NEWS FROM THE WESTMORLAND & LONSDALE CONSERVATIVES
Team Leader’s Report am Leader’s Building Momentum Across Westmorland and Lonsdale
What an exciting time this is for our Conservative association! As we continue to build on our strong foundations across Westmorland and Lonsdale, I am delighted to update you on several important developments and opportunities ahead.
Join Us for a Delightful Summer Afternoon I am thrilled to invite you all to what promises to be a wonderful Strawberries and Cream and Cake and Tea Afternoon at the beautiful Yewbarrow House in Grange on Thursday, 21st August 2025 at 3pm. This event offers exceptional value at just £20 per person, combining the opportunity to explore the stunning gardens at Yewbarrow House whilst enjoying delicious homemade cakes alongside fresh strawberries and cream. For those who fancy something a little stronger to complement the afternoon, Pimms will also be available for purchase.
Tickets can be booked online on our website or by contacting Jane Martin in the office.
It is exactly these kinds of community gatherings that strengthen our bonds as an association and provide the perfect setting to discuss our shared vision for the future of our area. I encourage all members and supporters to attend what will undoubtedly be a memorable afternoon in beautiful surroundings.
Our immediate focus remains firmly on securing victory for Taylor Hulme in the next Kendal Highgate council election. Taylor represents exactly the kind of dedicated, community-focused candidate we need on the council, and I am confident that with our collective support, we can achieve success.
Strawberries & Cream and Cake & Tea afternoon
Thursday 21st August 2025 - 3pm
Yewbarrow House in Grange
£20.00 per person
Campaigning for Taylor Hulme in Kendal Highgate.
We have our team mobilised and ready to take our message directly to voters across the ward in the coming weeks.
If you feel you can help in any way please contact Janet Warriner or Jane Martin.
The enthusiasm and commitment shown by our volunteers has been truly inspiring, and I know that this grassroots effort will make all the difference in delivering the result we are working towards.
Every conversation with a voter, every leaflet delivered, and every door knocked contributes to our campaign momentum. The hard work being put in by our dedicated team demonstrates the strength of our organisation and our commitment to serving the people of Kendal Highgate.
Seeking Outstanding Candidates for Target Wards
Looking ahead, we have tremendous opportunities to expand our representation across several key wards, and I am actively seeking exceptional individuals to stand as Conservative candidates in our target areas.
We are particularly focused on finding strong candidates for Levens and Crooklands, Upper Kendal, Bowness and Lyth, and Burton and Holme. These wards represent significant opportunities for the Conservative Party to make genuine progress and deliver effective representation for local residents.
I am looking for individuals who share our values, understand the needs of their local communities, and are prepared to work tirelessly on behalf of their constituents. Whether you have previous political experience or are considering public service for the first time, what matters most is your commitment to Conservative principles and your dedication to making a positive difference.
If you know someone who you believe would make an excellent Conservative candidate, or if you are considering putting yourself forward, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am always available to discuss what being a Conservative councillor involves and to explore how we can support potential candidates through the selection process.
Our Continued Success The strength of our association
lies in the quality of our people and the depth of our commitment to serving our communities. From our ongoing campaign work to our social events, from our policy discussions to our candidate development, everything we do is focused on building a stronger Conservative presence across Westmorland and Lonsdale. The summer months ahead offer us excellent opportunities to engage with residents, build our campaign capabilities, and identify the next generation of Conservative representatives. I am confident that with continued hard work and dedication, we can achieve significant success in the months and years ahead. Thank you for your continued support and involvement. Together, we are building something truly special here in Westmorland and Lonsdale. Call us with any potential candidate names - we will handle the rest:
James AlexanderTeam Leader Mobile: 07930 647192
Jane Martin - Administration & Communications Officer Phone: 01539 724754 Email: Info@ westmorlandconservatives.org.uk
MEETING OUR FARMING COMMUNITY
We are delighted to be attending J36 Rural Auction Centre to meet with members of our vital farming community. Agriculture forms the backbone of our local economy and rural way of life here in Westmorland and Lonsdale.
