Eden Local Issue 168

ISSN 2516-1431

Your Independent Community Magazine Penrith and areas of the Eden Valley

Eden 107

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• Art, Antiques Specialist Sales MARCH TIMED&INTERIORS SALE st • Professional Valuation Services 18th - 31 March •ANTIQUES House Clearances Removals & FINE&ART SALE Auction Entries , 25th &Invited 26th March LIVE•AUCTION - 24thAlways

For a preferential rate quote EL1 Preferential Rate Quote LC1

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ANTIQUES & FINE ART AUCTIONEERS & VALUERS

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Valentine card to Mrs. Ann Stables Leap into Spring Frogs Life Your Community in Bloom 2021 Light up your Life with Velux Eden FM Programme Guide

Cumbria’s Leading Auctioneers We CareE C A R E 01900 827800To•view www.mitchellsantiques.co.uk • @MitchellsAuctioneers 01900 827800 sales & bid online go to www.the-saleroom.com/Mitchells 1 Cumbrian Local Publications • Issue No. 167

Leap into Spring!

Compile by Jules Robinson (froglife.org)

Spring is breeding time – for all sorts of wildlife including large numbers of frogs and toads. Emerging when the weather starts to warm (night time temperatures over 5oC) you can expect to see them returning to the ponds from which they came.

The Common Frog is easily our most recognisable amphibian, with its smooth skin and long legs for jumping away quickly, it’s found throughout Britain and Ireland in almost any habitat where there’s a nearby suitable pocket of water for breeding. Adult males grow up to 9cms in length and females up to 13cms. They are usually a shade of olive-green or brown (although they can be yellow, pink, red, lime-green, cream or black) with dark patches on their backs, stripes on their hind legs, and a dark ‘mask’ behind the eye - which contains an oval, horizontal pupil. Their call is a soft repetitive croak.

© Ben Killick/Froglife

Frogs reach breeding age at 2-3 years old and around about now (early spring) these adults will be emerging from their overwintering sites and heading straight to a shallow water body such as a puddle, pond, canal or lake to breed.

They tend to be more active at night when they feed on a variety of invertebrates. Males have a single vocal sac under the chin and may ‘piggy back’ to the pond on a female. Rafts of

spawn (often containing up to 2000 small black eggs) are laid in ponds anytime from January (in south-west England) onwards As they grow the tadpoles become faintly speckled with gold/brown, which distinguishes them from Common Toad tadpoles which remain black. They feed on algae and water fleas and after around 16 weeks the tadpoles start to grow back legs, followed by front legs.

When they have fully absorbed their tails they leave the water as tiny froglets, usually in early summer but sometimes as late as September.

Adult frogs may be seen around ponds or in damp areas of the garden as they attempt to cool off in the hot weather. Our common frogs are threatened by degradation of habits and the introduction of disease and summer is the time when Ranavirus is active. Ranavirus is thought to have spread to Britain from North America.

Originally it was discovered in southeast England but since

© Ben Killick/Froglife

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global declines, meaning that many animals are threatened with extinction. Animals like frogs, newts, toads, lizards and snakes face a number of threats, including loss of habitat, road mortality, pollution, disease, exploitation, persecution and climate change: • Loss of habitat/habitat fragmentation – we are building and developing upon areas where amphibians, reptiles and other wildlife live and breed, and breaking up their habitat with roadswhich leads to road mortality.

• Pollution – particularly for amphibians who are very sensitive to changes in water quality, chemicals can be a big problem

• Disease – there are a couple of really worrying diseases effecting amphibians, including the afore-mentioned Ranovirus

© Ben Killick/Froglife

then it has spread across the UK and has been recorded in Cornwall, Cardiff, Lancashire and Newcastle. It can be tricky to diagnose without a post mortem but the animals are often thin and lethargic and the most common symptom is simply to find a large number of dead frogs in a short space of time. (If you suspect a case please report it to Garden Wildlife Health www.gardenwildlifehealth.org which is a is a collaborative project between the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Froglife and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) which aims to monitor the health of, and identify disease threats to, British wildlife.)

Adults and tiny new froglets spend autumn preparing for hibernation. They feed on insects, slugs and worms and then spend the winter sheltering under rocks, in compost heaps or at the bottom of ponds. They don’t hibernate as such, and may take advantage of milder patches of weather to come out and forage, so keep your eyes peeled and if the conditions are right you may see one leaping by!

Status Froglife is a national wildlife charity committed to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles – frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards – and saving the habitats on which they depend.

Both amphibians and reptiles are suffering from 3

© Ben Killick/Froglife

Contents Leap into Spring!

Pages 2 - 3 & 20 An introduction to Mitchells Page 7 Equity Release explained Pages 8 - 9 Pams Flower Power February – The Primrose Page 10 Brighter Days are just Around the Corner Page 11 Thinking of Starting a New Chapter?

Pages 12 - 13 Finding some February Cheer Page 14 The Local Take on the Takeaway to your Door Page 15 The Big Cumbria Oak Sale online Pages 16 - 17 17 – 25 Emily In Isolation Page 18 Marshalls Conservatory Conversions Page 19 A Passion for Painting Outdoors Page 21 Your Eden District Council Update Page 22 Lockdown but not Locked Out at the Arches Page 23 Time to review and refresh your Employment Documents?

Pages 24 - 25 Seasonal Wordsearch - Time Page 25 Penrith Town Council - Get Involved in Bloom!

Pages 26 -27 Kirkoswald villagers to buy their own shop Page 28 Valentine card to Mrs. Ann Stables Page 29 Eden FM Programme Guide and Schedule Pages 30 - 31 Extra Space with Sun Light on your Face Page 32 Follow us on Facebook for additional stories and

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Welcome to our 167th Issue Welcome to your first Eden Local of 2021. Once again delivered by our very own local teams based in Penrith and the areas we cover around it. Since March 2020, we have had every measure in place to make sure that from the time the publication is packed to when it is posted, it is handled by people wearing disposable gloves. It is times like these when we can reflect once again on the importance of a free community magazine which continues to grow, and on the need to recruit more delivery teams as we increase distribution to more villages in Eden and north of Penrith in areas of CA4.

All this is made possible through the commitment of our advertisers.

On that note, it is wonderful to see so many new businesses in this month’s issue and so many that have stuck with us for so many years. It is definitely the first time we’ve had a frog on the front cover! Our thanks to Frogs Life for their contribution and all those who have helped with all the articles this month.

The need for people to be able to carry on and stay in touch is so important and has been a key focus of the Eden Local since it was first posted through doors, bringing so many people, businesses and organisations together from the community in to one place. The contents this month include some essential information, and we hope for some an opportunity just to switch off, even if is just for a short time. News is of course changing by the hour at present, and when some of you receive this

edition, our country and our county, I hope, will be in a better place than it was when we printed this magazine at the end of the first week of February.

2021 will be a year full of hope and change as we strive to get back into a routine of some sort, perhaps similar to that which we had over a year ago, but I feel it will take a while yet for most.

Our shopping habits in the last 12 months have changed in relation to our high street shops. Many of these changes were evolving long before the Pandemic, and when you look at the empty shops in New Squares, here in Penrith which opened in June 2013, the brain child of the Eden District Council, the www.newsquarespenrith.co.uk/ penrith website is as old and as out of date as the concept was then. This, long before the first bit of concrete went into its foundations.

