This meeting was scheduled to include a report on the status of the Workington Together Neighbourhood Investment Fund, including details of applications for funding from the fund, as well as an update on various activities that have been happening in the area.

Workington Together Neighbourhood Investment Fund

The panel was scheduled to be asked to consider a report on the status of the Neighbourhood Investment Fund for the Workington Together Community Panel.

This report states that the panel has a total budget of £121,889 for the 2024/25 financial year, and describes this allocation as being:

intended to enable the Community Panel to plan activity in their communities through investment that will assist in the achievement of its priorities.

The report then lists the panel's current priorities:

• Empowering our children and young people
• Supporting communities to help themselves
• Reducing food poverty

It explains that funding applications will be assessed by councillors based on how they relate to these priorities.

The report then lists a number of applications for funding that were scheduled to be considered.

Investments requested from the Neighbourhood Investment Fund

These are the applications for funding from the Neighbourhood Investment Fund that the report says were scheduled to be considered by the panel:

• Over the Rainbow were scheduled to be considered for an investment of £1,650. They intend to use this funding to create reusable promotional materials for use at their events. The report describes Over the Rainbow as providing community and LGBTQ+ support services and provisions in Workington, and as being the organiser of Workington Pride. The report states that:

The people seeking community or LGBTQ+ support in Workington will directly benefit from this as it will increase the visibility of the organisation at events. People from outside the local area will also benefit as they will be attending inclusive and welcoming events.

• Great Clifton Youth Group were scheduled to be considered for an investment of £4,590 to replace floodlights on their sports pitches with new LED lights. The report says the group was set up in 2018, became a registered charity in 2019, and:

run community-based activities for young people. The most successful sessions are weekly football and a weekly youth club.

• Happy Mum’s were scheduled to be considered for an investment of £4,962 towards the cost of extending their peer-led support group for mothers in the Workington area. The report explains that Happy Mum’s is:

a social enterprise providing peer-led support groups across Cumberland for mums and mums-to-be managing their mental health.

• Playgoers at The Theatre Royal were scheduled to be considered for an investment of £10,000 towards the cost of replacing the lighting equipment at the Theatre Royal. The report describes Playgoers at The Theatre Royal as:

a voluntary organisation and a charity limited by guarantee. This is run entirely on volunteers.

It also notes that they produce 4/5 plays each year and boasts a Youth group who perform at least 5 play/events each year, and that the building is used by a wide range of community based organisations.

Investments already made from the Neighbourhood Investment Fund

The report notes that one investment has already been made from the fund since the last meeting. Churches Together in Workington were awarded £1,232 to purchase heat lamps, crockery, cutlery and serving gloves to help them provide Christmas Day lunch for members of the community.

The report also mentions that a previous grant to Workington Community Boxing Academy of £1,750 has been returned.

Investments from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The report notes that a grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to Cancer Research Workington of £5,000 has been returned and reallocated to other projects. This is a change from the previous meeting, at which the panel awarded Cancer Research Workington a grant of £5,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Review of Neighbourhood Investment Plan

The panel was also scheduled to be asked to review the Neighbourhood Investment Plan.

This document describes the panel's commitment to the council's vision of:

taking a fresh approach to the delivery of inclusive services. Services that will be shaped by our residents and communities.

It also repeats the panel's priorities:

• Empowering our children and young people
• Supporting communities to help themselves
• Reducing food poverty

and lists the key focus areas for each priority that have been identified by residents:

Empowering our children and young people:

• Reducing anti-social behaviour
• Supporting new and existing groups providing activities
• Education, training, and employment opportunities

Supporting communities to help themselves:

• Supporting organisations in providing accessible services for all
• Supporting and promoting community facilities and activities

Reducing food poverty:

• Supporting initiatives which provide access to affordable food
• Increasing knowledge and skills on food preparation, storage and cooking to maximising value for money
• Education on budgeting finances

The document then provides an action plan for achieving these priorities, including tasks like recruiting co-opted members and mapping local resources and needs. The document notes that the panel has recently completed two tasks from the action plan:

• Setting up a partnership to focus on young people in the panel area.
• Introducing a 12-month forward plan for network activity.

Capital projects

The report provides an update on a number of capital projects in the Workington area that are being funded through the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal. These include:

• The Workington Innovation Centre is being built on the former Central Car Park. Work has begun on the groundworks for this project, and it is expected to be completed in early 2026.
• Public realm improvements to Murray Road, Upton Street and Central Way will begin in January 2025 and be completed by October 2025.
• Land remediation at the Port of Workington is expected to begin in April 2025.
• A planning application for the Cumberland Sports Village is expected to be submitted by the end of 2024.
• The Workington Gateway Project has seen the demolition of the former Henry’s Bar, and planning applications for improvements to Hall Brow and a new active travel scheme are currently being considered.

