Developing Cumbria’s Leaders
for Today and Tomorrow
Our
Impact
April 2023 to March 2024
Executive Directors
Introduction
We are thrilled to share with you our impact report for 2023/2024 and would like to thank all our wonderful partners for collaborating and working with us to ensure people, communities and businesses across Cumbria thrive and grow.
We have lots to celebrate as we reflect on this past year. We are proud about the number of people we have supported spanning primary age to retirement. In a busy environment we often forget to take the time to celebrate the successes and our achievements, and of course we couldn’t do this work without the collaborative partnerships we have formed, so this report is something we should all be proud of, a collaborative Cumbria working together for collective impact.
We are proud of our values and the culture we have created which enables our small but mighty team to thrive, driven by purpose rather than profit to do good work in the communities we serve.
We have had our challenges as many businesses face in an ever-changing world, but more importantly, we continue to grow in terms of reach, and have created jobs for local people by expanding our team. We’ve done this whilst continuing to learn, evolve and innovate as we seek to reach more people, collectively responding to gaps and needs, securing long term sustainable funding and strengthening our intergenerational leadership & learning community.
It has also been a year of change; changing our processes, enhancing our impact measures, adapting our programmes, launching new initiatives with partners whilst trying to ensure we deliver value, create meaningful experiences and provide everyday leadership opportunities spanning primary to retirement. We embrace the changes and are looking forward to delivering continued success in collaboration with our partners old and new!
Mission and Aims
SELF-BELIEF
VISION
EFFICACY
COLLABORATION
RESILIENCE
The Centre for Leadership Performance have high aspirations for the people and businesses within Cumbria, and we believe that everyday leadership is key in leveraging the potential
that exists in our schools, communities and workplace. We are a small purpose driven not for profit social enterprise working to build leadership aspirations, potential, and capabilities for
the people of Cumbria, because we believe better leadership means better lives for everyone.
We adopt a place-based long term approach to developing leadership skills, aspirations and capabilities whilst promoting, nurturing and encouraging life-long leadership learning.
Rather than silos of provision, we want to continue to build and expand our inclusive
integrated leadership pathway that extends from primary through to retirement, working collaboratively with other providers and partners to make real long term impact.
This year we have spent time developing and building the foundations for future growth and impact, and are incredibly proud of all our collaborative work across the County.
impact
highlights
April 2023 to March 2024
Partnered with
185
Businesses
to deliver our mission
Onboarded & coordinated
420
volunteers
who supported our programmes
Supported
213
aspiring and existing managers
on their leadership journey
Engaged with
134
PRIMARY SCHOOLS
to ignite aspirations
Partnered with
26
sECondary schools/ colleges and Sixth Forms
To enable meaningful learning experiences
Supported
12965
young people
to develop their leadership skills
Often impact is hard to measure and quantify but we have worked hard over the past year to embed a set of KPI social impact measures linked to 5 key leadership characteristics. We are inspired all the time by others and encourage and promote life long learning, the graphs below help us to see where we are making a difference in Developing Cumbria's Leaders for Today and Tomorrow.
Self Belief
8%
Pre and Post comparison showed an overall average increase of 8%
14%
Pre and Post comparison showed an overall average increase of 14%
VISION
8%
Pre and Post comparison showed an overall average increase of 8%
16%
Pre and Post comparison showed an overall average increase of 16%
EFFICACY
19%
Pre and Post comparison showed an overall average increase of 19%
7%
Pre and Post comparison showed an overall average increase of 7%
collaboration
12%
Pre and Post comparison showed an overall average increase of 12%
13%
Pre and Post comparison showed an overall average increase of 13%
RESILIENCE
4%
Pre and Post comparison showed an overall average increase of 4%
9%
Pre and Post comparison showed an overall average increase of 9%
FLAGSHIP
PROGRAMMES
An award-winning primary school competition aimed at raising aspirations, igniting interest in the world of work, and entrepreneurship, nurturing creativity and empowering future change makers and social entrepreneurs. Each school receives £50 in seed funding to set up its own mini social enterprise with the aim of making a profit and a difference, supported by a local business.
A free matchmaking service between primary schools and businesses in West Cumbria. The PBP aims to equip local young people with knowledge, essential skills, and aspirations relevant to the modern world, and inspire the next generation by helping primary schools and businesses work together. The website coordinates and promotes all the opportunities in one “go to” place, creating greater equity and easier access to opportunities.
SkillsBlox is a whole-school whole-child approach, providing a long-term co-ordinated programme in helping young people develop essential skills needed to thrive. SkillsBlox provides a bespoke toolkit consisting of age-appropriate workshops to help primary pupils across Cumbria identify and explore these essential skills that enable young people to flourish in the future, whichever pathways they choose.
An innovative place-based work awareness programme that offers students the opportunity to work with a range of businesses, across a range of sectors and SME’s, on exciting multi-disciplinary projects, giving an insight into the range of roles and skills needed to deliver against any professional project whilst providing opportunities for businesses to seek young people’s ideas and gain new perspectives on key challenges.
Working in partnership with Sellafield Limited and mentors from local businesses, this programme supports secondary aged young people to develop their leadership skills and provides opportunities for them to drive local sustainability campaigns, having their voices heard on issues that matter most to them whilst being empowered to lead positive change and take action within their school and community.
A unique collaboration between educators, businesses and young people that offers essential leadership development opportunities for all young people aged 16-18 applying, which for some result in a week-long Dream Placement in industry, showcasing leadership in action, providing opportunities that enable young people to make informed choices about their future & connecting businesses with their future workforce.
We support Cumbria’s young adults as they transition into employment or higher education. The CFL network is led by a steering group made up of young people and partner organisations. We have invested our surplus to support the steering group over the last 12 months and have now secured funding to expand the signposting to cover 1:1 outreach services.
Bespoke and tailored workshops specifically designed for 16-30 year olds or those starting a new career journey. These workshops provide attendees with the opportunity to develop an understanding of their own strengths and values, and explore topics such as communication, teamwork, leadership, resilience, and other essential skills.
SKILLS
ACADEMY:
Your Voice events provide young people aged 16-25 with a platform to find out what is happening in their local area, be part of the conversations that influence decisions, and debate issues that matter most to them. These events bring together key stakeholders to be part of discussions and empower young people to have a voice in key challenges impacting their futures and build stronger connections to their community.
Your Voice:
Learn 2 Lead offers young people a unique 6-month leadership development programme. It offers a combination of workshops, coaching, mentoring, action learning and shadowing, to help young people to identify their own leadership potential and take ownership for their own learning and career development. We have partnered with Cumbria Community Foundation to tailor Learn 2 Lead to support budding social entrepreneurs in Positive Enterprise.
Learn 2 Lead:
For new or soon-to-be team leaders, supervisors and managers, this course introduces participants to some fundamental management skills to improve engagement, motivation and productivity. Delegates also have the opportunity to work alongside and build relationships with peers from a range of businesses in Cumbria.
L2L is a transformational learning experience, focussed on learning through action, that drives business benefits and offers delegates a confidential and collaborative environment, promoting critical communication skills, and strategic thinking. It also provides unique opportunities to network with other senior leaders from diverse business sectors, learning from their experiences and perspectives.
This programme is enabling the retired and retiring population in Cumbria to re-engage in meaningful activity to promote wellbeing in later life. We reconnect them with local businesses, charities and other organisations to share their experience, expertise and connections to meet some of the workplace challenges facing our County.
We support Cumbrian businesses keen to introduce lean improvement techniques. The forum organise site visits and developm workshops to share best practice and lead the way to a more productive local economy.
Life Long Leadership Case Study
This case study explores the journey of Maisie Naylor, a Plant Engineer at Sellafield Ltd, who has been a part of CforLPs leadership community since her time in sixth form.
Background & Involvement
Maisie's initial involvement with CforLP began in 2017 when she sought practical work experience, taking part in the ‘Dream Placement’ programme:
"It sounded like an amazing opportunity to get some work experience before I started applying for jobs/apprenticeships later that year. I was offered a week’s placement with the NDA, focusing on leadership and management. This included interviewing employees, gathering information on the NDA, and drawing conclusions as to how the organisation could improve. I learnt a great deal about management and received a fascinating overview of the nuclear industry worldwide."
Maisie continued her involvement with CforLP by participating in the Sellafield Sprint Project in June and July 2023.
“We tackled a site issue, from problem-solving to presenting the solution. With CforLP's support, we set personal goals focusing on skills like leadership and critical thinking. Weekly one-on-one discussions with CforLP tracked our progress toward these goals throughout the project."
Maisie Naylor | Sellafield Ltd
Life Long Leadership Case Study
Wider Benefits to Organisation
Maisie emphasises the significance of the Sellafield Sprint Project for Sellafield:
"By assembling teams of people from different areas of the business to brainstorm ideas, these projects rapidly deliver tested solutions to site problems. This approach proves successful because the teams tend to think outside the box, lacking prior knowledge of the problem, ultimately saving time and money for the site."
Development of Leadership Skills
Maisie highlights the skills developed being a part of CforLPs leadership communicty:
“My involvement with CforLP has allowed me to focus my time on developing myself and my skill set which is not something I’d usually be focused on day-to-day. This has been a great benefit to me as it has allowed me to identify my gaps and continue working on them in my normal work day.”
"I would recommend getting involved, especially if you’re open to improving and developing your leadership skills."
Maisie Naylor | Sellafield Ltd
April 2023 to March 2024
Provided 11,896
primary pupils
with leadership
development opportunities
Conducted 121
sessions, reaching 7458
children working with 296
business volunteers
All through Primary Business Partnership
2023
64 businesses across Cumbria worked with 1900 primary school pupils from 64 schools to set up 65 social enterprises delivering long term impact back into their communities.
- 85% of pupils felt confident to share their ideas
- 100% of teachers felt their pupil felt brave about their futures
- 100% of teachers thought their children were more confident
- 92% of pupils were aware of different types of jobs
Autumn/Winter 2023 Bright Stars:
- 73.5% of the money raised went to charities, with 26.5% being used to continue the social enterprise projects within the schools
- 90% volunteers felt they had a higher profile in the local community
- 100% of schools achieved the outcomes they wanted for their pupils.
Engaged with 2538 young people with support from 188 business volunteers from 38 businesses
7 key leadership skills learned.
100% of the teachers enjoyed taking part
100% of teachers scored higher against all of the 7 Primary Benchmarks after taking part in the programme.
100% of teachers were made more aware of local businesses and the support they can offer.
100% of teachers felt that the programme had had a strong positive impact on their pupils:
- Learning new skills.
- Feeling more responsible.
- Feeling more confident and aspirational.
- Feeling braver about their futures.
Dream BIG Session
100% of the teachers said it had raised aspirations and broadened their pupils horizons.
From April 2023 to March 2024 our feedback has been that the PBP has continued to support schools with activities to raise their pupils aspirations, broaden horizons, breakdown stereotypes and raise attainment in maths and English. The activities have ranged from Dream Big Aspiration sessions to Cluster STEM Discovery Days to inspiring the next generation to learn about careers in the Arts through our signposting to local author’s and artists. To multiply impact and create a more sustainable and shareable model we have provided training to supply chain volunteers to leverage more volunteering opportunities and enable us to reach more children and young people.
In addition, the Bright Stars programme continues to grow from strength to strength with CforLP now offering 2 programmes to keep up with demand. The programme has given the pupils taking part a voice and empowered them to make a difference in their local communities. The range of mini social enterprises developed was truly inspiring including heartwarming community care packages, lively bingo nights, school fairs, wildlife-themed trading cards, comforting hot chocolate stations and even pensioner coffee mornings all designed to make a difference within their local communities.
The innovative SkillsBlox pilot programme was developed to provide a Whole-Child/Whole-School toolkit to support career related learning. The pilot gave the pupils from 19 schools the opportunity to take part in a long term coordinated skills development programme. The toolkit consisted of a series of age-appropriate workshops developed for reception to year 6, along with a Skills Passport where children could reflect on the activities and the skills learnt. The pilot was a huge success with pupils taking part feeling more confident, braver and aspirational about their futures.
“It has brought our local community closer to the school… It has allowed us to engage the children in the world of business... The children have developed new skills… which has given them so much confidence including team work and collaboration skills.”
Netherton Infant School
“The sessions and the volunteers have supported in raising aspirations for our children, helped them to understand what careers are available in our local area and identify the skills needed to reach their dreams. The sessions were fun and interactive and we would like to thank all those involved for the opportunities you have given our pupils”
Laura Freestone, Co-acting head, Montreal Primary.
“Even at a young age, career workshops are incredibly valuable as they help the children to develop as global citizens. They provide an insight into how school learning transfers into the wider world and also increase awareness about the variety of professions and industries present in our local area.”
Ashley Ryan, Deputy Head, All Saints Primary.
“We have high unemployment, high deprivation, low aspiration and low levels of adults who pursued further education. How else will our pupils broaden their horizons other than through initiatives like this?”
Teacher, Derwent Vale Primary and
Nursery School
In Bright Stars Autumn/Winter 2023, Blennerhasset School working with Indelible Data and funded by CCF aimed to make a positive impact in their community through activities like Chatter Cafes and Community Craft events where they created and sold various products, including natural soy candles and festive baubles. Their initiatives were designed to bring the community together and contribute to the school's wider outreach.