Meanwhile, at the start of the second week of February, scheduled for 8th February 2021, a motion from Councillor Davies on Voreda House is on the agenda for the virtual Extraordinary Meeting of the Penrith Town Council. The Chair will ask Members to consider the motion put forward to call on Eden District Council to put plans for the redevelopment of Voreda House on hold until the outcome of the Local Government Re-organisation in Cumbria is completed, and the future of Eden District Council is established. There are several proposals for central government to consider and potentially the very existence of Eden Council as a district authority is at threat and a new council covering a wider area may be established, drastically changing the local authority framework in Eden and the requirement for assets such as Voreda House in Penrith.

I am not sure of the age of the building but via www.explorepenrith.org.uk/trail/stage3 Voreda House was the first building to use metric bricks in Penrith. It was originally a Drill Hall, built in the

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Furniture that is too good to miss!

by Lee Quinn

With the metric standard brick being adopted for use in 1974, I’m not sure what was on the site previously, but based on this information the building must be 50 to 60 years older than the empty units in New Squares. New Squares as temporary or long-term accommodation for EDC could save the tax payer a lot of money, especially with the uncertainty over whether it will be there with the unitary system being created in the not too distant future, which would see the District Council abolished. At least then the Town Council would have its Town Hall back, which it hasn’t inhabited since 1974, when it was occupied by the Urban district Council.

One of the lar

The Pot Place, Statio

OPEN to 7 DAYS A WE Recently I spoke Graham Whiteley, the owner of Cumbria Oak www.cumbria about the effects of COVID and Brexit on this family business established in 2007 with his father Robert. As a business they have been working with the Eden Local for over nine years and they have also been involved periodically with Eden FM Radio as an advertiser and the sponsor of the Breakfast Show.

We’ll pick this up next month. Meanwhile a happy valentine’s for February 2021, and please have a look at the new Eden FM website which switches on 14th February!

Eden

Until next month, please take care out there and remember Hands- Face and Space guidelines.

107 Lee

Join Lee at 3 to 5pm live every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Eden FM

Graham went on to explain that 2020 has been a massive challenge for Cumbria Oak like many businesses across the country. The first lockdown was a shock for Cumbria Oak, but after taking appropriate safety precautions they were one of the first businesses back up and running. Graham explained to me that he and his family and the Cumbria Oak team have worked through the challenges.

They have adapted their delivery policies to improve logistics in order to get items out to customers, whilst also designing and launching a new website to allow customers to purchase furniture from the safety of their own homes.

The showroom has been through a revised re-design for safe browsing and shopping, with its protective screens for when they do re open both stores.

Eden107.5 01768 862394

Phone: Email: lee@cumbrianlocal.co.uk www.cumbrianlocal.co.uk

Meanwhile, the delivery teams are going out daily across Cumbria and the surrounding areas with extra protective equipment, including facemasks and hand sanitiser.

To make life a little easier, they have also increased their stock holding massively to meet demand. This means most items of oak furniture are available for immediate collection or delivery within 2 weeks.

Cumbrian Local Publications Ltd, Suite 6, Cumbria House, Gilwilly Road, Penrith CA11 9FF

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Due to its success their SALE has been extended with all the offers now online via www.cumbriaoak.co.uk

TheAttic Visit our store rooms Monday to Saturday 10 - 4pm Hartness Rd, Gilwilly Industrial Estate, Penrith (opposite North Lakes Glass & Glazing)

An advertorial article compiled by Lee Quinn for Cumbria Oak 6

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ANTIQUES & FINE ART AUCTIONEERS & VALUERS

Cumbria’s Leading Auctioneers

• Art, Antiques & Specialist Sa • Professional Valuation Servic • House Clearances & Remov • Auction Entries Always Invit

01900 827800 • www.mitchellsantiques.co.uk • Hello!

With a New Year comes a new opportunity and I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Mitchells Fine Art Auctioneers of Cockermouth, Cumbria’s leading Auctioneers.

I’ve recently taken the helm at this fine institution and please allow me to guide you through.

From our atmospheric Victorian saleroom in the heart of Cockermouth town centre, we cover the whole of Cumbria and neighbouring Counties, offering valuations, contents sales and house clearance services in a friendly and efficient manner.

We offer free house visits, free valuations and free house clearance quotes.

We’re continuing to trade through the lockdown, with online sales and click and collect. Home visits and collections are still available where safe to do so.

We hold quarterly Three-Day Antiques and Fine Art auctions, regular Specialist auctions, fortnightly Decorative Interiors auctions, and monthly Household sales. Every item we sell is marketed with Internet bidding.

Most importantly, we are always able to accept consignments for all future sales.

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Like everyone else on the planet, I’d very much like 2021 to be a far better year than 2020 - and, with Covid hopefully a receding memory on the horizon, it is shaping up to be so.

E C ARE

A New Year is always a great time to reassess homes and interiors. With the property market currently in overdrive – thanks in part to the Stamp Duty relief ending soon – we’re able to offer house clearances, contents sales and removals at short notice.

Currently, due to the lockdown, all of our auctions are online only – both in live and timed formats. Whilst these sales are proving highly successful, I know that I’m missing people in the saleroom – looking into the whites of my bidder’s eyes!

As an auctioneer, I love the drama and sense of occasion a live sale brings – the test of sales skills, persuasion and wits, trying to achieve the best possible sale prices for my vendors.

As a bidder, there’s no better way of taking part in a sale than in person, not to mention the fun of meeting like minded buyers and collectors.

We’re very much hoping that we’ll be able to open our doors once again in time for our Three Day Antiques & Fine Art auction, scheduled for March 24th-26th. This is shaping up to be a fantastic sale (and includes Selected Contents from the fabulous Greystoke Castle no less) and I’d love you to see it in person. Time will tell! I look forward to meeting you, whenever that might be.

In April, we’re delighted to be opening a valuation office in the Devonshire Arcade, Michael Roberts is Head of Mitchells Fine Art Penrith, making our services more accessible to Preferential Rate 1873 Quote LC1 • Art, AntiquesAuctioneers & SpecialistofSales Cockermouth Eden residents.

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• Professional Valuation Services • Clearances Removals To view illustrated catalogues & to House bid online go to&www.the-saleroom.com/Mitchells • Auction Entries Always Invited Cumbria’s Leading Auctioneers We Care ANTIQUES & FINE ART AUCTIONEERS & VALUERS

01900 827800 • www.mitchellsantiques.co.uk • 7

@MitchellsAuctioneers

Getting your head around your future plans

By Lee Quinn Have you ever been asked ‘Where will you be in five years?’ The answer of course depends on so many things at that time - how old you are, the circumstances you find yourself in, and the age you’ll be in five years.

Life is full of projects, change, problem-solving, budgeting and hopefully planning ahead for the future. Back to that question above though, in the busy part of getting older after years of raising a family, having a busy career or just being too busy to think ahead, what would your answer be?

“I can’t even think about tomorrow, let alone the day after or five years’ time!” Well, I’ve certainly heard that one before and if you’ve ever looked back and thought you should have done things differently, you’re hit with that realisation once again that we can’t change the past, but we can prepare better for the future, if we make the time to do it.

Reiterating the obvious might seem a bit heavy, but will require deliberation and careful judgment.

In the currently climate there’s a wave of worries out there. Are you living for today or tomorrow?

Time won’t stop and tomorrow will always come.

On a bad day and we do have them, I’ve always said to my friends and family it can only last a day, so my focus is to just get it out of the way, think of tomorrow then get to next week.

We are hit with advertising, and as consumers we get absorbed in information. We log on to our computers or mobile devices and get side tracked with a barrage of adverts and cookies.

A few of you won’t know what the modern day cookie is; well it’s a doughy or crunchy biscuit in the cyber world! Since 1994 cookies have been there online, a small data file tracking information about you and your browsing activity, your name, your search history, or login details. A cookie is a small data file that certain web sites write to your

hard drive when you visit them. That’s 27 years of a track and trace system under our noses!

It used to be so easy to see advertisers and would be politicians - they knocked on doors or they popped up on the TV, rarely on the radio and we had the option to switch off, or close the door.

Consumers are what we are and consumed is what we’ve become. I am of an age, as noted by in the advert opposite! I have seen messages from lifelong friends popping up saying they’ve woken up with no mortgage today. I believe as we are all different and whilst age is just number, we eventually hit a certain age when we realise we are half way or past it.

We can reflect on our life when we get to 55 and over, or sooner. Retirement ages get moved or postponed. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to pay in to a company pension from 16. There is nothing as unpredictable as life, but some things get easier to understand and some get harder. The year I was born a psychologist Raymond Cattell introduced the concept of fluid intelligence. Fluid intelligence is based on the ability to use logic and solve problems in new ways, perhaps that you have not experienced and crystallized intelligence. This relates to the ability to use knowledge that you previously acquired through education and experience.

When it comes to Equity release, across the page is a simple checklist. It’s as basic as ticking a box which opens up options. You could be 55, you could be five years off completing your mortgage, you could be looking for options as to how you consolidate your finances for the future, your family and loved ones. Today is about preparing for tomorrow.

An advertorial article compiled by Lee Quinn for Butterworths Solicitors

Butterworths Solicitors can help you with where to start Contact the Equity8 Release Team on

Aged 55+?, Own your home?

Equity Release could be for you?

BENEFITS INCLUDE:

 Pay off an interest only mortgage and remove monthly payments  Help out your children with Home Deposits, University & College Fees, Weddings and Family Holidays  Consolidate and pay off your debts  Enjoy a better quality retirement  Maintain 100% home ownership  Tax Free Cash to spend as you wish

Butterworths Solicitors are members of the Equity Release Council.

When it comes to retirement planning, many look at turning to their assets into equity.

This may be in the form of selling valuables, collectables and even family heirlooms.

Some choose to change their residence and downsize their home which can also lead to selling valuables simply to make room within a smaller home.

A Lifetime Mortgage may be a viable option for many who want to release money from their home without having to downsize or part with their valuables, trinkets or treasures.

How does it work?

A Lifetime Mortgage is available for most homeowners over the age of 55, the process involves taking a type of mortgage which does not require monthly repayments.

You retain ownership of your home and interest on the loan is rolled-up (compounded). The loan

and the rolled-up interest is repaid by your estate when you either pass away or move into long term care. If you are a couple, the repayment will be made when the last remaining person living in the home either dies or moves into care. This means that both you and your partner are free to live in your home for the rest of your lives.

At Butterworths Solicitors we pride ourselves in creating relationships with our clients and professionals alike. This means that we are able to guide you through the process and recommend Financial advisers who are simply the best in their field.

For more information or just a friendly chat about your options please call our Equity Release team.

01768 868989 • 01228 593939 For Free No Obligation Advice info@butterworths-solicitors.co.uk

www.butterworths-solicitors.co.uk 9

February – The Primrose PAM’S FLOWER POWER

The month of February, like many others, has two birthday flowers associated with it; the Violet and the Primrose.

Both are pretty flowers that are early blooms but it is the Primrose that we are going to look at here.

dance around it three times otherwise your hens won’t lay well! Because chicks and primroses are the same colour it was believed that the number of primrose in a posy would be the same as the number of chicks that would hatch. As 13 is the usual number of eggs to be placed under a broody hen a posy of primroses should never have few flowers or the full clutch of eggs will not hatch.

When most people visualise a primrose they most likely think of the yellow English primrose – Primula Vulgaris though the name can be used for any member of the Primulaceae family which can be found in many bright colours.

The name Primrose comes from the Latin ‘primus’ which means first or early. It isn’t clear where the link to rose comes from but it may refer to its general appearance which resembles the simple form of the dog rose.

Vulgaris simply means common!

The ancient Greeks called it the Dodecatheion or Flower of the 12 Gods and they believed that it was able to heal a number of diseases and paralysis. It is a native of Europe and Asia and can be found across the continents.

They are common across the UK and are one of the first woodland blooms bringing an important source of nectar for butterflies, particularly brimstone and small tortoiseshells, early in the year.

They can be found flowering in woodland, tucked under hedgerows and in sheltered grassland areas from around December to May and are sure sign that spring isn’t too far away. It is also a plant that is an ancient-woodland-indicator so if you find a clump of these pale or deep yellow five petalled

flowers which have a darker yellow centre then you could be standing in a very special habitat.

There are two main pieces of folklore associated with the primrose involving fairies and chickens!

In Irish folklore if you hang a bunch of primroses outside your door it is an invitation for the fairies to enter your house or in other versions if you scatter the flowers outside the door it protects the home from them as they won’t cross the barrier! You also have to be careful if you touch a rock with a posy of primroses as it is said to open a doorway into fairyland, but beware! If your posy has the wrong number of flowers in it a fairy curse will be put on you (the correct number can be difficult to know!). If you leave a primrose on your doorstep on May Day eve it will stop witches entering the house.

If you keep chickens and see a single primrose you should 10

During the Victorian era flowers were used to convey feelings and secret messages. A posy of primrose would mean that the giver ‘could not live without’ the recipient and so they were declaring their eternal love. The primrose also symbolises young love. The Victorians would also often plant primroses on the graves of young children and on a happier note Queen Victoria always sent the Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli a posy of primrose on his birthday as they were his favourite flower.

So if you have a birthday in February keep an eye out for your birthday flower but beware of fairies and if you want a good hatch of chickens don’t just have one primrose in your buttonhole – you’re asking for trouble!

See you next month for fascinating facts about the flower associated with March which is either the Daffodil or Jonquil.

By Pam Waggott References. eflorist.co.uk, woodlandtrust.org.uk gmdscotland.wordpress.com englishplants.blogspot.com plant-lore.com, flowerfairies.com

Brighter days are just around the corner

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Thinking of starting a new chapter?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve spent more time in our homes than ever before. Many of us, who were already considering a move, might have found that the additional pressures of recent times have given that extra push for us to consider what options are available. Whatever your reason to move, you are not alone in your desire to start a new chapter during these unprecedented times.

was actually on the Queen’s Honours List last year for her leadership and response to caring for residents with positive covid cases.

“Over the last year or so, we have acknowledged and promoted the importance of residents being able to enjoy the outside space and talking to neighbours, abiding by social distancing, for their own wellbeing and mental health and it has been a real positive. Our Extra Care schemes have landscaped gardens and so many of our greenfingered residents have also been able to keep their gardening hobbies going, when a lot of their regular activities were unable to continue.

Here, Claire Charlton, Head of Extra Care – North at Housing 21, a leading not for profit provider of Retirement Housing and Extra Care, explains why more people are now moving into Extra Care.

