Sources of additional support and assistance for dealing with the cost of living crisis are detailed on the Cumberland Council website - "If you are struggling to pay bills and essential costs of living, find out what help may be available to you through benefits, grants and other help" (click here) and also on the Westmorland and Furness website there are details about the Household Support Fund, keeping warm, and support with childcare and money worries (click here).

​There is also support and advice available from:

• ​Age UK: provides information and advice on a range of issues relating to older people and those who care for them. To find support locally click here. Also, Age UK's Advice Line is a free, confidential national telephone service for older people, as well as their families, friends, carers and professionals - 0800 678 1602 (Lines are open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year).

• Andy's Man Club: a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free to attend peer-to-peer support groups across the United Kingdom and online. We want to end the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and help men through the power of conversation. To find your local support group click here:
  • Workington - Workington Academy, Stainburn Road, Stainburn CA14 4EB.
  • Maryport - Maryport Rugby League Football Club, Mealpot Road, Maryport CA15 6NE.
  • Whitehaven - Whitehaven RUFC, Richmond Terrace, Whitehaven CA28 7QR.
  • Cockermouth - Cockermouth Town Council Town Hall, Market Street, Cockermouth CA13 9NP.

• Citizens Advice: Offers free, confidential advice on debt, benefits, legal issues, and energy. They can also provide food bank vouchers. To find your local branch click here.

• Gamble Aware: offer free advice, tools and support to help keep people safe from gambling harms (click here).
• Gateway 4 Women: is a not-for-profit organisation offering "a warm, safe and women-only space for women aged 18+ across Cumbria.

  Whether you're experiencing difficulties with your mental health, housing, relationships, finances, domestic abuse, isolation or other challenges, we're here to support you" (click here).

• HearHer Windermere: a local, free, peer-to-peer mental health support group explicitly designed for women aged 18 and older. The branch serves as a confidential, judgment-free space created to break the stigma around women's mental health, offer community connection, and combat isolation. Meetings are held every Thursday from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at The Cecil Reed Room inside the Marchesi Centre, Windermere LA23 2EA. It is completely free to attend, with complimentary tea, coffee, and refreshments provided.
• Help through Hardship: provide emergency support, including referrals to food banks and benefit checks - 0808 208 2138 (England & Wales).
• Hope Haven: help for all adults (18+) in Copeland, "whatever you’re struggling with. Visit us at 40 King Street, Whitehaven CA28 7JN - open 9:30 AM –midnight Mon-Fri, 4 PM-midnight at weekends. You don't need an appointment or referral". The link to their Facebook page is here.
• Hub of Hope: provides access to the UK’s largest mental health support directory. Whether you want to find a service to help you feel better or you want to support someone who is struggling, they can help (click here).
• Kooth: an online non-emergency mental health support service for people aged 11-18 (click here).
• National Debtline: Call 0808 808 4000 for free, confidential debt advice and practical solutions for managing money worries.
• Nic's Voices of Hope: offer a safe, confidential, welcoming and trustworthy space where women can come together, share their worries, support one another or simply enjoy a cuppa and some company. The link to their Facebook page is here.
• North West Hardship Hub: if you "live in the North West we are here to help point you in the right direction to find real solutions to your problems. You can use this website to find a qualified not-for-profit advisor who will be able to help, to find the location of a local foodbank to help feed your family or simply to find someone with a friendly ear that you can talk to (click here).
• Oreet Sheila's: a women’s friendship and wellbeing support group for over 18's, who get together every Tuesday from 7 PM to 9 PM at The Butchers Arms on Crosby Street, Maryport. The link to their Facebook page is here.
• Recovery Steps Cumbria: Workington: is a free and confidential support service for people who use drugs and alcohol (click here).
• Samaritans: "prevents suicide through the power of human connection. Connecting people in crisis with trained volunteers who will always listen. People calling for change with those who need to listen. People who've been there before with those struggling now" (click here), or to contact a Samaritan there are various options - click here.

• Shelter: A national housing and homelessness charity with expert advisors who provide free, confidential advice on all aspects of housing issues, from rent arrears to finding a place to live (click here).

• ​StepChange: Provide free, expert debt advice and solutions. Since 1993, their free debt advice and support service has changed the lives of millions of people in United Kingdom (click here) - 0800 138 1111 for tailored support, debt management plans, and advice on handling emergency funding.
• The Riverside Group: one of the largest and most experienced housing association groups in the country, with national coverage and roots dating back to the early 20th century. They provide social housing, care and support services across the UK, helping people build better lives and stronger communities.(click here).
• Time to Change West Cumbria: Calderwood House, Egremont is an emergency homeless hostel, consisting of 10 rooms of en-suite accommodation, most of whose residents are from the local area, and they also prioritise ex-service men and women. Their dedicated team provides round the clock support, 365 days a year to provide their homeless clients with a safe, warm place to stay whilst they get back on their feet and move on to a better, brighter future (click here).
• Turn2us: believe everyone in the UK should have financial security so they can thrive. For further information visit the Turn2us website to use their free benefits calculator and grants search tool.