Find out more about how we work as an educational charity, a social enterprise, and an employer.
Social enterprise
We are certified by Social Enterprise UK. This is formal recognition that Cumberland Lodge operates in practice as a trading business with a social purpose, and shows we take environmental, social and governance issues very seriously.
Sustainability
At Cumberland Lodge, we are committed to reducing our impact on the environment by embedding sustainability practices across all areas of our charitable and trading activity. We are drawing up an action plan to move towards carbon neutrality as soon as possible, and ultimately Net Zero Carbon.
We have set our priorities for this in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and are reviewing our working practices accordingly.
We are focusing on three main areas:
- Reducing our carbon emissions
- Adopting renewable sources of energy
- Improving our waste and recycling rates
Where possible, the results of our efforts will be measured according to verified standards and updates on our progress will be published alongside our annual impact reporting.
Real Living Wage
Cumberland Lodge is an accredited Real Living Wage Employer – recognising our commitment to paying our staff according to the true cost of living, not just the government minimum.
This commitment also extends to any third party contracted staff who work regularly at the Lodge.
The Real Living Wage provides an independently calculated voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on. The figures are calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence on living standards in the UK.