Last month we visited Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. Baroness Hilary Armstrong, ICON Chair, led the visit, joined by fellow commissioners Matt Leach and David Halpern.
The visit began with a visit to Love Barrow Families, a Community Interest Company that works with families that face multiple and severe disadvantage. They have a clear focus on providing what families themselves have asked for, ‘doing with’ rather than ‘doing to’. The positive impact made by Love Barrow Families was clear.
The Commission then attended a Pride in Place roundtable, led by Michelle Scrogham, Member of Parliament for Barrow and Furness. Barrow Central has been awarded £20 million of funding over the next ten years as part of the government’s Pride in Place programme.
This roundtable brought together key stakeholders including Team Barrow, Westmorland and Furness Council, The National Lottery Community Fund, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), University of Cumbria, 3ni: the national network for neighbourhood improvement and a wide range of local charities and community groups, including Love Barrow Families.
It was great to see so much enthusiasm for the Pride in Place investment in Barrow, which has the potential to be genuinely transformative for the local area.
We are extremely grateful to everyone that made the Barrow trip possible, particularly Michelle Scrogham MP and her office
