Evening dining at North Lakes

FYR Grill

Monday - Saturday: 5.30pm - 9.15pm

Sunday: 12.30pm - 8.30pm

Watch as our team of chefs transform ingredients into tempting dishes in the heart of the dining room. Bringing elements of the kitchen out in to the restaurant, enjoy the theatre and excitement as you wait. FYR Grill is open to everyone.

Beatles For Sale

Friday 16th June, from 7.30pm

Dance the night away with a live performance tribute act, Beatles For Sale. Includes a delicious two course meal.

£49 per person

George Michael Live

Friday 15th September, from 7.30pm

Dance the night away with a live performance tribute act, George Michael Live. Includes a delicious two course meal.

£42 per person

To book call the Events Team on 01768 868111 or email events@northlakeshotel.co.uk

Ullswater Road, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 8QT 01768 868111 | northlakeshotel.co.uk | danielthwaites.co.uk

by Lee Quinn

Anybody visiting Penrith on the first Monday of May would have had a very good chance of seeing something that many people have always assumed locally would be there forever. To all intent and purposes the Penrith Lions Club May Day Carnival has been there since 1981. In 2001 it was moved to Sunday 5th August due to foot and mouth, more recently Covid closed everything down in 20202021. We then had her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Platinum Jubilee which was the main event in May 2022.

Just in case you didn’t know the Penrith Lions Club is back with its 40th May Day Carnival on the 1st May this year. Locally, it has become probably the biggest and longest running event in the town. Since March last year I’ve been collecting as many May Day programmes from the first to the last. Whilst I have managed to borrow 30 of these, my thanks to those who have come forward. I still need some more, my wish list is pages 16-17 why? Well these are now being scanned and reproduced as digital files a set of the originals belong in a museum possible just they have been printed. Long term the digital copies can be re-printed if needed.

So as we celebrate the 40th May Day Carnival and I have the honour and pleasure, as a volunteer of producing what I hope is a lasting memory banked and preserved for all to see for many years to come with a hard copy and digital copy on line. This is of course the May Day programme.

I suppose I treat every magazine publication I do as an individual project, but when everything stopped in 2019, the clock was ticking especially with events that needed to comeback as soon as they could. For an event that predominately is the first Monday in May that takes 12 months of planning, multiple groups, organisations, then there’s legislation and the multi-agency work and meeting, oh yes a lot of meetings. Well, based on the small insight I had its a huge task, hundreds into thousands of hours. Even with that date almost cemented into everyone’s minds, based on me just writing this I hope it has re planted that seed of what the first May in Monday is for Penrith and the villages around it. As for the Lions experience, well, in short, I believe if we look after them, they’ll look after us. Over a dozen meetings later since March 2022 I still come away with more knowledge and understanding. This institution, this international charity that operates at a local level, needs to exist and it needs to continue. At a local level in simple terms, as a group they are all busy in the community and they work tirelessly on many projects and multiple events throughout the year, every year, to raise funds. over 55s

Whilst I haven’t been to the organisations official meetings, I have attended those specifically for the May Day Carnival and the sub committees and projects teams. It’s clearly been a well-oiled machine for many years but like any machine some of it needs looking after, a bit of TLC, a little bit of maintenance and sometimes new parts. Behind the Lions Men are their partners you don’t always see them but they are there doing their bit, which deserves more than medal at the very least a mention and recognition.

If you add up the years of dedication, the hours to organise and assist with events; well, it’s not hundreds of hours or thousands, I believe the Lions went passed a million hours of voluntary service a while ago. Many hands do make light work and it is a case of the more the merrier. I could talk about all the events, all the fund raising but now let’s get this Carnival back in town and get everyone there to show your support.

I’ll hopefully see a lot of you there.