PARISH MAGAZINE
SPRING 2026
Plumbland School News
Children in years three, four, five and six have recently enjoyed a fabulous residential visit to London. They visited the Natural History Museum, The Tower of London, had a boat cruise on the River Thames and viewed the whole of the city from the London Eye. They also visited The Lyceum Theatre for a showing of ‘The Lion King’ which was amazing and had a walking tour of London taking in the sights of the horse guard, Buckingham Palace, The Palace of Westminster, Big Ben and had fun playing in St James’s Park.
Before returning to school, they also visited St Paul’s Cathedral and had a guided tour learning about the history of the building and the features within. We were all in awe when we laid down and viewed the detail in the dome designed by Sir Christopher Wren and climbed the three hundred and seventy six steps to see the Whispering and Stone galleries.
Our Forest school programme has continued and is a fabulous way for children to develop risk taking, resilience and cooperation as well as embracing their spirituality and fascination for the natural world with years three and four completing their block of learning. They have developed their den and bridge building skills, identified animal footprints, lit a 10 minutes fire and cooked on the camp fire.
Our Junior children benefitted from a visit to Vindolanda and The Roman Army museum to further their knowledge of life in Roman times. They were fascinated by the ruins they saw and all the Roman artefacts that have been found as part of the archaeological digs there.
Our sports programme has been busy this term with kinder cricket tuition for our infants and all children receiving multi skills tuition from coaches from the Allerdale Sports partnership. We have also participated in competitions in Dodgeball and Hockey. Our KS2 children also completed their second block of swimming.
Our Infant Class has enjoyed African Drumming sessions with Zozo.
The whole school took part in World Book Day and came to school wearing their pyjamas. They brought their favourite book to school and took part in shared reading, book reviews and designing book marks.
FoPS Lottery Results
January 2026
1st Edna Bowe (No: 01)
2nd Abbie Rayson (No: 34)
3rd Rachel Rowland (No: 14)
February 2026
1st Karen Norman (No: 69)
2nd Margaret Miller (No: 18)
3rd W & G Crocker (No: 44)
March 2026
1st Anne Burbidge (No: 12)
2nd Andy Sealby (No: 04)
3rd
Sophie Lister (No: 26)
Prizes for this year’s lottery are £25.00, £15.00, £8 respectively; 49% of the profits from the lottery are donated to Plumbland CE School.
For information on how to join the lottery contact Sharon Stephenson on 01697 320628.
Plumbland Parish Council - Meeting Minutes
A meeting of the Plumbland Parish Council was held in the Meeting Room at Plumbland Village Hall, Plumbland, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 7:00 PM.
Attendance
Present at the meeting were Messrs. A. Rutherford, J. Collins, G. Bowe, J. Barber, N. Eilbeck, and C. Watson.
Also present: T. Gear (Clerk).
Apologies were received from J. Perry (Cumberland Councillor). Councillor A. Rutherford chaired the meeting.
Minutes
On the proposal of C. Watson, seconded by J. Collins, it was resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on January 6, 2026, be approved and signed as a correct record.
Public Participation
No residents were present, and no matters were raised on their behalf.
Correspondence
The following items of correspondence have been received since the last meeting and circulated to members for their information:
• Various Cumberland Council Newsletters Procurement Thresholds FSCS and Tax January 2026
• CALC News/ November December
• Family Hub – What’s On – February
• Family Help, Partnerships & Youth Justice – Invite to Families First Partnership Roadshow Book on into Centre For Ageing Better Webinar
• Royal Garden Party – Friday, May 8, 2026
• Exciting Training Opportunities with Breakthrough
• Request for case studies for Cumbria Nature Recovery Workbook and Partnership News Cumbria Community Transport Conference – March 10, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Community Growing Projects
• Connecting Cumbria Unveils Digital Infrastructure Strategy 2026-30
• Community Emergency Hubs Launch Martyn’s Law - new products live
• Cumbria Eco Skills Project
• Cumberland Council – Supported Housing Strategy – Consultation
• Cumbria Combined Authority – briefing – February 25
Great Cumbrian Litter Pick March 27-28
Clerk’s Report
The clerk gave a brief report on matters arising since the last meeting, including a reminder that the Data Protection Fee was due by Direct Debit.
