Carlisle and District Profile

The Carlisle District lays at the North of Cumbria. It stretches from the Scottish border in the North, to within 4km of the Lake District in the South. It is the largest district in Cumbria, with a population of 100,739, this accounts for 21% of the county’s population.

The Carlisle District comprises of 12 urban and 10 rural wards. The 2001 census states the urban population as being 68,262 compared to the rural population of 32,477.

The rural district is made up 35 parishes. These parishes vary extensively in size and population.

Foot and Mouth crisis hit the District in February 2001. The effect of the outbreak has been traumatic, emotional and profound and has touched everyone living locally.

Project Introduction

During the Summer of 2003, Carlisle Council for Voluntary Service (CCVS) and Voluntary Action Cumbria (VAC) conducted a joint research project designed to enhance their working partnership and to improve services. This was made possible due to a grant from the Active Community Unit at the Home Office. Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council were also invited to join the steering group for this project, and aided CCVS and VAC in their research.

The project was designed to identify any gaps in service provision within the rural Carlisle area. The research took the form of a mapping exercise, designed to research the developmental needs of local community groups, and enhance existing support mechanisms.

The project mapped out all of the voluntary and community groups within rural Carlisle, and the major support services such as Post Offices, Village Halls, Schools, etc.

Before any research was conducted, it was an aim of the steering group not to collect information that already existed. Therefore the project examined and collated existing consultation evidence and survey results (e.g. Countryside Agency - Rural Services Survey, Carlisle Village Hall Surveys) to ensure that the information collected was not a duplication of previous research.

The Index of Deprivation identifies that nearly 40% of wards in Carlisle are within the top 15% of wards in England that have access problems. The project highlights areas for collaboration and joint working between the partners, in order to make better use of existing resources and prevent duplication of work in the rural areas of Carlisle.

Timescale of the project: Dec 2002-June 2004, Research: May-Sept 2003.

Project Aims

The aim of the project was to map out all of the community groups within rural Carlisle, and then to research into the capacity of these groups. Capacity interpreted as ‘the ability to do what you’re trying to do’. As an addition to the project we also looked at the outreach work from the voluntary organisations based in the city centre, and the facilities available to groups in rural Carlisle.

Due to the project being funded by the Partnership Development Fund, the major aim of the project was to develop the partnership between Carlisle Council for Voluntary Service, Voluntary Action Cumbria, and the Carlisle Volunteer Bureau.

Aims of the Project:

§         Produce a work plan for joint working between CCVS, VAC and VB

§         Identification of gaps in service, and elimination of duplications

§         Closer working between the partners

§         An improved level of support to voluntary and community groups in the Carlisle District

The project steering group was made up of the following organisations:

Carlisle Council for Voluntary Service             Voluntary Action Cumbria           

Lynne Sneap                                                  Lorrainne Smyth

Chief Officer                                                 Senior Rural Community Officer

Carlisle City Council                                       Cumbria County Council

Claire Rankin                                                 Sheila O’Donnell

Rural Community Support Officer                   Neighbourhood Development Officer

Carlisle Volunteer Bureau                               Project Research Co-ordinator

Judith Holmshaw                                            Lewis Powell

Volunteer Bureau Co-ordinator