AT A recently held St. Mary's Mothers’ Union (MU) meeting, Barbara Brown led the service and Marie Wright read from the Book of James 2.14-26.

After the notices, the speaker was Carol Gardner from Penrith, whose subject was MULOA. In 2019, the MU theme had been Listen, Observe and Act. In 2020 it is 'building hope and confidence'. MU had been trying to identify how it could help people both in this country and overseas. The meeting was told of five different areas in which the MU has helped people in this country.

Carol had a display of crafts done for seafarers, babies etc. Thea proposed the vote of thanks and then Sue Rodway and Barbara Brown served refreshments.

GILL Holmes, the community development officer at Cumbria County Council, has been working in partnership with health and care services to bring an understanding of the challenges that each of the local areas face. Using local knowledge, the communities can work together with health and care organisations, local authorities and the voluntary sector to improve their health and wellbeing.

Gill would like to work on community-led initiatives to deliver projects around identified priorities. Some examples of projects could be helping to combat social isolation, making people aware of the services out there, helping people with dementia integrate in the community, community transport initiatives, drug and alcohol misuse, wellbeing events including health checks, and advice from third sector organisations.

The group has been allocated £5,000 as seed funding to help address areas which could benefit through community engagement. Some of the funding was used to hold a wellbeing fair in September at the Marchesi Centre. This proved very successful and we still have £4,363.72 to spend for the benefit of the community. Gill is looking to bring the group together to see what they might do next!

THERE has been a request about the possibility of putting on a community lunch once a week. This will require both funding and volunteers. Gill has also heard from an organisation which wants to run a family arts project at Fell Foot. Any decision to use funding has to be made by the group, so it would be brilliant if we could get a good turnout at the next meeting.

The group usually meets in the lounge at Applethwaite Green care home on Phoenix Way from 6.30pm to 8pm, and Gill was also thinking about an evening at the beginning of February. The best nights for the care home are Tuesdays to Thursdays and I can offer these dates: Tuesday 11 or Thursday 13.

Please contact Gill at gillian.holmes@cumbria.gov.uk or on 01539 713405 with your preferred date. Please feel free to bring a friend or colleague along with any ideas you may have.

ENJOY YOUR Leisure continues on February 11 at 10.30am in the Marchesi Centre, when Maurice Steele will give a talk entitled 'Going Wild in Cumbria'. Refreshments will be served between 9.45am and 10.15am. Note that programmes may be changed without notice due to cancellations.

WINDERMERE Town Council will convene on February 12 at 7pm in the council chamber on Broad Street. This is a full council meeting at which there is a three-minute slot for local residents to air their views and concerns.