Cumberland Councillors Report
Apologies were received along with a brief report, which was read and attached.
Planning Matters
Applications for Consultation
None.
Decisions
None.
Appeals
None.
Planning Related Correspondence
Three Regulation 5 informative notices were received for proposed telecommunications installations at:
Caravan 1, Calf Lonning Caravan Park, Plumbland CA7 2EZ
• Land at Arkleby CA7 2BU
• Near Simpson Close, Moota, CA13 0QB
Accounts
The payment of the following accounts, which had been paid since the last meeting, was ratified, and the remaining accounts were approved for payment:
• T. Gear – Clerk’s Account (Jan./Feb.): £424.09
HMRC – Income Tax (Jan./Feb.): £90.05
• Zurich Municipal – Insurance: £241.00
• ICO – Data Protection Fee: £47.00
Balances as of March 3, 2026:
• Current Account: £2,056.48
• Deposit: £4,388.70
Highway Matters
The Chair reported litter in the verges on Parsonby Brow and B5301 from Parsonby to the junction with the A595.
B5301 Update
The Chair provided a verbal update on the B5301, noting deterioration of the road surface on the bridge adjacent to the entrance and exit to First Milk & Sealey in Aspatria.
High Close Quarry
The Chair reported that the Judicial hearing would be held in the High Court, London, on April 29 and 30, 2026, with hopes for a live feed to the Village Hall.
Speeding/Speed Watch
The Chair gave a verbal report on the Community Speed Watch and noted that the camera van had been present on the B5301 in Parsonby.
Risk Assessment 2026
The clerk presented a draft Risk Assessment for the forthcoming year, which was approved.
Climate Change
Emails regarding Local Councils and Climate Action training sessions and the effects of climate change on a World Heritage Site were received and circulated.
Moota Quarry
The planning application for a two-year extension to the existing site is still under consideration. Clints Quarry Planning Appeal
No further correspondence has been received from the applicant, so this item will be removed from future agendas.
Banking Arrangements
The clerk advised that the Unity Trust Bank account had been opened and funds from the Cumberland Building Society were transferred to the Unity Trust Bank account.
Effectiveness of the 2024/25 Audit
Members considered the effectiveness of the 2024/25 audit and appointed Brian Stephenson as the council’s internal auditor for the upcoming 2025/26 audit.
Financial Support – Plumbland Parochial Church Council
Members reviewed a request for financial support toward the upkeep and grass cutting of the churchyard and agreed to donate £200.00.
Chair’s Comments
The Chair noted that the Soldier Silhouette has now been strengthened and will soon be installed with concrete foundations. He also mentioned that the Co-op in Aspatria is to be demolished.
Items for the Next Meeting
• High Close Quarry
• B5301 Update
• Completion of the Annual Accounts
Date of Next Meeting
7:00 PM Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Plumbland Village Hall, Plumbland (following the Annual Parish Meeting) The meeting closed at 7:35 PM.
Cumbria Speedwatch - Volunteers Required
Community Speedwatch is a national initiative where proactive members of local communities join with the support and supervision of their local police to record details of speeding vehicles using approved detection devices.
There are immediate vacancies within the Plumbland Parish Community Speedwatch. You will be asked to assist for a total of 60 minutes once per month at a mutually agreed time at one of two locations on the B5301 in Parsonby.
If you are interested in assisting with the Plumbland Parish Community Speedwatch please register your interest with Tony Rutherford, Chairperson of Plumbland Parish Council on: rtony843@aol.com
Plumbland Mobile Service Post Office
EVERY WEDNESDAY 12:45 - 13:10
In front of Plumbland House, Grid Ref NY148389, Aspatria, Wigton, CA7 2HG
We sell Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide services in all our branches, except Banking Hubs and branches that offer collection and drop-off services only. Postage services from other companies are also available in selected branches
