Communities are coming together in Cumberland this summer.
Cumberland Council’s Local Focus Hubs will host five fantastic free events to engender a sense of community spirit and pride.
The Operation Respect events will include community clean-ups, lots of advice, sport, activities, food and interaction from the agencies who keep Cumbria safe.
The annual series of events will run in five locations across the Cumberland Council patch – Egremont, Whitehaven, Workington, Aspatria, and Carlisle.
There will be advice on budgeting, housing, crime prevention, health, fire safety, family wellbeing and other issues, as well as free activities and healthy snacks.
Family Action will be on hand with activities and advice, and at some events Cumbria Cricket and Active Cumbria will run sessions for the whole family. More details about what will happen at each event will be shared on social media.
As well as providing fun activities and access to support, the Operation Respect events will allow people to talk to organisations, including the police, council, social landlords and others, about concerns in their communities.
Each event is led by one of the hub’s housing providers – Castles and Coasts, Westfield Housing Association, Home Group and Riverside – and co-ordinated by Copeland Local Focus Hub, Carlisle Local Focus Hub or Allerdale Local Focus Hub.
The events run as follows, all from 10am until 3pm:
- Heysham park, Raffles, Carlisle – July 23
- Beck Green, Egremont – Jul 31
- Harriston Green, Aspatria – August 6
- Windsor Road, Westfield, Workington – August 8
- Mirehouse, Whitehaven – August 21
Cumberland’s Executive Member for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places, Councillor Denise Rollo, said: “These events have been a huge success in the past and I’m delighted they are not only continuing, but extending to cover more communities.
"They are an invaluable platform to allow us to meet residents in a less formal setting and hear their concerns. It’s also a great way to get support right into the heart of communities, where people can access it easily. And, just as importantly, they are fantastic fun! I would urge people to join in and I hope to see them at events.”
Cumberland Business Command Unit Neighbourhood Policing Chief Inspector, Annette McClement, said: “These events are a great opportunity for the community to speak to partners from the Local Focus Hub and take part in the initiatives in their local area.
“These events also give hub partners a chance to visit local areas and understand the issues the community are facing.
“We take a partnership approach to tackle issues within our communities and work closely with organisations both within and outside of the hubs to address those issues. I hope our communities take these events as an opportunity to speak to us and partners so we can understand their concerns and ideas in order to work together to tackle the issues they are facing.”
Local Focus Hubs are highly collaborative partnerships set up to tackle antisocial behaviour and improve community safety. The council, police, fire service, housing associations and third sector organisations work to address issues collectively.