Winter Holiday Activity Fund

The report lists the community organisations that will be offering Winter Holiday Activity Fund sessions in the Workington Together Community Panel area. These sessions provide free activities and meals for school children who receive free school meals during the school holidays.

Community Panel Update

The panel was also scheduled to be asked to consider a report that provides an update on a number of community activities in the Workington area.

Co-opted members

The panel was scheduled to be asked to extend the terms of the panel's co-opted members¹ to March 2026. These appointments were originally made on a pilot basis until March 2025.

Network events and activity

The report notes that the panel's Community Development Officer will be attending a variety of local groups in the Workington area to promote the work of the panel, engage with the community, and encourage collaborative working with partners and stakeholders.

The report specifically mentions a Family Help Roadshow that was held at The Oval Centre in Salterbeck on 21 November 2024.

Workington Library Community Hub

The report describes the community hub that was launched at Workington Library in July 2024 as being successful in supporting local residents. It says that a number of services have been introduced into the hub, including social prescribers, the Citizens Advice service, and customer services.

The report also mentions that the hub has collaborated with Macmillan Cancer Support and Cumbria Deaf Association to offer support to people with cancer and hearing loss.

New Prevention Service

The report describes Cumberland Council's new Prevention Service as transforming how the council supports its residents. The service has two parts: 'pre-front door' and 'front door'.

The report says that 'pre-front door' services:

cover the ways that people can self-serve and get things resolved themselves. This includes online forms on the Cumberland website which are open 24 hours, seven days a week. It also relates to support that can be provided to people in their communities, such as through local groups and partnerships. The final element is activities where Cumberland Council reach out to people who are at risk of requiring support, to address any needs early on.

The 'front door' part of the service relates to:

ways in which we provide our services face-to-face, such as Cumberland libraries, family hubs, and customer services.

Family Hub offer

The report provides information about Cumberland Council's Family Hubs, which offer a range of services for families of all ages. It notes that a new mobile Family Hub, called 'Hub2U', will be launched soon.

Cumberland Youth Voice

The report explains that Cumberland Youth Voice is an umbrella term for a number of groups that represent the voices of young people in Cumberland. These groups include:

• Cumberland Youth Council: A group for young people aged 11-19 who campaign on issues raised through the national Make Your Mark campaign.
• Unique Voices: A group for young people aged 11-24 with special educational needs and disabilities who campaign on issues of accessibility and inclusion.
• Chat 2 Change: A group for young people aged 16-25 who are care experienced and who campaign on issues related to the care system.
• Courage Influences Creative Change (CICC): A group for young people aged 10-16 who are in care and who campaign on issues related to the care system.

Youth Substance Misuse Team

The report notes that the Youth Substance Misuse Team has been awarded £10,000 from the Community Alcohol Partnership to deliver alcohol awareness and harm reduction education to young people in Workington, Brampton and Longtown. The team will be creating lived experience videos and learning materials to help young people understand the risks of alcohol misuse.

Make Your Mark

The report provides an update on the Make Your Mark campaign, which gives young people across the UK a chance to vote on the issues that are most important to them. It includes a link to the full 2024 results report.

West Cumbria Child Poverty Forum

The report notes that the West Cumbria Child Poverty Forum held an event on 22 October 2024 to launch its 'New Horizons' report, which aims to 're-examine and re-focus current thinking and activities' on child poverty.

Cumberlands Healthy Happy Foundations Pledge

The report explains that Cumberland Council has launched its Healthy Happy Foundations Pledge, which encourages early years settings and schools to go 'above and beyond' to support young children's development. The Pledge includes commitments to physical activity, healthy nutrition, emotional wellbeing, and sustainability.

10p Swims - Make a Splash

The report notes that Cumberland Council offered 10p swims for all school children aged up to 16 during the October 2024 half-term holidays.

Warm Spots Report

The report mentions that Cumbria Community Foundation's Warm Spots Fund has been made available again for 2024/25. The fund provides grants to community organisations that want to establish warm spaces for people who are struggling with the cost of living crisis.

Partnership meetings

The report lists a number of partnership meetings that are led by the Community Development Team. These include:

• Thriving Communities: A forum for sharing good practice on community emergency resilience.
• Financial Resilience: A group that aims to improve access to financial support for vulnerable people in West Cumbria.
• Refugee Locality Group: A group that co-ordinates local support for refugees in Cumbria.
• Children and Young People Partnership: A group that works to improve youth provision in West and South Cumbria.

Christmas free parking offer

The report notes that free parking was available in a number of car parks in Workington on Saturday 30 November 2024.