July 28, 2026

I am the Cumbria CVS Bedrock Basics Project Development Officer. For those who have not heard of Bedrock Basics Project we work with non-profit organisations and community groups delivering services in west Cumberland.

Bedrock Basics is part of the Transforming West Cumbria Programme funded by Sellafield Limited and through support from Cumbria Community Foundation. Thanks to this financial support all of the services and support we deliver and provide are free of charge to representatives from non-profit groups and organisations delivering services in west Cumberland.

Since Bedrock Basics Project commenced in early 2021, we have been proud to work with and support 465 different groups and organisations across west Cumberland. Each one of these groups and organisations have their own key strengths, abilities and assets. The voluntary sector in Cumbria has a diverse range of people with a multitude of skills and talents. Each group we have worked with provides a range of vital services and support to the people and communities they have been set up to serve.

Bedrock Basics Project works with groups and organisations to provide a wide range of tailored 1:1 support and advice and group training and development opportunities. This covers areas such as:

• Business Planning
• Digital Skills
• Funding & Fundraising
• Health & Safety
• Governance
• Organisational Development
• Partnership Working
• Policies & Procedures
• Social Impact
• Sustainability
• Volunteers & Volunteering

We also help with anything that groups need assistance with which has included issues such as queries relating to venues and public liability insurance amongst many others.

Bedrock Basics Project is designed to build organisational resilience and develop the capacity, capabilities and sustainability of non-profit organisations. Throughout the past five years I have worked with staff and volunteers from organisations who have demonstrated their amazing resilience through all sorts of challenges. For most of them the challenges of sustainability remain and for many the challenges of sustainability are greater than ever before.

What Do People Mean When They Talk About Sustainability?

This is a good question. It may often depend on who it is that is talking about sustainability.

In my view it is most often mentioned in the context of financial sustainability. Many statutory sector partners and private sector funders often ask voluntary sector partners how or when the project will become sustainable? In my view this is often used as shorthand for no longer financially reliant.

In recent decades the second most common usage links to environmental topics and sustainability of the planet. This can cover sustainable energy production and use and a sustainable carbon footprint.

Sustainabilty can be, and often is, about either or both of the above. However it is, in the context of the voluntary sector about so much more.

When you reach for the dictionary one of the definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary is:

“capable of being continued at a certain rate or level.”

If you reach for the Cambridge Dictionary it says:

“the quality of being able to continue over a period of time.”
“the long-term sustainability of the community.”

During recent months I was pleased to be asked to take part in the Sellafield Limited / Sellafield Supply Chain Third Sector Sustainability Group alongside selected staff involved in social impact / social value roles. As part of this group I drafted a working definition of what I think sustainability means and is from a Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) perspective.

“Sustainability for VCFSE organisations is the long-term ability to continue delivering valued services to communities by maintaining stable finances, a skilled and supported workforce (paid and voluntary), robust policies and compliance, and secure, well-managed places and spaces. This includes promoting the sector’s resilience and adaptability to changing needs and contexts through effective leadership, succession, and collaboration.”

This definition tries to capture the ingredients that go towards making a sustainable organisation, sustainable sector supporting communities:

• Stable Finances (medium to long-term)
• Skilled Workforce (both paid and volunteers)
• Strong Policies (and compliance)
• Secure Places and Spaces (well managed)
• Succession Plans

I would welcome your thoughts on what sustainability looks like for your organisation? What are the issues? What are the challenges? What are the opportunities? What are the solutions?

I believe that non-profit groups and organisations play a vital role in the long-term sustainability of the communities we each live and work in. However the VCFSE sectors are at risk like never before and are being asked to play more of a role in the provision of services to more and more people. At the same time the existence of some organisations are now more precarious and uncertain than ever before.

Answers on a postcard to! Gordon.henry@cumbriacvs.org.uk

 

 

 

Gordon Henry
Bedrock Basics Project Development Officer
Cumbria CVS