In Bright Stars Spring/Summer 2023, Boltons CofE School working with PPM Ltd winner of “Best Demonstration of being Great Communicators” set up Blooming Boltons to brighten up the community and attract bees. They got over 70 wellies donated and Morrisons, Tesco's and Tynedale Farm Services all kindly donated plants and compost. The sale was a huge success with the customer service team responsible for greeting and talking to the customers.
PBP PRIMARY Case Study
Cockermouth Careers Fair: Eaglesfield Paddle, Fairfield, Lorton, All Saints, Bridekirk, Broughton, St Bridget's
Cockermouth Cluster of Primary Schools visited the Eco Centre at Cockermouth School to attend a Careers Fair arranged by Primary Business Partnership.
Representatives from local businesses, such as Jacobs, Oneaim, The Science Viking, The Ambitious Plonkers, Soundwave, Cumbria Police, AtkinsRéalis, Nuclear Waste Services, Emma Hunt Art, Cartmell Shepherd, Cumberland Council, and Sellafield Ltd, visited the primary school to share their diverse career paths with the pupils. The visit inspired the pupils, giving them new ideas about their future careers, insights into the essential skills required for various professions, and encouraged them to Dream BIG about their futures. Reflecting on the event, a Year 5 teacher at All Saints’ CE Primary School shared:
“The activity gave the children an opportunity to see what careers were out there for when they left higher education. As their teacher, I could see that some of the children were experiencing new ideas and possible careers choices. As a school, it helped us become more involved in the local community.”
“It gave the children a chance to see that there were more opportunities around the county than they realised.”
Cockermouth Cluster Career FAIR
April 2023 to March 2024
2024
219 young people applied from 22 schools and colleges and received developmental opportunities.
Collaborated with 38 host companies who welcomed 70 young people for placement week.
The top 5 skills developed were confidence, communication, teamwork, networking & leadership.
100% students agreed they had now set goals for their future and were motivated to achieve them.
100% students agreed they were more aware of different careers and how their skills and strengths fit with these.
70% of companies who answered the evaluation survey said they had gained valuable insights and ideas from the young people to drive business improvements.
100% agreed it connected them to future talent.
77% agreed it developed their own skills.
88% agreed it improved well-being and motivation.
100% agreed it gave a sense of giving something back.
We adapted many of our programmes to ensure they are inclusive and accessible for everyone, delivering in youth group settings and working with home school learners, securing bursaries and funding for charities, third sector, arts and culture and the tourism sector.
Partnership with Sellafield Limited saw secondary age pupils lead sustainability campaigns, empowering young people to
drive change in their local communities.
Engaging with over 75 students from 10 schools in a sustainability campaign.
A total of 81 young people took part in ProjX, 67 on ProjX Regeneration, 5 on ProjX Tourism and 9 on ProjX Arts with support from 38 businesses.
The young people took part in 5 real life projects Whittles (Whitehaven), Bike & Skate Park (Cockermouth), The Promenade (Maryport), The Ironline (Millom), Maryport Square (Maryport)
The NEW Young Leaders Programme was piloted in July 2023 with 24 selected students from Whitehaven Academy
Between April 2023 to March 2024 our secondary programmes continued to make a positive impact.
The Dream Placement programme showcased a variety of career opportunities in Cumbria, boosting the confidence and resilience of young people. We're thrilled to see an uptake in Dream Placement students using LinkedIn to share their experiences and develop their professional brand and making connections.
We introduced the ProjX programme to Mayfield School, supporting students with additional needs and enabling them to explore different career pathways and opportunities and we are thrilled to be continuing to work with more students than ever from different areas through our work awareness programmes.
ELEMENTS
Showcasing ELEMENTS of engineering disciplines & STEM careers. We are proud to be working on behalf of Sellafield Ltd to deliver the innovative work awareness programme Elements, that in 2023 saw 71 students from 6 different schools come together with 24 employees from Sellafield Ltd and the supply chain to work on a challenge that required an engineering solution. While taking part in the 1 week programme, young people in their teams are focused on providing a technical solution or recommendation to their ‘client’ they are also benefiting from intensive support to develop leadership, collaboration, creativity and resilience skills, provided by CforLP whilst gaining an insight into careers at Sellafield and the skills required.
- 58% of students strongly agreed they felt more informed about the world of work following the programme.
- 42% of students agreed they felt more informed about the world of work.
- 98% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they had a greater understanding of work options available to them.
- 74% of respondents said that taking part in Elements has influenced the job or sector that they would like to work in.
