(ACRE) says you should seriously considerbecoming incorporated if:

1. The operation has become large withseveral employees and a variety ofcontracts.

2. You undertake major building works. Thiscalls for the village hall to enter intocontracts with a builder, an architect andpossibly other tradesmen andprofessionals. Work can go wrong andproblems can increase costs substantially.If things go wrong the village hall or itstrustees may be open to legal action. It isnot possible to insure trustees against this.

3. Your hall has a large non-charitable tradingoperation.

The law does not recognise unincorporatedcharities as organisations in their own right.This means they cannot themselves enter intocontracts, employ staff, own assets or incurliabilities. Instead, it is actually their trusteeswho do all those things on behalf of the hall.

If anything goes wrong and halls incur debtsthey cannot pay off, and these debts are notcovered by their insurances, individualtrustees may find that they are personallyliable for those debts. In a worst casescenario, this could lead to trustees having topay off debts using their own savings, andeven having to sell their own assets to do this.

ACRE identifies a further 3 situations where avillage hall charity should at least considerincorporation:

1. Local authorities may insist onincorporation if an organisation is bidding torun local authority services.

2. Pressure from a grant making body or localauthority who would rather deal with anincorporated body than an unincorporatedone.

3. When a loan is being raised from a bankand a bank prefers to deal with a corporatebody rather than an unincorporated one.

If a hall decides to incorporate, it has anumber of options. Historically, the mostcommon one was to set up a limited companyand then register the company as a charity.This was the route taken by Grasmere VillageHall in 2001. Charitable companies of this sorthave to submit annual returns to both theCharity Commission and Companies House.

In the last year or so, a new legal structurecalled the Charitable IncorporatedOrganisation (CIO) has become available.This involves making a single application tothe Charity Commission (free of charge), andmaking a single annual return – also to theCharity Commission.

In both cases (charitable companies andCIOs), trustees enjoy what is known as limitedliability. This means that their personal liabilityfor any debts incurred by the charity is limitedto a nominal sum – usually just £1 (providingthey have carried out their duties lawfully andresponsibly).

Free advice for village halls in CumbriaContact us if you would like to discusswhether incorporation is an appropriate optionfor your hall. If you do want to incorporate, youmight be eligible for 2-3 days’ free consultancysupport as part of the Cumbria SocialEnterprise Start Up and Support programme.

To find out more, please contact: LorrainneSmyth at ACT, Tel: 01768 840827Email: lorrainnes@cumbriaaction.org.uk orQuentin Merritt, Wingspan Consulting,Tel: 01539 727937 Mob: 07748754689Email: quentin@wingspan-consulting.co.uk

ACT is delivering this programme inpartnership with Wingspan Consulting, SocialEnterprise and Cooperative Development, andAmethyst Training and Development.

We have lots of experience of working with awide range of third sector organisations. Wehelp on issues relating to legal incorporation,business planning, funding, stakeholderconsultation and more.

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ACRE National Village HallsSurvey 2013 / 14

Action with Communities in Rural England(ACRE) are conducting a national VillageHalls Survey. By completing the short onlinesurvey and providing information about yourhall, it will help ACRE to continue to raise theprofile of community buildings and theirvolunteers.

The questions are designed to help get aclearer picture of how topical issues such aslicensing, VAT, rate relief and broadband areaffecting village halls and also more generalissues around volunteers, communityenterprises and activities.

The results will build on the comprehensivesurvey completed in December 2009. Work isongoing to establish an All-PartyParliamentary Group on Village Halls andACRE will use the survey findings to keep thework of hall volunteers and the challengesthey face in the spotlight with Governmentdepartments, MPs, and the media.

Please complete the survey by the deadline of24th March 2014 online here:www.surveymonkey.com/s/MWRJ9RR

Chairs for SaleConiston Institute have 105 used banquet /conference chairs for sale.

Details: Gold tubular frame withred cushioned seats. Sturdyrobust chairs that stack, the legshave some scuff marks andsome of the cushions havemarks.

Price: £140 for the lot, or £7 per 5 or nearestoffer / donation. They would rather see themgo to a good home than head to landfill.

For more information please contact PippaMartin at Coniston Institute onTel: 015394 49590Email: hello@conistoninstitute.com

Do you have an item for sale or to rent?

