Investing in our community

Team Barrow launches £5m education package and awards £650,000 in community grants.

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Team Barrow has announced a package of support worth at least £5m to help boost education in the town’s primary and secondary schools.

The Brilliant Futures Fund, which will be split over five years, follows the launch of the £5m Social Impact Fund earlier this year, meaning Team Barrow has now committed a total of £10m to support vital services in the town.

The money will be used to strengthen learning and increase attainment, and headteachers from Barrow’s schools will be invited to help shape the fund.

It comes on the same day that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced His Majesty the King will confer the ‘Royal’ title to the Port of Barrow, while also describing the town as a blueprint for how defence spending can boost communities up and down the country.

Improving education and skills

Improving education and skills is a priority for Team Barrow, as is support to the community and this week it also awarded £650,000 from its Social Impact Fund to several local charities and community groups.

Dr Simon Case, the former Cabinet Secretary and now Chair of Team Barrow, said: “It’s critically important for children to receive a good quality education, so we’re delighted to launch the Brilliant Futures Fund and work in partnership with schools in Barrow to help pupils thrive and achieve their ambitions.

“Today’s school children are our future workforce and we must work together and collaborate to give them the best possible start in life, to ensure they have the skills and aspirations needed to enjoy a rewarding career, hopefully here in Barrow.”

Significant growth and regeneration

The town will undergo significant growth and regeneration over the coming years and last year the Government committed to invest more than £200million to support this, in recognition of Barrow’s importance to national defence and security.

The Social Impact Fund, as well as the Brilliant Futures Fund, are funded by this investment and this week nine charities were allocated grants worth £650,000, ranging from £50,000 to £100,000.

In addition, Team Barrow will work with Cumbria Community Foundation to develop a separate fund worth £85,000, which will provide community groups and organisations access to smaller grants.

Dr Case added: “The town’s community and charitable sector work tirelessly to provide a range of vital services, often to those most vulnerable and in most need, so it’s crucial we support them.

“We want to make sure as many residents as possible can take advantage of the employment opportunities here in Barrow, ably supported by a team of dedicated charity workers and volunteers.

“These initial grants will help to stabilise the sector and provide much needed funds to ensure they can continue delivering these valuable services.”

One of the recipients is Barrow-based SAFA (Self-harm Awareness for All). Chair Ian Burns said: “Team Barrow represents a fantastic opportunity for our amazing community to strengthen and grow, with collaboration at its core. The team have made a fabulous start in catalysing the local charitable sector, to work together to deliver more than the sum of our parts.

“We are very grateful for this grant and commit to ensuring every penny delivers a positive benefit to those in our community who need our support.”

A Stitch Different, which is a community interest company, comprised of parents and carers of young people with Autism and related conditions, also received a grant.

Deborah Twinney, who is from A Stitch Different, said: “We work with several groups, one of which is for young adults with disabilities, where we engage with them to find their strengths and use this insight to teach new skills, so they can grow in confidence and be valued members of the community or ultimately move into the workplace. Without funding these individuals would be left behind and unable to reach their potential.”

Grant recipients

Grants will be awarded to the following:

Cumbria Addictions Advice and Solutions

Self-harm Awareness for All

Barrow and District Disability Association

Mind in Furness

Furness Education and Skills Partnership

Women’s Community Matters

Love Barrow Families

A Stitch Different

Signal Film and Media

Reaction to the grant awards

“As a charity we are reliant on grant funding for the delivery and sustainability of our services and the Team Barrow funding helps to ensure we can deliver our critical harm reduction, addiction recovery and health promotion services to adults, children, families, communities in Barrow and our Single Point of Contact the CADAS Helpline.”

Gail Jesson, from CADAS

“Mind in Furness are delighted and incredibly grateful to have been allocated funding from Team Barrow and the award is particularly welcome following an incredibly challenging year where funding for our core services has been difficult to secure. Like many local charities delivering vital work we face similar challenges in the year ahead so Team Barrow funding offers us much needed breathing space to consider how we address the issue of longer term sustainability and allows us the space to work alongside our VCFSE partners and the Team Barrow board to address how we contribute to the vision of a thriving town where the wellbeing of all our residents is a priority.”

Karen Dobson, Chief Executive Officer at Mind in Furness,

“This funding will make a tremendous difference to our charity at this moment in time, allowing us to stabilise and keep delivering great arts and culture activities as we work towards opening the newly refurbished Cooke’s Studios. Attracting capital funding into Barrow for the building works has taken a huge amount of work so it’s provided a big relief to have support from Team Barrow to ensure the team is in place to welcome and work with our community when the doors reopen in September.”

Kerry Kolbe and Loren Slater, co-directors at Signal Film and Media

“This new participatory grant fund ensures that local people have a direct say in shaping investment for their communities—creating lasting impact and opportunity across Barrow. We look forward to working in partnership with Westmorland and Furness Council and all at Team Barrow to bring about real change as a result of this funding.”

Andy Beeforth, Chief Executive of Cumbria Community Foundation,

“We sincerely welcome this grant from the Social Impact Fund, this award will enable FESP to continue to deliver vital programmes such as ‘Step up and play,’ helping young people in Barrow to develop lifelong skills of teamwork, confidence and resilience, whilst improving their health and enabling them to reach their full potential.”

Jayne Moorby, Chair of Furness Education Skills Partnership

“We are really pleased to receive this funding and look forward to continuing our work with the community and alongside partner organisations in the year ahead.”

Rebecca Robson, from Women’s Community Matters

“This funding will make a huge difference to us and will enable us to continue providing our vital community and therapeutic services working with our families in the heart of Barrow to improve their health and wellbeing. As a small grass roots organisation, we are encouraged and enthused to see that Team Barrow are listening to the voices of the community and are allocating funds to the people and families who need it most in our town, and feel excited that the quality of life for the residents of Barrow will be transformed over the next five years and for future generations.”

Alison Tooby, CEO of Love Barrow Families