“During this pandemic, in the context of managing over 21,000 properties for older people of modest means and having over 24,000 residents, our Extra Care and Retirement Housing schemes have proven to be a safe haven compared to some other forms of housing and care for older people,” she continued. “A Housing 21 resident has their own home, typically an apartment or bungalow with their own front door. This means for those shielding or needing to self-isolate they can do so easily, whilst still receiving social support, access to deliveries and assistance from a distance. We are also able to ensure that if there are any positive covid cases in our schemes, we have dedicated Care Workers who solely support these individuals to minimize the risk of spreading.

“We’re pleased to be able to carry on helping people find new homes safely during the pandemic. We have a number of measures in place to help people view and reserve properties and also move people in safely. Our show homes can be viewed virtually should people wish and moveins are managed on allocated days to minimize the number of people walking around the schemes at the same time.

“We also ensure that all removal companies helping new residents provide us with their COVID-19 method statements and we have enhanced cleaning measures in place to follow removal men to clean surfaces and key touch points such as bannisters, lift buttons and handles etc.

“The 24/7 care service is based on-site and the care staff really have risen to the challenge throughout the pandemic, frequently putting themselves at risk to make sure residents are safe and well. One of our Housing and Care Managers

“People moving in to start a new chapter of their lives can do so comfortably and without worry,” she concluded.

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in 1 ng 02 ni r 2 pe e O mm su

Newton House coming soon!

Newton House on Newton Road in Penrith has been designed to offer independent living with access to on-site care if you need it.

A stylish Extra Care Living development for people over the age of 65*, providing one and two bedroom apartments for affordable rent, and two bedroom apartments for shared ownership**. Pets are more than welcome too!

Key benefits and services: • • • • • •

The privacy and security of your own home Dedicated Housing Manager 24 hour emergency alarm Care team on-site 24/7 Optional, tailored care and support Impressive range of communal facilities, including a restaurant

*The age for Newton House is 65 plus, however residents can qualify between the ages of 55 and 64 if they have a care and support need. **Eligibility criteria, monthly rent (up to 75% on shared ownership), core charges and service charges apply.

To find out more call us on 0345 608 4021, Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm, or email newhome@housing21.org.uk Newton House | Newton Road | Penrith CA11 9FY

housing21.org.uk

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Finding some February cheer dogwood) choose those with vibrant winter stem colour such as Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ for red, Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ for bright orange or Cornus sericea “Flaviramea’ for golden green stems. Plant them in groups for striking winter effects.

2021 has brought another lockdown and so our outside spaces become even more important even though the weather is pretty cold. Winter invariably causes the garden to look a bit tired and in need of a bit of joy. Easiest is to plant up some pots. Winter flowerers such as Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose) provide a welcome shot of colour against their evergreen leaves. Winter flowering heathers look great in pots too, in pink, white and purple.

For information and some inspiration visit my website www.karenrobertsgardendesign.co.uk Indoor pzazz If working outside seems a bit daunting there is always the option of adding some indoor colour.

Big blousy Amaryllis always bring a smile; it is easy to grow and quite cheap – I think they grow so fast you can almost watch them getting taller.

Store the bulb carefully and it will flower again next year.

In the garden I’m enjoying Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ with its continuous fragrant flowers on bare stems. Try to find a gap for it; I heartily recommend it as it’s a real winter star.

Contact me to discuss bringing out the beauty in every season, from revitalising gardens to complete garden designs.

Winter shrub recommendations

© Karen Roberts Garden Design

Finding plants for winter interest is not as hard as one might think. Here are a few more of my favourites.

For evergreens, try Viburnum tinus which has dark glossy leaves and pinky-white winter flowers. In summer the leaves provide a back drop for sunny perennials. Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Garnettii’ has lovely green leaves with white edges that tinge pink in winter and the bonus of black stems which really shine out.

If you fancy a bit of topiary the good old Yew (Taxus baccata) is reliable and hardy and you can make balls or cones or let your imagination run wild.

07856 528893

• karenrobertsgardendesign@gmail.com

07856 528893 karenrobertsgardendesign@gmail.com

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For deciduous shrubs think about what the stems do in winter. A corkscrew hazel such as Corylus avellana ‘Red Majestic’ is an all year round stunner and when it loses its fabulous purple leaves you are left with a magical twisted framework of branches. With Cornus (the trusty 14

29/10/20

The local take on the takeaway to your door Recently across Penrith you may have noticed the launch of One-Delivery. I have local clients who have really benefited from this, but also many local people have had one less trip outdoors to collect their takeaway favourite.

Every day I get an email or a call enquiry. I always use this first time call not just to answer questions but present questions. I spoke to Robert Beckett, who is one of the managers for One-Delivery. It was a good opportunity to discuss the business and find out more. In a way it was a telephone interview which stretched over three days and lasted in excess of an hour.

We can all do the research, but in short there is nothing like talking on the phone. Takeaway delivery businesses, like the big supermarkets have evolved to national and international brands and are worth billions. In that mix, however, there are opportunities for smaller businesses to build through franchises just like One-Delivery.

Windermere, delivering across a 20 mile radius.

They have developed a strong volume delivering over 150 orders per day which runs very smoothly.

They are ISO9000 accredited and take their customer service and compliance very seriously.

I learnt from Robert that the core business behind One Delivery is an established transport company, and that business operates the largest taxi business in the Lake District, Lakeside Travel Services along with scenic tours, executive and airport services. They also do a huge amount of work for South Lakes Council for schools, wheelchair transport and also for hospitals.

Almost a year on in the South Lakes, building on that success and innovation, One-Delivery decided to expand into Penrith in November 2020. The plan now is to expand the area further into Eden via its hub now in Penrith.

As a Cumbrian based business, it now has the franchise rights for the rest of the county.

Starting out with a three mile radius from Penrith, operating Wednesday to Sunday from the 12th of January 2021, it moved to a 7 day service whilst also extending down the A6 into CA10 areas like Shap, Orton, Little and Great Strickland, and areas around Lowther, and across to fell side reaching villages that include Langwathby, up to Lazonby and across to Plumpton.

Lakeside Travel Services was started just over 10 years ago By Managing Director Nigel Brett.

Originally Nigel moved across from Yorkshire to retire which hasn’t quite gone to plan! The core business continues to operate several taxi businesses in Yorkshire, as well as a range of private medical transport, including a fleet of ambulances for West Yorkshire Ambulance Services.

The aim is simply to deliver a quality service which enables One-Delivery to deliver food to your home from some of your favourite local restaurants and takeaways, serving as an asset and a lifeline to the restaurants and takeaways in the area during these difficult times.

As a business facing the challenges we all were in 2020 ,they took on the franchise for One-Delivery when they realised the impact Covid would have on their drivers and local restaurants, so utilising what they knew with the experience and technology of a fleet of taxis and a pool of over 100 drivers, it allowed them to offer a service to rural areas that the big players would not be able to make work.

www.one-delivery.co.uk

They launched in May of 2020 in the South Lakes and now have over 20 restaurants in Kendal and 15

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17 – 25 Emily In Isolation

By Emily Quinn outside more than I do now! I appreciate being outside so much more than I did before. When I wasn’t working during the previous lockdowns, I was becoming desperate to meet a friend just for that social interaction and to get out of the house.

Even in the pouring rain, I’ll walk for hours just to be outside. We need to put it into perspective though as it is so good for you getting exercise.

It is important that we adhere to the constantly changing rules and regulations put in place to protect us, as they could literally determine whether we live or die. Many people including me, are still going to work, day in day out, and in a job such as mine, I’m meeting hundreds of people from all over the country every week.

