Archive

  • Cockling problems will not disappear

    Sir, I refer to several recent articles regarding the need to control cockling, or more specifically the frequent side effects of cockling. By this I mean the litter, damage to roadsides and foreshore, nuisance and disruption to local residents, threats

  • Ok you're drowning...no need to over-react

    THERE was a major exercise on Windermere this week to see how the emergency services would cope with a disaster on the lake. I only hope that it was more realistic than a similar one held around 15 years ago. "It is being kept an absolute secret," my

  • £1m Council shortfall concerns voiced last autumn

    ALARM bells about the cost of a new pay structure for South Lakeland District Council staff were ringing more than six months ago, The Westmorland Gazette can reveal. Official council documents from a meeting in November show that councillors expressed

  • Candidates ...

    SLDC Arnside and Beetham: David Brian Clark, Conservative; Ian Stewart, Liberal Democrat. Burton and Holme: Roger Kenneth Bingham, Conservative; Antony Jolley, Liberal Democrat. Coniston: Doreen Anne Hall, Conservative; John Clifford Hemingway, Liberal

  • Parties in row over Farron's decision

    A ROW has broken out between South Lakeland's two major political parties after it was announced that the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate is also to stand in the district council elections. The Conservatives immediately said that Tim Farron's

  • System for Euro success is complex

    WHEN the UK elects its MPs to sit in the House of Commons, a "first-past-the-post" system is used. This is a simple system in which the candidate with the most votes in each constituency is elected to Westminster as the representative of that seat, reports

  • Is this the year for change?

    SINCE its creation in 1974, no one party has been in overall control of South Lakeland District Council. In theory, this could change on June 10, when 18 seats will be up for grabs from the total of 52. The current make-up of the council is 18 Conservative

  • Elections to be done by postal vote

    NOMINATIONS closed this week for elections to the European Parliament and for local councils around the country. However, across the North West, the traditional polling station and ballot box will not be a feature of the elections. Instead, an all-postal

  • Chinese cockler finds love on Furness coast

    A Chinese cockler who was smuggled into the country to find work is pleading with the authorities not to send him home after he fell in love with an Ulverston woman. After travelling half way across the world, 42-year-old Wang Long found work and love

  • Old explosive found in slate wall

    BROUGHTON-in-Furness was rocked by an ancient explosive this week after a stick of gelignite was found in an old wall. Bomb disposal experts were called in to safely detonate the charge after it was discovered by David and Tracey Binks as they were demolishing

  • War heroes reunited

    Friday two old comrades who together experienced the horrors of D-Day and Belsen are being reunited. Eddie Wilson, 84, of Askam-in-Furness, and Ken Barnett, 83, from Swindon, will be enjoying a pint together in the West Country for old times' sake after

  • Motorcycling: Euro endurance win for Knight

    MOTORCYCLING: David Knight, who races for Kendal-based KTM D3-Racing, claimed his first World Enduro Championship class win in the French round of the WEC series, at St Remy Sur Durolle. Knight's win came despite having to recover from a slipped chain

  • Westmorland: Nelson's victory broadside

    TEN runs from the next to last over meant that Warton retained their 100 per cent record in the Cumberland View-Volkswagen Westmor-land League, but they were made to fight hard by Arnside. Warton won the toss and on a damp wicket Arnside made a respectable

  • Cycling: Scot in scorcher

    FLYING Scotsman Mark Atkinson, Team Velo Ecosse, rode the fastest 25 ever seen on the Levens course when he rode Kent Valley Road Club's open event at the weekend. The man from Fort William made the very best of a calm early season morning to cover the

  • JUNIOR FOOTBALL: Clean sweep

    Unbeaten in the Under-14 league, Wattsfield rounded off a marvellous season on Wednesday night by winning their third cup. The side first won the Dallam Tower Cup, beating Wattsfield United 2-1 in the final with goals from Luke Jacobs and Michael Wilson

  • New-look league

    NEXT season Kendal Town will have to adjust to life in a new-look UniBond First Division, made up of clubs in the bottom half of the current table and ambitious newcomers who have seized the chance for an easy promotion from the North West Counties Leauge

  • Wetheriggs take title decider

    THE NIGHTMARE was relived for Conistons footballers on Saturday when for the second year running they saw Wetheriggs United deny them the First Division championship of the Talbot Insurance Westmorland League. Unlike 12 months ago, when the Shepherd's

  • Motor sport and more...

