Teresa Jennings (middle) with Simon Fell MP (left) and Tim Farron MP (right)
Brathay has been at the forefront of youth development for decades. One of the ways they engage with young people is through outdoor residentials. Outdoor residentials are not mere escapades into nature; they are transformative journeys. “Research shows they support development in confidence, teamwork, wellbeing, and life skills”, explains Andy Watson, Chair of Trustees.
However, more and more schools and families are struggling to cover the cost of residential experiences due to the continued shrinking of the public purse and cost of living hikes.
But now, thanks to a new initiative from Brathay Trust, they aim to turn this on its head and support 5,000 more young people for the next 5 years to experience a life-changing residential at Brathay.
The Brathay Bursary was launched last night (April 16th) at the Palace of Westminster by Brathay and Cumbrian MPs Simon Fell and Tim Farron.
The Bursary will ensure these experiences are accessible to all. “No young person should miss out due to financial constraints” explains Teresa Jennings Chief Executive of Brathay.
“Whether it`s scrambling up a hillside or canoeing on the lake, there are so many activities which can really help build confidence, resilience, and self-awareness in young people who might otherwise be struggling with their social and emotional development all supported by our expert facilitation. The outdoors is exhilarating, but it comes with challenges – mental and physical – that require, say, problem solving or teamwork. Learning these skills away from home in a new environment and spending time outside can help with young people who are struggling for one reason or another.”
“But when money is tight, not least during a cost-of-living crisis, families or schools may not have the funds to be able to help children who are struggling with their mental health. And these children may not be able to enjoy the uplifting opportunities of the great outdoors. The Brathay Bursary hopes to address that.”
The charity aims to source donations for the bursary through businesses and donations from those who can help.
“Imagine the impact of 5,000 more young people experiencing outdoor residentials. It’s not just about them, it’s about their families, schools, and neighbourhoods. We all become part of that transformative journey. When you invest in the Bursary you invest in the future”, Andy Watson, Chair of the Trustees concludes.
Teresa Jennings (left) with Aspiring Leaders Programme Graduates of this year, Jade Kieft (middle) and Garryck Spurgeon-Price (right)
Showcase Cumbria heard about Twentee-Total from one of their founders, Carmen de Castro and delighted with their permission to share about it.
Learnt that Twentee-Total is a dynamic group that brings together young adults, primarily in their 20s, who reside in Cumbria.
They connect, engage, and inspire. Life in your twenties is a pivotal time for personal growth, networking, and forging meaningful connections so fantastic that Twentee-Total provides the platform for young adults to come together, learn, and create lasting memories.
What they have done so far!
Sold-Out Events: Over the past few months, they have organized a series of sold-out events alongside local businesses that cater to diverse interests. From workshops and outdoor adventures, their events are designed to enrich lives and foster friendships.
Local Collaboration: They collaborate with local businesses. By partnering with them, they enhance the quality of their meet-ups and contribute to the community’s vitality.
Online Presence: People can stay connected to them via Facebook and Instagram (@twenteetotal) where they share event details, stories, and glimpses of our vibrant community.
Get Involved
Have questions? Want to join their next event? Reach out to them via email twenteetotalofficial@gmail.com or social media. Twentee-Total is more than just a group; it’s a supportive network where friendships flourish and possibilities abound.
I wanted to take a moment to share something close to my heart—the incredible work happening at Botcherby Community Association in Carlisle in Cumbria. While I don’t often shout about it, today feels like the right time to do so.
Our dedicated team, led by the hardworking Helen (our center manager) and Marion (our center assistant), has been making a significant impact. This week, we welcomed 82 people to our Weekly Pop-Up Pantry, ensuring that each one left with something good. 🛒
It fills me with pride to see our community come together to support those in need. But it also saddens me that so many people require this vital assistance. The truth is, life can be tough, and sometimes a helping hand makes all the difference.
Here’s what you need to know about our Pop-Up Pantry:
Affordable Access: For just £3.50, families can choose from a variety of 10 items. Our pantry is specifically designed to support low-income households.
Nutritious Selection: We offer everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to frozen goods and occasional treats.
No Referral Needed: Anyone can access the pantry—no referrals required. We’re here for you.
Join us every Wednesday from 12 pm to 3 pm at the Botcherby Community Centre (Victoria Road, Carlisle, CA1 2UE). Our community center cafe is where the magic happens.
