STRONG AND CONNECTED COMMUNITIES This chapter outlines how voluntary and community organisations improve the quality of life for people in Carlisle. In those towns and villages with a strong tradition of community activity, volunteering and neighbourliness, communities are safer and more resilient when faced with adversity, such as flooding, the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-ofliving crisis. The challenges that these organisations face are also highlighted. These include increasing demand for services, staff burnout, increased costs and reduced funding. There have also been observations that recent changes to local government and health structures have made it difficult to find the right services, in the right places and at the right time. The experiences of people from minoritised communities, including race, faith, gender identity and sexuality are also presented. • Enduring community spirit: Despite the setbacks presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, people feel that there remains a strong community spirit in Carlisle. • Strong partnerships: Cross sectoral collaborative schemes such as Vineyard Church’s Give a Day to the City,1 Love Carlisle,2 Carlisle Matters3 and Carlisle Community Groups network,4 are valued because they use local expertise to develop practical solutions. • Diverse voluntary and community groups: There is a good range of voluntary and community groups operating to address local social, environmental and economic needs, often acting as champions for Carlisle, its assets and people. • Valued outreach services: Voluntary and community groups across Carlisle – including Age UK North Cumbria’s Well@Home programme5 – are widely praised for delivering crucial services that address social isolation, poverty and deprivation. • Celebrating diversity: Carlisle’s population is becoming more diverse. Local people and groups are celebrating this diversity and in doing so are fostering community cohesion. OPPORTUNITIES • Increasing demand for support: People working in the sector feel that demand for their services is rising, particularly where statutory services are at capacity and with some residents, particularly those in rural areas, struggling to access the help they need. Recruitment, retention, and mental health burnout among staff and volunteers are also flagged as being concerning. • Duplication of services: There are concerns regarding the duplication of some services delivered by some voluntary and community groups. This duplication is putting pressure on already limited funding streams. • Short-term funding issues: Shortterm funding is said to be restricting the ability of voluntary and community groups to develop long-term solutions for economic, social, and community issues. This is compounded by a feeling that – despite being the part of Cumbria with the highest population – Carlisle is ‘often bypassed’ by funders in favour of other parts of Cumbria. • Reorganisation uncertainties: New local government and health structures affecting Carlisle are still bedding in. This has led to uncertainty in some quarters about future funding, staffing and service delivery arrangements. • Democratic deficit:6 While Community Panels provide a way for local issues to be identified and addressed, parts of the community feel excluded from ‘having a voice’. This is felt by some to be exacerbated by the absence of a town council in Carlisle city.7 • Service delivery in rural areas: Voluntary and community groups suggest that service delivery in rural areas (particularly to the north of Carlisle in isolated communities north and east of Brampton and Longtown) is often difficult due to the high costs of delivering services, particularly transport and additional staffing costs. CHALLENGES The downside of local government reorganisation is that we are losing that place focus. Place is about what people are proud of and sometimes we lose a little bit of that when we focus in on the Cumberland level. I think the voluntary sector needs to be valued a bit more by decision makers. Everybody is expected to think about the Cumberland footprint and local people don't think about that footprint – they actually think about the place where they live. Sometimes that is not even Carlisle but the micro location. Charity Trustee SURVEY FINDINGS Our survey found that community spirit was one of the top three things identified as being ‘good’ about living in Carlisle, along with close proximity of the countryside and the liveability of the city. More than 400 individuals and groups responded to the survey between July and October 2024, which asked people what they liked about the city and what they would like to see improved. The full findings can be read at www.cumbriafoundation.org. Carlisle: Opportunities & Challenges 2025 64 65
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