December 5, 2024

Our South Copeland Development Officer, Beresford Moyle Rosser, discusses his hopes during the festive season and for 2025:

Yesterday, I went to Eskdale Green to visit a new project run by Nature Rich Miterdale, which is all about restoring a hidden valley to its former beauty, encouraging wildlife to return, and allowing the natural vegetation which would have existed in the Valley to grow and thus improve the biodiversity of the landscape. It is hoped that with the support of local volunteers – there are only 2 individuals involved in this project at the moment! – the dreams of the Project would come to fruition.

Then it was a quick drive back to Millom to meet another small team of 2 men who have a dream to create the first coffee shop in Millom since I arrived 3 years ago. It is hoped that the coffee shop will give opportunities for employment and empowerment to those young people with disabilities showing them that even with a disability there is a hope for a future of meaningful employment – something so often denied.

Hope. During this season in the Church’s calendar of Advent, hope is often expressed. The hope that Christmas brings and the hope for something better to come.

As this year comes to a close, I have seen hope in all sorts of ways with the different projects I have worked with.

Hope with village halls receiving audio visual technology enabling small isolated communities to connect to the wide world beyond their area.

Hope with small organisations offering free food and clothing to those struggling to make ends meet.

Hope in small charities learning how to be more sustainable so that they can achieve their aims without worrying how they will do so financially.

Hope in offering accommodation to those who have very little opportunity to get into nature and benefit from improved mental health as a result.

This month, in St George’s Church in Millom, this theme of hope is expressed so well with 60 different Christmas Trees representing different voluntary organisations and businesses which all make a contribution to the Millom and South Copeland Community – offering hope to those who live here. Millom may indeed be ’the town that Cumbria has forgotten’ but its residents are resilient and always hopeful for better times to come – evidenced with the exciting Town Deal which will come into fruition between now and 2026.

And I have my own hopes too:

In 2025, I hope to see more charities and voluntary groups have good governance in place with well trained trustees making a difference.

Hope that we will find enthusiastic volunteers wanting to be a part of delivering the hope that is offered by various local groups wanting to make a difference to those they serve.

Hope that more local groups become more self sustaining and less reliant on grants.

Hope that the voluntary sector works more closely together learning from each other and networking so that there is a strength of identity in the diversity of what is offered in South Copeland.
Where there is a will – there is always Hope.

May this season of hopefulness bring much joy to you, your loved ones and all those you care for and serve.