CAfS

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  • Dream Placement students learn with Climate Fresk

    Dream Placement students learn with Climate Fresk

    Last week we welcomed three students for the Centre for Leadership Performance’s ‘Dream Placement’ work experience week.  The dream placement programme is designed to support our county’s talented young people in gaining experience in industry and business, and to help them make informed choices about their future careers. We enjoyed taking part in the initial training, interview and selection process and were looking forward to welcoming the students into CAfS!

    Our three students, Samia, Sophie and Olivia, joined us at various points across the week. Activities ranged from project work with our partners at CDEC to tree planting, looking at grant applications and working with our marketing team to tell the stories of those involved in the sustainability network. You can read an interview that Sophie and Olivia carried out here with Imogen Barnfather, who is using the theatre to spread the message of sustainability. More interviews will follow over on the Zero Carbon Cumbria site – so keep an eye out.

    We also held a Climate Fresk with them – Climate Fresk is a card-based activity, designed to explore links between the causes and consequences of climate change in a collective manner that encourages conversation and discussion. You can find out more about Climate Fresk work here.

    Working in group activities and asking for their input in a variety of CAfS projects not only gave them a breadth of experience, but also allowed us to hear their concerns and have time to share what some of the connections and impacts that climate change can have on their lives.

     

     

    John Forbes, Project Manager from Zero Carbon Cumbria explains the importance of the project:

    We firmly believe in giving young people in Cumbria every opportunity to make informed choices about their career – Dream Placement gives them the chance to do just that, and it has been a privilege to be part of it; gaining a different perspective on the work we do, and sharing the enthusiasm and opportunities.  As part of the National Lottery funded Zero Carbon Cumbria project, we have been delighted to work with Centre for Leadership Performance to help raise the profile of careers linked to climate change and the wider environmental sector and are looking forward to offering more placements next year.

    We hope to see more of Olivia, Samia and Sophie in the future  –  and watch this space for future work placement projects!

     

     

     

     

     

  • A busy start to the year for our Energy Team!

    A busy start to the year for our Energy Team!

    January proved to be a very busy month for the Energy team here at CAfS thanks to our Cold to Cosy Homes Project and the extension into retrofit advice. They made 117 home visits – which is equal to 176 hours of free energy advice to Cumbrian Households and have received 347 online referrals since the new year.

    They have also spent some time developing their skills and increasing their capacity, this has included workplace training with the Samaritans and their “conversations with vulnerable people” .

    We have also had two members of the team complete their retrofit qualification Level 3 award in Domestic Retrofit Advice, increasing delivery capacity for Cold to Cosy Homes – Retrofit.

    Shery Mahood, our Cold to Cosy Homes – Retrofit Project manager explains more: “We know that leaky, draughty and cold homes have a huge impact on health and costs, so it is fantastic to see so many people access our service. Ensuring our staff are well qualified to offer help and advice is a priority for us, and I’m really proud of the whole team for their dedication and commitment to our increased capacity for delivery.”

    If you want to help, you can join our Energy Champion training – these free sessions enable you to help your community, clients and colleagues access free support to make homes warmer, healthier and cheaper to heat. Find out more here.

  • Job: Office and People Support Manager

    Job: Office and People Support Manager

    We’re looking for someone with energy and enthusiasm to work with colleagues throughout CAfS to ensure the provision of high quality support services.

    About you

    You’ll have experience in organisational or financial administration, or office or operational management. You’ll use that experience to lead a team and manage staff performance, and provide HR support across all of our teams. You’ll be able to manage a diverse workload, and prioritise tasks and time management. You’ll have practical experience of using an accounting system, and excellent IT skills. You’ll be an IT whizz and have experience using an accounting system. You’ll also have excellent verbal and written communication skills and an understanding of charity administration.

