Charity leader leaves £1m legacy gift for county

1 hour ago

Samantha JaggerNorth East and Cumbria

News image — Rachael Rodway was the "driving force" behind Carlisle Foodbank, CCF said

Cumbria Community Foundation Rachael Rodway has silver and lilac short hair. She wears tortoise-shell glasses, a multi-coloured scarf and a grey wool jumper. She stands in front of a jewellery cabinet in a shop. — Rachael Rodway was the "driving force" behind Carlisle Foodbank, CCF said

An organisation which provides financial support to charities across a county has received an "incredible" £1m legacy donation.

Founder of Carlisle Food Bank Rachael Rodway, who died in April 2022, left the gift for grant-making charity Cumbria Community Foundation (CCF), which tackles issues including poverty, poor health, inequality and climate change.

The food bank, which helps about 900 people a month, said in July stocks were already at the lowest level since it opened.

CCF's development manager Caroline Adams said the team were "stunned and delighted" and Rodway "understood the Cumbrian charity sector better than anyone".

Adams said money would go to its "most flexible and powerful fund that we can direct to address the priority issues in our county".

Carlisle Food Bank recently received CCF funding towards salary costs for a part-time staff member to help run its new onsite community shop, cafe and social hub.

The cafe opened last year and was named 'Rachael's' in honour of its founder.

Cumbria Community Foundation Steph Humes has medium-length brown hair and clear framed glasses. She is wearing a teal-coloured t-shirt and is packing food into a plastic bag at a foodbank. — Steph Humes said people came into the cafe and asked about Rachael at the foodbank

Steph Humes, operations director at Carlisle Food Bank, said "everyone agreed it would be a lovely way to remember her... people who come in the cafe ask who Rachael was and we tell them all about her".

According to Humes, Rodway "did a lot of work behind the scenes" at the foodbank.

"She was in here right up until the end, very much playing down her illness," Humes said, adding Rodway was "just incredible, not just for this place but for the whole community".

Humes previously said the food bank was "very busy" and she was seeing "an awful lot" of new families coming forward for help for the first time.

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