Category: Charitable Causes

As well as being recognised by the Minister for Schools as being in the top 1% of schools in the whole country a small Cumbrian Primary School has just been judged as ‘outstanding’ for it’s fundraising by a local charity.

Bowness-on-Solway Primary School, with just 44 registered pupils, is located in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at the very western end of Hadrian’s Wall with uninterrupted views of the northern Lake District fells. For a small school with such small class sizes, they are very fortunate to have extensive grounds with their own forest area and immediate access to the beautiful Solway Firth coastline including the beach.

         ” I am immensely proud to be the headteacher of Bowness-on-Solway Primary” said Headteacher Mr. Stuart Walsh,  BSc (Hons), PGCE, NPQH “Our aim is to develop responsible, well-rounded citizens who make a positive contribution to their community. Our school council decided to nominate Cumbria Cerebral Palsy as our Charity of Choice for the 2023-2024 school year. With the help and support of our team of staff, the governors, parents, carers and pupils, we were able to run a range of exciting fundraising activities. We were pleased to welcome Mark from Cumbria Cerebral Palsy to receive a cheque for £827 from our fundraising efforts.”

Cumbria Cerebral Palsy’s General Manager Emily Breaks was astonished at the amount of money raised by just 44 pupils. She said “It is truly ‘outstanding’ that a small primary school with just 44 pupils has raised so much money to help our small charity. It also shows that when a group of people work together over a year the difference in the size of the amount raised is significantly higher than a one-off event.”

If you have a pupil at your school with cerebral palsy then Cumbria Cerebral Palsy would like to hear from you and would be pleased to offer you any help, guidance or support or even assist in helping buy your school a specialist piece of equipment.

For further details please contact Emily on 07849 294750 or email her at emily.breaks@cumbriacerebralpalsy.net 

The Silent Footprints Foundation was founded in 2019 by Gail Dobson-Burns who experienced profound personal losses in 2014 and 2015. After losing twins at 14 weeks during a second scan and undergoing life-saving emergency surgery for a ruptured ectopic pregnancy the following year, the founder realised that physical healing often outpaces mental recovery.

Despite having a supportive network, the founder felt isolated when the topic of loss became too difficult for others to discuss over time. This sense of isolation and the need for ongoing support led to the creation of the Silent Footprints Foundation.

Initially starting as a community support group, the foundation has grown into a small charity registered with the Charity Commission. It provides a safe space for individuals who have experienced pregnancy loss at any stage, including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, medical termination, and infant loss.

The foundation offers various forms of support, such as memory boxes, mental health resources, coping strategies, befriending services, and a memory tree where messages for lost loved ones can be left. Additionally, a small library of self-help books and a range of angel memorabilia and jewellery are available for sale, with proceeds funding monthly peer support groups.

For those who may find group settings challenging, the foundation also offers one-on-one support. Jenn, who joined the founder in running the groups, lost her son Leo at full term in 2013. Her experience highlighted that the grief from any stage of pregnancy loss is valid and significant, reinforcing the foundation’s inclusive approach.

Two individuals who have been supported by the foundation now volunteer, helping to set up groups, offer refreshments, and share their stories as peer supporters.

The foundation’s monthly support groups are held in West and North Cumbria:

• Whitehaven: Senhouse Centre, Senhouse Street, CA28 7ES
  • Last Monday of every month (excluding bank holidays), 6pm-8pm
• Carlisle: Carlisle Eden Mind Venue, 1 Victoria Place, Carlisle, CA1 1EJ
  • Second Wednesday of every month, 6:30-8:30 PM

For more information, visit the foundation’s social media pages or website: www.silentfootprintsfoundation.org

A Michelin-starred lunch, a great takeaway, a romantic meal for two, or some brilliant light bites – they’re all on offer in the Cockermouth Charities Week Dining Delights Raffle!

Tickets cost just £1 and all the proceeds will go to Cockermouth Linking Lives, an organisation which offers a befriending service to scores of people in and around the town. Tickets are on sale seven days a week at The Children’s Society Shop on Main Street, as well as at other businesses. They will also be on sale outside Cleelands furniture store on Saturday 20 July.

Cockermouth Charities Week is organised by Cockermouth & District Chamber of Trade and, this year, runs from Monday 15 July, with stalls all around the streets on Saturday 20 July. Most of the businesses are organising their own fundraising efforts, with competitions, games, prize draws and more for the charities of their choice. There will also be a free children’s treasure hunt and an Eat in To Help Out initiative to encourage residents to cook for their friends in return for a donation.

