Cumbria Sustainability Network
Local action, county-wide change
Support, resources & funding
The CSN can support you to establish a new group in your town or village, or help your group to develop a new activity. From time to time, the CSN also has opportunities for grant funding for activities such as Great Big Green Week, The Big Lunch and Food Cumberland Harvest Fest.
Looking for support or inspiration in a specific area?
Check out our list of resources below
Funding opportunities!
I'm interested in...
Infrastructure support
Green finance
Working with young people
Wildlife & nature
Food & community growing
Re-use, repair & upcycling
Sustainable transport
Infrastructure support
Cumbria CVS
Advice for voluntary sector groups and charities
Action with Communities in Cumbria
Support for rural areas
and village halls
Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership
Help for CICs and
Community Benefit Societies
Community Energy GO
Advice, tools and support for community energy projects
Cumbria Association of Local Councils (CALC)
Help for Parish and Town Councils
Top tips to develop your project
Check out our FAQs on setting up a community project, including tips for fundraising!
Green finance
UK Divest
Support to end your investment
in fossil fuels
Bank Better
A network of campaigners boycotting banks that invest in fossil fuels
Working with young people
Cumbria Development Education Centre (CDEC)
Support and resources for schools and communities
Another Way
Youth-led community promoting collective individual action
Wildlife & nature
Cumbria People and Nature Network
Forum for anyone wishing to get or already involved in nature activities
Cumbria Local Nature Partnership
Hub for nature-focused strategic coordination and action
Cumbria Wildlife Trust
Wildlife conservation charity supporting people to take local action
Eden Rivers Trust
Curated walks, events and information about Eden's river network, history, wildlife and landmarks
West Cumbria Rivers Trust
Restoring and protecting the region's waterways through project delivery, monitoring and community engagement
South Cumbria Rivers Trust
Conserving, monitoring and rehabilitating South Cumbria's aquatic environments
Food & community growing
Groundwork
(Northern Network)
Resources around shared green spaces (such as community farms, parks, fields, and allotments)
Cumberland Food Partnership
Support and resources to improve diets and the local food system across Cumberland
Garden Organic – Cumbria Master Composters
Raising awareness of the benefits of composting and supporting people to compost at home
Riversmeet – training on permaculture
A network of growers, facilitators and educators delivering hands-on learning and community growing projects
Raise - Cumbria Community Forest
A network of communities, landowners, policy makers and artists planting sustainable woodland across Cumbria
Home Grown Here
Veg box scheme delivering fruit and veg year-round, with crops grown sustainably by a co-operative of Cumbrian farmers and growers
Growing Well
Activities and training for adults experiencing mental ill health, focusing on on-site growing and cooking
Hubbub - Community Fridge Network
A network of spaces to share or take food, including surplus from supermarkets, local food businesses, producers, households and gardens
Re-use, repair & upcycling
Simply Repair
Support to set up a Repair Café in your area
The Rebuild Site
Repurposed building materials, DIY training and tool library
Cumbria Clothing Collective
Information on clothes swaps, clothing repairs and recycling
Sustainable transport
Sustainable Staveley (SENS)
Support to set up your own community e-bike hire scheme
SITU - Ullswater Hopper Bus
Connecting holiday accommodation around the valley with destinations such as Pooley Bridge, Howtown and the Ullswater Steamers
Active Cumbria
Promoting walking, cycling and
other forms of active travel
Get in touch
Helen is able to give one-to-one advice and support to help you get started on taking action on climate change. Just ask!
Not found what you're looking for?
Our network coodinator can offer tailored help for your group, and joining the network can open opportunities for further support, such as:
- Attend a CSN meeting as an introduction to the network, its members and its activities.
- Meet other groups across the county working on similar projects, who can share resources and give you advice.
- Tap into funding that's available for sustainability groups.
- Benefit from training which is organised as part of the Zero Carbon Cumbria project.
For more information, simply get in touch and we’ll take it from there.
Find out more about…
Join the CSN
Are you a group or organisation working primarily on climate action? Join the CSN to link up with other groups across Cumbria and tap into support that’s available. Contact the CSN coordinator, Helen Attewell, to find out more.
Sign up to the CSN newsletter
Keep up to date with everything going on across the network, including events, news and funding opportunities.