October 6, 2026

‘The best place to start when helping people is (focusing on) what’s strong within them and their communities and not with what’s wrong.’

Cormac Russell, Sustainable Community Development.

 

In Mid Copeland there is much of ‘what’s strong’ to focus on and build upon.

I’ve been doing quite a bit of work in Thornhill over the last 6 months, focussing on community assets that already exist, and working to develop them (and bring them together where opportunities present themselves), for the benefit of residents in the area.

Thornhill has a Pensioners Association to reckon with. I recently met the current Treasurer, whose mother was one of the founding members. Formed in the 1960s they have been running activities and trips for their members for fifty plus years. They used to organise trips abroad in the 1960s and 1970s! Now it’s day trips locally and within the UK.

I am supporting them to increase their membership and activities to benefit even more pensioners in Thornhill, building on their incredible work of the last 50 years. I am working together with the management committee on project development, grant funding applications and strengthening their governance.

Thornhill is home to other valuable community assets, including Thornhill Primary School. Located in the heart of the village, the school has excellent outdoor areas and is keen to develop projects that use these green spaces for the benefit of the wider community. I have provided project development and funding support so far and look forward to seeing these ideas take shape.

Thornhill Social Club have plans to transform into a more inclusive and accessible community centre, which will enable them to host a range of activities for the benefit of residents. Development support offered has included business support, project development, and funding, as they currently reflect on their next steps for this project.

Other examples of development support for the VCFSE sector in Mid Copeland over the past 6 months have included:

• Support for an organisation to gain charitable status, with governance support for their Trustees to be able to conduct their new roles.
• Funding search for a local community library, creating a report on funding opportunities for furniture, IT equipment, and solar panels.
• Project development and funding application support for a community defibrillator project covering Mid and South Copeland.
• Governance support for setting up a new community group.
• Supporting an organisation with Trustee recruitment to fill gaps in skills and experience of the current Board, including a Trustee skills audit.
• Supporting an organisation with creating volunteering opportunities that are precise in terms of location and role expectations. Thus, supporting prospective volunteers to find suitable volunteering opportunities in their area when searching by location on the Cumbria CVS Volunteering Portal, and helping the organisation to attract suitable volunteers that match the criteria.

Alongside one-to-one support, I have helped deliver our core learning programme over the past six months. This has included workshops on volunteer management, funding and budgets, and our newly updated Environment and Sustainability Policy workshop. We will continue to offer these and other workshops throughout the autumn and into 2027 to support the VCFSE sector across Cumbria. View our current training & events here

I am hosting a Drop-in Session at Mawson’s Ice Cream Parlour in Seascale on 22nd October, 13:00-15:00 where you can find out about setting up a new voluntary group or charity, or volunteering in your community. I can also offer support and information to voluntary and community groups about grant funding opportunities, governance, business planning and sustainability, and volunteer management.

No need to book, just pop in for a chat.

Finally, we are delighted to announce that Cumbria CVS has received funding from the Mid Copeland GDF Community Investment Fund to continue providing development support to the VCFSE sector across Mid Copeland for another year, from November 2026 to November 2027.

Please do contact me to see how I can support you.

 

 

 

 

Kate

kate.grove@cumbriacvs.org.uk