In 2023, the Charities Week saw £18,000 donated to 35 different causes by more than 70 companies. They also raised the profile of these organisations, sharing their expertise and skills.

This year, two of Cockermouth’s sporting superstars, world-class cricketer Ben Stokes and Olympic swimmer Luke Greenbank, have thrown their support behind the event.

Charities Week co-ordinator and Chamber of Trade member Andrew Marshall, whose family run Strolling4Shoes, said: “Huge thanks to every eatery which has donated a prize to the Dining Delights Raffle. We have thousands of tickets to sell so if you can spare just a pound – or a little more – to benefit the brilliant Cockermouth Linking Lives charity that would be great.”

Terry Peate of Cockermouth Linking Lives added: “We are so grateful to Cockermouth & District Chamber of Trade for choosing us as their charity for 2024.

“Nearly four million people in the UK only have their TV for company and around nine million people say they are lonely. They are heartbreaking statistics.

“Loneliness can have a major impact on physical health, aside from the obvious mental health considerations. That’s why we do what we do. We want to transform people’s lives, make them smile, and bring them happiness through simple chat and friendship.”

To find out more about Cockermouth Charities Week visit www.cockermouthonline.co.uk or follow Cockermouth Town on Facebook or Instagram.

A fleet mechanic from Kendal has recently celebrated ten years volunteering at the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).

James Howarth, 42, has a full-time job working at Mountain Goat Tours, but in his spare time he likes to get involved with helping his local air ambulance.

Mr Howarth first started supporting GNAAS by donating money and clothing, but after hearing about a lack of volunteers in Kendal, he began donating his time in 2014.

It’s now been ten years since he signed up as a volunteer and he’s even recruited his eight-year-old son Harry to help out on occasion.

Speaking about why he chose to volunteer for GNAAS, he said: “I had some spare weekends so me and my wife Samantha decided we wanted to get involved with a local charity.

“We decided on GNAAS because it was a familiar sight in the Lake District and after hearing more about what was involved in pre-hospital emergency care it was evident how vital this service was in a rural area like Cumbria.

“Since joining, I now see how needed the service is across the whole of Northern England.”

GNAAS currently have over 100 regular volunteers as part of their ‘ground crew’, who dedicate their spare time representing the charity. Whether it’s delivering presentations to the public, manning stalls at summer shows, or emptying collection boxes, they help in numerous ways to support the cause.

Over the last ten years, Mr Howarth has mainly been involved in events, stalls at county shows, car shows, and bucket collections at local supermarkets.

He said: “What I most enjoy about volunteering is being able to inform the public about this fantastic charity. It still amazes me how many people think this is a government funded service.

“Everyone we talk to is always so friendly and grateful for what the crews do, it is an honour to represent them.”

For those who cannot commit to a regular volunteering role, there are several opportunities to volunteer for GNAAS on a one-off basis, especially during the summer months.

Mr Howarth said: “As a volunteer you get to meet fantastic people, attend amazing events and have fun.

“You don’t have to have the passion, that comes afterwards from meeting people who are still here thanks to the charity.”

GNAAS relies on public donations and needs to raise more than £8m every year to survive. Last year, it responded to more than 2,000 call outs. If you would like to find out more about regular or one-off volunteering opportunities, please visit gnaas.com/volunteer or call 01325 487263.

About GNAAS

· The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is a charitably funded air ambulance service which provides life-saving care throughout the North East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Isle of Man.

· They operate two helicopters 365 days a year and also operate a night-time service in the North East and Cumbria on rapid response vehicles.

· The aircraft cover an area of more than 8,000 square miles and on board are specialist doctors and paramedics who effectively bring the hospital to the patient.

· The level of skill and expertise of the on-board team mean they respond to the most critically ill and injured people, giving them the best chance of survival.

· GNAAS is a progressive organisation which has pioneered pre-hospital care in the region.

· The latest techniques, equipment and drugs are constantly being evaluated to ensure the charity can provide the best care possible for their patients.

· 2022 marked the service providing 20 years of life-saving care. Throughout this time, they have responded to more than 23,500 incidents across the region, with road traffic collisions being the most frequent type of incident responded to by the team.

· They do not receive Government funding and must therefore raise £8.5m a year through public donations to remain operational. For more information visit: https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/ or follow @gnairambulance on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok