A PUBLIC meeting held to raise awareness of deprivation in rural communities heard Eden residents echo their concerns of 'isolation' in the wake of council cuts.

Around 80 people attended the 'Question Time' debate in Orton Market Hall where members of the community, young and old, gathered in front of a panel including South Lakeland District Council leader Peter Thornton and Cumbria County Councillor Libby Bateman.

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Jacqueline Huck, president of Tebay and Orton's Women's Institute, which hosted the event, told the Gazette: "Thousands of people from all age groups are suffering rural deprivation and isolation across Cumbria, caused by the removal of bus subsidies and the gradual draining of other essential services to rural communities."

One of the hot topics of the evening on Thursday, March 12, was the end to the subsidised six day a week 106 bus from Penrith to Kendal.

Despite a reinstated service, transport between the towns remains infrequent and leaves riders stranded in Kendal until the later return bus.