Are you looking to buy / rent somethingfor your hall?

Contact ACT on Tel: 01768 840827 orEmail: info@cumbriaaction.org.uk to advertisehere in the ACT Gazette.

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Community Building EventsOn 13th February Village Halls from aroundthe county gathered at Dalston VictoryMemorial Hall for an evening of informationsharing and networking. The topics coveredwere:

Generating Income

Environmental Health

Village Hall governance

In addition there was some lively conversationas village hall volunteers swapped ideas andexperiences.

Comments from those who attended included:

“A very worthwhile experience”

“Altogether excellent”

“More of the same please!”

“Lots of food for thought”

For those that weren’t able to attend, we haveuseful ACRE Village Hall Information Sheetscovering a range of topics including Healthand Safety and Governance, and ACTworkbooks and guidance sheets on funding,business planning etc. Got to our website formore information: www.cumbriaaction.org.uk/WhatWeDo/CommunityBuildings or contact us.

The next free ACT Community Building eventis on Wednesday 30 April, 4pm to 9pm atThornthwaite-cum-Braithwaite VictoryMemorial Hall, near Keswick. We will becovering:

Successful grant applications

Incorporation and governance

There will also be time for networking andsharing ideas. To book a place please contactDani Hudson Tel: 01768 869511 or Email:danihudson@cumbriaaction.org.uk

Community BuildingsSupport from ACT

ACT provides a wide range of specialistresources and training for community buildingsand village halls. This includes information ongovernance, working with people andvolunteers, project planning, and fundraising.

Free specialist information sheets coveringall aspects of community buildingmanagement, available on request.

Free guidance sheets, workbooks, writtenand video case studies on our websitewww.cumbriaaction.org.uk

Free half hour telephone/email consultationwith an ACT officer.

Access to the free ACT Gazette newsletterwhich includes local and national communitybuilding and village hall information.

Free support if your hall is adopting a newgoverning document.

The opportunity to attend three-half daytraining seminars per year.

Bespoke support for individual groups at £40per hour. (In certain areas we can offer fourhours support for free.) Please contact us forfurther information.

A national voice for issues affectingcommunity buildings and village halls at anational level via ACRE (Action withCommunities in Rural England)www.acre.org.uk

Do you have an email address?In order to ensure your hall doesn’t miss outon funding opportunities, events andinformation which we are unable to include inour newsletter, and to make it easier for you toshare information with your committee, pleaseensure we have your up to date emailaddress.

Promote your hall on our websiteAll halls can advertise for free on our website.Of course we are only able to update thesepages with information provided from you.Check your hall’s details are up to date here:www.cumbriaaction.org.uk/WhatWeDo/CommunityBuildings

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The State of Rural CumbriaACT launched a report in December 2013,using census and other data, to show the‘State of Rural Cumbria’ under the following:

An Ageing populationToo few young peopleDisadvantageHealthRural living

We plan to focus on one of these headings ineach edition of the ACT Gazette. In thisedition we’re looking at: Rural Disadvantage

It is timely to look at this issue when theCumbria Welfare Commission, chaired by theBishop of Carlisle, is currently takingevidence. It is clear that with rising costs ofliving - a reported £80 extra per week neededto sustain a rural household - the challengeshave increased.

Statistics and information from residents bothshow that quality of life in rural areas is good.However, people in rural communities find itmore difficult to access affordable housing,services, alternate employment and support.

The following figures detail census findings onincome deprivation, child poverty and benefitclaimants in rural Cumbria:

Rural Share of Income Deprivation38,429 people (7.7% of the total population) inCumbria live in ‘income deprivation’. 35.7% ofthese people or 13,726 live in our ruralcommunities.

Rural Share of Children in Poverty12,790 children (15.3% of all children) inCumbria are in poverty. 36.8% of thesechildren or 4,702 live in our rural communities.

Rural Share of Working Age Department forWork and Pensions Benefit ClaimantsThere are 41,988 working age people claimingDWP benefits in Cumbria (13.4% of thepopulation of working age). 39.6% or 16,612 ofthese people live in our rural communities.

Individuals and households that are strugglingon low pay or reliant on benefits haveparticular support needs that in many casescan only be accessed through facilities basedin main centres.

