As Executive Portfolio Holder for Cumberland Policy and Regulatory Services I would like to set out the role, as I see it, Cumberland Council will take on climate and nature policies.

The council has agreed that Health and Wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do, the climate change and nature recovery agenda are clearly linked to this.

I have established a Climate and Nature Advisory Group, bringing together elected Members, Executive Portfolio Holders and internal officers to provide advice to the Executive on policies and initiatives.

We are co-opting a limited number of other people to this group to help with advice and to spread our message.

Work is underway on a new strategy, taking the learning from the legacy councils on what has worked so far.  We are also offering Carbon Literacy Training to all Elected Members because we see climate change as cross-cutting issue that impacts on many of our services.

The Cumberland Council Plan has set out clearly our commitment and we will use all our influence to ensure that we make a fair and just transition,  involving everyone we can to make a difference.

I hope you will join me and play your part in making a fair and just transition to a more sustainable council and Cumberland.

To learn more about the Cumberland Council Plan and the commitment to environmental resilience and the climate emergency, please read this link.

Image description: photograph of Executive Portfolio Holder, Councillor Bob Kelly

Cumberland Council’s new community panels are keen to hear exactly what should be supported in each area.

The councillor groups are asking people to fill in a survey about their priorities for their communities. This will help the panels form Neighbourhood Investment Plans that support the right projects in those areas.

Cumberland Council Deputy Leader, Councillor Lisa Brown, said: “It’s vitally important as many people as possible have their say. The whole Community Panel structure is underpinned by a desire for communities to help decide what’s needed.

“We need to know exactly what people want to see in their area. If you have ever sat at home thinking the council doesn't listen, we want to change that, and show we are committed to listening and being led by residents.

“We want to invest in the right things and only our communities can tell us that. These consultations are how people can take part in that process and make a difference.”

For more information about your Community Panels - please tap the button below.

Image description: photograph Community Panel logo

East of Eden, Cumbria – based in the upland regions of Cumbria, this project stretches over 100,000ha from fertile farmland of the eastern Eden Valley to the western slopes of the North Pennines and the moorlands above.

The project incorporates the area from Stainmore in the south to Brampton in the north, and eastwards across the fells to the county boundary.

The project will support land managers to create habitats for species such as the curlew, black grouse and the Teesdale Violet. Natural flood management techniques will reduce flood risk and improve the absorption of carbon by rewetting peat.

East of Eden is part of a group of projects which will help to manage flooding and wildfire risks, improve carbon stores and build diverse habitats for endangered wildlife.

Image description: a Teasdale Violet

New figures from the Bikeability Trust show Cumbria ranked in the top ten of local authority areas for 2022–23 with training delivered to 78% of Year 6 pupils.  

Delivered across the county by Active Cumbria and their partner Cyclewise, Bikeability cycle training equips children with vital life skills. Pupils not only learn to cycle, but they also gain independence, social skills and a sense of wellbeing.  

Read more here: Cumbria named in the top 10 delivery locations for Bikeability training - Active Cumbria

Image description: children on cycles

In areas where conventional public bus services might not be feasible, our initiative offers an excellent and sustainable solution. You can minimise your carbon footprint by embarking on shared rides with our warm-hearted volunteer drivers aboard a comfortable minibus. This service covers its expenses through passenger fares and generates revenue by providing transportation to community organisations.

Our routes encompass various locations, including Welpo, Caldbeck, Hesket Newmarket, Newlands, Sedbergham, Welton, and Rosley. These destinations are based on advance bookings, and on a weekly basis, we facilitate trips to Carlisle or Wigton at an affordable fare, which can be conveniently paid via credit/debit card.

Once you're registered, our dedicated volunteer, Antoinette, will handle your bookings and coordinate with one of our five amazing volunteer drivers. Each driver has been professionally trained with MiDAS certification to ensure a safe and pleasant journey. More than just a transportation service, our scheme acts as a lifeline, connecting people to their essential destinations.

We warmly encourage you to join us in supporting this initiative by maintaining a sustainable number of passengers. Your participation goes a long way in making our vision a reality.