    CRICKET NORTHERN LEAGUE Saturday Division One (1pm) St Annes v Netherfield Kendal v Blackpool Division Two (1.30pm) Netherfield 2nd v St Annes 2nd Blackpool 2nd v Kendal 2nd Sunday Thwaites Lancashire Cup(1.30pm) Kendal v Southport Trinity

  • County in walkover

    Cumbria RUFC have been awarded this weekend's scheduled match against Berkshire, who have been disqualified from the competition after failing to fulfil their Tetley's County Cup first-round tie against Yorkshire. Cumbria will now have a home tie at

  • What the Skippers' Say

    Not much yo-ho-ho for the tottering batsman...with ... Dave Fallows and Tommy Prime. DAVE : The word Cockspur has been synonymous for Kendal CC in the past with many of its members enjoying the sweet taste of the brand of rum that bears its name.

  • Cricket: Cumberland's new signing

    CUMBERLAND County Cricket Club have signed former Yorkshire opening batsman Scott Richardson. Six-foot two-inch Scott Andrew Richardson has been released by Yorkshire after four years on the county staff. The former Manchester Grammar schoolboy spent

  • New signing for Cumberland

    CUMBERLAND County Cricket Club have signed former Yorkshire opening batsman Scott Richardson. Six-foot two-inch Scott Andrew Richardson has been released by Yorkshire after four years on the county staff. The former Manchester Grammar schoolboy

  • Youth gets a chance

    KENDAL blooded several aspiring young cricketers in Sunday's Cockspur Cup-tie at Fleetwood, the ECB national knock-out competition that once took the Shap Road men to Lord's. Choosing to bat, the visitors were quickly struggling and were only saved from

  • Parry revels in Cockspur role

    A MATCH-winning knock of 67 from Chris Parry carried Netherfield through the second round of the Cockspur Cup ECB National Knockout after a six-wicket win over Egerton of the Bolton League. Parry also took three catches behind, having taken over wicket-keeping

  • Welcome Dale to Northern Life

    ARRIVING a month later than expected, South African star Dale Benkenstein settled into life this week as the new professional at Netherfield Cricket Club, writes Richard Daniels. Considering that so far his plans have not run too smoothly, a first-ball

  • Awesome performances from youngsters

    BY ALL accounts, the National Theatre Shell Connections Youth Theatre Festival was a huge success. Packed audiences and great productions written by professional writers made it a memorable four-day event, staged at Keswick's Theatre by the Lake and

  • Death prompts call for better training

    SOUTH Cumbria's coroner has pressed for better first aid training for care workers after a 28-year-old disabled man choked to death on a piece of toast. Paul Ashton from Grange-over-Sands was being looked after at a residential unit for adults with learning

  • Adrian's arts diary

    A LAST Night of the Proms is being staged tomorrow (Saturday, 7.30pm) at Lancaster Town Hall in aid of the Ashton Hall Organ Restoration Fund. More than 70 singers from all over Lancashire, and as far afield as Wiltshire, have been recruited to perform

  • Villagers demand expansion rethink

    Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Collins has written to South Lakeland District Council to voice concern that some local people were "kept in the dark" regarding a controversial development, reports Ruth Lythe. As previously reported in The Westmorland

  • Cooking up a storm on stage

    CHILDREN'S eyes were as round as saucers as weird and wonderful characters in fabulous costumes took to the stage for The Weather Kitchen. Tiny tots were as enthralled as my six-year-old nephew throughout the hour-long show by Monster Productions. And

  • Love conqueror

    Blockbuster recreates Homer's epic PASSION is at the heart of all the momentous events driving Troy, an epic chronicle of the triumphs and tragedy of the legendary Trojan War. The seeds of war are sown when King Menelaus of Sparta hosts a banquet

  • Events this week...

    FAIRS VINTAGE metal's "Bit of a Do" this weekend at New House Farm, near Kirkby Lonsdale, will feature an exhibition of vintage vehicles, tractors, stationary engines, stalls and a car boot sale. Proceeds from the Vintage Gathering and Country Fayre

  • Cruising on the high seas

    In the wake of the spectacular launch of Queen Mary 2, award-winning travel writer KEN BENNETT discovers that her running mate, QE2, still remains a firm favourite with travellers. Viewed from 13 storeys high, the sea resembled black, shifting silk

  • Check out...