This visit provides an excellent opportunity to hear directly from farmers about the challenges they face and to discuss how Conservative policies can best support our agricultural sector. From supporting food security to maintaining our beautiful countryside, our farmers play an essential role that deserves recognition and backing.
We look forward to engaging with local farmers, hearing their concerns, and working together to ensure that agriculture continues to thrive in our area. The Conservative Party has always been a champion of rural communities, and we remain committed to standing up for the interests of those who work the land. Come and speak with us about the issues that matter to you and your farming business.
J36 Rural Auction Centre.
Thursday 29th August 2025 9:30am -11:30am
Strawberries & Cream and Cake & Tea afternoon
Join us for a delightful summer afternoon in one of the Lake District’s most beautiful private gardens.
Yewbarrow House boasts four acres of spectacular gardens with stunning views over Morecambe Bay. The exotic plants and Mediterranean-style terraces create a unique setting that Country Life magazine described as “more Cornwall than Cumbria.”
Enjoy traditional strawberries and cream alongside homemade cakes and afternoon tea among the gardens, which feature an Italian terrace, Japanese garden, restored Victorian kitchen garden, and beautiful sculptures throughout. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience quintessential English summer entertaining in an extraordinary location that normally opens only for special occasions.
Ticket price £20.00 per person
For more information, contact Jane MartinConservative House, Kendal Tel: 01539724754
info@westmorlandconservatives.org.uk
BOOK NOW ONLINE www.westmorlandconservatives.org.uk
pay by bank transfer
A/C 50853712
Sort code: 40-26-02
Bank: HBOS Ref: STRCRM
Thursday 21st August 2025 - 3pm
Yewbarrow House in Grange
£20.00 per person
Conservatives Fight for Family Farms
The Conservative Party is leading the fight against Labour’s devastating attack on family farms through harmful inheritance tax changes. These new rules, which come into effect in April 2026, threaten to destroy generations of family farming across South Lakeland and the rest of Britain.
Under the current system, family farms can be passed down from generation to generation without paying inheritance tax. This has allowed farming families to keep their land and continue producing food for our country. Labour has now decided to change this, claiming they want to target wealthy landowners who buy farmland to avoid tax.
From April 2026, farmers will only receive full inheritance tax relief on the first one million pounds of their farm’s value. Above this amount, they will have to pay inheritance tax at twenty per cent instead of the usual forty per cent. While this sounds lower, it still means massive bills for farming families who have worked the same land for generations.
For many farms in our area, this could mean bills of hundreds of thousands of pounds when a farm is passed to the next generation. The average farm in Britain could face an inheritance tax bill of around six hundred thousand pounds. This is a sum that would force most families to sell their land to pay the tax.
Despite Labour’s claims that this only affects the wealthiest, farming organisations warn that seventy-five per cent of working farms could be hit by these changes. The National Farmers Union has been clear that this policy threatens the future of family farming across Britain.
In South Lakeland, where farming is the backbone of our rural economy and way of life, these changes could force families who have worked the same land for generations to sell up and move away. Young farmers looking to take over family farms may find it impossible to afford the tax bills, ending centuries-old farming traditions.
The changes are particularly cruel because farming is not like other businesses. Farms may be worth a lot on paper because of high land values, but they produce relatively low profits each year. A farm worth two million pounds might only make twenty or thirty thousand pounds profit annually, which is nowhere near enough to pay a massive inheritance tax bill.
The Conservative Party has been fighting these changes since they were announced in Labour’s autumn budget. Conservative Members of Parliament have held debates in the House of Commons, submitted urgent questions to ministers, and organised opposition day debates to highlight the damage these policies will cause.
A petition against the inheritance tax changes has gathered over one hundred and fifty thousand signatures, showing the strength of feeling across rural Britain. Conservative Party members continue to argue that these changes will “lead to the end of family farming as it has been known” and are calling on the government to reverse course.