For additional details, please get in touch with:

• Antoinette Ward, Transport Coordinator at Northern Fells Group
• Address: Mardale, Upton, Caldbeck, Wigton, CA7 8EU
• Email: antoinette.ward@northernfellsgroup.org.uk
• Phone: 016974 78787

Image description: image of a mini bus

The Rebuild Site is an initiative formed in 2021 that takes surplus material from construction companies and enables them to be passed on, reused and resold.

The surplus materials the Rebuild Site collect is donated to community groups and charities to help with building, gardening, crafting and repair projects. The Rebuild Site also sell nearly new and surplus materials to trades and members of the public at reduced prices – perfect for that DIY project that the local community are planning to get underway!

The Rebuild Site are helping to reduce waste and lower the amount of carbon used in creating new materials, by reusing surplus materials

The Rebuild site has just launched a ‘tool library’ where power tools and other tools can be borrowed from the library by members of the public.

Find out more by visiting The Rebuild Site website or visiting their shop in Kingmoor Park in Carlisle which is open Thursdays - Saturdays, 10am - 4pm. The shop is open to both trades and the public.

Image description: a logo for the rebuild site and a picture of the rebuild library

Did you know that in the UK, around 40,000 tonnes of batteries were sold in 2020, with only around 18,000 tonnes being recycled - that’s 45% - but we need to do better.

It’s easy to think you are doing the right thing by popping dead batteries into your general household waste bin, but did you know that they can cause fires in bin wagons and waste processing plants if you do?

When your waste or recycling is collected, any batteries that are in there are likely to be squashed, compacted, punctured or shredded. When this happens, they can ignite resulting in dangerous fires.

Lithium-ion batteries are thought to have caused over 250 fires at waste facilities over the year to March 2020 - over a third of all fires. These are the type of batteries usually found in laptops, tablets and mobile phones as well as some toys, shavers, electric toothbrushes and even e-cigarettes.

Batteries can also hide in toys and other items where it is difficult to remove them if the item no longer works.

Why not try rechargeable batteries? They could save you money, are overall better for the environment, and can even last longer per charge than most disposable batteries.

To avoid the risk of dangerous fires and help the environment, we should all try to remove batteries from items wherever possible and never put items with batteries into your general waste bin or regular recycling. Make sure you recycle them separately instead.

Batteries can be recycled easily at our Household Waste Recycling Centres.

You can find your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre, across the Cumberland area, by clicking this link.

All supermarkets and a lot of other shops also have battery recycling bins. The ‘Recycle Now’ website has a helpful battery section where you can pop in your postcode and find your nearest battery recycling facilities.

Image description: batteries to be recycled.

In July, Natural England and the government launched six new landscape-scale nature recovery projects, one of which is based in Cumbria. The ‘East of Eden’ Project is a multi-partner collaborative project, which extends across an area of 102,000ha from the fertile farmland of the eastern Eden Valley, and up the western slopes of the North Pennines to the moorlands above.

This area is recognised as being nationally and internationally important for its upland landscapes and wildlife, including the blanket bog and heaths of the moorland, the waters of the River Eden and birds such as curlew and black grouse. However, in common with the rest of the country, it has also suffered habitat loss and fragmentation. For example, tree clearance over many centuries means only fragments of once extensive woodland remain, leaving the landscape with some of the lowest tree cover in any of England.   

The project aims to build on and link-up existing successful initiatives in the area.  Partner organisations, who bring with them a wealth of skills and knowledge, are therefore working with Natural England to develop the project, including Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Eden Rivers Trust, the Farmer Network, the Federation of Cumbria Commoners, the North Pennines AONB Partnership, RSPB and the Woodland Trust. 

By working together we aim to provide the support needed by land managers, communities and businesses to create a bigger, better and more joined-up network of wildlife –rich habitats, from the valley bottom to the mountain tops.  We also aim to show how restoring healthy ecosystems can provide other benefits, extending far beyond the project boundary. For example, using Natural Flood Management techniques to help reduce flood risk in the Eden valley, and re-vegetating and re-wetting moorland peat so that it captures and stores more carbon.

This is a working, farmed landscape, where people are grappling with significant changes to farming support. The project will therefore help landowners and managers to access the advice, support and funding they need to be able to integrate management for nature as part of sustainable, thriving rural businesses and communities. This will include testing opportunities for accessing new types of funding such as green finance alongside more established mechanisms, such as environmental farming schemes. The project also aims to create new opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to engage with nature and the landscape and enjoy the health and well-being benefits this brings.