The following charts show respectively thenumber of Income Deprived People and DWPBenefit Claimants (aged 16-64) who live morethan 30 minutes and 60 minutes travel bypublic transport from a main centre.

‘Rural Communities’ are those with apopulation of 10,000 or less. ‘IncomeDeprivation’ relates to people on benefits andwith an income below 60% of the nationalmedian income, after housing costs.

One of the trends across the country is morepart time and lower paid employment. In ruralareas, the additional cost of travel to work orto services increases the challenge. There areclearly issues for much of Cumbria, specificallyCopeland, South Lakeland and Eden.

Communities address the pleasures andchallenges of rural living in a variety of waysas we can see in the Nicholforest and WesternDales case studies. Nicholforest (population370) and Dent (population 685), the start pointfor the Western Dales initiative, do not havesignificant numbers of people suffering incomedeprivation - 14 and 11 people respectively.(Source: 2011 Census)

(cont. on page 9)

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The State of Rural Cumbria(cont.)

However, those people are more than 4 timesfurther away from a job centre than mosturban Cumbrian residents. People in thesecommunities are a third more likely to be infuel poverty and also less likely to have centralheating.

The residents of these, and many otherCumbrian communities, are twice as likely tobe self employed, working from home anddoing more than 49+ hrs per week, than thenational average.

What does this mean for Rural Cumbria?Clearly many rural people are living well andmanaging the challenges of access toservices. Those we need to consider foradditional support are the few who have noneof the flexibilities of transport, income andgood health.

The State of Rural Cumbria report and theParish Profiles are produced to provide policymakers and communities with the informationto consider the issues in their community anddecide how to address them.

The Nicholforest Exchange and the WesternDales Bus service assist people to live in ruralareas and meet their needs, forcompanionship, reasonably priced food,access to services, and transport.

Over 80% of residents in Nicholforest and 90%in Dent are satisfied that their local area is agood place to live. Community resilience andself help is how rural communities thrive.

If these examples have encouraged you toconsider the needs of people in yourcommunity then please visit the ACT websiteto explore the detailed information in yourParish Profile, and for more examples ofcommunities supporting each other:www.cumbriaaction.org.uk

Communities often carry out these initiativeswith minimum support. ACT is here to assistand to share your success and learning withothers. Contact us to discuss how you too canmake life in rural Cumbria as good as we knowit can be (see back page for contact details).

Case Study:Western Dales Bus

Community-run bus service

Western Dales Bus is a community busservice, run by volunteers and coveringSedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale Local AreaPartnership (parishes of Barbon,Casterton, Dent, Firbank, Garsdale,Killington, Kirkby Lonsdale, Mansergh,Middleton, Sedbergh in South Lakeland).

It provides a mini-bus service at weekendson routes which aren’t commercially viableand the bus is also available for privatehire by charities and community groups.

BackgroundThe bus service links Dent and Dent Stationwith the service centres of Sedbergh andKendal. Work to support this bus route startedin 2011 when Cumbria County Councilwithdrew their subsidy to the existing Saturdayservice.

Dent Parish Council agreed to replace thesubsidy themselves to keep the service goingand raised £8,400 from a range of grants anddonations. This continued the service for ayear while they considered how to sustain itlonger term.

The ProjectA group of volunteers established WesternDales Bus (WDB) as a Limited Company withCharitable Status and, with a £41,000 grantfrom the Government’s sustainable transportfund through the Dales Integrated TransportAlliance, leased a mini bus from CumbriaCounty Council to run the Saturday servicethemselves.

(cont. on page 10)

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The Project (cont.)Western Dales Bus has around 30 volunteers,half of which are drivers and half of which areinvolved in management and administration.The Service was launched in May 2013running a timetabled route which needed to beregistered with the traffic commissioners.

WDB used part of their grant to pilot a Sundayservice, run by a commercial operator,between April and October over the summersof 2012 and 2013 to see if therewas a demand for it.

It was aimed at both walkers and localresidents and they also had funding from theFriends of Settle/Carlisle Railway as it linkedup with railway services. There has beensufficient demand for the Sunday service forWDB to decide they will run it themselvesduring the summer of 2014.

