When the Cumbria Climate Assembly concluded its deliberations and published its recommendations, the work could easily have ended there. But due to the passion and commitment of residents involved in the assembly, it hasn’t.

At Shared Future, we believe the energy, commitment and legitimacy of assembly members should not be lost. That’s why, since the Cumbria Climate Assembly wrapped up, we have been privileged to work alongside members who wanted to stay engaged.

The results have been remarkable. 32 of the original 42 members have chosen to stay involved, continuing their journey as active citizens.

Over the past four months, with our support, they have:

• Launched their recommendations at an in-person event for local stakeholders.
• Received specialist training from George Marshall, one of Europe’s leading climate communications experts, to help them share their story with decision-makers and the wider public.
• Presented to a wide range of audiences  from Westmorland and Furness Council, to local NHS leaders, a scrutiny committee, political party meetings, and networks like Sustainable Carlisle and Cumbria Sustainability Network.
• Reached out to councillors, hosting a webinar on their proposal for a permanent citizens’ assembly (Recommendation 9 of the Assembly), including contributions from politicians elsewhere in Europe.
• Planned meetings with MPs and local authority leaders, ensuring that elected representatives hear directly from those who deliberated.
• Created a Charter to invite organisations and individuals to publicly show their support for the Assembly and its recommendations.

This work demonstrates the potential impact of supporting assembly members once the formal process ends. It keeps the recommendations alive, builds members’ confidence and skills, and strengthens democratic accountability.

We know from experience that structured support matters. It helps avoid post-assembly activity being dominated only by those with the most spare time or resources, but most of all, it recognises the unique contribution these citizens can make as “trusted messengers” of the wider public.

As Assembly member Josh from Penrith, powerfully says:

“Following the recommendation launch I found myself full of energy to work towards how we can get our ideas implemented. Being a young person, I was especially keen to work towards recommendation 7 (engaging young people) being addressed by those in charge.  Being given a platform to speak at events, talking about the recommendations we came up with has been an integral part to create the change that we as an assembly have flagged as necessary, allowing the people of Cumbria to feel  as though they are taken seriously in the sphere of climate politics”

We’re proud of what the Cumbria Climate Assembly members have achieved so far, and in the short term we’ll continue to provide the support and advice they need to thrive in this new role.

Please show your support for their work by reading the recommendations and signing the Charter on the Zero Carbon Cumbria website.

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Read the full process report and recommendations of the Cumbria Climate Assembly.