Social distancing regulations and face masks may still seem a burden to some, but if they are what saves your life without you knowing, it has to be worth it. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I am very grateful to be working, with many confined to their homes and many out of work. However, I like many others have lost people to the virus and honestly do not feel safe anymore.

After not having written for so long, I thought I’d maybe just say a little bit about this global struggle we have all fallen victim to. These are difficult and scary times for everyone and having consideration and respect for others is really important, now more than ever. With the constant evolution of Coronavirus, our day to day lives have changed. More dramatically for some.

Doing things like making sure you keep your distance when queuing up in a shop or even outside are so important. It’s amazing the amount of people I’ve come across in the last 12 months who appear to have no concept of spatial awareness, and it could be genuinely lethal.

Consideration for others and respecting people’s basic human right to have their own space isn’t a lot to ask.

We’ve become extremely reliant on the use of technology. The use of interactive networks such as zoom have become a way of life with things such as schooling and work meetings, and the use of technology has enabled us to carry on in the best way we can. For many people who aren’t working, technology is also one of the only ways they can stay connected with other people during these uncertain times. Speaking from experience, having the option to stay connected and pick up the phone to people, is a luxury that was unappreciated maybe more so prior to the Pandemic.

There are many theories, arguments and discussions about Coronavirus and its origins – some believe it is down to medical warfare, a bat, conspiracy, lies, or just a bi product of something else. Regardless of any of this, what is particularly important, is that we remember those who live alone and those who are particularly vulnerable and do everything we can to keep them and ourselves safe and well. We must look out for and keep an eye on one another.

With one lockdown after another, being cooped up inside can become very mundane and monotonous and it’s important to engage in routine and take advantage of the daily exercise we are allowed to have. I have never enjoyed the

Stay safe!

18

Don’t be cold in your Conservatory this winter

Here are some reasons why people replace their glass roof with a real roof.

• We save up to 85% on conservatory heating bills • Reduced over heating in the summer months • 90% noise reduction from the weather • Massively reduced glare from the sun • No less than 10 years guarantee on all conservatories

Here is some feedback from Carlisle and Eden about the work Joseph and his team have completed, which has been verified with the customers.

Replacement of conservatory roof, from poly carbonate to solid and plastering work.

“Would be impossible to improve. Impeccable manners, hardworking, always obliging. On time and kept informed of work status - first class service” (Carlisle) Replacement of poly carbon roof with fully tiled and insulated roof on conservatory.

“Excellent job by skilled tradesman. A couple of unforeseen problems were dealt with and certified at no extra cost” (Penrith) Conservatory roof “I have already recommended them to other people. They are easy to deal with and listened to what I wanted. High standard of workmanship, reasonable price and good quality” (Penrith)

We guarantee to beat any genuine ‘like for like’ price by at least 30% or more Call Marshall Conservatory Conversions today

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• Exploitation – with some amphibians and reptiles across the world used for food and other products, there is a concern that trades are not sustainable and can affect wild populations

• Persecution – humans have a tendency to eliminate wild animals if they are perceived as pests or a threat to people, particularly snakes.

This can also be a problem for non-venomous species, which can be confused for their more dangerous relatives.

• Climate change – changes in seasonal temperature and rainfall may affect amphibians and reptiles in different ways: an increase in warm and wet winters may reduce the body condition of amphibians resulting in poorer breeding the following year; drier periods in spring and summer may result in ponds drying more quickly, preventing larvae from metamorphosing; warmer autumn temperatures may lead to range expansions of our reptile species in Scotland.

How you can help:Froglife have launched a Wildlife Road Tunnel Campaign

© Ben Killick/Froglife

– for frogs, toads and other amphibians please read more and sign here www.froglife. org/2020/03/02/wildlife-tunnelcampaign/ You can also register to get involved in your local Toads on Roads patrol. www.froglife.org/ what-we-do/toads-on-roads/ Co-ordinated by Froglife for around 20 years – patrollers help frogs and toads avoid main roads and other hazards such as drains, as they migrate back to their breeding ponds each spring.

You can volunteer for a Froglife project www.froglife.org/ support-us/volunteer/ At home:• Use Froglife’s Dragon Finder App to record any Amphibians & Reptiles that you spot www. froglife.org/dragon-finder-app/ © Ben Killick/Froglife

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• Donate to Froglife • Build a pond. One third of our ponds are thought to have disappeared in the last 50 years and of those that remain, more than 80% are thought to be in poor condition. You can guild a pond using our free Just Add Water resources www.froglife.org/info-advice/ just-add-water/ or download our free Wildlife Pond Visualizer app www.froglife. org/what-we-do/education/ come-forth-for-wildlife/ come-forth-for-wildlifeneighbourhood-wildlifecorridors/idea-zone/ • Report any signs of disease to Garden Wildlife Health www. gardenwildlifehealth.org • Be aware of biosecurity (Clean boots if you are visiting multiple ponds in multiple places) • Tell others about these wonderful animals!

A Passion for painting outdoors

Before Hi I’m William, having been brought up in Edinburgh, painting in my dad’s car garage paint shop was quite natural to me. My first paint job was when I was aged six, when I sprayed my little red bike.

It was in my teens that I discovered a passion that was to stay with me all my life. I found some beautiful wooden shutters behind plywood in my bedroom. After stripping them back and staining them, that was it - I was hooked on property maintenance.

After leaving school, I was fortunate to study under a truly great painter, who taught me the importance of correct preparation and use of the best materials. It is the only way to ensure a quality and enduring finish. After my mentor sadly passed away, I went on my own.

In time I met and married a lass from Penrith. I am glad to say my love for my wife, the Lakes and the people, in my time here has grown stronger over the years.

Due to our harsh British climate, exterior painting is seasonal.

I have seen so much damage caused by a lack of simple maintenance - moss covered roofs and blocked gutters often leading to internal damp

or rot and damage externally which can lead to thousands of pounds to repair. It could and can be avoided with simple, regular maintenance, within a budget. I decided to train and add these services as well. So, as well as exterior painting, we can offer gutter repair, cleaning and replacement, as well as a full replacement upvc roofline installation.

The latest addition to our services is upvc painting. Although we have only been offering this for three years, we are fully trained and certified. It has been really amazing to see the transformations from white to so many colours, saving the cost of replacement. Having done exterior painting and property maintenance for over thirty years, I still have the same passion for the work as I did in my teens.

I have grown up in an industry that I have witness first had development and innovation across products, materials and methods that were unimaginable

After when I started. An example of this is my preferred paint Tikkurilla for exterior woodwork, a paint manufactured in Finland, a country that has extremes from -50c to +30c, and its environmentally safe. Something we never thought about 30 years ago.

So, after 30 years I am certified and trained by Dulux, Timbabuild and the Elite Spraying Association. I am still striving and keeping up to date with all advances.

In the words of my mentor still ring in my ears. My job is my reputation.

You don’t have to take my word for direct customer feedback go to Mybuider.com.

Contact William Hutchinson

07789 354 605 01768 838 199 ultimatetradesman@gmail.com

www.exteriorpro.co.uk

ULTIMATE EXTERIOR PROTECTION

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with every replacement upvc roofline before April 2021.

Seasonal offer in association with fixmyguttering.com

21

For the latest updates: @edencouncil @EdenDistrictCouncil

Eden residents: help is here

Cumbria COVID-19 support helpline

Money and debt Contact Citizens Advice for free advice on debt, benefits, employment and housing problems.

Go to www.citizensadvice.org.uk or call 03300 563 037.

The Cumbria COVID-19 support line can help if you are struggling as a result of COVID-19 and the lockdown restrictions.

