Sellafield and partners unite to provide life-changing funding
Sellafield Ltd and supply chain partners have raised £162,500 to support care-experienced young people through Cumberland Council's Enrichment Fund.
Sellafield Ltd and its supply chain partners have raised £162,500 for Cumberland Council’s Enrichment Fund.
The funding will support care-experienced young people aged 16 and over.
The fund, managed by Cumbria Youth Alliance, supports wellbeing, education, training and employment.
Young people can use it to pay for professional courses, work-related costs such as clothing for interviews, gym memberships, and creative activities.
Sellafield’s Programme and Project Partners (PPP) have contributed £50,000. They are KBR, Amentum, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, and Altrad Babcock. Sellafield Ltd matched the donation.
More funding came from supply chain partners. These were:
- Alpha Engineering Ltd
- Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick
- Careys
- DSD Construction
- G&A M Lawson
- The Halcyon Club
- Solomons Europe
- March
- NG Bailey
- Sir Robert McAlpine
- William Hare Ltd
- William King Construction.
Steve Harnwell, Sellafield Ltd interim projects director, said:
Every young person deserves the chance to achieve their potential, whatever challenges they have faced.
The stories we heard at last year’s Rising As Me event stayed with us. We knew we wanted to help.
Raising enough money to fund more than three years of support is a fantastic achievement. It shows what can happen when organisations work together behind a shared purpose. It also shows the value of investing in the communities where we live and work.
The fundraising campaign was inspired by the Rising As Me event. The event was hosted by Cumberland Council and Cumbria Youth Alliance.
Care-experienced young people shared their experiences. They also spoke about the difference that targeted support can make.
After the event, PPP committed to funding one year of the Enrichment Fund.
That target has now been exceeded. Support from Sellafield Ltd, PPP partners and the wider supply chain has secured enough funding for more than three years.
The achievement shows what organisations can do when they work together.
It also shows how the nuclear community can make a positive difference beyond the site boundary.
The funding will help care-experienced young people access new opportunities and reach their potential.
Emma Williamson, Deputy Leader of Cumberland Council and Executive Member for Children and Family Wellbeing and Housing, said:
We see every day the difference that the right support at the right time can make.
Thanks to the generosity of Sellafield Ltd, PPP and our supply chain partners, more care-experienced young people will have the chance to overcome barriers, build confidence and take positive steps towards independence.
This is about more than funding. It shows young people that their ambitions matter and that their community believes in them.
For more information, visit the Enrichment Fund at Cumbria Youth Alliance.