VAC works with people and communities to improve the quality of life in rural Cumbria VAC Cumbria Rural Forum VAC is a member of the ACRE network


RSCP projects in Cumbria



The following projects have been supported by the RSCP in Cumbria.

To see which Parishes in Cumbria have been supported through RSCP activities, please download the map.


Parish Planning Support Grants (VAC)

Assisting communities with the parish planning process and engaging with statutory authorities. Advice, support and limited small grants are available.


Rural Greens (Friends of the Lake District)

To support rural communities in Cumbria to better manage, enhance and celebrate the open green spaces in or near their villages through building local capacity via awareness-raising, training and development. Download their newsletter


DEVICE (Eden LA21)

A project to mobilise communities across Cumbria to become better informed, more cohesive and more active by planning, developing and delivering their own range of local environmental activities.


Enabling Affordable Homes (Cumbria Rural Housing Trust)

CRHT aims to enhance the capacity building capability of rural communities so that they can provide solutions to identified housing need, to help shape their own future and help excluded individuals improve their life chances. It undertakes Housing Needs Surveys, raises awareness of affordable housing issues and helps capacity building by working with local communities to help identify appropriate sites.


Parish Council Capacity Enhancement and IT Start Up (Cumbria Association of Local Councils)

Encourage wider use of computers and Internet resources for business efficiency in Parish Councils. Also support for advisory and capacity building work of CALC.


Supporting Community Enterprise (VAC)

VAC working in partnership with ViRSA is promoting community enterprise within rural Cumbria and facilitating the development of social/community enterprise business models.


Rural VCO Tailored support (Eden CVS)

A research project to map recurrent themes and needs of small rural voluntary groups across Eden in order to identify services and resources requirements.


Parish Council Devolution Pilot (Cumbria Association of Local Councils)

Devolving responsibility for certain minor highways work to parish councils then assessing cost/benefit of such delegation.


Rural Community Development, Older People (Age Concern)

A project coordinating the 5 Age Concerns across Cumbria to support the implementation of Telecare systems. The project focused on the needs of local older people through developing community capacity and service provision in the remotest areas of the County of Cumbria. Finally using ‘Talkback’ method to evaluate effectiveness of the project.


Mapping of Advice and Support Services for Migrant Workers (VAC)

A research project to identify the needs of Migrant Workers around Cumbria.


Nunwick County Cricket

Training to support the Youth coaching at the club and development of a website to aid communication within the villages supporting the club.


Sunbeams Music Trust

The setting up and running of a concert tour of rural Eden by the Sunbeams troupe (socially excluded individuals from rural area with severe physical and/or learning disabilities and mental health problems).This will help the individual's life chances and help address issues of social exclusion by working to changing the perceptions.


Improving Access to Services (North Cumbria Community Transport)

Establishing a co-ordinated and sustainable network of affordable minibus transport for identified access needs of people in rural Cumbria. A pilot in South Lakes was also funded.


Sustainable Rural Services (VAC)

Action research to capture real experiences arising from the decline in level of service provision to rural Cumbrian communities.


Breakthru (Volunteer Bureau Eden)

A project to provide help for individuals who require extra support in order to play an active part in their community through volunteering.


Village Hall Support (VAC)

This project is to support capacity building within the Village Halls in Cumbria to enable them to become more viable and central to their communities (help and advice offered on subjects such as licensing, renewable energy.)


Cumbria ProHelp (Cumbria Community Foundation)

ProHelp is a volunteering scheme for professional people eg accountants, surveyors etc to offer assistance to voluntary and community groups around the county.


CART

Cumbria Community Asset Reinvestment Trust had 2 projects, the main one was to support the provision of loans and advice to rural businesses , the second one was a short piece of funding to support the Community Land Trust survey.


Cumbria Rural Forum (VAC)

Working to provide a voice for those that work and live in rural Cumbria, the Cumbria Rural Forum offers a pathway of influence in rural matters.


Cumbria Courier (Pentalk)

Extension of a pilot to establish an online rural newspaper and to promote IT skills in rural businesses, particularly farms.


Moving On Scheme (formerly LINKS Befriending scheme) (Eden Mind)

This project offers isolated and/or vulnerable adults companionship, support and opportunities through a network of well trained and supported volunteer ‘befrienders’ across Eden.


Lakes Parish Planning (Lakes Parish)

A community project to fund a parish officer for 6 months to implement 3 key aspects, recycling, community communication and community transport of the Lakes Parish Plan, which covers the areas of Ambleside, Grasmere, Rydal, Langdale and Troutbeck.


Sustainable Eden (Eden Community Outdoors)

The project offers 5 weeks of affordable and accessible outdoor, environmental, creative arts, crafts, traditional skills, healthy eating and adventure activities for 250 children in 5 rural areas over the summer. It also offers volunteering and training opportunities for young people.


Wellbeing in Wellies (Farming and Rural Health Partnership)

The project aims to provide hard to reach rural and farming communities with a user friendly, easily accessible, non-threatening information and advice service via Signposts whether by personal contact, telephone or letter, and in particular to provide a support system for remote access Information and Advice within outreach settings in urban and rural areas.


Mobex Rural Youth Work (Mobex)

The project is to conduct research into rural communities in Allerdale and Copeland in order to prioritise need and potential for Mobex (Cumbria) to engage successfully to both deliver youth work provision and to build the capacity of those communities to take ownership of mechanisms to sustain youth provision into the future.


Cumbria Rural Retail Advisory Partnership (VAC)

This project aims to enhance the viability and sustainability of retail services to rural communities , as part of a 3 phase scheme, the first two phases will map and identify vulnerable businesses and lay the groundwork for targeted support to individual businesses and wider networking and business development opportunities which will be provided by Cumbria County Council.


Cumbria Community Land Trust Officer (CRHT/CART)

This is to initiate the creation of a dedicated Cumbria Community Land Trust Officer, building on the previous work carried out by CART and CRHT, previously supported by the RSCP.

Last updated on 2008-05-29