This might be because:

 You’re struggling to afford food, or other

Winter Warmth Fund If you’re aged 60 and over and struggling with the cost of heating your home, you may be eligible for a grant of up to £250. Contact Age UK Carlisle and Eden on 01228 536673.

essentials.

 You have COVID-19, are self-isolating, and need help with shopping.

 You’re shielding, and need food, or prescriptions delivered.

Help with housing If you’re having difficulties paying for housing, you should contact your landlord, housing association or mortgage company.

 You can’t work out where best to get information and advice.

Call the team on 0800 783 1966 (Mon to Thu, 9am - 5pm; Fri, 9am - 4.30pm) or email COVID19support@cumbria.gov.uk.

If you are struggling to pay your council tax, you may be eligible for a grant towards the cost. Call Eden District Council on 01768 817 817 or visit www.eden.gov.uk for more information.

Businesses urged to apply for grants Eden businesses that have been forced to close, or have been impacted

by COVID-19, are urged to check their eligibility for Government grants.

There are a range of grants available, which are being issued by district councils. These grants can be worth up to five-figures and don’t need to be paid back. However, you may have to apply to receive your grant.

Don’t miss out. Visit www.eden.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19/ support-for-businesses/ to find out more or to apply.

Useful telephone numbers Switchboard/Contact Centre 01768 817817 Support for Homeless 01768 861499 Environment and Health 01768 212490 Bereavements 01768 212251 Council Tax Enquiries 01768 810067 Eden District Council Town Hall, Corney Square Penrith, Cumbria CA11 7QF

Household Refuse and Recycling 01768 817817 COVID-19 Emergency Line 0800 783 1966 Business Rates & Grant Enquiries 01768 817817 HMRC Tax Helpline 0800 0159 559 UK Gov Business Support Line 0300 456 3565

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Contact us on: 01768 817817 customer.services@eden.gov.uk

Latest Lockdown Restrictions – Floor Laying in People’s Homes Can Continue Announcement from NICF January 2021

Lakeland Herdwick Silverhow

England entered a new lockdown with no confirmed end date, and people must work from home if they can. Construction sites, manufacturing and work in people’s homes can continue. In England this is not restricted to essential work only. Builders merchants and suppliers of building products are allowed to stay open and people can still go to property viewings and move home.

Many of us in business and in our everyday routine are experiencing challenging times. The Arches Carpet Centre showroom at the time of this being written is closed due to the current COVID pandemic. In the middle of the situation in dealing with closure, we have also been through Brexit with a number of suppliers based in Europe.

Victoria Twist Stripe Heart Throb

Every Carpet retailer and outlet may be affected by this in some way, as a number of carpet and flooring suppliers have been held up in production due to COVID or Brexit.

At the Arches Carpet Centre, whilst our doors are closed, the property market and home improvements still continue.

We are fortunate that with our huge supplier base in the UK we are able to process orders, measure and fit. We are available to drop samples to your home too.

You can still call The Arches Carpet Centre today or log on to the Arches Carpet Centre Facebook page for more details.

01768 866770

Natural Co-Ordinates Seaweed Stripe with Shoreline Rib

email thearchescarpetcentre@hotmail.co.uk 23

The Arches Carpet Centre

Q

HR

It may be time to review and refresh your Employment Documents?

Over the last 12 months we’ve seen enormous changes to the world of work, and for most of us it has been extraordinarily challenging. Some organisations have coped well and have even been able to explore and create new opportunities, however, many have been trying to keep going in the face of adversity and sadly many haven’t made it through.

Into 2021, we have renewed hope with the vaccination programme underway and gathering pace.

Hopefully before too long we will see the impact of this and be able to start doing some of the things we used to again. There is a light at the end of this long tunnel and I’m certain there is a positive future to look forward to!

Reflecting on the world of work over the last 12 months, and in particular the increase in remote working (mainly from home), there are many positives. Many organisations have now had time to reflect on what has worked well and what hasn’ and it’s probably a good time to review your employment documents (if you haven’t already), to see that they reflect current and new working arrangements.

WHAT TO THINK ABOUT The sorts of things I would advise thinking about are: • Whether your existing documents accurately reflect current and new working arrangements and requirements – particularly employment contracts and staff handbooks, employment policies, procedures and rules • Whether you need to amend, delete or introduce new documents • If you have staff working remotely, either temporarily or permanently, do you have sufficient guidance and information for them on working from home, including things like how they will be managed/ supervised, health and wellbeing, IT, data protection, risk assessments?

• Whether staff need any other support to help them cope with the changes and challenges presented by the ongoing situation – line management is now probably more important than ever • How you communicate with staff remotely, to ensure they feel engaged and supported and are receiving timely information • Trying to introduce some fun and light-hearted communication where it’s appropriate CAN I HELP? I’ve worked with a number of clients over the last few years, helping them to get their ‘employment’ house in order! This has involved either reviewing and updating essential, basic employment documents or creating new ones for them to use.

It’s not only important from an employment law perspective, but as important for organisations to engage 24

and include their staff, making them feel valued and supported. You’ve got to try new and different ways of communicating, engaging and supporting, and I honestly believe staff will appreciate it, even if some things work better than others. Remember we’re all learning as we go!

periodically to check that they are still relevant for your business and compliant with employment legislation. Be aware that employment legislation changes each year, so it is likely that things may have changed if you haven’t reviewed your employment documents for a number of years!

Investing a bit of time and energy now in getting your house in order could save you unforeseen costs and help you to avoid all sorts of needless problems.

If you would like some help with reviewing and updating existing documents, creating new documents, or with some other employment matter, please email me charlotte@quinnhr.co.uk or call 01768 862394. I would be delighted to help or advise you.

It may be that you need to get some documents in place or it may be that you already have them in place, but haven’t reviewed them for some years. Employment documents, like many other business documents need to be reviewed

Keep safe and well.

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Diary

Can you help deliver your Eden Local?

For some extra income and fresh air, we need teams for the following areas:

Stainton, Redhills, Penruddock, Motherby, Laithes, Greystoke Gill, Greystoke, Little Blencow, Laithes, Catterlen, Johnby, Lamonby, Ellonby, Skelton, Southwaite, High and Low Hesket, Aiketgate, Armathwaite, Ainstable and Melkinthorpe For more details, please call 01768 862394 or email lee@cumbrianlocal.co.uk A New ‘Find the word’ competition will commence in the next25 Eden Local which will include all the prize winners from 2021.

‘Get involved in ‘in bloom,’ helping the environment using creative approaches associated with Arts & Culture’ and regenerating Penrith to address challenges in the town, for example, specific groups working together to co-design and develop projects to re-invigorate an area for older people to enjoy or develop spaces for people who have sensory and/or other needs.

Due to the continuing impact of COVID, the RHS Community Awards will replace the usual Britain in Bloom UK Finals to run in digital form. Stories can be told using the written word, photos and/ or short videos. Projects can be any size and they can be new or ongoing and initiated or maintained by a community group.

‘Nature Friendly Gardening’ focuses on gardening in a wild-life friendly way. Small spaces in gardens and unused green spaces can be used to grow wildlife friendly plants to attract a greater variety of insects and wildlife. It might also be possible to put images of many small wildlife friendly spaces together to form a composite ‘Penrith Community Nature Reserve’ in digital format.