“The Elements project was genuinely a fantastic experience that allowed students to work as part of a team and to explore their strengths and weaknesses in the process.Their problem-solving skills and creative thinking were effectively developed. This helped to demonstrate a variety of skills that are directly applicable to the workplace. It was brilliant to see their confidence and effective critical thinking, as they presented the outcomes of their research and development, of a practical, cost effective solution, to the authentic problem that they were given to solve. Working with professionals from a number of technical disciplines has broadened their outlook on the workplace and the varied roles available. It was an outstanding work experience opportunity that has been impactful and highly rated by the
students. It is an excellent programme that has been genuinely
valuable in preparing them for the opportunities post 18 - the
best I have seen!“
Miriam Wilson, Sixth Form Year Group Manager, Pastoral
Leader and UCAS Advisor at West Coast Sixth Form
YOUNG LEADERS
The NEW Young Leaders Programme, piloted at Whitehaven Academy, introduced students to leadership concepts, empowering them to lead within their school community. The programme, focusing on leading yourself, leading others, and leading your school, aims to develop confidence and self-awareness, gain an understanding about leadership styles and culture, help the students to think about their own leadership style and how they can influence others, build increased resilience and emotional intelligence, engage with positive leadership role models and create a shared vision and work as a team to implement shared goals. Following its success, the programme has now also been delivered in Cockermouth Secondary School with a group of their school leaders, to support their development of a shared vision and strategy for their school.
“The content definitely met the requirements. The students were made to think about themselves and what makes a great leader in a manner that they are not used to – they normally learn facts and skills. The content was thought provoking enough for them without it being overwhelming. The students left the day positive – I even spoke to some of the parents that evening who said that their
son/daughter had found the day useful and enjoyable”
Simon Fitzgerald (SLT at Whitehaven Academy)
Dream Placement Case Study
Dream Placement Alumni Secures Apprenticeship with NWS!
Teddy Waning applied for Dream Placement in his final year at Caldew School in September 2021. After successfully being shortlisted Teddy attended the Selection event in 2021 and was interviewed and secured a placement with one of the host companies, Nuclear Waste Services. Teddy is now the Chair of the Cumbria Future Leaders Steering Group and an Apprentice with NWS!
"Teddy proves the value of outreach and engagement, as prior to attending Dream Placement he was not aware of NWS, or the possibilities open to him.” Tracy Badham, Nuclear Waste Services
“I wanted to thank you all for all of your support over the last couple of years, I really feel you have been an integral part of my journey so far. If it wasn’t for you and the Dream Placement, this wouldn’t have happened, and I will always be grateful” Teddy Waning
Teddy Waning | Nuclear Waste Services
Real projects led by young people
ProjX is currently funded for schools in West Cumbria through Sellafield Ltd’s social impact programme, SiX which enables CforLP to deliver 7 programmes per academic year.
Stuart McCourt, Social Impact Manager for Sellafield Ltd, explains: “ProjX is all about broadening horizons and encouraging young people to think big when it comes to their personal development, goals and aspirations. It can provide a pathway to attaining skills and employability development and refresh their vision of what the future may hold.”
In 2023/24 ProjX expanded the landscape for career exploration to enable young people to work on real world issues in real time; the topic for five of the weeks being linked to live town and community regeneration initiatives, one focused on current tourism challenges, and one designed to assist and support today’s arts sector.
Between April 2023 – April 2024 CforLP has delivered 9 ProjX weeks, working with 81 students from 10 schools and from the Home Education Network, supported by 38 businesses.
Through the regeneration themed ProjX, students where challenged with real time project briefs that were linked to their local area including:
- A proposal to deliver the council’s vision for the Carlton building in Maryport Town Centre
- A proposal to deliver BEC’s vision for the Whittles building in Whitehaven Town Centre
- A proposal to explore the potential development of a bike & skate park in the Cockermouth area.
- A proposal for ideas for the development of a recreation area on the green area of the Promenade in Maryport.
Students from Mayfield Special School embarked on the week long ProjX Arts Programme, visiting a range of local arts and culture organisations to explore what a creative career in Cumbria looks like.
And finally, various students from across 3 schools also came together to work on a brief set by Cumbria Tourism for the ProjX Tourism programme.
- 98% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more informed about the world of work following participating in the ProjX programme.
- 96% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they have a greater understanding of the work options available.
- 50% of respondents said that taking part in ProjX had influenced the job or sector that they would like to work in.
“It has allowed me to learn information about many job roles and has given me the opportunity to help contribute towards a project in my own town”
“I never really gave a thought about these jobs but now I am actually very interested in a few sectors and will look further into a lot of them in the future“
April 2023 to March 2024
Supported 670 young people including apprentices, graduates, college students and other Early Career employees.