What has been achieved?WDB has kept a bus service running and hasincreased the numbers using it, reducingisolation for people who might otherwise find itdifficult to travel.

The use of volunteers to manage the serviceand drive the buses has increased communitycohesion and brought local people together.The minibus which WDB uses is accessibleand has allowed groups of disabled and olderpeople to go on trips and outings.

An advisory board has been set up withrepresentatives from each of the ten parishesserved by the bus. This gives users and localrepresentatives an opportunity to feed in ideasand views on the service. There have beensome challenges. WDB’s bus is currentlyleased and they would like to buy their ownvehicle. They also need top-up funding to runthe service which is difficult to find.

The LearningThe bus service covers a wide area and, giventhe low rural population, this is needed for theroute to be viable.

WDB found it was vital to maintain closecontact with Cumbria County Council officersto ensure that they are working together andnot at cross-purposes, and the resultingsupport has been invaluable.

It’s also been important for them not tocompete with the commercial operators. Theywill only run scheduled services on routeswhich aren’t viable for commercial operators.

WDB have found that as much effort is neededto manage the organisation as to drive thebuses. It was relatively easy to find volunteerbus drivers but as many volunteers areneeded to run the organisation and plan rotas.

Between 6 and 8 drivers are needed for eachroute to allow volunteers to have time off forholidays and other commitments.

WDB have had a lot to learn and found thesupport of a volunteer who has holidaycottages in the Dent area, and who had beeninvolved in running a community bus in thesouth of England, invaluable.

Support is available from Cumbria CountyCouncil for communities that don’t havevolunteers with community transportexperience.

Contact DetailsFor more information on Western Dales Busplease contact Jock Cairns (Chair) onTel: 015396 25655 orEmail: jockcairns@btinternet.com

Other contacts:Cumbria Community TransportTel: 01228402811 Web: www.cumbriact.org.uk

Cumbria County CouncilCommunityTransport TeamTel: 01228 226721

Community Transport AssociationTel: 01613511475 Web: www.ctauk.org

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Launch of the bus with Tim Farron MP

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Fresh Start EventsFresh Start is a new project from ACT whichwill encourage women around the county toplan for the future and develop their ideasthrough a series of free evening events inCumbria’s smaller towns.

Using funding from the European RegionalDevelopment Fund, the events will link thosetaking part into the training available throughthe Cumbria Business Growth Hub if they’reinterested in taking any enterprising ideasforward after the end of the session.

Designed to be fun and inspirational the FreshStart events will help the women who comealong to identify their skills and values and setgoals for the future.

The first seven events are in the south andeast of the county and will move north andwest in the autumn:

31st March Ambleside7th April Milnthorpe23rd April Kirkby Stephen6th May Grange-over-Sands22nd May Tebay/Orton12th June Dalton-in-Furness17th June Sedbergh

To book a place on one of the sessions pleasecontact Dani Hudson on Tel: 01768 869511 orEmail: danihudson@cumbriaaction.org.uk

Or see the ACT website:www.cumbriaaction.org.uk/WhatWeDo/FreshStart

Community Led Planningfrom Start to Finish

Tuesday 25th MarchThursby Parish Hall

4pm - 8pm

Community Led Plans are also known asParish Plans, Community Plans and VillagePlans. They can help to:

Encourage community activity

Attract funding

Influence policy

This training session is for Parish / TownCouncils, community groups, and anyoneinterested in Community Led Planning. We willcover the following:

Introduction to Community Led Planning

Consulting your community and usingquestionnaires

Writing and delivering your action plan

We are currently limited as to how muchsupport we can offer to groups in Allerdalewith Community Led Planning so this half daytraining session is a great opportunity foranyone looking to do a Plan to learn about theprocess.

The event will be free to those attending as itwill be funded by Cumbria County Council butwe need to have a minimum number ofparticipants so booking is essential.

For more information or to reserve a place,please contact Hellen Aitken at ACT onTel: 01768 869520 or Email:hellenaitken@cumbriaaction.org.uk

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Britain’s first communityenergy strategy

Local communities will be able to take controlof their energy bills and help transform theenergy system thanks to proposals unveiled inBritain’s first Community Energy Strategy.

