Latest news with #Cumbria-based
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Cumberland donates £175,000 to help alleviate food insecurity
CARLSILE, England, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cumberland is making a £175,000 donation to support local charities and projects helping people and communities in need. The six-figure donation means the Cumbria-based building society has given a total of £675,000 to its Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative since it began in 2023. It's been helping FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria and FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland support people to overcome the main challenge many face daily – knowing where their next meal may come from. As The Cumberland marks its 175th anniversary in 2025, and as part of its commitment to kinder banking, it is continuing to support the initiative by donating another £175,000, of which FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria are receiving £158,000 and FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland are receiving £17,000. It launched its Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative in June 2023, partnering with the charity FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria, operated by Recycling Lives Charity, which distributed the donation to its network of community food group members across the two counties. The initiative was a huge success helping provide hundreds of thousands of meals and allowing food projects to reach more people. In 2024, The Cumberland decided to repeat the initiative and extend it to help support food projects in Dumfries and Galloway for the first time, partnering with FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland, delivered by Move On. Since The Cumberland became involved, volunteers from 64 community groups have served hundreds of thousands of meals. This year, they have once again teamed up with FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria and FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland to support frontline charities and community groups. Claire Deekes, Chief Customer Officer at The Cumberland, said: "It's incredibly moving to see the impact local food projects are having across our communities, and we're proud to support them for a third year with a £175,000 donation. "Visiting the projects and meeting the volunteers gives us a real sense of how essential this support is – and how our funding is helping them continue, and in many cases expand, their work. "Sadly, the need remains high, with more people than ever struggling to access the basics. That's why we've chosen to continue our Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative, reaching people who really need a helping of kindness." Fiona Heslam, a volunteer at the Village Larder in Great Clifton, Workington, is in no doubt about the importance of The Cumberland's donation. "We couldn't have got started without the support we've received from Recycling Lives Charity and The Cumberland," she said. "Ours was previously a mining and industrial area and I'd listened to lots of people saying how they missed the sense of community that used to be here. There's no shop or pub in the village where we first started up, and food is a great way of getting a community spirit going. "We set up in March 2024, signed up for the Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative and started to receive a huge variety of food. "But then, quite unexpectedly, the village hall where we'd started up withdrew use of it to our group. "Recycling Lives were incredibly supportive and enabled us to move, at speed, to a neighbouring village's hall. So we were able to continue, and we've grown since then, too." Naomi Winter, Community Partnerships & Volunteering Manager for Recycling Lives Charity, said: "We're so pleased to be renewing this partnership. It's already helped us to create a massive amount of impact, getting food out to even more groups and creating savings for our members. "It's been great to work with The Cumberland's teams over the last few years – we can see their real enthusiasm and passion for helping communities." Jim Burns, Director of Operations at Move On, the charity that delivers FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland, said: "Our work with FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland re-directs surplus food to charities in Dumfries and Galloway, working with people directly affected by food insecurity, providing an essential lifeline to the most vulnerable in our communities. "Our community food partners use the surplus food we supply and turn it into nutritious, healthy meals, helping to improve the health and wellbeing of those who access their vital services and other services like it in Dumfries and Galloway. "In order for us to continue to provide this vital work and supply surplus food to charities we rely on support from The Cumberland, who we have worked with over the last two years. "They have been pivotal in not only providing funding to us, but also on the ground support, volunteering at both at our FareShare depot and at our community food partners. They help and support us to highlight the essential work we do. "We are very grateful and excited that The Cumberland have chosen to continue to support us again this year and are thrilled that, with their backing, to be able to continue our work in Dumfries and Galloway." Photo - - View original content to download multimedia: Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Charity raises over £2,000 in '73 challenge' fundraising initiative
