We run practical projects to bring about a more sustainable way of life in Cumbria.
Our projects tackle climate change in all sorts of ways – from helping people to make their homes more energy efficient through to supporting new community energy installations.
We work with a wide range of local and national partners and funders to deliver our projects.
Browse our current projects below to find out more.
Homes & buildings
Cumbria Green Build & Sustainable Living Festival is the region’s biggest annual celebration of low-energy homes and sustainable living.
The festival showcases renewable energy and sustainable building materials and methods, and other ways to green up your lifestyle. 2019 will be our 14th year.
Rebuilding Together is a programme helping Cumbria to adapt for future flooding and other extreme weather.
It’s funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, and we are one of three partners offering a wide range of services to individuals, third-sector organisations and communities.
We’re giving people the chance to follow a real-life property renovation in Appleby, Cumbria, with regular vlogs and on-site events.
We’re able to film the restoration of 33a Chapel Street thanks to a grant from Historic England, as part of their support for the Appleby Heritage Action Zone.
Our Cold to Cosy Homes Cumbria service is helping hundreds of households to cut their energy bills, with free draughtproofing and advice. It includes the national LEAP service.
Community energy
We’re supporting communities in South Lakeland to develop energy efficiency and renewable energy schemes.
Working on behalf of South Lakeland District Council, we’ve supported a range of projects in the area. Just a few examples are advice on improving heating and insulation in community buildings and help for a community hydro scheme.
A £15,000 grant will help CAfS to produce bespoke solar mapping and carbon footprint tools which will be piloted with small businesses and households in three distinct communities to help them maximise their collective potential to generate renewable energy. The assessment will be combined with the latest tailored advice for businesses on how to decarbonise.
Whole place
More than 70 influential Cumbrian organisations have come together to form the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership, working together to reduce Cumbria’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2037. One exciting part of this work is a five-year programme of events and activities funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
We are working alongside Ambleside Action for a Future to plan a sustainable future for this South Lakeland community, with support from the district council and through a ‘Space to Connect’ grant to boost community space, provided by the Co-op Foundation and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
We’re a partner in this exciting programme to conserve, enhance and celebrate the natural and cultural heritage of a special part of the North West of England. One of our roles is to put sustainability at the heart of this four-year project, led by the North Pennines AONB Partnership and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We’re also sharing our expertise to help the custodians of community buildings in the area.
This project aims to identify the potential for ‘green’ jobs, which are employment opportunities that are good for both people and the environment, in Cumbria as a whole and in West Cumbria in particular. The research has been funded by Quadrature Climate Foundation.
This work will contribute to the crucial opportunity we have to plan for an economic recovery of Cumbria which accelerates the transition to a cleaner, net zero emissions local economy after the devastating impacts of Covid-19.
Around 400 people across Cumbria will be more empowered to take action on climate change in 2021 through a programme of community training on climate science and solutions, funded by the Emergence Foundation.
The interactive activities include short online training sessions and climate conversation cafes, and they’ll be delivered by a network of 20 volunteers, supported by our CAfS training coordinator. The programme will get under way in March 2021.
We’re currently recruiting the volunteers – keep an eye on our jobs & contracts page for details soon.
Transportation
CAfS is supporting a network of partners in an effort to install 200 electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints in the North of England through identification of the host sites and promotion of a community share offer.