The project is in its early days, but over the coming year we want to talk with people who live and work in the area to find out more about their ambitions for nature recovery, the opportunities that exist and what help and support they may need to make the most of these. Please look out for events we are running, as we want to hear from as many people as possible. In the meantime, more about Natural England’s nature recovery projects can be found on-line via the following link: Nature recovery projects to boost wildlife and access to nature - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Image description: curlew image credit © Natural England/Allan Drewitt

Here are some events that you may be interested in:

Summary of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Cumbria & Trajectories to Net Zero | Wednesday 4 Oct | 2pm-3.30pm | Free

Join us to learn about Cumbria’s current greenhouse gas emissions, and hear inspiring examples of how the county is working towards net zero.  Hear expert speakers from Small World Consulting and the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership as they share the key findings from the updated Summary of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Cumbria and Trajectories to Net Zero. The updated report builds on the original baseline from 2019, and is an excellent indicator of the scale of Cumbria's emission reduction challenge, covering major sectors such as buildings, consumption & waste, farming & land use, and transport. It outlines the key sources of current emissions controlled or influenced by our local behaviours and choices, and which result from those visiting or just passing through our county. We’ll see a broad range of positive and inspiring responses already happening across Cumbria to reduce emissions. The event will include a panel discussion with audience Q&A opportunities. 

Link: Summary of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Cumbria & Trajectories to Net Zero (cafs.org.uk)

Zero Carbon Cumbria – Climate Café – Net Zero for Cumbria | Launching 12 October 11am-11.30am | Free

Join Zero Carbon Cumbria's Climate Cafe for engaging online conversations about tackling the climate crisis. Over a brew, we'll delve into challenges, solutions and opportunities it presents.  Our wide range of expert speakers will shed light on emission reduction strategies, and we'll also be showcasing inspiring local initiatives that are working towards a zero carbon Cumbria.

The first in the series of themed cafes will focus on  the compelling case for rapid emission reduction, the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership's ambitious commitment to reaching countywide net zero by 2037, and the practical challenges and opportunities this presents for Cumbria.

Link:  Cumbria Climate Cafe - Net Zero for Cumbria (cafs.org.uk)

Image description: a logo for the Zero Carbon Climate

Community Rail Cumbria is made up of three Accredited Lines – the Cumbrian Coast Line (Carlisle – Barrow), the Furness Line (Barrow – Carnforth- Manchester International Airport) and the Lakes Line (Windermere – Oxenholme- Manchester International Airport).

Website:  www.communityrailcumbria.co.uk

We were formerly hosted by Cumbria County Council and are now hosted by the new Westmorland & Furness Council, but also have a service level agreement in place to provide equivalent services to the new Cumberland Council.

Community Rail Cumbria has three individual Partnership Boards – one for each line – recognising the individuality of each line, but work together to provide a united voice for improving rail matters across Cumbria

The Community Rail Network is the Community Rail umbrella organisation, providing training events, advice and guidance and resources and they coordinate CRP interests across the UK. Community Rail Network is Community Rail’s key interface with the Department for Transport and Rail Delivery Group.

Community Rail’s key responsibility is to act as an interface between the rail industry and our local communities to help put rail travel at the heart of travel choices and to bring a sense of pride and place around the stations.

With over 70 CRPs across the country there are fantastic examples of CRPs working very effectively in the spheres of education, health, safety, capital programmes, place making, active travel and marketing and promotions

More updates to follow in the next Climate newsletter!

Image description: the community train station at Workington

The Swig Cart is a vintage horse box lovingly restored and converted into a mobile bar offering services to weddings, functions and events across Cumbria.

We talked to Lynsey Ireland, the entrepreneur behind this business, who told us “my broadband service and 4G availability when I am out and about supports what I do in many ways.  Tasks such as social media management and publicity, responding to enquiries, completing tax returns, online banking, research and purchase of products which support the business and email management are all possible to do from my home at a time that suits me.  Being a working mum to three children, this flexibility is so important – we all know how difficult a juggling act it can be at times”. 

Lynsey would encourage other businesses to get online “there is no doubt that being able to get online and have an online presence brings so many benefits to a business.  I definitely would not want to be without the service we have.”

Read the full story here.

Image description: Logo of the Swig Cart