

Cumbria Sustainability Network
Master Composters
Cumbria Master Composters are volunteers recruited, trained and supported by Garden Organic to help raise awareness of the benefits of composting. The project has been running since May 2017 with funding from Cumbria County Council. Master Composters spend time promoting home composting in their local communities, encouraging householders to take up composting and ensuring those already composting do so effectively. The Master Composters often have stands at local community events as well as larger regional shows to provide visitors with composting information and advice. They also give talks to community groups and do demonstrations at schools, neighbourhood events and community days. The role can also involve talking to friends, neighbours and colleagues about the benefits of composting, writing articles, blogs and social media posts about composting and supporting composting at community gardens and allotments.
The first Compost Demonstration Site in Cumbria is now open and is used to demonstrate and teach people about various systems used to make compost as well as giving general information on composting. The Master Composter project uses this site to give training to garden groups and other interested parties. It is located in the organic wildlife garden at Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Gosling Sike in Houghton near Carlisle and at least 3 similar sites in other parts of Cumbria are due to open before the end of 2023.