    About CAfS

    Our mission is to achieve net zero by 2037 or sooner by promoting and facilitating low carbon living and its benefits – inspiring and supporting individuals, communities, and organisations across Cumbria and beyond to decarbonise lives and businesses. We provide practical support for the development of low carbon plans and policies for places, communities, businesses, local authorities, other organisations, and individuals. We inspire behaviour change and seek to deliver sustained shifts from high to low carbon emissions through new social norms and influencing key policies, strategies, and funding streams. 

    Apply now!

    Read the job description for full details

    To apply, please email your completed application form to us by 9am on Monday 11 March

    Interviews will be held on Tuesday 19 March in person at our offices.

    The important stuff

    • SALARY SCALE: £26,000 – £34,000 (FTE)

    • LOCATION: Blended home and office (Penrith) work.

    • HOURS: 30 hours per week, can be worked flexibly over 5 days

    • START DATE AND DURATION: As soon as possible | Permanent contract

    You’ll love working at CAfS

    Working at CAfS comes with great benefits. You’ll be joining a friendly and supportive organisation, and your wellbeing and work:life balance are hugely important to us. As well as flexibility around your working hours and location, you’ll have 22 days of paid annual leave pro rata, plus bank/public holidays. We pay an employer pension contribution of 6% from day one of employment.

    What a job at CAfS offers you…

    • The opportunity to be on the frontline driving action on climate change as part of a respected organisation that is making a difference.

    • Collaboration with dedicated colleagues, communities, local authorities and other organisations who are striving towards the same goal.

    • A dynamic working environment in which we continually innovate to achieve the best outcomes for employees, communities and planet.

    • A consultative working culture where staff are encouraged to contribute to new developments.

    Our work culture and benefits…

    • We are a friendly and supportive team of colleagues and board of trustees

    • We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in all that we do.

    • We will provide the equipment you need to do your job.

    • Employee wellbeing is very important to us. We do what we can to help colleagues achieve a great work/life balance.

    • We have a flexible working policy and we use it. Most staff work part time so we are accustomed to managing different work patterns. Staff can also work at home where possible.

    • We invest in learning and development and encourage people to develop their skills and commit time and resources to development.

    Find out even more about the benefits of working at CAfS >

  • Job: Retrofit Customer Service Administrator

    Job: Retrofit Customer Service Administrator

    Join our passionate and friendly team as a Retrofit Customer Services Administrator

    CAfS mission is to achieve net zero by 2037 or sooner by promoting and facilitating low carbon living and its benefits. We provide practical support for the development of low carbon plans and policies for places, communities, businesses, local authorities, other organisations, and individuals.

    CAfS’ Home Retrofit Advice Services

    We are continuing to develop and expand our Home Retrofit Advice Service to deliver a range of services to support Cumbrian homeowners to retrofit their homes. The service supports able to pay clients who wish to make significant building energy performance improvements to their homes, including upgrading the building fabric, heating system and/or ventilation system.   

    We’re looking for a Customer Service Administrator to support the retrofit service team (including internal staff and external contractors), to provide customer service administration for our retrofit service clients. You will have excellent communication skills and be passionate about providing high-quality customer service. You will have at least one year’s experience of data management systems and working directly with clients.

    About the role

    The role will involve:

    • Supporting both the in-house retrofit team members and contractor retrofit assessors with set up, induction and use of CRM and IT systems related to the retrofit service.
    • Maintain record systems, organising, storing and recording data in relation to the service, and ensuring ongoing implementation of data protection (GDPR) requirements.
    • Co-ordinate contractor retrofit assessor schedules for availability for householder support. Monitor their completion of reports and associated invoicing. Log invoices and forward to manager for authorisation.
    • Provide back–up administrative support to the low carbon communities teams in relation to home energy events and engagement activities, including holiday cover and at times when additional capacity is needed. This might include logging event attendees and sending post event information.
    • Provide administrative support in relation to occasional purchasing of equipment and supplies or posting of materials.

    To apply, please email your completed application form to us by 9am on Wednesday 13th March 2024.

    Interviews dates will be confirmed 

    The important stuff

    • SALARY SCALE: £21,500 – £26,000 (FTE)

    • LOCATION: Flexible working patterns with blended home, site and office (Penrith) work.

