June 10, 2022

An award of nearly £300k of funding will support volunteer “Community Connectors” from local organisations throughout Cumbria to improve engagement between the third sector, public sector, and key stakeholders and funders.

The money, from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Reaching Communities fund, has been awarded to us to run the new project.

Working closely with public sector bodies, we have helped foster innovative approaches to meeting local needs. The new project aims to enhance the engagement between the third sector and the public sector, key stakeholders, and funders to build the capacity of these organisations to deliver connected and complementary services for the future.

The Connectors will be local community representatives or leaders, supported by us, who will make sure their community groups, and the views of local communities, are heard and help to shape future plans, services or projects that might affect them.

The project will recruit and train them to be at the centre of identifying and capturing local needs and issues. Three new Area Engagement Officers will be on hand to provide them with guidance and support.

Our Chief Executive, David Allen, said: “We are thrilled with this opportunity to help develop better links between communities, community groups, public and voluntary sector organisations. It gives us all a real chance to support communities to have their voices heard and builds on Cumbria’s strong volunteering history”.

We hope that communities across Cumbria, through their community groups, become better connected and involved in existing, emerging and developing initiatives and opportunities. The project will also provide a significant and independent conduit during a period of intense change in Cumbria, as the local authority transitions into two unitary ones.

Duncan Nicholson, Head of Regional Funding – North East & Cumbria Team, said: “The National Lottery Community Fund are delighted to be able to support the work of Cumbria CVS and their Community Connectors programme. The project’s aims, to enhance the connections within the third sector and to build the capacity of these organisations to deliver connected and complementary services for the future, fit very much with our ambitions as a funder to ensure that communities have a voice. The project will facilitate engagement between the public sector, stakeholders, and funders with the third sector. It is thanks to National Lottery players that we can make awards like this”.