Delivered our first Learn 2 Lead programme in partnership with Cumbria Community Foundation. 10 aspiring entrepreneurs are taking part in Positive Enterprise to bring to life their business idea with a social purpose.
Delivered 3 Your Voice events, providing young people with a platform to have their say and help them to improve connections with their local
community and
develop a sense
of place.
Delivered 34 personal development workshops as part of our Early Careers programmes, exploring topics such as resilience, self-belief, personal effectiveness, time-management & personal branding.
Delivered bespoke training to Early career
employees in Barrow as part of the Career
Hub Ambassador Programme, to encourage
them to volunteer in schools and colleges.
This involved creating bespoke video content
and resources to support and enhance their work.
Shared 350 opportunities through the Cumbria Future Leaders platform.
Collaborated with 20 organisations through the Cumbria Future Leaders Steering Group.
Supported 10 young people on the Cumbria Future Leaders Steering Group to be a collective youth voice for Cumbria, championing issues that matter most to them.
Secured funding to deliver Outreach Activity to support young people in West Cumbria.
As the newest workstream to CforLP, Early Careers has expanded its portfolio of projects and programmes between April 2023 to March 2024. We provided everyday leadership opportunities and real-life learning experiences for young people to make a difference in their community and take ownership of their own personal development.
POSITIVE ENTERPRISE & MARYPORT ARTS
Support included helping young people set up their own businesses and social enterprises through Positive Enterprise, helping young people to redesign and renovate a well-used entrance to Maryport town centre through the Maryport Arts Project, and supporting young volunteers in Barrow through Cumbria Careers Hub’s Ambassador Programme.
Throughout all our projects and programmes, CforLP ensures that support and resources are tailored to the unique needs of the young participants involved.
By being adaptive and responsive the Early Careers team has enhanced impact and empowered individuals to demonstrate everyday leadership in their community and workplace.
“I have found so many routes and options that I never knew were out there. The connections and networking I have found so helpful and cannot believe how many people genuinely want to help!”
Positive Enterprise participant, Rachel
McCartney, McCartney Sustainable Solutions
“It gave me a better understanding of how to cope with mental health and understand my own and others’ feelings around me it. It was an eye-opening experience and I really enjoyed it”
Skills Academy Workshop participant
“I’ve learnt to ‘Be confident and enjoy what you do‘“
Apprentice, Skills Academy Workshop participant
“I thoroughly enjoyed the evening & it was great to meet & spend a bit more time with other members of the Team. Thank you again for last night and all of the help you've given me so far”
Positive Enterprise Year 2 participant
Positive Enterprise: Designed and delivered in collaboration with Cumbria Community Foundation and Sellafield Ltd SIX.
Positive enterprise Case Study
Aiden took part in the Positive Enterprise programme in 2023, aged just 15, alongside studying for his GCSEs. Positive Enterprise was developed by Cumbria Community Foundation and CforLP, and funded by Cumbria-based property developer Brian Scowcroft with match funding from Sellafield Ltd as part of its Transforming West Cumbria programme, the Low Level Waste Repository Ltd (LLWR), Well Whitehaven, Morgan Sindall and Kaefer.
Positive Enterprise participants joined Learn 2 Lead, CforLP’s new development programme for young leaders. They received six months of expert support and learning opportunities to bring their enterprising ideas to life.
Aiden set up his business, Cumbria Coastal Crafts, with the help of grant funding, mentoring, development workshops and action learning, which encouraged peer-to-peer learning within the cohort. As a result of the programme, Aiden saw an increase in key skills including self-confidence, motivation and business knowledge. His parents have seen the difference too!
“The Positive Enterprise scheme has been a fantastic opportunity and has provided a platform to allow Aiden to develop his entrepreneurial skills. Aiden is naturally quiet, but he’s gained so much confidence since starting his business."
AIDEN THOMPSON | CUMBRIA COASTAL CRAFTS
YOUNG MARYPORT ARTISTS TRANSFORM TOWN CENTRE WITH COMMUNITY ARTS PROJECT
We are thrilled to share the Maryport Community Arts project, generously funded by the Allerdale Local Committee of Cumbria County Council as part of Cllr. Carni McCarron-Holmes’s local member grant funding. Since August 2022, CforLP collaborated closely with a dynamic group of young individuals aged 14-20 from Maryport and local artists to enhance the aesthetic appeal of Mill Race Lonning, a well-used entrance to Maryport town centre.
This project aimed to revamp the artwork in Mill Race Lonning, offering young people a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a hands-on artistic experience, bringing positive change to their community. The striking visuals, reflecting the young artists’ interpretations of Maryport’s history and culture, promise to inspire both locals and tourists for years to come.
