Money Mentors Money Mentors is a programme funded by Cumbria Community Foundation to provide support to those in financial difficulty. Working to increase confidence and remove stigma, Groundwork North East & Cumbria offers informative and educational sessions on a one-to-one or group basis. 25-year-old Jade* is unemployed and receives £400 a month from Universal Credit. Living with her parents, Jade was paying £100 towards bills. Unaware of budgeting, priority expenses and the basics of money management, Jade was buying on impulse and finding that money would run out within days. The first Money Mentor session looked at essential vs non-essential spending, budget management and priority bills. During the session, Jade was given some tricks to keep track of her spending, such as using cash instead of card payments, checking her bank balance regularly and to take time before making any purchases. Jade’s circumstances have since changed and she is now living independently. In a second Money Matters session, she learned how to make a budget plan to cover essential bills, grocery shopping and travel expenses. Jade now uses online banking to help with money management, uses supermarket loyalty cards when shopping, and sticks to a shopping list. She is also more aware of offers and promotions including incentives such as the Databank Surgery which provides free sim cards, run by Cumberland Council’s Library Service. Jade has embraced budgeting and money management as a means of getting herself out of debt. *name has been changed CASE STUDY Florence Arts Centre Creativity in all its forms is celebrated and promoted at Florence Arts Centre, which is based at Egremont’s former Florence Mine, the only remaining iron ore mine in Cumbria. The centre has been developed with support from Sellafield Ltd and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. With workshops, gallery, performance and display space, Florence is for everyone. It offers a wide range of activities and opportunities including for young people aged 12 – 16 years. With complementary opportunities for younger children and their families, Florence gives a space in which families can grow creatively together. Free films, the Make Space programme and heritage-based work engages people of all ages. A long-running project is Florence Paintmakers, which creates art materials using haematite from Florence Mine, as well as other local pigments derived from Cumbrian minerals. Established by volunteers inspired by the first artist in residence, Mat Do, colours such as Egremont Red, St Bees Yellow and Kirkby Grey are produced by this micro business, creating unique, high value products that promote Cumbria, and now sustaining two jobs. The centre also has a wonderful wildlife garden that has been developed and managed by volunteers, featuring local minerals and colourful plants that, once established, will provide more colours for the paintmakers to work with. The arts and cultural work that Florence Arts Centre undertakes helps to “place make” and create a shared local identity and its work has been recognised by local social prescribers as beneficial for health and wellbeing, providing opportunities to socialise and by creating a joyful place to live. Florence Arts Centre is expanding to meet demand and is currently developing a new display space on the site and expanding its education outreach programme for schools. CASE STUDY 49 48
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