A total of £4 million in Community Investment Funding (CIF) from the GDF programme has now been awarded to local projects in South Copeland since the Community Partnership formed in December 2021.
CIF supports projects that benefit the South Copeland Search Area – helping local groups deliver ideas that make a real difference to the community.
So far, in South Copeland, 98 projects have received funding, with 20 awarded in 2025.
Each year, up to £1 million in funding is made available to Search Areas taking part in the GDF siting process.
CIF offers the opportunity to secure funding for projects, big or small, that:
- Create economic opportunities
- Enhance the natural or built environment
- Improve community wellbeing
Projects benefitting from CIF funding in 2025 include:
Activating Community Health (Millom Leisure Centre): £268,015 – Between 2024-2026, £500,000 will be granted to help deliver the facility – of that £200k is specifically for the 3G pitch resurfacing work and £300k towards the fitting-out element of the building.
Black Combe PCC: £5,000 – The project is to repair and restore the clock face at St Michael and All Angels Church.
Black Combe Runners: £1,720 – The funding is a contribution towards hosting the 13km Black Combe Race on 8 March 2026. The race provides an opportunity for the club and for the village to host a round of a national competition, and this grant provides a contribution towards the additional facilities required due to the increased participant/visitor numbers.
Bootle Ladies Women’s Institute: £500 – The grant contributed towards to provision of a 100th Birthday celebration for the Bootle Ladies Women’s Institute on 18 May 2025. It included the hiring of the village hall, a brass band, and catering.
Cumbria Addictions Advice & Solutions: £99,733 – Towards the continuation of a successful three-year project. The project is aimed at providing a holistic response to community well-being with a focus on addictions. The funding will support individual recovery programmes, groups, workshops, presentations, family support and profile-raising activities.
Drigg & Carleton Village Hall Management Committee: £34,701 – The project is to purchase and install a complete and integrated cinema and sound system with upgrade of the existing hearing loop. The award will allow the Village Hall to hold year-round big screen cinema events for the community.
Egremont Fairtrade and Local Campaign Group: £4,800 – Funding to provide transport from Millom to the monthly Egremont Fairtrade and Local Farmers Market for three years. It is aimed mainly at elderly and disabled people who don’t drive or have their own transport. As well as supporting the market, it also provides an opportunity for people to socialise and make friends, reducing social isolation and improving connectivity.
The Eskdale Centre CIC: £5,349 – To provide feasibility studies and an energy efficiency assessment of the Eskdale Bunkhouse. A further £8,385 was allocated to this project in 2024.
Haverigg Inshore Rescue: £68,809 – For the refurbishment of the lifeboat, including a full strip down, rebuild, repairs and equipment upgrades where necessary.
Haverigg United Football Club: £8,655 – Haverigg United Football Club were awarded funding to purchase of new equipment, namely a new set of portable goalposts and a container for secure storage of their equipment.
The Rotary Club of West Lakeland: £1,908 – Funds were provided to upgrade the design of two interpretation boards installed on a public footpath near the River Irt and Irton Church.
Millom Community Track: £23,238 – The project will provide an additional seven solar lights for the Millom Community Track and enable full light coverage of the track. This will contribute to the safety of current users and encourage use of the track later in the day.
Millom Pensioners Association: £50,054 – The funding will provide the installation of up-to-date audio-visual equipment which will enhance the opportunities for Millom Pensioners Association, attract more hall users, and expand the types of events they may offer to the community.
Millom Rugby Union FC: £45,930 – To replace the old heating and water system with an updated, efficient and environmentally friendly system which will help with financial sustainability and reduce carbon footprint.
Millom Town Council: £100,000 – Grant awarded to replace the outdated play equipment on the Haverigg Dunes area, with 11 new pieces of play equipment delivered, and including the replacement of appropriate ground covering.
Millom Town Council: £45,800 – To purchase The Salvation Army Hall on Nelson Street in Millom to ensure the building remains a community space. The building is planned to be leased to Shackles Off, providing them with a permanent space to deliver their youth services. The space could also be made available to other groups wishing to provide community services.
Muncaster Visitor Management Limited: £35,900 – To support the employment of a skilled Community Gardener to lead the reinstatement of the Community Kitchen Gardens, at Muncaster Castle. The initiative is part of the organisation’s broader mission to promote sustainable living, social connection and local food resilience. The funding will be used for salary costs and purchase of tools and equipment, garden supplies, PPE for volunteers and marketing.
Santon Bridge Village Hall: £10,000 – The grant will help address a number of age-related building issues including the repair of a culvert, and preparatory work for future improvements
Shackles Off Youth & Community Project: £100,000 – To continue and expand provision they are currently delivering for young people in Millom. This award enables them to secure staffing costs and expand their provision to seven youth work sessions per week.
St Paul’s Irton Parochial Church Council: £8,000 – Funding contributing towards the full restoration of the 1874 Grade 11 listed organ within St Pauls Church, Irton. The restoration work is currently underway. It is scheduled to be reinstalled into the church in Summer 2026.
St Paul’s Irton Parochial Church Council: £3,140 – The project is to display historical photographs of the local inhabitants of Drigg, Irton, Santon, Holmrook and Eskdale at St Paul’s Church in Irton which were taken in the 1800s. They will also be displaying new photographs taken in 2024 of the same dwellings and villages to show a comparison to life then and now. The exhibition will be free to all those who attend.
Ulpha Village Hall: £10,000 – To fund the completion of a ground floor storeroom, replacing current storage on a hard-to-access mezzanine. This will include bespoke shelving for equipment, and heavy-duty trolleys.
Now going into its fifth year, the South Copeland Community Partnership’s Investment Panel continues to award funding to projects that benefits the residents of the South Copeland search area and the grants team are available to support interested groups and organisations with their applications.
For more information about the funding and how you can apply online, please visit our Community Investment Funding webpage. You can also contact the grants team by email at communityinvestment-southcopeland@nuclearwasteservices.uk