    • HOURS: 22.5 hours per week, with flexibility to be worked over three to five days per week.

    • START DATE AND DURATION: Fixed-term until 31 January 2025

    You’ll love working at CAfS

    Working at CAfS comes with great benefits. You’ll be joining a friendly and supportive organisation, and your wellbeing and work:life balance are hugely important to us. As well as flexibility around your working hours and location, you’ll have 22 days of paid annual leave pro rata, plus bank/public holidays. We pay an employer pension contribution of 6% from day one of employment.

    What a job at CAfS offers you…

    • The opportunity to be on the frontline driving action on climate change as part of a respected organisation that is making a difference.

    • Collaboration with dedicated colleagues, communities, local authorities and other organisations who are striving towards the same goal.

    • A dynamic working environment in which we continually innovate to achieve the best outcomes for employees, communities and planet.

    • A consultative working culture where staff are encouraged to contribute to new developments.

    Our work culture and benefits…

    • We are a friendly and supportive team of colleagues and board of trustees

    • We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in all that we do.

    • We will provide the equipment you need to do your job.

    • Employee wellbeing is very important to us. We do what we can to help colleagues achieve a great work/life balance.

    • We have a flexible working policy and we use it. Most staff work part time so we are accustomed to managing different work patterns. Staff can also work at home where possible.

    • We invest in learning and development and encourage people to develop their skills and commit time and resources to development.

    Find out even more about the benefits of working at CAfS >

  • Free Home Retrofit Planner for Farmers Extended

    Free Home Retrofit Planner for Farmers Extended

    Due to a successful first phase, we can support four more farming families in Cumbria to benefit from a fully funded Home Retrofit Planner for your farmhouse – a comprehensive energy audit for your home.

    In this call out we are looking for farmhouses on “working farms” located anywhere in Cumbria.

    Farmhouses are often older properties that can be draughty, hard to heat, suffering from damp or water ingress, losing heat though walls, doors, windows and roofs. These beautiful traditional properties need an understanding of heritage skills, appropriate materials to fix and maintain.

    We know that for farmers, your farmhouse, your family home is possibly the bottom of your priority list, way down past crops, livestock and business. But now, in partnership with The Farmer Network, we can offer four farming families – either owners or tenants the benefit of a fully funded Home Retrofit Planner – a comprehensive, independent energy audit for your farmhouse retrofit. This is offered free of charge thanks to funding from the Carbon Emissions Reduction Fund.

     

    We are looking to support farming families living in a range of different farmhouse types who are committed to making improvements to their property. These four properties will be detailed in case studies so we can share the learning and examples with other farmers  across Cumbria.

     

    For more information and how to apply please access: https://cafs.org.uk/farmhouse-retrofit/

    Or email Roe Baker on [email protected] to find out more. Call Roe for a chat on  017687593285

     

  • A Greener Valentine’s

    A Greener Valentine’s

    Valentine’s Day may traditionally be the day we show love and appreciation for our partners, but how we choose to do that can have an enormous impact on our planet.  

    Did you know that out of season cut flowers have one of the largest carbon footprints per pound spent at the till? Red roses definitely aren’t a seasonal bloom in February in Cumbria and as a result many of the roses in the shops this week will have been imported from as far away as Kenya and Latin America, picking up the hefty carbon price tag of 2.4kg carbon per Kenyan cut rose, whilst a bunch of Dutch, hot-housed flowers can be as high as 32kg, (our source is the brilliant How Bad are Bananas by Mike Berners-Lee).

    Even the greetings cards we choose to buy carry their own carbon footprint with a single card accounting for 140g carbon – the equivalent of travelling 4km by train. With research on Tinder indicating that more young people are prioritising strong environmental values when searching for a potential partner, it might be time to rethink our romantic gestures this season.

