Shepley Engineers, a West Cumbrian engineering firm, has surpassed the £100,000 milestone in its charitable giving to local causes.

The company, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, established the Shepley Group Fund in partnership with the Cumbria Community Foundation in 2011.

The fund has since awarded grants totalling £105,910 to 72 different organisations.

The grants have supported a wide range of causes, including homelessness, substance abuse, physical and mental health, disability, arts, sport, the environment, education, youth social action, social inclusion, and community development.

The latest grants were awarded this summer to The Vulture Club, Team Evie, and The Windmill Trust.

The Vulture Club, which offers creative arts and a safe meeting space for individuals recovering from addiction or trauma, received a £2,000 grant to help cover rent costs.

Team Evie, a charity supporting sick children and their families, will use its £2,000 grant to assist with the salary costs of its newly developed peer support service.

The Windmill Trust, which works with children and young people who have experienced adverse childhood experiences, will expand its creative therapy services in the West Cumbria area with its £2,000 grant.

David Henderson, Nuclear Business Manager at Shepley Engineers, visited The Vulture Club with Cumbria Community Foundation’s Director of Programmes & Partnerships, Jenny Benson, to see the impact the company’s grants make on the organisations, and the people they support.

“It was great to visit the Vulture Club, meet its co-ordinator Kelly, and talk to the people who are actually benefiting from using the facility and from the support they get from the team who run it,” said David.

“It really brings it home how much initiatives like this are needed in our communities, and the real difference they make to people’s lives."

The Shepley Group Fund began with an initial £89,000 lump sum, which has since been invested to generate earnings used for awarding grants.

The fund is an endowed fund, meaning it is permanent and can provide long-term benefits to communities.

David Henderson said: “I thoroughly recommend setting up an endowment fund with Cumbria Community Foundation. They have a professional team and are well governed with a structured approach to providing support to disadvantaged people.