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Also in this week's edition:
Every year, young people aged between 13 and 24 help coordinate the Summer Reading Challenge, which is organised by the Reading Agency. The event encourages children aged 4 to 11 to read six library books over the summer holidays.
This year's Summer Reading Challenge is themed "Marvellous Makers," the challenge seeks to ignite the creative spark within young minds, empowering them to craft their own narratives through the power of reading. In support of this initiative, libraries are now calling for enthusiastic young volunteers to join the cause and make a meaningful impact in their community.
To learn more about volunteering opportunities and to apply, interested individuals are encouraged to reach out to their local library. Additionally, recruitment events are scheduled at Workington, Whitehaven, and Carlisle Libraries on Saturday 18 May from 11am to 1pm.
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Cumbria Fostering is inviting local people to find out more about fostering during Foster Care Fortnight, which runs from 13 to 26 May.
The theme of the annual awareness raising campaign this year is ‘fostering moments’ and throughout the campaign our foster carers will be sharing the moments that define their fostering journeys, big and small, to show that every moment matters when you foster.
For foster carer Ian, from Egremont, who (along with wife Alex) has fostered for more than two decades, the special moments sometimes come long after the young person has left their care. He explained: “We are still in touch with one young lady who stayed with us and she is now in the process of starting her own family. It was a really nice moment was when she chose to tell us, as one of the first people, that she was pregnant. That was lovely.”
Fostering offers children and young people a home when they are unable to live with their birth family. Sometimes children only stay with a foster family for a few days, while others will live with their foster family for their entire childhood and beyond.
Foster carers come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a wide range of life and work experiences with them. They work as part of a team of professionals and receive training to develop the skills required to meet the needs of children and young people in their care.
If you think you might have what it takes to foster, you can speak to our friendly team and carers at a virtual or face to face information session during the fortnight:
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Monday 20 May - Join our virtual information event between 6pm and 7pm and watch a short presentation on fostering and speak to our friendly team and carers. To book a place on our event please email Claire Crisp before 12pm on Friday 17 May
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Friday 24 May - Come along to our fostering information drop-in at Costa Coffee, Elephant Yard, Kendal from 1pm to 2pm
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Maryport Activity Centre, formerly known as the Wave, is to temporarily close from Sunday 26 May 2024 so it can undergo a major refurbishment.
The project will include a new adventure play centre for young children, improvements to the Clip n’ Climb attraction, new multipurpose studio spaces, a community meeting space, party rooms and a better gymnasium. Outside there will be a new bike hub, along with more attractive landscaping. The entrance area will be improved and the ground floor layout amended to make space for these new facilities.
Planning permission has already been granted for the scheme and Thomas Armstrong Group, of Flimby, and the design team from Align Property Partners in Cockermouth, have the contract to complete the works. The aim is to reopen the building again in December 2024.
This is all part of the £12 million regeneration of Maryport and funding for this project has been provided by the Government’s Future High Street Fund.
All regular users of the building, including the various community groups which use the facilities, have been notified by the management company GLL. The name change came about as a result of a request from Maryport’s Future Town Board and local schoolchildren came up with a title which better reflects the building’s use. As it is being done at the same time as the refurbishment, that means there is no additional cost.
Find out more at https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/news/2024/upgrade-maryport-attraction-gets-underway
The design of a new play park in Maryport has been revealed after more than 1,500 people voted in a public consultation.
A pirate-themed adventure play area will be built on the site of the ageing Shiver Me Timbers park on the town’s harbourside.
The public had the chance to vote on two themes - pirates or ocean wildlife - with 70% choosing the winning design. The consultation was carried out online, with voting forms also placed in key venues in Maryport; the town’s schools were visited too, with more than 130 children placing their votes.
This project is part of Cumberland Council’s £12 million regeneration of Maryport and its historic Harbourside and has been made possible by the Government’s Future High Streets Fund.
The tender to create the colourful new park has been won by play equipment specialists Kompan. The final design will incorporate a splash park, something which ranked highly in the last consultation in Maryport, along with slides, swings, a zipwire and more. The facilities will be designed to appeal to youngsters of all ages, including those who need accessible play equipment, and there will be seating for their parents and carers.
Residents have their say on Carlisle play park
Carlisle residents have also had their say as part of a consultation on play area improvements planned for Parkland Village.
We are investing £70,000 on the site after funding was secured from developer contributions from a nearby housing estate.
The play area is sited on a large green space within a residential area, there is also a football/basketball rebound wall on a tarmac surface and an informal grass football area with goals.
It was installed in 2004 and since then two smaller items of equipment have since been replaced, but the remainder of the equipment is now 20 years old.
The play area will be refurbished with new equipment and surfacing, plus an upgrade to the games rebound wall.
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Thank you to everyone who planted, painted, litter picked or sowed seeds at the Community Day in Maryport on Bank Holiday Monday.
The new Pocket Park in John Street is looking fabulous with its new wildlife mural, while the first of the raised beds will soon be beautifully colourful.
Down in La’al Harbour, next to the new Boardwalk, wildflowers should start to bloom in the areas sown with seeds chosen for their ability to thrive in a coastal environment.
The day’s activities were made possible by Cumberland Council and funding from Historic England’s Heritage Action Zone, while the Pocket Park and the Boardwalk were created by the Government’s Future High Streets Fund and are part of £12 million of regeneration projects taking place in Maryport.