Over 50 per cent of people surveyed byDepartment of Energy & Climate Change(DECC) said that saving money on bills wouldbe the major motivation for getting involvedwith community energy schemes, and around3.5million bill payers are ready to get togetherwith other people in their local community totake more control of their energy.

Meanwhile four in ten respondents said theywere already interested in joining a communityenergy group and taking part in collectiveswitching or collective purchasing schemes.Read the news release here: www.gov.uk/government/news/power-to-the-people-government-boost-to-community-energy

The full strategy document and summary areavailable here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-energy-strategy

Spring OnlineExtending people’s use of the Internet

31 March - 4 April

Spring Online is an award-winning initiativethat makes it possible for thousands of people,often older people, to try out using computersand tablets and the internet, many for the firsttime.

If you are running an event, Spring Onlinewould like to know about it. If you would like torun an event to help and inspire local peopleto achieve a lasting use of the internet go todigitalunite.com/spring-online-2014

Latest national affordable housingfunding launched

The Homes and Communities Agencylaunched the prospectus inviting housingassociations, councils, developers and othersto bid for a share of up to £1.7bn of grantfunding for delivery of new affordable housingoutside London for 2015-18.

Homes delivered with this funding during thisperiod will contribute to the Government’sambition to deliver up to 165,000 newaffordable homes across the country.

The HCA has introduced some improvementsbased on learning from the currentprogramme. Full details on the HCA’s websitewww.homesandcommunities.co.uk/news/2015-18-ahp-launches

Big Energy Saving Week27 - 31 January

Big Energy Saving Week is a nationalcampaign run by Citizens Advice Bureau(CAB) and supported by ACRE (Action withCommunities in Rural England), charities, theGovernment and the energy industry. Theweek aims to help consumers check they areon the best deal, switch tariff or supplier andtake up help to insulate their homes andreduce their energy usage.

By taking action to check, switch and insulate,consumers could make savings on theirenergy bills: such as a £325 average savingfrom insulation and other energy savingmeasures, £100 average saving paying bydirect debit rather than cash or cheque, andup to £200 saving for switching tariff orsupplier if you have never switched before.

Advisers from CAB, the ACRE Network ofrural community councils, Age UK and EnergySaving Trust were in shopping centres,libraries and town halls up and down thecountry to help residents find out how they canmake sure they are not spending any morethan they have to on their energy bills.

Read more on CAB’s website:www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/aboutus/events/bigenergysavingweek.htm

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A selection of headline articlesfrom: www.acre.org.uk

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ACRE’s Chief Executive givesevidence to Transport Committee

Janice Banks, ACRE’s Chief Executive gaveevidence about the challenges andopportunities of providing passenger transportto isolated Communities.

This followed our written submission to theTransport Select Committee last summer.Read ACRE’s submission, alongside those ofother organisations, on the TransportCommittee’s website here:www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmtran/writev/passtran/contents.htm

ACRE’s evidence emphasised the need for ajoined up approach between communities,councils and transport bodies to deliverbespoke solutions and the value in maximisingvehicles for multiple purposes ensuring theydo not sit idle when they could be serving thecommunities that need them.

Read ACRE’s press release with a call toaction to help support passenger transport forrural communities here:www.acre.org.uk/news/2014+News/ACRE+calls+for+key+outcomes+from+Commons+transport+inquiry

Government’s periodic update onNeighbourhood Planning

The Department for Communities and LocalGovernment (DCLG) has published its eighthshort update on progress with NeighbourhoodPlanning activity nationally.

2013 saw the number of communities applyingfor neighbourhood area designation surpass800, across over half of all the local planningauthorities in England.

The year ended with over 630 neighbourhoodareas designated, 54 draft plans published, 25plans submitted to examination, nine passedexamination, six plans passed referendumand four plans in force.

Read the DCLG publication here:www.gov.uk/government/publications/notes-on-neighbourhood-planning-edition-8

£10 million for alternative technologyproviders to improve broadband

in remote areas

A £10 million fund is being made available toalternative technology providers who comeforward with innovative ideas to help superfastbroadband reach Britain’s most remotecommunities.

The new £10 million fund will enable a rangeof pilot projects to be undertaken up and downthe country, as the Government seeks themost effective way to ensure that the mostremote areas are included in the broadbandtransformation taking place across Britain.