A Cumbria-based cerebral palsy charity has raised over £2,000 throughout March for their '73 challenge fundraising initiative, which was organised to commemorate the organisation's 73rd anniversary. The Cumbria Cerebral Palsy charity challenged individuals and groups to fundraise 'their way', by doing 73 of 'something', such as walking or running 73 miles, baking 73 cakes or other skills such as swimming. Cumbria Cerebral Palsy is a local charity, formed in 1952, which supports adults, children and families with cerebral palsy and related disabilities across Cumbria. The charity's general manager, Emily Breaks, said: "We are so pleased that the local communities we serve responded so positively to our charity challenge to celebrate our 73rd anniversary year. 'The variety of challenges our staff and customers set was remarkable and was true to the idea of the challenge being: Your Challenge, Done Your Way.' (Image: Cumbria Cerebral Palsy) Each of the charity's four shops, and the Resource Centre at Lister House in Carlisle, came up with their own unique fundraising ideas. The Cockermouth store created pin badges and sold 90 throughout March, as the Brampton store sold houseplants and held a cake sale. The Wigton store hosted a four-day cycling challenge where they collectively cycled 73 miles, while a cupcake sale was held at the Resource Centre alongside a stall set up in the Lanes shopping centre. Breaks said: 'It is absolutely amazing to have raised this amount of money. It is an outstanding result and can I take this opportunity to personally thank each and every one who contributed in any way to making this challenge such a huge success.' The charity also received large donations from the Brampton and Longtown Rotary Clubs, alongside support from the Whitehaven Academy Sixth Form, who held a bake sale to help aid fundraising efforts. (Image: Cumbria Cerebral Palsy) The total amount raised in the month stands at a total of £2,055.65, following fundraising efforts and donations from the community. Emily Break said: "As we are a small independent charity any fundraising big or small makes a huge difference to us. "We have four charity shops that raise vital funds for us. We also have two community outreach workers who support adults, children and families across Cumbria who have cerebral palsy and related disabilities." Due to the success of the fundraising campaign, the charity are aiming to make the challenge a permanent attraction, Emily Breaks said: 'This may now have to become an annual fundraising fixture in March 2026 with, Charity Challenge '74" If you would like to fundraise for the charity, then get in touch with their fundraiser Mark on 07807 010339.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gender pay gap increases at nuclear site
The gender pay gap at the UK's largest nuclear site has increased, a report has found. Latest figures showed the average (medium) pay gap at Sellafield rose from 13.65% in 2023 to 19.62% in 2024. Sellafield Ltd said it was "disappointed" at the figures and said it was "due to the combination of long-term gender distribution across grades and the impact of complex payment practices". The Cumbria-based company, which is funded by the government, also said it had already taken "significant steps to improve representation" since data for the Gender Pay Gap Report was collected. The report was released last week as part of legal obligations for organisations with 250 or more employees. Both the mean and median pay gaps at Sellafield Ltd increased in 2024. A median gender pay gap illustrates the difference between how much the middle-ranking man and middle-ranking woman earn. In 2021 the medium gap was 11.22%, and 2022 it was 11.32%. The company said it had recruited women into key executive roles to address the gap. It also said it had "introduced greater pay alignment" between employees who had previously been engaged on different terms and conditions of employment in October 2024. The pay gap is different to unequal pay - paying women less for the same work - which is illegal. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Leak is Sellafield's 'biggest environmental issue' Nuclear site warns £2.8bn budget is 'not enough' Nuclear site runs up 'considerable' costs - report Sellafield
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Gender pay gap increased at Sellafield nuclear site, report finds
