FOLD The Howgill Family Centre based in West Cumbria has been supporting families in the area for more than 40 years and in January 2021 it launched its Baby Basics programme, joining a network of over 50 Baby Basics UK centres across the country. A volunteer run project focusing on the former districts of Allerdale and Copeland, Baby Basics provides essential baby equipment, clothing and toiletries to women and families who are struggling with the financial and practical challenge of looking after a new baby. Referrals from NHS Midwives, Health Visitors and other agencies ensure the items reach where they are needed. The Foundation provided funding of £32,380 over three years from funds set up by CCL Secure, Nuclear Waste Services and Shepley Engineers. The money is supporting the programme by providing a salary for a volunteer coordinator to plan the activities of volunteers and manage donations. Some of those donations come directly from the community with an army of local knitters providing jackets, hats and booties in response to callouts from the Baby Basics Facebook page. Christine Davey, the Volunteer Coordinator for the project said: We are excited that this wonderful project will improve the postnatal safety and wellbeing of local mothers and babies, providing dignity and hope at this vulnerable time in their lives. In the first six months of 2023 alone, the service received 67 referrals, up from 45 referrals for the same period last year. Funding this role over three years has given the service stability and the reassurance that it can plan for the future. It can now offer regular opening hours to better enable Health Professionals to make timely referrals and collections. And by having a dedicated member of staff, Christine can spend time further developing the project and extending her links in the community. Dignity and hope for all new parents Having a new baby can be a daunting experience, particularly when tight family finances are further stretched during a cost-of-living crisis. Integration and collaboration in action In April 2022, with little notice, the Hilltop Hotel in Carlisle became a hostel for up to 147 asylum seekers. Around the same time, at least 100 households in Cumbria registered as hosts under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. A number of local organisations stepped forward to help support and integrate those arriving in Cumbria. Multicultural Cumbria offered to use its skills and experience to coordinate the different strands of assistance on offer, in partnership with Carlisle Refugee Action Group and Penrith & Eden Refugee Action Group. The Foundation provided a grant of £19,962 to fund the first six months of a coordinator’s role. Laura, the coordinator, used Multicultural Cumbria’s existing strong links with other local organisations that help and support people from all diasporas. Saj Ghafoor, CEO for Multicultural Cumbria said that this role had proved to be one of the most valuable they had created. It has helped asylum seekers and refugees to live healthy and active lives and access the support and services they need. With too much time alone with their thoughts while their applications to start new lives are processed, the mental health of asylum seekers and refugees can deteriorate. Distanced from families, many have experienced traumas, persecution and life-threatening situations. They are not allowed to work and are reliant on others for all their basic needs. In partnership with Eden Rivers Trust and Growing Well, activities such as dry-stone walling, gardening and conversational English classes have been organised. Asylum seekers and refugees took part with other beneficiaries of the charities’ programmes. This helped social connections and the fostering of understanding, helping to break down barriers and misconceptions. But as is often the case, the simplest things have had the most impact. Saj said: Often the biggest obstacle to engagement is having accurate translations available to explain practicalities and procedures. Multicultural Cumbria were able to help with this, particularly with education about vaccination programmes for Covid, which we had already developed in 12 different languages. As asylum seekers and refugees move on, new ones arrive, so the need for this project will continue for some time. Multicultural Cumbria hopes to secure longer term funding to continue this vital role. WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES - HOWGILL FAMILY CENTRE BABY BASICS Martin Walkingshaw from Nuclear Waste Services and Christine Davey WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES - MULTICULTURAL CUMBRIA Growing Local Philanthropy 8 9
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