The funding applies to the 5% of thepopulation, which is not part of theGovernment’s programme to deliver superfastbroadband speeds by 2017.

Read the full article online here: www.gov.uk/government/news/new-broadband-chief-as-final-5-of-most-remote-areas-in-britain-tackled

Community pubs receive funding

Two co-operative pubs supported by thePlunkett Foundation are benefiting from the£5.5 million Department for Communities andLocal Government funding announced lastweek.

The King’s Arms in Shouldham, West Norfolk,will receive £189,000 and The Bevy inMoulsecoomb, Brighton, £130,000.

The fund is part of the Government’scommunity rights programme that aims to givepower to local communities.

26 pubs shut down each week and only toooften the value of the pub to a community isnot fully realised until it closes or is threatenedwith closure. Increasingly communities havebecome more determined to do somethingand take action to save their pub.

To-date 22 co-operative pubs have openedacross the UK. Further information on thePlunkett Foundation’s support for co-operativepubs can be accessed on www.pubs.coop

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FREE HeartStart training coursesavailable for your community groupsdelivered by Fire & Rescue Servicepersonnel.

Heart and circulatory disease is the biggestcause of premature death in the UnitedKingdom and there are also approximately twoand a half million people living with it.

Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service work inpartnership with the British Heart Foundationand the North West Ambulance ServiceCommunity First Responders to deliver the'Heartstart Cumbria' initiative. The aim of theinitiative is to teach members of the publicEmergency Life Support (ELS) skills.

These skills include:General care of a casualty including the

procedure for obtaining helpDealing with an unconscious person who is

bleedingGiving rescue breathsPerforming cardiopulmonary resuscitation

(CPR)Dealing with chokingDealing with serious bleedingDealing with a suspected heart attack

casualty

The courses last approximately two hours, areFREE and are delivered by trained 'HeartstartTrainers' who are Cumbria Fire and RescueService employees/volunteers.

If you would like to book one of these sessionsfor your community group, please contact:Valerie Ayre Tel: 01768 812550E-mail: valerie.ayre@cumbria.gov.uk

Fundraising advice forCharities

Fundraising is perhaps the most high-profileway in which a charity engages with thepublic, and therefore high standards are vital.This CC News covers several key thingstrustees should be doing to ensure bestpractice.

It has never been more important that donorshave complete confidence in an organisation.Read our fundraising guidance and make sureyour fundraisers understand the legalrequirements for public collections and theneed to include key information on campaignmaterials.

For more information and links to guidancematerials, read ‘Charity Commission News -Issue 45’ available here:www.charitycommission.gov.uk/about-the-commission/press-office/cc-news

Funding Fairs2014

Cumbria CVS will be hosting two funding fairsthis year - West: Thursday 3 July 2014 atEnergus, and North/South: Thursday 16October (venue tbc).

These events provide an excellent opportunityfor local groups to meet with local, regionaland national funders face to face and discussfunding, attend workshops and presentationsand access a range of funding advice andsupport. Funders attending include the BigLottery Fund, Lloyds TSB Foundation, BBCChildren in Need, Heritage Lottery Fund, theHadfield Trust, WREN, the Scott Trusts andmany more.

Keep an eye out on our website for furtherdetails www.cumbriacvs.org.uk. Alternatively,please contact us on 01768 800350 or emailinfo@cumbriacvs.org.uk with any queries.

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National Empty HomesLoan Fund

The NEHLF is a new loans fund that enablespeople to borrow the funds necessary to getempty homes back into use. It will provideloans of up to £15,000 to owners of emptyproperties to help bring them back intoaffordable use.

The £3 million NEHLF fund will providesecured loans at a fixed 5% interest rate, andwill enable owners to renovate the property tothe Decent Homes standard. The fund shouldprovide funding to get over 2000 propertiesback into use.

This is a joint initiative between the charityEmpty Homes, Ecology Building Society,central government and 58 participating localauthorities. For more information go to:www.emptyhomes.com

Community Assets andServices Grants

Are you thinking of running a local service ortaking over the management of a localbuilding or land of community value? We havea range of grants available to help you withthe process of taking over a service or anasset.