There are 5 categories to get your teeth into while making sure to maintain local Government guidelines regarding COVID to ensure everyone stays safe. All the categories are related to projects that many groups in the UK, including Penrith, have been involved in over the past year. They include ‘Nourishing Your Community;’ ‘Planting with Purpose;’ ‘Nature Friendly Gardening;’ ‘Green Solutions’ and ‘Cultivating your Community.’

‘Green Solutions’ recognises the work people in the community may want to undertake to create nature-based solutions to environmental challenges in the community, for example, to reduce air pollution long the edges of streets, planting to reduce flooding or to create rain gardens or slow water run-off. We all know that planting trees is extremely important for the environment. Some of the young people on the Town Council’s Youth Advisory panel are interested in getting involved if a suitable space is available. Please get in touch if you have land that could be used, and we will support and enable young people on the Panel and in other groups in town to plant trees in the Spring.

‘Nourishing Your Community’ focuses on how groups are using food growing as a way of supporting their community and bringing people together during a worrying time in our lives.

Using recycled or repurposed items can maximise what is needed to develop projects, for example, old bins, upcycled tins or making raised beds or compost areas with unwanted wood pallets.

For many years, Penrith has been lucky to have our Garden of Eden Community Gardeners, who have recycled and upcycled to help them plant and grow beautiful flowers around town and lovely edibles in the ‘Stricklandgate’ Garden, the Polytunnel and elsewhere in town. Volunteers at Little Dockray and Angel Lane have banded together using recycled sunflower tins and creative thinking. Pupils at St Catherine’s School have been involved in growing beautiful fruit and vegetables, and a simple ‘Give and Take’ box is kept supplied by a small team growing vegetables and fruit in season in Carleton Hall Walk. This very local small-scale project utilises a small unused green space on the street. These examples can be emulated by other groups in Penrith, large and small.

The ‘Cultivating Your Community’ theme is designed to help people in the community enjoy the benefits of growing, perhaps volunteering together with others and sharing skills and gardening tools, also perhaps finding ways to plant that reflects the town’s rich heritage and culture. Art comes in many forms including creative gardening like some of the projects developed at the Train Station and in Little Dockray by volunteer gardeners. Such projects fit in well with the Town Council’s 5-year work-plan to develop an ‘Arts and Culture’ Strategy. A clear aim of this strategy is to develop a wide range of creative projects and bring a range of social and economic benefits for residents and the town to

‘Planting with Purpose’ focuses on creative ways 26

ways to help make Penrith bloom using climate friendly approaches and creative ideas combined with taking part in engagement exercises, mean that your actions will help reinvigorate the town and your opinions will feed into decisionmaking to help progress the Town Council’s ‘Arts & Culture’ Strategy and the strategy to ‘Make Penrith a Carbon Neutral Town by 2030.’

Importantly, everyone working together - local people, businesses, community groups, and the Town Council - will help regenerate Penrith and make a difference in the town and improve everyone’s quality of life. Please don’t hesitate to get involved.

enjoy, including inward investment, new funding streams, an increase in tourists and visitors to the town as well as regeneration and revitalisation of the town centre. If you are interested in any of these categories, please get in touch with us either using the Penrith in Bloom Facebook page or email to offic@penrithtowncouncil.co.uk, and let us know what you are doing .

The Town Council are currently engaging with individuals and groups in different ways so that their views feed into the development of the Arts & Culture Strategy and truly reflect what is needed and wanted in Penrith. Focus groups and one-to-one interviews are in progress to gather insights and help develop the Strategy.

In addition, everyone in the local community is invited to take part in an online survey and have a say on Arts & Culture in Penrith. The survey can be found at https://cumbria.citizenspace.com/ other-public-sector/arts-culture-penrith/ It has been set up for completion by those who have access to the internet, a safe option during the COVID restrictions. Anyone who would like to take part off-line, please get in touch with the Town Council Tel 01768 899 733. Email office@ penrithtowncouncil.co.uk.

office@penrithtowncouncil.co.uk Telephone:

01768 899 773 Write: Penrith Town Council, Unit 1, Church House, 19-24 Friargate, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 7XR Please get involved in helping to make Penrith a Carbon Neutral Town.

It’s crucially important for all of us!!

Getting involved in any of the aforementioned

27

Kirkoswald villagers to buy their own shop

In what is now a popular move for local stores, the village of Kirkoswald has formed a steering group to establish a Community Benefit Society with the aim of taking over their village shop.

The steering group masterminding the takeover is made up of the manager and a group of local people, each with an interest in the community.

They are Allan Armstrong, Paul Kendall, David Chamberlin, Paul Mills, Ruth Anderson and Alan Volkers. They are looking for volunteers with varying skills to help them in their efforts.

The death of the current owner of the shop has presented the residents with the opportunity to buy the business and run it for the benefit of the community. The steering group, with the assistance of specialist advisers, has come up with a plan where local residents can buy shares in the business, and have a say in how it is run.

The specialists assisting in the project are from the Plunkett Foundation, which has assisted many local stores around the U.K. complete similar deals.

Not only is the steering group looking for finance to help with the purchase, but they are also keen to hear from residents wishing to volunteer, on an on-going basis, in the business, whether this is serving behind the counter, or offering their personal skills in any way.

They plan to issue a share offer during February 2021, which they hope will be successful in raising the finance to buy the business.

The shop, which is currently operated by a manager, with the assistance of a number of volunteers, provides an essential service to those without transport, provides tea and coffee facilities and often displays work from the school and local artists. It is situated in the centre of the village, and is deemed to be a vital community asset. Following the takeover, it is not planned for there to be any significant change in the operation of the shop.

Paul Kendall, commenting on the progress made to date, stated that he was delighted with the generosity of the pledges from residents that they have received to date, but added that the deal’s success or failure would rely upon that generosity being extended throughout the community.

Those of you living in Kirkoswald and nearby villages should receive an information leaflet and questionnaire with this magazine. The information and questionnaire is also available to all on the shop website www.ravenbridgestores.co.uk

For the last few years, the shop has been owned by a local philanthropist, Mr David Hodgkiss who ensured this lifeline has been retained.

Unfortunately, Mr Hodgkiss passed away in March last year.

If you would like to support this project, please do complete and return a questionnaire 28

Valentine card to Mrs. Ann Stables HOWTOWN, MARTINDALE, 1871 Article by Sydney Chapman

discourage the old practice of whipping women with the skins of sacrificed goats to help them conceive.

In AD 496 Pope Gelasius decreed February 14th a day to celebrate the life of St. Valentine who had been martyred over two hundred years earlier and buried on Rome’s Via Flaminia.

As there were several saints and martyrs of that name the story became confused over time.

One version tells how Valentine had performed clandestine marriages for soldiers against the orders of the Emperor who had ordained they remain single, another how he had fallen in love with the daughter of his jailer and had written her a letter signed ‘from your Valentine’. The Pope’s aim, it seems, was to supersede the Roman fertility festival of the Lupercalia with a Christian one.

It would be less raucous and

In 1382 in his poem ‘The Parlement of Foules’ Geoffrey Chaucer describes how birds choose their mates on St. Valentine’s Day and in the following century Charles, Duke of Orleans, imprisoned in the Tower of London after the battle of Agincourt confessed in a poem addressed to his wife that he was sick with love declaring her ‘my Valentine’. In 1420 John Lydgate composed for King Henry V the Valentine verses sent to Catherine of Valois. Among the Paston letters, we find the earliest Valentine’s Day love letter – one sent by Mary Brewes to her lover, John Paston. The Tudor well-to-do popularised the sending of Valentine letters and drew lots to choose a ‘Valentine’ who would present a gift. This might be a length of cloth, a gold trinket, or a quarter’s wages in the case of a maid whose master was entered and drawn as a lot. There was a belief that the first person you saw on the day would be your ‘Valentine’ which led to some near comical situations as recorded later by Samuel Pepys in his diary.