    ...your guide to local speciality & seasonal food & drink. Cartmel Village Shop: Coriander, lemon grass and chilli marinade Thai cooking sauce, £2.95 for 250ml bottle. Steadmans, Sedbergh: Ham shanks, £1.99 per kilo. Hutchinsons, Coniston: Bacon

  • Idea fired up industry

    National Barbecue Week is on its way once again (May 27 to June 4) so, in anticipation of the sizzling times ahead, I've been to High Bentham to meet a man who makes barbecues - for the professionals. COOKE by name but not cook' by nature. Which is

  • Soundmix gig

    THE signed and unsigned share the stage as national and international talent line up for an all-day music event at the end of this month. Bank Holiday Monday (May 31) sees a line-up of 13 bands from South Lakeland to Sweden playing from Indie to metal

  • BT axes more phone kiosks...what do you have to say?

    MORE than 60 telephone kiosks have been pencilled in for the axe across South Lakeland in a new round of removals by British Telecom. Following a string of highly controversial phone box removals announced in January 2003, the company has now announced

  • Angie finds her voice!

    REGULAR on the South Lakeland music scene Angie Palmer is causing a stir on the national music scene with her new album Road. After 15 years' hard gigging and two albums, the 36-year-old claims to have "found her voice" and it would appear so has everyone

  • Speed dating can lead to spectral curiosity

    Although most people come to the Lakes to relax, there are some attracted by the opportunities to go fast especially on the Internet. The web is your oyster for information, and it seems the speed dating craze has hit the Lakes virtually and in reality

  • Punk ‘originals’ are here

    PUNK veterans the UK Subs play at the Milnthorpe Institute at the end of this month. Led by original vocalist Charlie Harper, the band features Alan Campbell on guitar, Brian Barnes on bass and Jay on drums who all appear fresh from Canada at the South

  • Festival brings Anthony home

    ANTHONY Hewitt is one of the leading pianists of his generation. Praise has been heaped upon his playing for its musical authority, beauty of tone and youthful virtuosity. Next month the 33 year old returns to his home town for the inaugural Ulverston

  • Sociable climber

    For sheer beauty and colour, it's hard to beat the varieties of clematis on offer. From early spring there's a cultivar to suit every nook in the garden - just be sure you know what you are planting! You can't help but admire the flamboyant swathes

  • Teechers come to the villages

    CATS Eye Theatre Company is staging John Godber's classic comedy Teechers, at Staveley Village Hall, on Saturday, May 22 and Coniston Institute on June 23. It stars Judith Notley (pictured left in the Lancaster production), Janine Bebbington and Kyle

  • BT to axe more phone kiosks...

    MORE than 60 telephone kiosks have been pencilled in for the axe across South Lakeland in a new round of removals by British Telecom. Following a string of highly controversial phone box removals announced in January 2003, the company has now announced

  • Hot export for supper

    The BREWERY'S Steinway Suppers continue on Wednesday, May 19 (8pm) with renowned pianist Noriko Ogawa, one of Japan's hottest exports, taking to the Kendal arts centre's stage. Noriko records regularly for the BBC as recitalist and soloist, gives chamber

  • Celebrate Adult Learners Week

    IF YOU have ever dreamed about retraining, learning a new language, or passing a pesky exam you always thought you deserved, then this week is for you. Adult Learners' Week May 15-21 is an opportunity to celebrate, promote and advance all forms of adult

  • Sniffer dog duo help in Glasgow rescue

    RESCUERS from Eden and North Yorkshire took part in the massive rescue effort to try to find survivors buried beneath the rubble of the Glasgow factory disaster, reports Ellis Butcher. David Watt, of Kirkby Stephen, and Phil Haigh, of Ingleton, were

  • Calling all carnival lovers

    ANYONE who wants to get involved with the spectacular Staveley Carnival has the opportunity to join in a two-month workshop programme which is being launched on Monday. The carnival project was started in 2000 by a group of enthusiasts who wanted to