Beyond its artistic focus, the project also aimed to instil local pride, highlight potential career paths in the culture and arts sector, and foster personal growth by nurturing confidence and skills development among the participating young people.
One of the young people who took part, Phoebe Eve, reflected on her time volunteering on the project and said:
“I have gained more skills from the Maryport Arts Project than I ever thought I would, my confidence has grown with public speaking and leading projects, I feel I can now professionally lead a team and I feel proud of the work I have done in my community.”
Chair of Cumberland Council, Cllr Carni McCarron-Holmes, added:
“The young people have made an amazing job of transforming Mill Race Lonning. Their designs pick up on many of Maryport’s landmarks, including historic Christ Church which is a key regeneration project for the Council. It is great to see them identifying the places and features which make their town so special – and doing it in a way which is colourful, imaginative and will really make people smile. Thank you to all of them for bringing this location to life.”
The project received invaluable support from local companies and the community, exemplifying the power of community engagement in driving positive change. In-kind contributions were offered by West Port, Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick, Bechtel, Maryport Library and local businesses surrounding Mill Race Lonning. The final design was made possible with expert guidance and generous support from local artists, including Jenny Daymond, Rachel Gaw, Joanne Little, and Lisa Johnstone.
April 2023 to March 2024
Provided leadership development training to 213 employees from almost 50 local businesses, increasing leadership capability in the local economy at a time when upskilling existing employees is crucial to employee retention and offers a solution to local skills gaps.
Created programmes with local businesses that allow aspiring and existing managers to step outside their day-to-day work, meet with other leaders and managers from a range of sectors and businesses to learn together,
observe other leadership styles,
gain new perspectives and build
vital support networks.
Developed a new Sense of Purpose programme supporting retirees ensuring they share their knowledge and skills to inspire others, upskilling and supporting them to respond innovatively to addressing some of the Counties
skills challenges. 26 retirees
participated in 3 workshops.
14 delegates participated in the First Line Manager
programme from 11 organisations.
Throughout the last year 28 businesses and over 100 people have taken part in 4 visits and events to showcase Lean and Continuous Improvement, leading the way to a more productive local economy. This network of committed professionals are driving efficiencies in their own organisations and sharing best practice with one another.
From April 2023 through to March 2024 our workplace team continued to work with existing clients, Sellafield Centre of Engineering Excellence, Citrus Lime, Futamura, Mott MacDonald to develop new and existing managers and leaders, and we were delighted to welcome new clients including Cumbria CVS and North Cumbria Integrated Care.
Our ever active Lean Forum members organised and hosted 4 events, showcasing their lean improvements and expertise.
SENSE OF PURPOSE & SCHOOL OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
We were also thrilled to be able to introduce 2 new programmes, Sense of Purpose, which enables the retired and retiring to connect with and keep contributing to the local community and economy, and School of Social Enterprise, for budding entrepreneurs with a community vision.
Sophie is a really encouraging tutor. The group work helped as there was another construction employer there as well who shared similar issues. I really liked the risk assessment of roles.”
Participant at our Sense of Purpose employer’s seminar
"I signed up for the Leader 2 Leader to identify my weaknesses, and also build on my strengths, when it comes to leadership for the benefit of myself, my staff and my family. The workshops are allowing me the opportunity to share my experiences of being a Managing Director to help other delegates, and also listen to examples of leadership from others in the group which I can implement and learn from for my own
business."
Adrian Kirkbride, Managing Director at AJ Security
LEADER 2 LEADER & FIRST LINE MANAGER
Our Leader 2 Leader delegates continued to impress with their consultancy challenges, creating productivity tools and analysing the effectiveness of different working patterns to benefit their own organisations and share with others. We also had our highest number of delegates yet on our First Line Manager programme, with delegates coming from over 11 local businesses.
FIRST LINE MANAGER Case Study
Natalie, a Quality Control Laboratory Team Leader at James Walker, participated in the First Line Manager programme with the goal of enhancing her people management skills. With no prior management experience, Natalie aimed to fully prepare herself for her new role. Thanks to her involvement in the programme, Natalie feels she has achieved her goals.
“I now have a much better understanding of what kind of things are actually expected of me being a team leader. I have been more aware when having conversations with people within my team that I may need to use more active listening to gain an understanding of how they are really feeling if they may need my support or advice.
When I have been training our new starter I have been more aware of when I would need to take a ‘mentor’ approach as opposed to when I would need to take a ‘coaching’ attitude.