    As a planet-friendly alternative, CAfS have created some fun digital cards on our Don’t Send Me a Card platform for you to send to your loved one, allowing you to express the same sentiments as a traditional card without the carbon. In fact, all proceeds from the sale of CAfS’ Valentine’s Day cards will go towards supporting our climate action work in Cumbria. What’s not to love? 

    And if you are looking for a gift that really shows how much you care, why not buy them a CAfS Gift Card? With four designs to choose from and even more climate action for Cumbria, nothing will demonstrate your love for your partner and the planet quite as much this Valentine’s. 

    We even have some alternative date ideas for you and your partner this month. Firstly, CAfS are hosting an evening with award-winning climate photographer Ashley Cooper at the Keswick Alhambra on 15th February. It should be fascinating. Click here to find out more and book. 

    Or if you’re looking for a couple-friendly challenge, why not sign up to our Keswick and Coniston to Barrow Walk Teams to raise money for local climate action in May? I’m sure long-distance walks are good for relationships, right?! Email [email protected] for more info. 

    Happy Valentine’s Day!

  • Contractor Opportunity: Climate Trainers

    Contractor Opportunity: Climate Trainers

    A great opportunity for those passionate about combatting climate change…

    If you are passionate about combatting climate change, knowledgeable about climate science and solutions, or have experience of delivering or developing training, this Climate and Carbon Literacy Trainer opportunity is for you.

    We are looking for up to three friendly, articulate and highly motivated trainers to join our existing team to help meet the growing demand for our very popular Climate and Carbon Literacy and related training programmes.

    This role will be a freelance contract (employment status will be determined via the HMRC checker), to help us train more than 3,000 people from a wide variety of backgrounds and organisations over the duration of the project (funded until Dec 2025, but with the chance of extension, subject to funding). You will be paid £21.50 an hour, for all the hours you work, including for preparation, course delivery and admin. Our courses range from full-day accredited Carbon Literacy training to half day Climate Fresk sessions to 30-minute introductory sessions.

    Being a Climate and Carbon literacy trainer is a great opportunity to do interesting work with an award-winning environmental charity and help inspire and inform people to take action to combat climate change at an individual, organisational and community level.

    CLIMATE AND CARBON LITERACY TRAINING

    Carbon Literacy training inspires the behaviour change needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It increases knowledge, understanding, confidence and sense of agency by providing people, communities and organisations with the information, training, support, networks and tools they need to make positive changes.

    It enables informed decision making. Recipients feel empowered to make changes to their lives at home and at work, share their learning and driving positive environmental changes. Our training sessions are highly interactive, and we offer a variety of set courses; from full day, accredited Climate and Carbon Literacy training to shorter introductory sessions on climate science and solutions for Cumbria. Some are open courses, bookable on the CAfS website, and we also develop bespoke courses for specific audiences. Click to find out more about our courses.

    There is strong demand for this kind of training from individuals, community groups, local authorities, schools, businesses, parish councils and others. We have an existing pool of expert trainers in the CAfS team and need to recruit additional contractors to respond to increasing demand.

    This is a really exciting opportunity to be part of a transformational shift in knowledge, attitudes and action on the climate crisis in the county.

    Please read the full job description before applying.

     To apply, send your CV and a covering letter (each must be a maximum of two pages, in size 12 font) showing how you meet the evaluation criteria detailed. Closing date 9am Friday 15 March.

    Candidates selected for interview will be notified by 5pm Wednesday 20 March. Interviews will be held on Tuesday 26 March via Zoom.