By the Georgian printed cards appeared, and the uniform penny postage of the Victorian period further increased their popularity. By then elaborate embossed and perforated 29

cards, mimicking lace, with sentimental romantic and whimsical imagery, were the norm. That in the Museum’s archives is a typical example.

It was posted on February 10th 1871 to Mrs. Ann Stables, Howtown, Martindale, nr.

Pooley Bridge, Penrith. The 1891 Census lists John Stables of Bobbin Mill Yard, occupation gardener, married to Ann who was born at Plumpton, and possibly the parents of the Anne Stables baptised at Martindale 23rd January 1848, daughter of John and Anne Stables; one R. Stables, possibly a son, is recorded as falling in the first round in the light weight wrestling at the Ullswater Sports as reported in the Penrith Observer of August 26, 1890.

True Affection Emblem fair to you I send — Token of Affection true, Showing Where my feelings tend, Like the magnet, unto you.

Worlds may pass away and perish, — every feeling die away, — But the constant love I cherish, — Never shall decay.

A busy month and

Eden107.5

now underway for

Monday

a busy year are

the Eden FM team On 14th February, the new Eden FM website switches on and with new opportunities for new members, new sponsors and advertisers.

In our plans for 2021, we have 20 new shows launching by the Autumn; the first of these radio shows filled with local content will be trialled during February, with the first one being launched from March 2021 through Spring, and subject to many local sports and events returning, more during the summer months.

At 10:00am on Mondays, our Community News Show will be a recap of the previous week’s news you may have missed from across the region. Monday evenings see a return of Panos’ Picks featuring local and live music.

From 2:00pm on Tuesdays, ‘The Local Show’ will include updates and interviews from all three tiers of Local Councils. There’ll also be a dedicated ‘Charity Tuesday’ slot for local charities, societies and voluntary organisations.

At 12:00pm on Wednesdays, our Health and Wellbeing slot will have an open invitation to various groups and businesses to discuss the aspects of physical, emotional, psychological, social, spiritual and intellectual ways to discover a comfortable, healthy and happy life.

From 5:00pm on Wednesday, we’ll be checking in with our local wildlife through local and national wildlife groups, societies and charities, based around what we can find locally.

At lunchtimes on Thursdays from 12:00pm, local cooks and chefs will be cooking up some ideas for lunch and tea, and we’ll be talking to local food suppliers. Our feature will be in called ‘what’s on the menu’ this

Contact lee@edenfm

Eden FM Radio Gilwilly

8am Late Breakfast 10am Community News 12pm Lunch Time Show with Liam James 2pm Monday Mix 3pm From 3 with Lee 6pm Kathy in the Kitchen 8pm Panos Pick Local and Live 10pm Eden mix till 7am Tuesday 7am Breakfast show with Pam 10am Mid-morning with Tony Walley 12pm Your Home Show 2pm The Local Show 4pm Eden Mix 6pm 60’s with Roger Day (for now) 8pm 80’s from 8 (Electric 80’s for now) 10pm Eden mix till 7am Wednesday 7am Breakfast show with Stevie 10am Mid-morning with Martin 12pm Health and Wellbeing 3pm From 3 with Lee 5pm Local Wildlife 6pm Eden Country with Martin 8pm Folk show with Liz Franklin 10pm Eden mix till 7am Thursday 7am Breakfast show with Pam 10am Mid-morning with Tony Walley 12pm Eden FM Lunch 2pm Over 55 ‘s 3pm Dougie 5pm Eden Mix 6pm 60’s from 6 Roger Day 8pm Super 70’s Show with Marty Strutt 10pm Eden mix till 7am (All new shows shown in red)

30

m.co.uk • 01768 862394 • www.edenfm.co.uk

o Ltd, Suite 6, Cumbria House, Gilwilly Road, Ind Est, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 9FF Friday 7am Breakfast show with Pam & Stevie 10am Mid-morning with Martin 12pm Eden FM Lunch to Takeawy 2pm Going Green 3pm From 3 with Lee 5pm Off screen 6pm The Album Show Jerry Wright 8pm The Rock Show with Prince of Darkness 10pm Late night Love songs

Best wishes and a Happy 10th Birthday to Justin Waluk, EdenFM's youngest News Reporter and Presenter.

week. We’ll also have some local culinary tips and advice. From 2:00pm will be our dedicated Over 55’s show!

Saturday

Our new shows for Friday include Our takeaway for the weekend show at 12:00pm. This is followed by Going Green at 2:00pm as defined in testing our knowledge and practices that can lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles, which can help protect the environment and sustain its natural resources for current and future generations. To finish our Friday from 10:00am till midnight is Late-Night Love Songs.

8am Breakfast show Stevie 10am Kid Zone 11am Your Home 12pm Liam James 2pm Eden FM Sports & Events/Final score 5pm Off screen 6pm Northern Soul 7pm TBC 8pm Red Thread with Tim Cooper 10pm Go Retro – Mark Dodson

Your weekend on Eden FM will see a return of the KIdZone at 10:00am, followed by the ‘Your Home show’ at 11:00am. Week by week we will feature everything about the home. Interviews with professionals along with discussion and advice on repairs, improvements, staying where you are or moving out. At 2:00pm subject to the Sports and Events calendar starting up in 2021, we have scheduled a return of the Sports and Events show. These will be studio based or live on location, covering sports fixtures with live commentary or supporting the return of local shows and events in Eden.

Sunday 8am Breakfast show Stevie 10am Churches Together 11pm Over 55’s (rewind) 12pm TBC 2pm Showtime with Jordon Summers 3pm Classical Afternoon with Tony 5pm The Local show (Rewind)

every 3rd Sunday with Stephen 6pm Health and Wellbeing (Rewind) 7pm Animal Magic from Live from

Wetheriggs Animal Rescue Centre 9pm Wildlife (Rewind) 10pm TBC

To finish our week, we’re reintroducing our Classical Sunday from 3:00pm and Live from Wetheriggs Animal Rescue Centre from 7:00pm with Animal Magic!

More details will be available at www.edenfm.co.uk from 14th February on how you can get involved with these shows as a charity, local organisation or as a business.

Late shows and rewinds to be confirmed from 10pm to 7am to be confirmed 31

Extra Space with Sun Light on your Face

Introducing Robert Leckie, who is a Velux Window specialist and the owner of Vertigo Roofing Contractors.

They supply and fit, upgrade, replace, service and repair Velux windows.

They cover a large range Velux roof windows whilst also the latest in: • Conservation roof windows • Solar powered roof windows • All types of roof window blinds Robert has over 20 years’ experience of all roofing works. He can also provide free advice on any roof window installations, new or existing.

Vertigo can even put some natural light in a dark corner or room, as they also supply and fit sun tunnels. They also help with all roof maintenance and repairs, including slating, tiling, lead, guttering and chimney work, and the fitting of bird guard cowls.

You can access direct feedback from their previous customers on Checkatrade.com under Vertigo Roofing Contractors or via their Google under the same name.

Vertigo Roofing Contractors and Velux Installations Call Robert Leckie for more information: M: 07840 674196 • T: 01931 713675 32