Community Projects in Copeland

Children in the Whitehaven area are now safer on their way to school thanks to a £250,000 investment from Copeland Local Committee. Following unanimous cross-party support from members, a mile-long footpath has been built along Harras Moor between the Highlands Housing Estate on the east side of Whitehaven and schools and other facilities. The local committee for Copeland set its sights on building the footpath after a local schoolboy was clipped by a wing mirror as he walked along the stretch of road. Backed by the weight of evidence from Neighbourhood Forums over many years, the county council's cabinet agreed to make extra money available to finish the job as quickly as possible.  Then, working alongside Area Engineers, a suitable scheme was proposed by Capita which would fit the budget available. The new footpath was officially opened by the Mayor of Copeland and The Local Committee Chairman.

To raise awareness of exciting opportunities available to young people, and also to build links between local emergency service teams and the communities they serve, an event was organised at Valley School, Whitehaven. The objectives included:

• Raising the awareness of the younger folk of South Whitehaven to the career opportunities that exist in HM Armed Forces and the Civil Emergency Services
• Building up relationships between the local emergency crews and the community
• Promoting Fire Safety and Road Awareness Training
• Educating on water safety and safety at sea
• Encourage local people to take up volunteering opportunities
• Promoting young people’s education and availability of local training schemes
• Introducing young people to youth agencies.

The event, attended by numerous national and local agencies, was a great success and we intend it to make it an annual one.

A number of issues raised at numerous South Whitehaven Neighbourhood Forum meetings included the wide availability of heroin on the Mirehouse Estate, the lack of ‘things’ for young people to do, the high levels of unemployment in the area and the generally low levels of health and fitness in the area. 

What started out as a Neighbourhood Forum grant application for £500 ended up as a £350,000 project delivering a brand new community fitness centre in the heart of an area of high deprivation, one of the top three in Cumbria. Outcomes include:

• A new social enterprise has been formed
• Four new jobs have been created
• Over a thousand local people have become members of the community fitness centre in less than six months
• Anti social behaviour has declined markedly in the local community
• Disengaged young men are now actively involved in the fitness centre and in the boxing club that operates within the centre
• The refurbishment of a semi derelict building has led directly to other environmental improvements in the immediate vicinity of the fitness centre
• There is a renewed feeling of pride in the area and in particular a feeling of ‘this is ours’ in relation to the community fitness centre
• The community room within the centre plays host to many different groups during the week including two luncheon clubs for the over 60’s who were struggling to find a permanent base for their activities. 

A planning application for the erection of wind turbines caused great concern for local residents and councillors. A Joint Forum meeting organised and chaired by the Area Support team provided a platform for speakers for and against the scheme. Over 80 members of the public attended to express their views and, subsequently the Action Group was formed with the aim of making representations to the planning panel.

Following extensive flooding in Parton, which resulted in the evacuation of local families, a flood action group was formed. The Area Support Team assisted the action group to form a constituted group and advise on sources of funding for remedial work. A blocked culvert in the village hall grounds was identified as the underlying cause. After opening and cleaning, £28,000 was needed to reinstate the culvert and, following many months of hard work £25,000 has now been raised, to enable the work to go ahead.

Debt Rescue and Money Advice (DRAMA) is a loan guarantee scheme for West Cumbria which started following a seedcorn Social Care grant from Copeland Local Committee. It pools resources and moves towards a 'federation' of Credit Unions to offer people within the designated Credit Union 'common bond' areas loans from a £300,000 fund. It is hoped that drama can be rolled out across the county and more people (particularly low-income families) will be encouraged to join their local Credit Union and save on a regular basis. The DRAMA project is a very good example of of local authorities, housing associations and the voluntary sector getting together to tackle the issue of debt.

The establishment of a local action group to reduce the number of animals killed or injured on the Cold Fell road.   After discussions with British Nuclear Group, a code of conduct was developed and has now been ‘rolled out’ to 15,000 employees on the Sellafield site.