Pre-feasibility grants between £5,000 and£10,000 are on offer to help organisationsthrough the early stages. Organisations thatcan demonstrate a strong potential to competefor public service delivery contracts can applyfor feasibility grants of up to £100,000 to helpcompete in a procurement process.

Pre-feasibility and feasibility grants are alsoavailable to community groups looking to buybuildings and assets valuable to the localcommunity. For more information go to:www.sibgroup.org.uk/communityrights

The People’s MillionsThe People’s Millions is a partnership betweenthe Big Lottery Fund and ITV, where the publichelps decide which local community projectsget up to £50,000 of Lottery funding.

This year the competition will open forapplications in March. In the run up to thelaunch, we hope to inspire you to develop agreat project that will make a difference to thelives of people in your community and havea chance to win up to £50,000.

We’ll be putting the spotlight on some of themany projects we’ve funded over the last eightyears and give some advice about theapplication process as well as top tips forgenerating public support. For moreinformation go to: www.peoplesmillions.org.uk

Rural CommunityEnergy Fund

The Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF)supports rural communities in England todevelop renewable energy projects whichprovide economic and social benefits to thecommunity. The fund will provide up toapproximately £150,000 of funding forfeasibility and pre-planning development workto help projects become investment ready.

RCEF provides support in two stages:Stage 1 provides a grant of up to

approximately £20,000 to pay for an initialinvestigation into the feasibility of arenewable energy project.

Stage 2 provides an unsecured loan of up toapproximately £130,000 to support planningapplications and develop a robust businesscase to attract further investment.

The fund is being delivered on behalf of thegovernment by the Waste and ResourcesAction Programme (WRAP). For moreinformation go to: www.wrap.org.uk/content/rural-community-energy-fund

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Open Homes EventsCumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) arerunning a new series of events this spring tocomplement the Green Build Festival that theyrun every autumn.

CAfS are looking for house owners who havetaken steps to make their homes 'green' andare willing to show their achievements toothers.

The homes will be open for a weekendafternoon. In addition to the open homes therewill be a hub where suppliers and local groupscan have a stall and visitors can accessinformation. There may also be someassociated events, such as mini-workshops,offered on the morning of the open day.

Six events will take place in and around thefollowing areas of Cumbria:

Cockermouth and surrounding area, Sat22nd March, with an information hub inRiversmeet Resource Centre

Appleby and surrounding area, Sat 5th

April,with an information hub in Applebysupper room

Kendal and surrounding area, Sat 3rd May

Carlisle / Brampton and surrounding area,Sat 17th May

Locations and dates are yet to be agreed inBarrow and Copeland districts.

Anyone interested in participating either in thehub or opening their home should contactDonna at CAfS by Email: donna@cafs.org.uk

Ideally the open houses will include a wide-range of homes with different levels ofinterventions from simple low cost DIYmeasures to the full works!

The steps taken could include energyefficiency measures, renewable energysystems, water management systems,sustainable building materials and sustainablelifestyles. Basically any steps towardslowering your carbon footprint are of interest.

Investing in young peopleinterested in a future in

sport and leisureThanks to funding from John Paul Getty JnrCharitable Trust, Cumbria Youth Alliance arerunning a new programme: ‘Skills for SportingFutures Rising to the Challenge’.

The programme will support young peopleaged 16-25 who are not in education,employment or training with funding andindividual one to one advice and guidance toenable them to gain National Governing Bodyqualifications or other relevant qualifications inthe field of sport and/ or leisure.

Young people receive the support and fundingin return for undertaking volunteering in theirlocal community, helping others to take part insport or leisure activities and contributing tomaking our communities a healthier place tolive.

In addition to the grants to enable them toundertake training, which can lead toemployment, they can claim travel expenses,meal allowances and other out of pocketexpenses including grants towards someequipment to get them up and running in theirlocal community.

The package can be worth as much as £1000per young person. At the end of theirprogramme they will receive one to oneadvice and guidance to help them move intothe world of work/self employment or moveonto further training and education.

Cumbria Youth Alliance piloted the project lastyear in West Cumbria and are now able tooffer the opportunity to young people fromacross Copeland, Allerdale and Carlisledistrict.

For more information contact Cumbria YouthAlliance on Tel: 01900 822110or Email cath@cya.org.uk

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Homeshare CumbriaWhen Harry met Sean - It worked for us!