    Key responsibilities and tasks

    • Deliver CAfS existing programme of Climate and Carbon Literacy related training courses to a diverse range of groups and organisations, both online and face-to-face.
    • Respond rapidly and reliably to email communication from CAfS about availability and commit to deliver course dates once assigned.
    • Communicate well, building a friendly rapport with clients and delegates, and a strong and credible reputation for the training service and CAfS.
    • Deliver all agreed courses once a commitment has been made to do so.
    • Attend training provided by CAfS on how to use the training materials.
    • Observe training delivered by CAfS’ trainers.
    • Set up and manage online sessions on MS Teams, Zoom or other platforms, including use of polls and breakout rooms.
    • Contribute to the ongoing review and improvement of materials.
    • Complete all admin required, including sending poll results, attendee data, and saved chats to CAfS.
    • Read and adhere to all CAfS policies provided, including GDPR and safeguarding, and risk assessments for face-to-face delivery.
    • Apply for a Basic DBS check once appointed.
    • Use the CAfS email address provided for all correspondence related to the programme.
    • Freelance trainers are responsible for providing suitable IT equipment so that online training can be delivered. As a minimum, a laptop, reliable Wi-Fi, microphone and speakers.
    • Be able to travel independently throughout rural Cumbria.

    Further Information

    The hourly rate of £21.50 will be paid for all hours worked, including preparation time, administration time, course delivery time, feeding back from course delivery, attending training required by CAfS, completing monitoring and evaluation and reviewing or developing course materials. A set number of hours will be agreed in advance for each deliverable based on CAfS’ extensive experience of delivering similar work. This will be reviewed as the project progresses to ensure that the time allocated is fair and accurate.

    We estimate that there may be 100-500 hours of work available per trainer each year (i.e. an average of 1 – 5 days per month) although this is not guaranteed. We will communicate available work to all trainers simultaneously and ask for quick expressions of interest. We will match trainers to the available work on variable criteria which may include availability, location, experience and skillset. We aim to ensure the work is distributed across the pool of contractors.

    Expenses for pre-agreed travel will be paid at 45p/mile.

    A CAfS email address will be provided and access to MS Teams/ Zoom accounts as required.

    Our training services are exempt from VAT. The above rate is the total amount and would therefore include VAT for any trainers who are themselves VAT registered.

    We anticipate the induction for these roles commencing late April 2024. Time spent in induction period will be paid.

    The important stuff

    • REMUNERATION: £21.50 per hour

    • DURATION: Until December 2025, but with the chance of extension, subject to funding.

    • BENEFITS: Working with CAfS comes with some great benefits. You’ll be joining a friendly and supportive organisation, and your wellbeing and work/life balance are hugely important to us. There is also flexibility around your working hours and location.

  • Vermiculture Cumbria! Worms and the field to fork journey.

    Vermiculture Cumbria! Worms and the field to fork journey.

    With funded support from the Zero Carbon Cumbria Low Carbon Food Programme CAfS have teamed up with partners to tackle food waste in Cumbria using the unbridled power of the worm!

    We are working with Anna de la Vega, who set up The Urban Worm CIC, Anna is a vermiculture expert with years of international experience delivering training and consultancy on vermiculture food waste solutions to tackle this huge global issue.

    Windrow Growing Well Low Sizergh Dec 23

    To date we  have installed two systems at Growing Well at their Low Sizergh site, a windrow demonstration site and vermicompost bin.

    A windrow is a land-based solution that can be used at an agricultural scale. Long trenches of farm muck and manure can be inoculated with Epigeic red tiger worms, small, pigmented earthworms that live on the surface of the soil.

    These fantastic creatures can over a matter of a few short months transform a pile of manure into a rich material ready for spreading on pasture grass land and crops.

    Growing Well with be able to utilise this nutritious worm compost – often referred to as “black gold” on their organic growing plots or make a “tea” to water plants on site.

    “With less than 60 years of global topsoil left due to industrial agriculture worm farming provides the foundation for healthy food production to flourish.” The Urban Worm CIC

    Five people stand around a large green bin
    Vermicompost Bin at Westmorland’s Tebay North Services

    We have also installed a vermicomposter and trained staff at Westmorland’s Tebay North Services. The Westmorland family are doing everything they can to reduce their food waste across all of their café sites and service stations and they are keen to find ways to both reduce their waste while supporting growers and farmers produce food sustainably.

    We were joined at both sites by Garden Organic | Cumbria Master Composters, The Cumbria Master Composters spend time promoting home composting in their local community, encouraging householders to take up composting and ensuring those already composting do so effectively. It was great to have their support.