The gender pay gap at the UK's largest nuclear site has increased, a report has found. Latest figures showed the average (medium) pay gap at Sellafield rose from 13.65% in 2023 to 19.62% in 2024. Sellafield Ltd said it was "disappointed" at the figures and said it was "due to the combination of long-term gender distribution across grades and the impact of complex payment practices".The Cumbria-based company, which is funded by the government, also said it had already taken "significant steps to improve representation" since data for the Gender Pay Gap Report was collected. The report was released last week as part of legal obligations for organisations with 250 or more the mean and median pay gaps at Sellafield Ltd increased in 2024.A median gender pay gap illustrates the difference between how much the middle-ranking man and middle-ranking woman 2021 the medium gap was 11.22%, and 2022 it was 11.32%.The company said it had recruited women into key executive roles to address the gap. It also said it had "introduced greater pay alignment" between employees who had previously been engaged on different terms and conditions of employment in October pay gap is different to unequal pay - paying women less for the same work - which is illegal. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Guardian
16-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Pappardelle alla Yorkshire? Gourmet producers inspire a boom in British pasta
Nutty, chewy and with a chestnut-brown hue, it's a far cry from the pasta you may be used to serving with your bolognese. But the Northern Pasta Co's products, from rigatoni to fusilli, are part of a growing wave of the Italian staple being made in the UK. The Cumbria-based company's sales increased 357% in the year to February 2024, and from the spring its products will be sold on Ocado. Similarly, the Yorkshire Pasta Company, founded in 2019, is now stocked at more than 600 shops. Cornwall Pasta Co makes flavoured pastas, while Riverford sells pasta made by the Fresh Flour Company in Devon. The brands all use historic, organic or regenerative British grains, and offer a premium product, at up to £5 a bag. In January, the supermarket chain Booths launched a new promotion for Northern Pasta, Yorkshire Pasta and Cornwall Pasta. 'Sales are increasing week on week. We're at the start of a British pasta revolution,' said buyer Haris Deane, adding that customers were 'open to trying new varieties' of the pantry staple. In 2023, the UK imported £1bn worth of pasta – making it the fourth-largest importer in the world – primarily from Italy. According to an Ibis World report, the 'perceived superiority' of the Italian product has long limited sales of British-made versions, 'especially in the dried pasta market.' Most Britons eat pasta at least once a week and those behind the new British offerings – all of which focus on dried pasta – say there is a growing appetite for locally produced alternatives. Northern Pasta made its first bag of pasta in 2022. Imogen Royall was working at an artisan bakery where she would encounter 'beautiful British grains', yet at home would eat regular pasta and feel 'heavy and bloated,' she said. 'That's when I put two and two together: why aren't we using these beautiful grains to create delicious pasta?' Royall and her husband, Matt Kenyon, created dried spelt pasta in their kitchen, took it to a market in Kendal, and it 'took off incredibly quickly,' she said. Royall believes that 'pasta is one of those products people just throw into their baskets and don't think about, but she wanted to change that. Most pasta, she says, is dried quickly at high temperatures, which makes the texture 'very plasticky'. By contrast, a slow drying process, combined with high-quality flour, locks in more of the wheat's rich, nutty flavour. After six months, Northern Pasta was featured on the ITV cooking show James Martin's Saturday Morning. It is still made by Kenyon and one employee. Yorkshire Pasta's owner, Kathryn Bumby, realised there was little available on the market between 'naff, yellow, shiny-like-Play-Doh' supermarket pasta and 'high-end' product imported from Italy. 'There was nothing in the middle, nothing British, and everything was packaged in plastic,' she said. 'We saw an opportunity.' Bumby drove around the country speaking to deli owners to gauge interest and visited Italy to learn how to make dried pasta. 'Pasta is phenomenal in Italy,' Bumby told the Observer. 'It's made so much slower and gentler, it's all about the ingredients, getting the right wheat. If you make pasta correctly, you can get that characteristic out of the grain.' She compares high-quality pasta to sourdough bread: 'Fresh pasta is seen as superior in England. In Italy it's not at all.' British customers have become more invested in what they are cooking and eating, Bumby believes, particularly since Covid. Having launched just before the pandemic, she said 'the timing couldn't have suited us better'. 'People wanted a nice story, this English girl making pasta in Yorkshire. It just took off.' Yorkshire Pasta is now sold at Booths, but Bumby doesn't want to enter nationwide supermarkets. Earlier this year, Fine Food Digest magazine ran a survey of shop owners asking them what sold well, and Yorkshire Pasta's range came third in the pasta category, behind two Italian brands. What do Italians think? A few have been reticent, Royall admits, but plenty have been won over – 'which always gives me a sense of complete happiness'.
