Health and Wellbeing News, Events and Opportunities – May 2025
May 22, 2025
Welcome to Cumbria CVS’s Health and Wellbeing News, Events and Opportunities for April ’25. This page will be updated regularly, so we are delighted you have landed here today and hope that you will keep coming back for updates during the month.
To catch up on our News, Events & Opportunities from April 2025, click here
Lots of the News, Events and Opportunities information will also be appearing in our regular Health and Wellbeing Bulletin. This Bulletin is sent out to all current members of our two Networks: Action for Health and the Mental Health Provider Forum. If you have found this page useful why not join either or both Networks by following these links:
News – we will be using this as an opportunity to pick out particularly important/interesting articles from our most recent Bulletin and/or highlighting information that might be time sensitive.
Events – we will be using this as an opportunity to highlight events of interest to organisations interested in health and care issues including Network events. Most of these will be local Cumbria events but some maybe regional.
Opportunities – we will be using this to highlight health and care focused funding and project opportunities, representative roles and working groups you might want to get involved in and much more. These will focus on Cumbria but may also include regional opportunities.
If you’ve seen something you think we should be sharing, let us know! Email us:
Clare Edwards claree@cumbriacvs.org.uk
Holly Ferguson hollyf@cumbriacvs.org.uk
Sarah Penn sarah.penn@cumbriacvs.org.uk
NORTH CUMBRIA NHS area – We are delighted to introduce our NEW group of ICC Third Sector Representatives 2025 to 2027
Thank you to everyone who has supported us to recruit our fantastic new team of ICC Third Sector Representatives in North Cumbria. We are particularly grateful to people who stood for election, for those who voted and for those who spread the word abut this opportunity.
The level of interest shown in these roles and being a part of the democratic process to pick the right people to represent our sector within ICCs is a sure sign that these roles and influence they have are really important to us all.
You will find the new Team of Representatives by clicking here
Our ICC Representatives will be the voice of the third sector in their nominated ICC and will be representing the full range of services and organisations within our sector. They will also be actively identifying all the unique skills, knowledge and resources our sector brings to the world of health & care.
Please do feel free to connect with Representatives particularly if you are keen to promote the work you do or are looking at developing new or expanding existing services in the ICC they sit within. You might also want to connect if you are keen to present at a meeting and/or offer training/information/awareness raising sessions for health and care staff in a particular ICC.
In July and/or September will be running meet our Reps sessions when you will get an opportunity to meet and talk in-person to your Representatives.
If you would like to know more about ICCs (Integrated Care Communities) and how they work, please connect with:
Clare Edwards Health Partnerships Manager
CUMBERLAND area – Join us at special drop-in sessions about the future of libraries
We’re inviting you and anyone with an interest in Cumberland’s Library Service to take part in shaping its future.
You’ll know that we’ve recently launched Fit for the Future, a new programme designed to make sure our libraries continue to meet the needs of our communities for years to come, and as part of this we’re holding a series of drop-in sessions at libraries and Library Links across Cumberland over the next few weeks.
Click here for more information.
WESTMORLAND AND FURNESS COUNCIL area – Digital Technology and Mental Health Inequalities
Our next NENC ARC Mental Health Special Interest Group Meeting will take place on Tuesday 8th July between 2pm and 3.30 pm.
The focus of this on-line meeting will be “Digital Technology and Mental Health Inequalities” and we are planning on getting speakers from the North-East to talk about research and practice surrounding digital exclusion or how digital can be used to improve Mental Health.
To register for the event please click Here
SOUTH CUMBRIA NHS area – Meet the Third Sector Event 24.06.2025 11.30am to 2.30pm (mental health focus)
A market-place style event that show cases all our sector’s great services
Nan Tait Centre, Abbey Road, Barrow LA14 1LG 12 noon to 2pm
Open to stall holders 11.30am for set up
This event is a great way for you and your organisation to connect with a variety of clinical and care staff from local statutory sector organisations in the Barrow area who support people experiencing mental health issues.
Our aim for the session is to bring together lots of third sector organisations in one place. To show case all the great services we deliver and offer statutory sector colleagues an opportunity to talk to you all in one place at one time about your services and referral processes.
