June 6, 2023

Have you ever wondered how many voluntary and community sector organisations there are in Cumbria?

How many staff they employ, and how many people volunteer with them? What they’re worth to Cumbria’s economy? Or what they’re thinking about the future?

Well, if you have, we now have many of the answers!

Professor Tony Chapman from Durham University has been running the Third Sector Trends study since 2008 – and the latest round of surveys took place last year.

It’s now a nationwide study, but we’ve got a new report that looks specifically at the Cumbria data (split, where possible, into the new Unitary Council areas)  – a fantastic resource if you want some facts and figures to explain just how important the sector is to life in Cumbria.

You can find the full report, and a summary, here

Oh, the answers?

2,294 not for profit organisations registered in Cumbria (but probably more like 5,000 if you could count all the small, unregistered community groups – Cumbria Community Foundation has funded at least 4,000 different organisations…)

Over 10,000 FTE staff, and over 50,000 volunteers – and a combined annual income of over £500m.

And for the rest, you’ll need to read the report…

(You can find all the earlier Third Sector Trends reports here)