  • Blue ribbon celebration

    THE owners of an a la carte restaurant in Hawkshead are celebrating after winning an RAC award for good food despite being open only a year. The four-diamond Ivy House Restaurant, within the Ivy House Hotel, earned a blue ribbon dining award after a

  • Canal memorial

    A MEMORIAL to a canal enthusiast who died in March 2001 will be unveiled at Wakefield's Wharf, on the banks of the Lancaster Canal, near Crooklands, on Monday. Ian MacBean had been a member of the Inland Waterways Association since 1989, was vice-chairman

  • Festival of Magic in the Dales

    AROUND 5,000 visitors packed into the Dales village of Clapham over the weekend to take advantage of an exciting outdoor extra-vaganza, reports Ellie Hargreaves. Fairies, boggarts, trolls and giants invaded the otherwise peaceful setting and, as well

  • Dales Park celebrates with Festival of Magic

    AROUND 5,000 visitors packed into the Dales village of Clapham over the weekend to take advantage of an exciting outdoor extra-vaganza, reports Ellie Hargreaves Fairies, boggarts, trolls and giants invaded the otherwise peaceful setting and, as well

  • Hills skills

    A NEW Lake District "hill skills" business is offering more courses for those wanting to negotiate the high ridges and valleys in safety. Wild Ridge Adventure, at Hesket Newmarket, is running a series of courses, ideal for beginners, later this month

  • Rubbish alert praised by United Utilities

    United Utilities has thanked a man who raised the alarm over rubbish left behind on a green patch of land in Kendal. Nearby resident Ian Robinson was horrified when he saw the rubbish-strewn site on land next to the town's Jubiliee Fields while walking

  • Visit Sizergh Castle plant sale

    PERENNIALS, shrubs, herbs, dahlias and primulas will be among the garden delights on sale this weekend at the Sizergh Castle plant sale on Sunday. A range of specialist plants from a variety of different nurseries will be on offer for those looking to

  • Junipers in poor health

    IN THE latest of our new series of columns to celebrate the county's mountain landscape and all that grows wild in the county, Friends of the Lake District's Martin Varley looks at juniper. JUNIPER is well known as the essential flavouring for one of

  • Road so bad it is like driving in a third world country

    A MAIN road into Kendal has been blasted as so bad it is like driving in a Third World country. Residents of Grayrigg, on the A685 between Kendal and Tebay, have complained that the road through their community is badly maintained and used by too many

  • Sheep breeding restrictions extended

    RESTRICTIONS on breeding sheep, which are not the most scrapie resistant, are being extended by a year. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs made the announcement this week as part of the National Scrapie Plan to breed out the brain

  • Blitz on crime

    POLICE are stepping up patrols in a bid to cut car park crime in Silverdale. The summer months bring many people to the area and, in the past, travelling criminals have targeted the cars of people often away from their vehicles for some time on walks

  • Ramsay welcome at Glass House anytime

    THE fall-out from his restaurant's appearance on a controversial television programme is continuing but Neil Farrell, of Ambleside's Glass House, is anything but downhearted. Since allowing Gordon Ramsay into his restaurant to film an episode of the

  • Travel guide for Kiev features safe-house for street kids

    A SAFE-house for Ukrainian street children, which has opened in the outskirts of Kiev, is to feature in a new guidebook about the city. The house, which will eventually offer foster care for up to ten street children, is to open its doors tomorrow (Saturday

  • Kiev safe-house featured in travel guide

    A SAFE-house for Ukrainian street children, which has opened in the outskirts of Kiev, is to feature in a new guidebook about the city. The house, which will eventually offer foster care for up to ten street children, is to open its doors Saturday with

  • Business briefs...Lakes earns high rating

    THE Lake District is rated as a major strength of England's North West, according to research for the region's development agency. A survey by MORI saw 22 per cent of all respondents citing the national park as the first thing that sprung to mind when

  • Hornets sting Board in trophy final

    A COMPELLING Westmorland and Furness Trophy final saw Kendal Hornets secure victory with a try scored by replacement hooker Jason Donaghue 12 minutes from time. Final score was Upper Eden Boars 6 - Kendal Hornets 10. Kendal had taken the lead in

  • Company raises its profile -

    Most fledgling businesses can only dream of raising their profile in a national glossy magazine just weeks after their launch. But the dream came true for a South Lakeland business which is featured in the latest edition of Company women's magazine.