Homeshare involves matching a homeowneror tenant who has a spare room, withsomeone who has a housing need, and canprovide a little support or companionship.

Harry is 82 and lives alone, visiting his wifeEdith in a care home twice a day. Harry didn’twant much from his share, just somecompany and someone coming in at night,Homeshare gave him the opportunity to helpsomeone and get some company too.

Sean contacted Homeshare after finding uson Spareroom.com. He needed a place tostay for seven months, whilst he looked for anew home for his family. Sean has beenmarried for 21 years and has three children.He served in the Army for 25 years andrecently secured employment at Sellafieldstarting in August 2013. Sean needed a homefrom home and was enthusiastic abouthelping someone too.

Homeshare has successfully matched Harryand Sean. When they met for the first time therapport was instantaneous and amazing towitness. “I’ve slept soundly all night for thefirst time since being on my own” Harry said.

Sean helped Harry organise all his mounds ofpaperwork, putting it in files and sub-sectionsfor Harry to find easily. He is also a soundingboard for Harry who feels he has become lessarticulate as he gets older. Before sending aletter, or on receiving an official letter, Harrywill get Sean’s take on it. They don’t live ineach other’s pockets, but they are there foreach other and great companions.

For more information contact Jo Radcliffe,Homeshare Co-ordinator, by Email on:joradcliffe@ageukcarlisleandeden.org.uk orAge UK Carlisle & Eden - Tel: 01768 863618Age UK South Lakeland - Tel: 01539 728180Age UK West Cumbria - Tel: 01946 66669

Neighbourhood CareIndependence

The Neighbourhood Care Independenceprogramme provides a range of practical helpand advice services for people aged over-18who need extra support from time to time.

Support available from the NeighbourhoodCare Independence Programme includes:

General information and advice on a widerange of issues

Handyperson support for minor DIY tasks

Short-term support after a spell in hospital

Linking you to Friendship Groups othersocial activities

Advice on where to buy or hire equipment toaid daily living, such as wheelchairs,commodes, lid openers, toilet seats andgrab rails

Hearing-aid maintenance & support ‘drop ins’

Support for Carers

The delivery partners have produceddirectories that detail the support servicesavailable to you. These are available at:cumbriacvs.org.uk/services/neighbourhood-care-independence/

Volunteering OpportunitiesIf you would like to become involved in theNeighbourhood Care Independenceprogramme, and are able to give some of yourtime and skills to help people in yourcommunity, a range of volunteer opportunitiesand roles are available. Training and on-goingsupport will be provided.

For advice on any of these services, or tovolunteer, call:

0844 967 1885 for Carlisle, Eden, Barrow andSouth Lakeland.

0844 384 3843 for Allerdale and Copeland.

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©ACT 2014. This publication may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is reproducedaccurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as ACTion with Communities inCumbria copyright and the title of the publication specified.

ACTion with Communities in Cumbria, The Old Stables, Redhills, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 0DTT: 01768 840827 | F: 01768 867972 | www.cumbriaaction.org.uk | info@cumbriaaction.org.ukRegistered in England as Voluntary Action Cumbria | Charity Registration Number 1080875 | Company Number 3957858

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure accuracy, ACT does not accept responsibility for anyerrors or omissions in the information provided in this publication or the content of external websites listed.

We want your news and views!Do you want to celebrate your community’s

success?

Could your story be a useful case study to helpothers with similar projects?

Would you like to advertise in the ACT Gazette?

If so, we would like to hear from you.

This newsletter, and previous editions can bedownloaded from the ACT website:

www.cumbriaaction.org.uk

Barrow, Copeland, South Lakeland contact:

Julia Wilson - Project Team ManagerTel: 01768 869524Email: juliawilson@cumbriaaction.org.uk

Allerdale, Carlisle, Eden contact:

Hellen Aitken - Development OfficerTel: 01768 869520Email: hellenaitken@cumbriaaction.org.uk

If you would like to speak to Lorrainne Smyth,ACT Chief Executive, or have an urgentenquiry please contact ACT reception on:

Tel: 01768 840827 Fax: 01768 867972Email: info@cumbriaaction.org.uk

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