Proud & Diverse Cumbria- Colours Hub

Proud and Diverse Cumbria CIC is a grassroots community organisation committed to improving the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals and other marginalised groups across West Cumbria.

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Proud & Diverse Cumbria- Colours Hub

Date Approved: July 2025
Grant Awarded: £141,481
Locality: Whitehaven

Proud and Diverse Cumbria CIC is a grassroots community organisation committed to improving the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals and other marginalised groups across West Cumbria. This Grant supports the continued development of the “Colours Hub” in Whitehaven. An inclusive and welcoming space that provides social connection, wellbeing support, cultural celebration, and practical help through a community café, peer support groups, creative activities, and youth-focused services.

The project seeks to strengthen community cohesion, reduce social isolation, and improve mental wellbeing by delivering a programme of inclusive, community-led activities. The Hub offers targeted support for LGBTQIA+ young people, older individuals, and those facing multiple barriers to participation, while also creating pathways into volunteering, training, and employment. All services are co-designed with participants to ensure they reflect local needs and promote genuine inclusion.

The grant will support a small core team, supported by trained volunteers over 2 years. Over the two years, the organisation will build its programme, deepen partnerships, and strengthen its income-generating model through café trading and room hire, moving toward long-term sustainability.

Project Impacts

1800
No. of people reached by direct services
12
No. of Events held per annum with a total of 120 people attending to promote safer, more inclusive communities with reduced hate crime
15
No. of 15 third sector organisations engaged through collaboration resulting in increased capacity and safer communities
25
No of people reached by the promotion of good mental health or access effective mental health support
160 (per month)
No over volunteer hours delivered through PADC related service delivery
1
No of new/improved community facilities

Project Impacts

  • To support between 1,200 and 1,500 individuals through access to counselling, peer support, group activities, and public-facing events.
  • To engage at least 80 young people through dedicated youth-led and intergenerational programming designed to build confidence, aspiration, and healthy relationships.
  • To deliver a minimum of 100 counselling or wellbeing sessions, tailored to the needs of service users experiencing anxiety, loneliness, or other mental health challenges.
  • To host at least 30 community events and workshops, using arts, culture, and social action to bring people together and promote shared values of inclusion and acceptance.
  • To enable at least 40 individuals to gain new skills or volunteering experience that supports personal development, confidence, and employability.
  • To increase footfall and revenue in the Hub’s community café by 40% by the end of year two, strengthening the project’s sustainability and visibility.
  • To grow and formalise partnerships with at least 20 local organisations, supporting co-delivery, referral pathways, and shared outcomes.