    Here in Cumbria we are piloting “Vermi-Economy”. A circular, sustainable system that can be scaled up – how does it work?

    • Farm Manure Windrows – Address pre-farmgate waste by providing a diversification income for Cumbrian farmers while improving soil quality and reducing the reliance on costly inorganic fertilisers.
    • Vermicomposting units – Reduce hospitality food waste by developing closed loop composting systems at food retail outlets. Vermiculture can be an easy solution to reducing food waste, with the potential to generate an income and cut waste disposal costs and emissions.
    • Distribute the surplus the vermicompost and liquid feed goes back to farms, growing outlets and community gardens.

     

    We have funding to offer advice and consultancy time to SME business within Cumbria who are interested in vermiculture as a way to reduce their food waste and carbon emissions.

    If you’d like to know more contact: Roe Baker [email protected]

     

  • Looking for a climate-conscious challenge? Join us for the Keswick to Barrow Walk!

    Looking for a climate-conscious challenge? Join us for the Keswick to Barrow Walk!

    This month we are looking for climate-conscious, challenge-loving individuals to join us on the Keswick / Coniston to Barrow Walk. On 11th May, several of the CAfS team will be taking part – walking 40 miles or 21 miles respectively – to raise money for local climate action and we would love it if you could join us. 

    The walk is highly scenic running from Legburthwaite (Keswick) down the length of Thirlmere through the villages of Grasmere and Elterwater before passing through the Langdales and Coniston and onto Kirkby Moor, Dalton-in-Furness and Barrow itself. The Coniston to Barrow alternative starts at Coniston before following the same route down to Barrow.  

    It promises to be a fun day out with the opportunity to meet and chat with fellow teammates as well as all the other participants taking part for their chosen charity. CAfS staff will be on hand to offer support and encouragement along the route. 

    All walkers commit to pay a £15 (£10 for Under 17) non-refundable and non-transferrable entry processing fee, and to raise target donations of £80 (£40 for Under 17) (excluding Gift Aid).

    Everyone who completes the walk receives a certificate and a commemorative medal and there are trophies up for grabs for individual and team achievements – if you feel like setting yourself a further challenge! 

     Interested? Places on the walks can fill up fast, but you can register now Home | Keswick to Barrow Walk (keswick2barrow.co.uk)  and send your walker ID to [email protected].uk and our Team Coordinator will add you to our team when the entries open.  

     Hope to see you on the starting line! 

     

  • Free home energy advice to offset price hikes and cold weather

    Free home energy advice to offset price hikes and cold weather

    With colder weather forecast and a 5% hike in the energy price cap this month, we’re urging residents across the county to take advantage of our free home energy advice service.

    Our award winning service, Cold to Cosy Homes, provides free advice and energy saving equipment to help Cumbrian householders make their homes warmer, drier, healthier and cheaper to heat.

    The Cold to Cosy Homes team offers a free telephone advice call from a qualified adviser to all Cumbrian residents, with a home visit offered to a wide range of eligible households. In addition to advice on how to save energy, they can help with heating controls, look at energy bills and tariffs and support with meter readings and smart meters. They also distribute free energy saving equipment, and can signpost to suitable grants and financial assistance, and other support agencies.

    Elena Parsons, Service Manager said “On top of our 25 year track record of helping local householders reduce their energy bills and make their homes warmer, what we’re really proud of, is that our advisers are qualified, local and totally independent.”

    The service can be accessed online by completing a short form or by calling 01768 216 500.

    Service Manager, Elena Parsons said “We know that just after Christmas is a difficult time for many people financially, and on top of that, energy prices have increased again and, we’re right in the middle of the coldest part of the year, so getting in touch with our team now will have the most impact.”

    The service is free for all Cumbrian residents including homeowners, and private and social tenants, and is funded by the Energy Industry Redress Scheme, the Department of Energy Security, the North West Net Zero Hub and delivered in partnership with Cumberland Council and Westmorland & Furness Council.