West Cumbria & North Lakes Friends of the Earth is an active local branch of the national Friends of the Earth campaigning organisation. The group has played a leading role in opposing the proposed coal mine in west Cumbria, for which it won a national award. We are also focused on how to build a local workforce for future skills and jobs to address the climate emergency. Our website demonstrates how the economy can work well using genuinely clean energy rather than new nuclear power stations. We campaign for the safe stewardship of nuclear waste. Currently, we are supporting local biodiversity initiatives and climate justice, including Cumbria Divest, which aims to get our local councils’ pension funds to disinvest from fossil fuels. More locally we are working on a community development project in Maryport to help people address the climate and cost of living crises in one of the least affluent communities in west Cumbria.

Coordinator: Ruth Balogh

2022 Earthmover Award winning group