Let’s continue to lift each other up, one meal at a time. Thank you for being part of this journey.
Warm regards,
Chloe Brownlee-Chapman Chair, Botcherby Community Association
Churches and faith groups across the Westmorland and Furness Council area are being asked to contribute to a social action audit during the month of April this year. In 2015 a national social action audit found that 4400 churches and faith groups were mobilising nearly 140,000 volunteers across the UK and reaching 3.5 million beneficiaries. These results were staggering with a networth to the UK economy of £3 billion a year.
Fast forward 9 years and Churches Together in Cumbria, Westmorland & Furness Council and Cinnamon Network are working together to discover the impact in our area today.
We know that churches and other faith communities are providing weekly warm hubs, mental health cafe’s, dementia support groups, bereavement support, parent & toddlers groups, luncheon groups, and the list goes on. We are keen to understand what is going on and where so that overlapping activities, gaps in provision and opportunities for new partnerships can be identified.
We would therefore like to encourage churches and other faith groups in the Westmorland & Furness to register for the audit before 1st April. Registration is a commitment by each church or faith community to spend no more than 30 minutes submitting information on what they are doing, how many volunteers are involved and how many people benefit.
Derek Lacey, Churches Together in Cumbria, Social Responsibility Forum Chair commented “This is a great opportunity to understand what churches and other faith communities are doing now, and might do in future, to benefit our area.”
So far, we’ve had over 90 churches and faith groups register. Many of their projects are alleviating poverty, supporting safer and stronger families, building safer stronger resilient communities and enabling people to flourish.
Jonny Gios, the Co-ordinator for the project commented “the more contributions we have the better picture we will develop. So, if you’ve not yet registered, we would love for you to be part of this project and to celebrate what is being achieved. Please don’t be modest. Your activity is part of a bigger picture of what is being done across the Westmorland and Furness area”.
The results from across the Westmorland & Furness area will be published in the summer. and will provide a valuable picture of what is happening and where. Insights generated by the audit will identify how churches and other faith communities can make a more effective contribution to the vision for Westmorland and Furness to be ‘a great place to live, work and thrive’.
Coniston Stonecraft, nestled on the slopes of coniston old man in the heart of the Lake District has long been celebrated for its exceptional craftsmanship and dedication to sustainability. In recent years the company has taken further strides to ensure that its operations are both efficient and eco friendly.
In an effort to minimise its carbon footprint Coniston Stonecraft has refined its sourcing strategy. The company now purchases slate exclusively from Cumbrian quarries preferably as close to its coniston base as possible. This localised sourcing approach not only supports the local economy but also reduces transport emissions whilst ensuring that the materials used are as sustainable as the products themselves.
Coniston Stonecrafts core lines of kitchen and house wares are achieving real traction throughout the Uk having been listed in Fortnum and Mason in London, Robert Welch in the Cotswolds and Booths closer to home. Their beautiful slate pieces tread a line between utility and artwork as the knowledge and appreciation of Cumbrian slate grows.
A hallmark of their success has been the unique labelling of each piece, detailing both the quarry that the raw slate originates from and the artisan who crafted the piece. This practice not only celebrates the skill and dedication of the slatemasons, but also fosters a deeper connection between the customer and the craft, providing a tangible and authentic link to the piece’s provenance.
Collaborations with independent quarrymen has allowed Coniston Stonecraft to hand select the most interesting and high quality slate. This partnership ensures that each product is not only made from superior materials but also embodies the natural beauty and uniqueness of Cumbrian slate.
Clocks, cheeseboards, signage, lamps, rolling pins, trophies place settings, salt and pepper sets, mounts and a whole variety of bespoke items, life is never boring in a Victorian workshops on a mountain, if you would like to contact them please do so.
Submitted by Susan Cartwright-Smith from Carlisle Writers’ Group and Carlisle Writers’ Press
Carlisle Writers’ Group and Carlisle Writers’ Press are producing a pamphlet celebrating Cumbria’s 50th anniversary this month, The Outline of Memory – A Celebration of Cumbria.
The pamphlet sees the writers and poets within the group showcasing different areas, travelling around the county, presenting different ways to view, and to communicate their memories, impressions, and emotions.