The main take away for me after this course is to make sure that I stay aware of what my team is doing, which may be workload or personally”
“I would recommend this course to anybody that has come into a team leader role. It has information tailored to somebody who has no experience with the role and is very informative and easy to understand.”
NATALIE DEACON | JAMES WALKER
Hope Vallely, a newly promoted manager at ‘The Freedom Project’ shares her experience participating in the ‘First Line Manager’ programme.
CENTRE OF ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE SPRINT BESPOKE SOLUTIONS
While most of our leadership development involves bringing together people from across businesses and sectors (to maximise learning, broaden perspectives and build connections) we also work within organisations, developing leadership potential and encouraging employees to show everyday leadership.
These projects are highly rewarding as we can work with businesses over a number of years, supporting succession plans and following the leadership journey of hundreds of employees, through to retirement and beyond!
This two year project, delivered on behalf of Sellafield Engineering Centre of Excellence in Cleator Moor has shown how investing in employees can inspire innovation, save money and future proof organisations. We provide development support to employees taking part in 6 week Sprint Projects, where diverse teams come together to solve engineering problems alongside local supply chain companies.
While teams are focused on providing a technical solution or recommendation to their ‘client’ they are also benefiting from intensive support to develop leadership, collaboration, creativity and resilience skills, provided by CforLP.
Inspiring People Award Recognition
We were thrilled to say that we won the Inspiring People Award at the BEC Business Cluster Business Awards; a testament to your support and collaboration behind a common goal to make Cumbria a great place to live and work and improve the lives of everyone. Better leadership equals better lives.
“The award recognises not just the way our team is inspired and developed through the work they undertake, but also the huge support we receive from businesses, organisations schools and colleges across Cumbria.
As a relatively small not-for-profit SME we hugely appreciate their outstanding collaboration and partnership which enables the vital work of inspiring young people to reach for the careers they really want, and helps businesses and organisations to develop and support their staff at all levels. Together they make up our lifelong leadership community, from primary school to retirement, and provide opportunities for thousands of people across the age spectrum to set their sights on achievement through personal and professional growth, and demonstrate everyday leadership.” Sarah Glass, Executive Director
Life Long Leadership Case Study
This case study explores Sharon Brook, Head of Sales at North Lakes Hotel & Spa who has been actively involved with CforLP for the past 2 years.
Background & Involvement
Sharon's initial drive to get involved with CforLP was witnessing the impact of our primary and secondary school programmes.
"It was something, as a business, North Lakes really wanted to become involved with and matched with our desire to help students in the Cumbria area achieve their full potential."
Sharon has supported primary progammes including SkillsBlox and Bright Stars and secondary programmes including Dream Placement and Leading Change helping our mission to inspire the next generation.
"As well as having great fun, and allowing members of the hotel team to work alongside the students showing them what we do, it has been fabulous working with students and seeing them grow and develop."
Sharon Brook | North Lakes Hotel & Spa - Daniel Thwaites Group
Life Long Leadership Case Study
Wider Benefits to Organisation
Sharon's involvement with CforLP has helped her raise her organisation's profile.
"It helped the business due to the wide range of networking opportunities, raised awareness of the Hotel, started some really interesting conversations and I have developed some really great lasting relationships"
Development of Leadership Skills
Sharon acknowledges that her participation has enhanced her leadership skills.
"When working with the children, I have had to develop a whole new range of skills and I have learnt an awful lot!!! Certainly, with such young age groups, you need to take each child as an individual – sometimes in business you tend to think you can treat everyone the same – working with children certainly makes you think differently and you have to take so many different approaches and adapt and change much more."
"I really wanted to make an impact on our younger generation – to make them see the opportunities available to them and help those children that necessarily would not be given opportunity for a wide range of reasons"
Sharon Brook | North Lakes Hotel & Spa - Daniel Thwaites Group
OUR PARTNERS
THANK YOU to all of our partners last financial year for supporting our mission to develop Cumbria’s leaders for today and tomorrow.
All our work is made possible through grant funding, sponsorship, commercial funding and crowd funding.
Be a partner in our Leadership Community and benefit in the process!
Developing Cumbria’s Leaders for Today and Tomorrow
Join our community of learning and leadership. Enable your whole organisation to give, share and benefit by becoming part of our community of practice
Help fund an integrated leadership pathway that your organisation and employees can fully engage with and shape, accessing programmes and learning opportunities including volunteering, leadership, and networking events, and discussions that facilitate conversations, learning, and best
practice with other organisation’s and young people.
Phone: 01900 824 822 Email: info@cforlp.org.uk