Cumbria CVS, with your help, will advertise the event to lots of local clinical and care staff such as:
- GP based Social Prescribing Link Workers
- Community Mental Health staff from LSCFT
- Health & Wellbeing Coaches from Westmorland & Furness Council
- Memory in Later Life staff from LSCFT
- Home carers/reablement staff
- Social Workers
- GP’s and GP nurses
- GP based reception staff etc
- District Nursing Teams
- Health based OT’s and physiotherapists
- OT’s from Adult Social Care
- ICC managers & contacts
We have limited space (approx. 20 organisations) so we need you and your organisation to book now – follow this link
SORRY – we are not able to offer any power/sockets for stall holders
If you would like to know more about the event please contact:
Clare Edwards claree@cumbriacvs.org.uk
Holly Ferguson HollyF@cumbriacvs.org.uk
Click here to book on
COCKERMOUTH area – Cockermouth Sight and Hearing Support ‘Link and Think
Cumbria CVS Health Partnerships team, in partnership with Cumbria Deaf Association, West Cumbria Macular Society and Deafblind UK, is holding the latest in a series of ‘Link and Think’ events.
These events are small, local opportunities to hear about the support on offer around a particular theme, and a chance for link workers (eg health coaches, carer support workers, social prescribers) to share more about how they can help people.
The Sight and Hearing Support ‘Link and Think’ event will be held in Cockermouth at Christ Church (Main church) on June 12th 12.30-3.30 with a free lunch provided at the beginning.
Click here to book on.
COUNTYWIDE – An opportunity to get involved in public consultation about Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits & Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper
A great opportunity for third sector/VCSE organisations to deliver a range of services to support people whose health is preventing them getting back into their workplace/role.
Please also note the Public consultation events for Pathways to Work: Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper – GOV.UK
As part of DWP’s commitment to hear from members of the public directly, including disabled people and their representatives, we are pleased to launch the following public events on this consultation between April and June 2025:
Virtual events (across the UK)
To share your views on specific parts of the consultation, we are running 6 additional virtual events, on the following chapters:
6 May: Reforming the structure of the health and disability benefits system (chapter 2)
15 May: Supporting people to thrive (chapter 3)
20 May: Supporting employers and making work accessible (chapter 4)
28 May: Reforming the structure of the health and disability benefits system (chapter 2)
5 June: Supporting people to thrive (chapter 3)
12 June: Supporting employers and making work accessible (chapter 4)
Please use the Eventbrite tickets above to sign up for each event. Attendees will be sent a Teams link to the event once the event has been sold out, with additional joining details.
For any additional queries related to public consultation events, please email at: events.pathwaystowork@DWP.GOV.UK
COUNTYWIDE – Volunteer opportunity and partnerships for health tech
People with experience of cellulitis – Invitation for Research
At the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre, we are interested in hearing from people who have experienced cellulitis diagnosis and treatment. We would like to understand:
- Your pathway of diagnosis and treatment through the healthcare system
- Your views on what is important for a diagnostic test/device
If you would be happy to attend a 1-hour online meeting to share your experience, please email: youngjoo.kang@phc.ox.ac.uk . No preparatory work required. Remuneration for sessions at NIHR rates: £25/hr + £5 supplement for online services. There may be further, long-term opportunities to shape research.
Community Organisations for Health – Invitation for Partners in Research
At the NIHR Health Tech Research Centre for Community Healthcare, we aim to reduce health inequalities and unequal access to healthcare through health technology implementation at the community level.
Our themes: Respiratory illnesses, Infections, Community-centred Paediatrics, Cancer Diagnosis, Care Homes, Mental Health, Community Healthcare.
Our Invitation: We are interested in partnering long-term with local organisations who represent and serve people relevant to the above themes.
Remuneration: Co-facilitated events will be remunerated at NIHR rates: £25/hr + £5 supplement, plus remuneration for preparatory work.
If interested, please contact: youngjoo.kang@phc.ox.ac.uk
COUNTYWIDE – Expression of Interest: Lived Experience Researcher Opportunity
An opportunity for individuals with lived experience of mental health services to join a UCL research team as Lived Experience Researchers (LERs) on a national evaluation of the 24/7 Community Mental Health Crisis Pilots, commissioned by NHS England (Hope Haven in Whitehaven).
LERs will work alongside academic researchers to:
- Conduct in-person interviews with service users and/or family carers
- Support the secure upload of transcripts and anonymised interview notes
- Contribute to early analysis, including reviewing transcripts and helping identify key themes
- Co-develop topic guides to ensure the evaluation remains meaningful and grounded in lived experience
All LERs will receive a light-touch induction, regular check-ins, and support from the UCL team throughout the project, in addition payment of £25 per hour will be offered.
Closing date is 27.05.2025
Click here to view the form