From the briskness of a senryu, to a full short story, via articles, memoir, free verse and rhyme, the anthology is a good travel companion from the beaches at Silecroft, to the mosses of Drumburgh, on an Osprey’s wingtip through the central Lakes, alongside the flooded Eden, through the building blocks of our Viking and Roman past, and the standing stones of our Celtic heritage, to the vestiges of Hadrian’s Wall. All whispered on the Helm Wind.
Carlisle Writers’ Group meet twice a month to craft and hone their writing through feedback, challenges and crit clinics. They are lucky to have such rich inspiration around them, and to have a supportive circle to encourage the creative flow.
They have hosted writing workshops: for Carlisle One World Centre as part of a Welcome to our City day in Carlisle; with local schools for National Poetry Day; at Carlisle’s Historic Quarter Art Festival; as part of the Hadrian 1900 festival; and had performance poet John Hegley give a writing workshop which was open to the general public.
Upcoming events include: Author Q&A with Charles Stross, March 18th, Author Q&A with M.W.Craven May 2nd, and the release of another anthology later in the year.
A man who broke his back in two places while on a family bike ride in Whinlatter Forest has praised the teams who came to his aid. Roger Moffatt, 57, from Kendal, had joined his two sons for a day of mountain biking, and hired an electric bike to explore the trails. What initially started as an enjoyable family day out on 18 March 2023, ended in a helicopter flight to hospital. Recalling the incident, he said: “On one of the downhill sections I mistimed a jump which sent me off the track and down a steep drop. This led to me being thrown over the handlebars, landing headfirst and going into some trees. I was fully conscious, but realised something was seriously wrong.” Some of the cyclists nearby raised the alarm, and while waiting for the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) to arrive, the ranger helped keep Mr Moffatt warm with blankets and started to cut back some of the trees, so the path was more accessible for when further help arrived. KMRT managed to park near to where Mr Moffatt lay, and they administered morphine and stabilised him on a stretcher. Due to the amount of pain Mr Moffatt was in, and a potential one-hour journey to hospital by road, the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) was requested to attend the scene. It took 13 minutes for the critical care team from GNAAS to fly from their base in Langwathby, Penrith, to the scene of the incident. Their doctor and paramedic administered another dose of morphine and loaded Mr Moffatt onto the helicopter before flying him to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle in 14 minutes. He was then transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle two days later and spent a total of one week in hospital where he underwent scans and was given pain relief. He said: “In hospital it was discovered that I had broken two bones in my back T5 and T6. They were going to operate, however at the last minute decided against it as the risk and the way the bones had broken meant it was better to let it heal naturally. There was then a healing period of six months, attending hospital every six weeks to check for any movement.”
(Pictured: GNAAS helicopter flying to the scene)
Mr Moffatt has since regained most of his movement back and has praised the teams who helped him. He said: “GNAAS were very professional and very reassuring. If it wasn’t for them being in attendance and transporting me to hospital, I am sure I would have suffered much more pain and could have aggravated the injuries which I had sustained. This could have potentially led to a longer recovery time and more damage. “I would like to thank all of the teams who helped with the incident on the day.” GNAAS needs to raise £8.5m a year to remain operational. To find out more about how you can support the charity visit: gna.as/fund247
(Pictured Roger Moffat being carried on a stretcher)
Pictured: Paul Agnew, Paul Turney, Ann Noblett and Matt Hall
A group of Cumbrian business, community and health leaders have been appointed to the board of trustees of Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw, Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice.
The five new trustees have just started their roles and will play a key role in supporting the vital charity which cares for local adults and children with life limiting illnesses.
Trustees work for the organisation on a voluntary basis and have overall responsibility for the governance of the hospice, along with supporting its strategic development. The board also ensures that the charity maintains and develops its services to the local community, is well run and meets its legal and financial obligations.
The new trustees are: Gwyn Lishman, Ann Noblett, Paul Turney, Matt Hall and Paul Agnew.
Gwyn Lishman, 43, who lives in Seaton with his wife and young daughter, has been an occupational therapist for more than 20 years and has almost 10 years’ experience with the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator for health and social care. Gwyn currently works as a wellness programme lead and lead occupational therapist in the Copeland Primary Care Network leading social prescribing, health coaching, learning disability and children’s community teams.
He said: “Gwyn said: “I’ve always been keen to support services that make a real difference to people’s lives, especially those we take for granted outside of the NHS. The hospice is a prime example of a highly valued and essential service to the people of north Cumbria.
