Welcome

South Cumbria District

We hold regular meetings at the Netherwood Hotel, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria on the third Thursday afternoon in the month

(Except: June: second Tuesday – joint Manchester & NW Districts’ Branch meeting at Barton Grange Hotel, Preston August: works visit and December: second Thursday).

Why not come and visit us?

You will find a warm welcome, in a delightful hotel with panoramic views across Morecambe Bay, and the opportunity to up-date your workplace health and safety knowledge and skills from presentations by HSE specialists and industry ‘experts’.

We welcome IOSH members from all over the UK to our meetings, especially members from other parts of Manchester & NW Districts’ Branch, as well as those who live within our geographical District.

Where are we based?

Grange-over-Sands is in the centre of our geographical District which stretches south to Lancaster, north to Ambleside, to the west coast of Cumbria and east to the Yorkshire border.

Our 2011 programme

This year our programme includes specialist speakers on topics ranging from CDM, to truck safety (including a practical session), and managing vulnerable employees: see the South Cumbria District programme for details of all this year’s meetings. We also run a day Health and Safety seminar in October with support from HSE, and industry; we need to charge a delegate fee for this event to help cover the extra costs.

Each year our annual programme topics are based on members’ choices. At our March, April and May meetings we ask members to indicate topics that are of interest to them. We then collate the votes and search for ‘experts’ to speak on the most popular topics.

IPD, CPD and mentoring support

Our Educational & Development Advisers, Carol Stearne and John Hannah, have organised two IPD and CPD workshops during the last year and, at least one of them, is available at most meetings to advise members on IPD, CPD and personal development.

Links with the local community

Our District holds joint meetings with the South Cumbria Occupational Health & Safety Group (SCOHSG) to the mutual benefit of both groups; we share meeting costs and expertise. IOSH members are able to help raise IOSH’s profile in the community by networking with representatives from small companies who do not have access to a safety professional in their workplace. SCOHSG (established 1950s), is a forum, organised by volunteers, where representatives from small and medium sized companies keep up-to-date with Health & Safety legislation, discuss practical solutions to health and safety problems, meet Health and Safety Practitioners from other organisations for informal advice and listen to specialist speakers. Membership is open to companies, not individuals.

Other places of interest nearby

Our meeting place is seven miles from the southern end of Lake Windermere and 15 miles from Coniston Water. Grange-over-Sands is a delightful small Victorian coastal town just two miles from Cartmel village (home of the famous Cartmel sticky toffee pudding and Cartmel race course).