A total of £3 million of Community Investment Funding (CIF) has now been awarded to local projects in South Copeland since the formation of the Community Partnership.
CIF grants can be used for projects that benefit the communities within the South Copeland Community Partnership Search Area.
79 projects have benefited from the support so far – 27 initiatives in 2022, 23 in 2023 and a further 29 in 2024.
Up to £1 million funding is made available each year for local communities engaging in the GDF siting process.
The Community Investment Panel is now into its fourth year of providing the funding and the grants team is supporting interested groups and organisations on their applications.
CIF offers an opportunity to secure funding for projects, big or small, that:
- Create economic opportunities
- Enhance the natural or built environment
- Improve community wellbeing
The Community Investment Panel may also consider funding for projects that are delivered outside of the Search Area, however, the applicant would be required to demonstrate and evidence the benefit to the community in the South Copeland Search Area.
Projects benefitting from the funding in year 3 include:
A Skye Full of Stars: £1,100 – The grant will provide a personalised marquee, which the charity can use for outreach events. The Charity awards grants to children/young people aged 25 and under in the Millom area to help them fulfil their dreams, including education, sports, dance and music.
Bootle & District Bowling Club: £26,467 – To purchase new equipment to maintain the Bowling Green. This new machinery will enable the greens man to produce a better playing surface for the members, local community and visitors to enjoy the game of Bowls. The equipment covered includes a Mower, Spiker, Scarifier and Sprayer.
Bootle Village Hall: £50,000 – Towards the replacement of the play park equipment area next to Bootle Village Hall.
Cumberland Council: £200,000 – Contribution towards Activating Community Health, a project in Millom will provide a new Health Hub facility for the community. The money provided will fund an upgraded surface (3G) to the existing artificial pitch; and a further £150k from both the 2025 and 2026 budget will be provided for the outfitting of the biulding stage of the full Activating Community Health project.
Cumberland & Westmorland Archaeological & Antiquarian Society: £1,020 – In addition to £3,627 allocated in 2023, to fund a local excavation searching for evidence of and activities relating to a medieval settlement and the history of Irton.
Duddon & Furness Mountain Rescue: £57,500 – To contribute towards costs for a new purpose-built centre providing a control room, secure storage for three vehicles and a wide range of medical, rope access and water rescue equipment; space for maintenance, training, briefing and the welfare of members, relatives and the public on operations; and drying facilities.
Eskdale Mill Heritage Trust: £4,000 – Funding towards volunteer training, and the related PPE, tools and materials costs involved at Eskdale Mill.
Haverigg Nursery & The Clubbers: £20,225 – Towards the replacement of existing old equipment and the purchase of new equipment to enhance both the internal and external play areas nursery resources.
Howgill Family Centre: £59,894 – Has received a total of £190,935 over three years to the Good Enough Start programme. Good Enough Start contributes to parents understanding of how they develop their baby’s lifelong mental health, shaped by the parent-infant relationship.
Millom Amateur Operatic Society: £4,871 – Funding to enable a series of surveys to be completed in relation to the building.
Millom Baptist Church: £46,089 – New audio-visual conference facilities will be installed to two areas of the Church building; the Sanctuary and the Main Hall. This will enhance the overall use of the hall for all users of the building.
Millom Bowling Club: £14,547 – To purchase a new lawn mower with interchangeable cassettes to enable the upkeep of the local bowling green for the local community.
Millom National Children’s Choir: £5,000 – Funding for seven children to attend two week-long courses with the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain. This gave the children the opportunity to work with the very best choral and vocal coaches alongside children from all over the country who share their love of music and singing.
Millom Rugby League Football Club: £45,739 – For the installation of a Solar Panel System which will allow them to reduce utility costs and contribute towards the sustainabilty of the Club.
Millom Recreation Centre Limited: £3,912 – The project will provide surveys for Millom Recreation Centre (MRC) which are aimed at assessing the feasibility of installing solar panels to reduce energy costs, promote sustainability and increase the centre’s eco-friendly agenda, efficiency, and annual users.
Millom Striders Running Club: £2,536 – To provide funding for the Run the Edge 2024 event, which is a running event from Millom along the West Coast.
Millom Town Council: Awarded £4,083 to replace six public seats in Millom and £4,764 for the provision of seven new seats at points around the lagoon.
Millom Velo Club: £10,000 – For the purchase of training equipment to enable them to create an inclusive and safe environment for cyclists of all ages to learn, develop and improve their bike handling skills for both on and off-road disciplines.
Mind in Furness: £36,617 – ‘Safe Space Millom’ will provide a weekly mental health drop in/support service with a full range of targeted mental health and wellbeing opportunities. All sessions and courses delivered as part of this project are free to attendees.
Muncaster Microbus: £30,000 – This grant is to provide funding towards a replacement vehicle of a similar type and specification to the current disabled accessible minibus used by the Muncaster Microbus Ltd, allowing them to continue with their current services.
Norman Nicholson House: £63,741 – The project aims to rescue the lifelong home of the 20th century Cumbrian poet Norman Nicholson from a state of increasing disrepair and transform it into a place that people will want to visit. The grant award is to contribute to external renovation costs.
Silecroft Village Hall Committee: £27,963 – For the supply and installation of audio-visual equipment. It will enable the hall to offer conference facilities, film nights, children’s entertainment and family parties.
Slag Bank Play Area Association: £29,723 – To replace the current play area flooring, which will provide a safe all-weather, all-season surface for the children’s play area.
South Cumbria Sea Sports Association: £21,560 – This grant application is for Phase 2 of the project to erect a tractor facility which will enable the members to carry out repairs whilst at the site rather than the tractors being moved to members’ homes for any repair and maintenance works. The extra facility will be energy efficient, enable repair works to be carried out in a safe manner, and reduce the carbon footprint of their operations.
St Paul’s Irton Parochial Church Council: £400 – Towards obtaining an expert’s report on the conservation and display of two medieval objects: The 9th century Anglian cross, a scheduled monument of national importance, currently in poor condition; and the 13th century Irton crusader’s grave slab, currently in storage beneath the Abbey Church at St Bees.
The Eskdale Centre CIC: £8,385 (with an additional £7,257 taken from 2025’s budget) – The project is to provide feasibility studies and an energy efficiency assessment in regard to the Eskdale Bunkhouse.
West Lakeland Rotary Club: £4,295 – To install interpretation boards for St Paul’s Church to Irton Hall walk. The first being a natural history information board located at Holmrook Hall Bridge and the second detailing the history of the footpath is adjacent to St Paul’s Church.
Whicham Parish Council: £10,000 – The project will update and provide additional play equipment for children under 7 years-of-age in the Parish Council owned play areas in Silecroft and Kirksanton.
Waberthwaite & Corney District Village Hall: £93,069 – For the installation of audio-visual equipment which will attract more hall users and expand the types of events they may offer to the community. The project will also provide a heating upgrade and installation of CCTV.
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