“Through my work, I’ve seen first-hand the amazing care and treatment people have received from the hospice, it’s a real privilege to be a trustee for such an amazing organisation that really does have a true person-centred care approach.”
Ann Noblett, a physiotherapist with almost 30 years’ experience from north Cumbria, has spent all her working career in the county, predominately in the Carlisle area. She has worked in the Carlisle Community Rehabilitation Service, most recently in pain services, and latterly as a lecturer at the University of Cumbria.
Ann, 59, who is married with five grown up children and three grandchildren, said: “As a physiotherapist I visited and treated patients who were resident at the hospice and was aware of the massive support that hospice services can provide not only for the patient but also their family, loved ones and carers.
“As a team lead and clinician my focus was ensuring the delivery of excellent holistic care and support to patients and ensuring staff had the training and support to deliver those services. Since my retirement in 2022 and now that my children have left home, I feel this is the right time for me to join the board of trustees.”
Paul Turney joins the board with more than 30 years’ experience in the finance sector. In particular, Paul has extensive experience of working within health and social care while employed by Cumbria County Council and currently works for national charity Making Space as chief finance officer. In addition to his paid roles, Paul is also vice-chair of governors at Trinity School and a coach and treasurer at Carlisle Junior Tri Club.
He said: “I was attracted to the role of trustee as I frequently see the excellent work the hospice does and the support it gives to families at the most challenging times in their lives. What the hospice provides is unique, not available elsewhere and essential for families, so I wanted to be able to support the valuable work staff and volunteers do.”
Matt Hall, who is from the Keswick area, has a history of working as a senior manager and consultant in the arts sector but now heads up capital developments and estates for a national children’s cancer charity. He understands the challenges of providing building-based support to those unwell, their families and the friends around them. The hospice holds a special place in Matt’s heart as it’s where his mum spent her final days in 2018 and a place where he and his family forged many precious memories.
He said: “The hospice supported my mum and our family during 2018. I saw from that experience the incredible, positive impact that the hospice can have on the lives of those it supports in what is often the most challenging circumstances. I’ve always wanted to give back in some way and use my own expertise to help the hospice give that support to others – I feel really privileged to be joining as a trustee to do just that.”
Carlisle-based Paul Agnew, a 30-year food industry veteran who has run businesses in the USA, Poland and the UK, is currently managing director of the UK division of a European multinational food business. Formerly of Maryport, he is married with three children and six grandchildren.
He said: “I have served in various charitable capacities over the years, most recently serving as the National President of Round Table, supporting over 300 groups of young men around the UK and Ireland to make a difference in their towns and cities through volunteering and fundraising.
“At the end of my presidential term in Round Table I was keen to leverage the skills and network I’d gained for the benefit of my local community. So, with the help of Cumbria CVS, I was introduced to the hospice and was blown away by the deep care and commitment of the team, yet shocked at the mammoth task involved in finding funding for such an integral service. I count myself very lucky to have this opportunity to support and champion these amazing people with their important work.”
Solway Aviation Museum has launched a £60,000 funding appeal to rescue and preserve the world’s only surviving Blackburn Beverley transport aircraft. The last of only 49 ever built, the giant Blackburn Beverley was used for troop and cargo transport by the Royal Air Force until 1967.
The proposal will see Beverley XB259 dismantled and transported from its present location at Fort Paull, Hull, to Carlisle Airport to join Solway Aviation’s Museum’s outstanding collection of historic aircraft – including the enormous Avro Vulcan XJ823. The work to re-assemble and restore the Beverley will be carried out by the highly experienced team of museum volunteers. The appeal has been launched to help fund the lifting and transport costs for the huge sections of aircraft, as well as ground preparation of the new site.
Museum Chairman, Dougie Kerr said;
‘This is a last gasp rescue mission for the Beverley, and once it is here it will form an important part of our collection of iconic British-made aircraft.
Blackburn Beverley XB259 has faced an uncertain future since the closure of the small museum at Fort Paull in 2020. It was saved from the scrapman by a private individual, but the road towards finding it a new permanent home has proved difficult. With uncertainties continuing, the intervention by Solway Aviation Museum has at last provided an opportunity to see the Beverley saved as part of Britain’s heritage.
You can donate any amount to their Crowdfunding page – any amount welcome.
