A youth club in West Cumbria has seen its attendance double in a matter of weeks after receiving a £1,500 grant from Cumbria Freemasons through the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) Festival Grant Scheme.
Egremont Youth Partnership, based in a former Methodist Church that has been extensively restored, welcomed senior Freemasons for a tour of its transformed premises. Mark Edmiston, area lead for Cumbria Freemasons, visited alongside Andrew Moore, deputy area lead, and Paul Smith, Worshipful Master of Copeland Lodge.
Manager Tracy McFadden led the visitors through the building, which now houses a fully equipped kitchen, meeting areas, an office, pool tables, dart boards, and outside seating. She was joined by lead youth worker Ella Carver and apprentice Ruby Butterworth, who together form the small but dedicated team behind the club’s rapid growth.
From 30 to 66 in weeks
The grant has helped the partnership build on its existing work, with attendance leaping from 30 to 66 young people in recent weeks. The club runs a youth development scheme offering ASDAN accreditations and employability skills, giving local teenagers tangible qualifications alongside a safe space to socialise.
Trips to Hollywood Bowl in Carlisle, Liverpool, and Newcastle have proved popular, and the club also runs anti-social behaviour workshops. Local PCSOs regularly join sessions, building positive relationships between young people and the police.
Tracy McFadden spoke about the pressures facing young people in rural West Cumbria. “The decline of local high streets makes it harder and harder for young people to find affordable activities,” she said. “Places like ours fill a real gap, and this funding from the Freemasons means we can keep offering those opportunities.”
MCF Festival Grant Scheme
The MCF Festival Grant Scheme channels funds raised by Freemasons across England and Wales into local community organisations. It is one of several programmes run by the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is among the largest grant-making charities in the country.
Neil Dixon of Cumbria Freemasons said: “We are proud to support Egremont Youth Partnership through the MCF Festival Grant Scheme. The dedication shown by Tracy and her team is truly outstanding. Seeing the difference this club makes to young people in the town — giving them somewhere positive to go, helping them gain qualifications, and keeping them engaged — is exactly what community-level funding should achieve.”
The Egremont Youth Partnership is a strong example of what can be achieved when local volunteers, charitable funding, and community spirit come together. With attendance on the rise and new programmes in the pipeline, the former Methodist Church is proving to be one of the most important buildings in the town.
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