Page 71 - Barrow Town Deal Board Agenda 14/4/2020

The Well @ Ormsgill

Findings: People are worried about drugs in Ormsgill

Working in partnership with The Well, a new service to offer support for people with drug issues in the

community could be offered at the community centre. Those accessing the service could be offered
volunteering opportunities within the centre, providing employment and personal development

opportunities, and could potentially help to challenge the stigma surrounding drug abuse in the
community. Potential partners include The Well, and Public Health. The Police & Crime Commissioner’s

Community Fund would be a well-fitting funder for such work. UCLan can evaluate and report on the
feasibility and impact of such a project.

Community café
Findings: Women under 45 (particularly under 25 years old), living with children were the most likely
group to be lonely in Ormsgill

Volunteering can be a great way to overcome loneliness whilst also providing opportunities to build
community capital. The formation of a community café, delivered through the Love Ormsgill group, would

not only provide opportunities for residents to have somewhere to connect and socialise, but also offer

apprenticeships and other courses to enable sustainable delivery of the centre. This could be in form of a
CIC or social enterprise and it is recommended that Love Ormsgill seek advice and guidance from Cumbria

CVS on what avenue is best. The National Lottery Community Fund would be a well-fitting funder for such
work. UCLan can evaluate and report on the feasibility and impact of this.

Develop Joint Working Opportunities

Findings: Few residents have connections with those in positions of power, such as the local authorities.
It is recommended that opportunities to connect residents with those with power and influence be

created, especially for children and young people by working with local institutions who have already
some degree of trust with those in the community (for example, the local primary schools and the PCSO),

Through developing linking social capital, trust between residents and statutory service organisations can
be built and new means of co-production developed. Such linking capital will also encourage local

government (and other governance and service organisations) to ground accountability for their policies
and practices in authentic participation from the communities on which they impact.

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