The Conservative Party has always understood that farming families are the heart of rural communities like ours. They provide food security, maintain our beautiful countryside, and support local economies through the jobs they create and the businesses they support.
Unlike Labour, Conservatives recognise that family farms are not just businesses but a way of life that connects us to our history and helps define our national character. That is why we continue to oppose these harmful changes and fight for policies that support farming families rather than destroy them.
The Conservative Party will continue to stand up for farming families across South Lakeland and work to reverse these damaging changes before they destroy the rural way of life that makes our area so special.
Standing with our farmers, protecting our countryside, defending our way of life.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
While the general election and local elections are some time away, the next years are critical. The Liberal Democrats, Reform and Labour are all pouring huge amounts of money into the fight hoping to change the results in this area.
We need to meet our fundraising target so we can dominate the battlefield in our home ground.
We know that when our campaigns are well resourced, they can beat the odds. People like you are the reason we can defy those odds and get our message to those all-important voters. So please consider a donation or volunteering and help us get our message out.
It is the work we do now which will pay dividends when the votes are counted.
WE NEED YOUNG CONSERVATIVES
Young voices bring fresh perspectives and innovative solutions that keep our Conservative values relevant in a rapidly changing world.
By investing in the next generation of Conservative leaders today, we ensure our principles continue to shape policy and governance for decades to come.
Young members energise our campaigns with digital savvy, boundless enthusiasm, and genuine connections to voters their age—essential ingredients for electoral success in modern Britain.
Share this opportunity with friends, family, and colleagues who want to make a difference—together, we can build a stronger Conservative movement that reflects all generations and secures our future.
Business Round Up Business Round Up Business Round Up
Periodically we will have a look at a small local business and organisations that are thriving due to a good business model, hard work and passion. For this first post , “Roast Mutton” a small local butcher is our first point of call. Everyone remembers “Bill the Butcher” from “Gangs of New York”, but we have our own “Bob the Butcher, AKA Robert Unwin” of Roast Mutton. However, the only thing Rob will inflict on you is delicious meat, sausages and pies. All of which are locally sourced.
Roast Mutton opened in 2021 and has recently opened a second outlet in Dalton. The first thing you notice when entering the Kendal shop is a team of friendly staff, usually 5 to 6, who are fantastically knowledgeable and passionate about their produce. The shop has won numerous awards and is found in the Woolpack yard between Booths and Marks and Spencer.
Email:hello@roastmutton.co.uk
Call: 07856967576
Charity Shops
Have you noticed that charity shops in Kendal are struggling. Last year Cancer Research closed and within the next few weeks Scope will close. Overall scope is set to close over 50% of its retail shops nationally, shocking.
Whilst these closures cannot be directly due to our wonderful caring government, within the next few years charity shops will be squeezed ever more. There is one hope on the horizon for the Scope shop in Kendal. Another community charity is in negotiations to take over this shop. The A World, an autistic charity is in negotiations to take the shop on.
Hopefully there will be good news .
Yewbarrow House & Gardens
A Hidden Gem in Grange-over-Sands
We are delighted that Mr Denby has kindly given us access to the spectacular Yewbarrow House Gardens in Grange-over-Sands for our special afternoon event. These remarkable gardens represent one of the finest horticultural achievements in the Lake District and offer our guests an exceptional setting to enjoy strawberries and cream.
What makes Yewbarrow Gardens truly special is the incredible transformation that has taken place over 25 years. Beginning as nothing more than a grassy slope with no distinguishing features, the gardens have been developed into what Country Life magazine describes as “more Cornwall than Cumbria” - a sub-tropical paradise that takes full advantage of the sheltered microclimate found in this corner of the Lake District.
The unique growing conditions allow exotic and rare plants to flourish that would normally be found much further south. Palm trees, dahlias, cannas and colourful exotic plants create a Mediterranean atmosphere that feels almost magical in a Cumbrian setting.
