The Cumberland has continued to support the local community with donations of more than £100,000 to community, educational and charitable initiatives within our area.

Cumbria Schoolympics

The Society was the main supporter of the 2010 Cumbria Schoolympics, the largest multi-sport participation event for young people in Cumbria. The event provided opportunities for approximately 8,000 young people aged 7-11 to participate in a range of organised sporting competitions. Around 900 children took part in the event’s finals, which were held in Penrith in June.

Low Luckens Organic Resource Centre

Low Luckens, near Brampton, offers school children and community groups the opportunity to visit a farm and learn about food, sustainable farming, health, wildlife and the local environment. Thanks to the Cumberland’s support, the centre was able to invite approximately 1,500 local people to the farm.

Girl Guides

The Society donated six laptop computers to the West Cumbrian and Border divisions of the Girl Guides to help develop the girls’ IT skills and provide a safe online environment in which to chat with other Guides around the world.

At an individual branch level, we made donations to more than 90 community projects in 2010-11 including Silloth Carnival, the Dumfries and Galloway Senior Forum, and the Brantfield Parent and Toddler Group, near Kendal.

If you are involved in a community project which could benefit from the Society’s support, you can find details of how to apply for funding in our ‘About Us’ leaflet, which is available from any of our branches.

Alternatively, you can send an email to communityfund@cumberland.co.uk.

In 2010, the Society became the main sponsor of the Great Cumbrian Run. Approximately 1,800 runners took part in the annual half-marathon which started at Carlisle Castle and finished at the city’s Sheepmount Stadium. The Society is proud to be associated with this prestigious local event and has agreed to sponsor the event until 2016.

First Responders

The Society provided donations to two groups of Cumbrian First Responders to help towards the purchase of life-saving equipment to be used by first aid volunteers in rural areas of the county.

Pledge for Votes

The Society’s ‘Pledge for Votes’ scheme is designed to encourage members to vote at our Annual General Meeting by linking a donation to local charities to the number of votes received. Thanks to your support, last year we raised almost £11,000 which was split equally between the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association and the Salvation Army, to support their charitable work in our operating area.

The Charitable Foundation

We also support local charities and voluntary organisations through an annual donation to the Cumberland Building Society Charitable Foundation. Last year, the Foundation made 77 donations with a combined value of more than £32,000. These included Carlisle Wheelchair Sports Club, the Moor Row Jubilee Club and Ashton Group’s Theatre Factory in Barrow-in-Furness.

If you support a charity which you would like to be considered for a donation, please write to: The Secretary, Cumberland Building Society Charitable Foundation, Cumberland House, Castle Street, Carlisle, CA3 8RX, or send an email to charitablefoundation@cumberland.co.uk.

Our Staff

During the year our staff have raised thousands of pounds for a wide range of charitable causes. These fundraising activities have included running the Cumberland Building Society Great Cumbrian Run, the Great North Run, the Manchester 10k and the Race for Life; busking dressed as a banana; cycling for eight hours on an exercise bike; skydiving; organising coffee mornings and participating in the Midnight Memory Walk, in aid of Eden Valley Hospice.