  • Local woman's Kiev safe-house in travel guide

    A SAFE-house for Ukrainian street children, which has opened in the outskirts of Kiev, is to feature in a new guidebook about the city. The house, which will eventually offer foster care for up to ten street children, is to open its doors Saturday)with

  • Hornets sting Board in trophy final

    Upper Eden Boars..............................6 Kendal Hornets.................................10 A COMPELLING Westmorland and Furness Trophy final saw Kendal Hornets secure victory with a try scored by replacement hooker Jason Donaghue 12 minutes

  • Bowls: Lowly Hale upset form-book

    RESULT of the week in the Kendal and District League came in Division One when bottom team K. A. Hale B defeated unbeaten Victoria A 7-3. Netherfield A have stretched their lead to six points as a result of their 9-1 win over Windermere A', Peter Dobson

  • Police warn about high pressure sales people

    HIGH pressure sales techniques, extortionate prices and poor quality workmanship await those who agree to free security checks from suspicious firms cold-calling at the door or over the phone, warn police. The be wary' message was emphasised again this

  • Athletics: Rhodes in rousing return

    THE second Cumbria League match took place at Salt Ayre, Lancaster, on Saturday, where the rain held off most of the day, allowing some good performances by the 22 Kendal AAC junior athletes. Best performances on the day came from U17 boy, Peter Rhodes

  • Fell Running: Doyle flies on 'Caw'

    ULVERSTON'S Chris Doyle got within two minutes of the men's record when winning the six-mile Caw Fell Race from the Blacksmiths Arms at Broughton Mills, writes Mike Addison. The 18-year-old led home Cumberland Fell Runners' Brian Thompson by 53 seconds

  • Cup final sees Kirkby Lonsdale 8 - Millom 0

    KIRKBY Lonsdale emerged winners in a frustrating, sometimes niggling, Westmorland and Furness Cup final - which in contrast to the Trophy of the same name is run as a knock-out competition. In a confident start, Kirkby applied early pressure and Mallaband

  • Pedestrianisation priority for Kendal

    Pedestrian priority should go ahead in Kendal inspite of the lack of park and ride schemes to reduce traffic, according to one transport expert. Alan James, a specialist transport advisor from the Government's Transport Energy Department, told a special

  • More roadworks and chaos

    Kendal is bracing itself for another three weeks of road works as the next stage of United Utilities' water mains improvement scheme goes ahead. From Monday, May 10, motorists reported long queues not only at the heart of Kendal but also on routes leading

  • Internet users warned about scam

    A MAN from Grange-over-Sands who nearly lost thousands of pounds when he fell victim to an Internet scam is warning others against falling into the same trap, reports Ryth Lythe. Freelance outdoor education tutor Robin Gibbons, 28, got more then he bargained

  • Warning about Internet scam

    A MAN from Grange-over-Sands who nearly lost thousands of pounds when he fell victim to an Internet scam is warning others against falling into the same trap, reports Ryth Lythe. Freelance outdoor education tutor Robin Gibbons, 28, got more then he bargained

  • New man at the helm

    Cumbria's most popular tourist attraction has a new man at the helm and is looking to steer a course towards future growth. Nigel Wilkinson takes over as managing director of Windermere Lake Cruises at a time when the company is celebrating record passenger

  • Firm focus on the stars

    TWO South Lakeland brothers and business partners are in the frame for success after landing their most high-profile job. The pair, who formed digital photography business Finesse Imaging two years ago with help from the Prince's Trust, secured one of

  • New tide of cocklers coming

    LEADING agencies from across the country met in Cumbria this week to discuss how to deal with an expected influx of people involved in harvesting cockles. From Monday (May 17), cockle beds in the Duddon Estuary will be opened for harvesting for the

  • Cocklers head for Duddon Estuary

    LEADING agencies from across the country met in Cumbria this week to discuss how to deal with an expected influx of people involved in harvesting cockles. From Monday (May 17), cockle beds in the Duddon Estuary will be opened for harvesting for the

  • Fresh heartbreak for cocklers' families

    HARD-UP families in China whose loved ones drowned off Morecambe's coast now face the ordeal of finding money to fly their bodies home. Lancaster detectives who visited China to gather DNA samples to confirm identities of the dead cocklers, say tearful