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A local contractor has been appointed to undertake the design and build of a new activity and leisure facility in Millom and Haverigg.
Thomas Armstrong, based in the Cumberland area, will support the Millom Town Deal Board and Cumberland Council to deliver the scheme.
The new activity and leisure facility is part of the Activating Community Health projects and is one of four projects that make up the Millom Town Deal which secured £20.6m from the UK Government's Town's Fund alongside a further £8.7m in match funding.
The project will offer a swimming pool, sports hall and fitness studios within the setting of a community and leisure hub.
Contractor appointed for exciting new activity and leisure facility | Cumberland Council
The Border, Fellside and North Carlisle Community Panel recently invested in some fantastic projects – including a youth club, a fun day, and even an orchard.
A total of 12 projects were funded - read more about them here: New investments in local projects | Cumberland Council
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Our street scene team have been out this week giving a special deep clean to the streets of Whitehaven.
And our Environment Officers made some new furry friends in Carlisle! They had positive discussions with the responsible owners and gave the pups plenty of attention.
This all part of their work keeping the Cumberland area clean and tidy, and encouraging everyone to pick up after their pets.
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Copeland Community Fund is supporting us to deliver the following UKSPF grants. Find out if your organisation can apply:
Cultural Grants (UKSPF and REPF): Recognising the role of local arts, cultural and heritage institutions, Cumberland Council is making available funding for both capital works to existing arts, cultural and heritage assets and revenue support for cultural events and activities.
- Capital Cultural Grants from £25,000 to £120,000 are available for works to existing cultural, heritage or arts institutions.
- Revenue Cultural Grants from £10,000 to £50,000 are available to support cultural, heritage or arts activities/events.
Sports Grants (UKSPF): Recognising the role of local sports facilities, tournaments and teams within our local communities, Cumberland Council is making available both capital and revenue grants to support local clubs, tournaments and community sports facilities.
- Sports Capital Grants from £5,000 to £50,000 are available for capital works to existing sports facilities.
- Sports Revenue Grants from £5,000 to £50,000 are available to support sports tournaments and team activities and events.
Green Spaces Grants (REPF): Recognising the importance of rural green and blue infrastructure eg. community gardens, green spaces, watercourses and embankments, Cumberland Council is making available capital grants for the creation or improvement of local community spaces.
- Green Spaces Capital Grants from £10,000 to £50,000 are available to support capital works in the creation or improvement of publicly accessible local green spaces (REPF)
Please contact Copeland Community Fund Team via info@copelandcommunityfund.co.uk to discuss eligibility and request an application form.
The application deadline is Monday 27 May 2024.
Whilst we are pleased that the essential repairs to Rough Crag have now been completed by United Utilities, along with our technical consultants, we now need to review the report and works that have been carried out to ensure that the Crag has been returned to at least a comparable condition than that before Storm Arwen when the damage occurred.
The report from United Utilities was only handed to our highways officers at the end of last week. As such, we are not currently in a position to make a decision formally until next week at the earliest as to whether the road is able to safely reopen.
Although the risk of anything happening may be low, on the grounds of public safety which is our main priority and to comply with our statutory duty, it is considered that the road must remain closed until assurances are received and work has been reviewed.
Our officers are working as fast and as diligently as possible to get the road open again, and we’ll provide public communications once we feel it is safe to do so.
We are replacing and refurbishing the heritage lanterns on Eden Bridges in Carlisle.
The existing lanterns, which have become unreliable due to their age, are set to be replaced, ensuring this landmark retains its historic charm while benefiting from modern technology.
The River Eden, a Special Area of Conservation, is a key natural asset with a rich diversity of flowers and wildlife, including nationally important species. This river serves as a crucial nocturnal corridor for various ecological communities that live and feed along its course. Therefore, when considering new lighting options, the council prioritised the protection of this valuable environment.
The new lanterns will incorporate advanced LED technology with a reduced blue light spectrum, replicating the warm, soft glow of traditional gas lanterns. This design aims to minimise light pollution and maintain the historical appeal of the area. Additionally, the lighting will only operate between sunset and midnight to further reduce the environmental impact. In addition, road lighting will also be maintained to ensure safety.
Lighting up the future of the Heritage Lanterns on Eden Bridges | Cumberland Council
To mark Dementia Action Week (13 to 17 May 2024) we have organised a series of activities to support those affected by dementia.
we are part of the Dementia Action Alliance (DAA), a partnership made up of many organisations, including Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust Memory Team, Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK West Cumbria, CAAS (Copeland Age & Advice Service), Active Cumbria, Community Pharmacies, Social Prescribers, Northern Fells Group, Workington Town Council, and Lakes College.
The alliance also includes residents from across Cumberland who are interested in knowing more and helping people live well with Dementia.
The DAA work to develop projects and initiatives for people living with dementia or other memory problems and for people caring for them.
Each year, as part of Dementia Action Week, Cumberland Council host a number of sessions to help raise awareness to everybody about the risks of getting dementia, what it’s like to live with dementia, and how those affected can access support.
A list of Cumberland Council’s Dementia Action Week events can be found on the Cumberland Council website: https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/news/2024/cumberland-council-take-action-dementia-dementia-action-week .
More information about the support available to those affected by dementia in Cumberland can be found on the DAA website.
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