Social enterprises and charities in Cumbria are being urged to pitch in to a £4m fund to deliver social impact projects.

The ‘Invest for Impact’ fund offers finance between £50,000 and £150,000 in the form of grants or loans to support long-lasting social impact.

One Cumbrian beneficiary of the fund run by First Ark Social Investment, is the Brathay Trust. The Trust – which works to improve the life chances of young people through physical and mental activities – received £99,000 to update facilities including the ‘High Challenge Rope Course’ and refurbish nine bedrooms at Brathay Hall.

The funding not only helped provide modern accommodation for visitors, but also helped create three jobs at the Trust, which is headquartered on the northern shore of Windermere.

Heather Dixon, Brathay’s Finance Director, who was involved in the bid, said: “It has been great to work with First Ark, it feels like a real partnership.

“They are interested in Brathay, what we do and the alignment in ethos is clear to all to see. Their flexible approach to how we use the money is unique in our experience.”

So far, First Ark Social Investment has approved over £1.4m to a broad range of charities and is encouraging more to come forward.

First Ark group head of investments, Hannah Jones, said: “The North West social economy has gone from strength-to-strength over the last 12 months and we’re already starting to see our social investments deliver positive change in communities across the region.

“We are really pleased with the work that we have done over the last year, however, we are always looking to do more and that’s why we are asking charities and social enterprises to speak to us about their financing needs.

“Our priority is to develop skills and enable communities to become more sustainable and we’re keen speak to anyone who wants to build a better future for their community.”