  • Rare herd of pigs in survival program

    A RARE herd of plump, pink pigs has just arrived at a Lakeland farmstead in a bid to save their kind from becoming a footnote in the annals of swine breeding history. Some 49 Welsh breed pigs have moved into the pens of Bridgefield Farm at Lowick, near

  • Dairy farmers urged to meet deadline on Monday

    THE National Farmers' Union is urging dairy farmers to ensure they have completed and returned their IACS forms to the Rural Payments Agency before next Monday's deadline. As many as 2,000 dairy farmers across England and Wales will be filling in the

  • Stinging payments report too late

    A PARLIAMENTARY report berating ministers for not doing enough research before making a historic ruling on the biggest farm shake-up in years has landed too late, a regional farming representative said this week. "Anything that makes the Department for

  • Simulated accident response 'too slow'

    Victims of a simulated accident on Windermere said the emergency services' response was too slow, but planners insisted they were pleased with the exercise. More than 100 journalists, ferry crew and members of the public boarded the MV Tern at Bowness

  • Good news for school

    A SOUTH Lakeland comprehensive school that has just climbed out of financial problems has received a very strong report from Government inspectors. Settlebeck High School, which is back in the black after avoiding the threat of a £43,000 deficit, was

  • Wheelie bins put town in a spin

    WHERE to put one's wheelie was the top debate in Ulverston this week as a new recycling initiative caused consternation throughout the town. Complaint lines to South Lakeland District Council were jammed with calls for help after contractors began depositing

  • New recruits needed urgently

    NEW recruits are urgently needed to save a threatened village society which aims to conserve an area of outstanding natural beauty. The Arnside Village Society is an independent environmental group that has been involved in a number of projects over

  • Owner said he'd let Ramsay in his kitchen again...

    THE fall-out from his restaurant's appearance on a controversial television programme is continuing but Neil Farrell, of Ambleside's Glass House, is anything but downhearted. Since allowing Gordon Ramsay into his restaurant to film an episode of the

  • From Kendal to Cape Town on a bike

    A KENDAL couple are in training for an epic charity bike ride a 10,000 mile journey to South Africa. Ellie Lightburn, 32, and her South-African husband Ian Vermeulen, 36, are planning to emigrate to Cape Town this summer but instead of a 12-hour flight

  • Mom joins cause after son's death

    A WINDERMERE mother this week described the devastation' of finding her 20-year-old university student son dead, following an almost-undetectable disturbance of the normal rhythm of his heart. Denise Brown, a consultant in food therapy, was speaking

  • Pedistrianisation plan 'should go ahead'

    Pedestrian priority should go ahead in Kendal in spite of the lack of park and ride schemes to reduce traffic, according to one transport expert. Alan James, a specialist transport advisor from the Government's Transport Energy Department, told a special

  • Ruskin Lace artist is the best...

    Tucked away in a quiet valley close to a lake lives a woman who can say, without vanity, she is the best in the whole world at what she does. For 34 years, Elizabeth Prickett has taught a steady stream of student pilgrims the art of making Ruskin Lace

  • Take a leap back into education

    A single father with few qualifications, juggling jobs, parenting, and housekeeping, who is unconfident about reading bedtime stories to his children. A middle class mother who has retired after 40 years of work and now finds herself with too much time

  • Learning can help get you where you want to go...

    Learning as an adult can be a way to pick your life up by the scruff of the neck and get control of where you are going. Graham King, 19, of Torrisholme, enrolled in a day release course at Lancaster and Morecambe College to help him advance himself

  • Anyone can do it...

    WHATEVER barriers exist to improving your education as an adult, few people will tackle as many as one Kendal woman. Christina Gregg, 23, of Underley Avenue, has faced bullying at school, severe epilepsy, dyslexia, and spells at three different prisons

  • Learning can take place anywhere

    THE view from a school desk can be many things, enlightening, terrifying, or even inspiring, but when your classroom is the open fell, that inspiration is easy. Not all learning takes place in a classroom and many of the adult education colleges and

  • Adult Learners Week...

    IF YOU have ever dreamed about retraining, learning a new language, or passing a pesky exam you always thought you deserved, then this week is for you. Adult Learners' Week - May 15 - 21 - is an opportunity to celebrate, promote and advance all forms