Visitors to Yewbarrow Gardens can explore fifteen unique garden spaces, each with its own character and purpose. The Sunken Garden, where the transformation began in 2000, features magnificent palm trees that have grown a foot each year and continue to thrive. The Italian Garden comprises limestone terraces that create a natural sun trap, with the stone walls retaining heat throughout the night.
Perhaps most spectacular is the Japanese Garden, centred around a circular pool with an infinity edge that provides
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
breathtaking views over Morecambe Bay. The restored Victorian Kitchen Garden, dating from around 1875, sits within its original limestone walls and includes the traces of original heating pipes that once warmed exotic plants through Cumbrian winters.
The gardens are enhanced by dozens of original works of art, including sculptures, limestone carvings and bronzes scattered throughout the grounds. Renowned sculptor Alan Ward has been working in the garden for nearly 20 years, creating pieces such as the magnificent Leda and the Swan, carved from a fivetonne block of Portland Stone, and the Archer bronze that crowns the Prospect Tower.
Mr Denby regularly opens these private gardens to the public through the National Garden Scheme, demonstrating remarkable generosity in sharing this beautiful space with visitors. Over the past 21 years, the gardens have raised an impressive £131,119 for charity, including a record £8,135 in 2024 alone. This charitable tradition makes our access to the gardens even more meaningful.
The Perfect Venue
With dramatic views over Morecambe Bay, sheltered terraces perfect for afternoon gatherings, and parking for up to 25 cars within the garden grounds, Yewbarrow Gardens provides an ideal setting for our event. The combination of horticultural excellence, artistic beauty and stunning natural views creates an atmosphere that perfectly complements an afternoon of strawberries and cream.
We are enormously grateful to Mr Denby for his generosity in allowing us to enjoy these exceptional gardens, and we look forward to sharing this remarkable setting with our members and supporters.
JOIN NOW
Our current membership is 247.
We need you to ask everyone to join our fabulous club. We need to regain control of our parish councils, Town Councils and Parliamentary seat.
As a member, you will hear first how we are working to address the problems in our local area. We will also let you know how you can help.
Hi, I am Roz, one of the Association’s Team Leaders. In the 1970s I moved to Kendal as a teenager with my family, when my mother, Madeline Davies, was appointed Headteacher of Longlands Girls School and later she was the founding Head of Queen Katherine School. In Kendal I joined K Shoes as a management trainee, also joined the Young Conservatives (admittedly, primarily for the social side!) and met the man I was to marry 19 years later. In 1984 it was time for a career change and I joined the Royal Air Force as a commissioned officer, spending the next 11½ years working and travelling all over the world.
Having married my husband Ian in the 1990s and following a career break to raise our two young sons (although I had become a magistrate), we were living near Nantwich in Cheshire in 2008 when our local MP, Gwyneth Dunwoody, died unexpectedly and a by-election was called in what was a longstanding Labour seat. I volunteered to help our local Association in the campaign to support our excellent candidate, Edward Timpson. Edward won with a 17.6% swing and the result was notable as it was the first seat to be gained by the Conservatives in
a by-election since 1982. Edward asked me to help set up his office and I worked for him as his Office Manager and then Chief of Staff for the majority of the sixteen subsequent years, until he stood down at the last General Election. As Chief of Staff I provided advice, diary, financial and staff management, as well as having responsibility for constituency casework and much more.
I was with Edward for five elections, four of which were successful, but one, the General Election of 2017, was a loss by an agonising 48 votes, which was a very painful, but instructive, experience and fortunately Edward was returned to Parliament at the 2019 election. After Edward stood down last year, I supported his also excellent successor, Aphra Brandreth, in setting up her new offices until I retired in March.
After many years living in other parts of the country and having always maintained strong local connections with both family and our many friends here, we moved back to Cumbria four years ago, with our two spoilt cats and one very lazy dog, and Ian and I are very much enjoying getting involved again in the local community.
