Give a Day charity, Carlisle marks 10th anniversary

Give A Day Carlisle began during a meeting of church leaders in 2014, after Andy Fearon of Carlisle Vineyard Church came up with the concept of everyone in the city contributing to the community for one day a year.

Andy Fearon said: "Give a day started 10 years ago and has helped make hundreds of projects happen over the years. We have seen the very best of people in Carlisle even during some of the hardest times.

"The first project was led by Paul Rheinbach. He and a team renovated the changing rooms at Milbourne Park back in 2015.

"Over the years we have seen the big projects like house renovations led my Mel Taylor after the floods, schools giving away pots of joy lovingly grown every year. Bags of courage have been given out over the years. A party in the city centre six months after the floods and countless garden renovations have been done.

"From litter picks to random acts of kindness everyone can get involved. When you look back over the years and you see how generous people are it blows you away. Cumbria community foundation and Thomas Graham’s have been huge help along the way with helping to fund.

"Having the support of Carlisle Ambassadors, Carlisle College and Carlisle Vineyard Church amongst many many others as part of Give a Day has been amazing. So many different organisations, businesses, charities, schools, groups, churches and individuals have been involved."

The Give a Day initiative has been running for the past week, with several local organisations getting involved.

Carlisle Youth Zone said: "We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in the Give a Day Carlisle initiative to revitalise our yard area."

Other charities, such as PAC Therapy and Carlisle Foodbank have benefitted from the help given by Give a Day.

Fellow church leader Donald Mackay said: "Fantastic to see the difference 10 years of Give a Day makes - adding opportunity, generosity, value, and pride to our city's places and spaces.