Agenda
Richard's spreading the word
Published 10 October 2008
When the Reverend Canon Dr Richard Pratt closes the door to his vicarage in January and heads to West Cumbria, Carlisle will surely seem a quieter place.
Going underground?
Published 10 October 2008
There is a story, sworn by its teller to be true, of an American woman who visited Carlisle in the 1980s. “Nice place,” she said. “But what a dumb thing to do – building a castle so close to a road.”
What are they putting in our water?
Published 3 October 2008
About 130,000 homes in Cumbria are supplied by water containing added fluoride – and soon that number could be increased.
‘It beggars belief that a body entrusted with improving your health is promoting this...’
Published 3 October 2008
Dianne Standen’s daughter has had to spend thousands of pounds on cosmetic dentistry after developing mottled, discoloured teeth. She has had to pay for veneers to cover the damage done by the condition called dental fluorosis.
Stewart Young - back at the helm, a man on a mission
Published 26 September 2008
The fashionable view is that it doesn’t matter who runs the county council. Politicians are all the same, aren’t they? Stewart Young begs to differ.
No theatre for 45 years... is Carlisle a cultural desert?
Published 19 September 2008
Parked cars and shopping trolleys mark the site of Carlisle’s last theatre. The final curtain fell on Her Majesty’s in 1963.
Destination Christmas
Published 19 September 2008
Christmas.It’s spelled C-a-r-l-i-s-l-e for many. Make a quick tour of the city centre and in among all the jingling tills, you’ll hear accents from Scotland, the north east and Preston.
Queen of Raffles
Published 19 September 2008
On Carlisle’s Raffles estate Kath Queen is everybody’s second mum. For many she is more important than their blood relations. Every day Kath deals with other people’s almighty problems.
High on life
Published 19 September 2008
First the tea then the milk then the sugar. Small rituals are packed with significance for Harry Price and Adam Slade. Harry carries the cups through to the living room as his friend Adam turns the volume down on the TV. Homelessness and drug use often go hand in hand. Drug addicts frequently lose everything, including their homes. And people who become homeless for other reasons often turn to drugs to blot out grim reality.
Saving Bassenthwaite
Published 19 September 2008
As a youngster, Barbara Maher had one ambitious career in her sights – to become a diamond hunter. Now she hunts for “diamonds” of a different kind in her detective’s role, seeking out the culprits that are threatening the very future of one of Britain’s best known lakes. So what can be done to lessen the impact of the silt from Newlands Beck? Prof Maher points to “softer” management of the beck and the planting of trees to hold the soil and reduce the impact of the rain.
Access all areas?
Published 19 September 2008
Cumbria is on the brink of a spectacular regeneration. Thousands of new homes are earmarked for Penrith; there’s a rebirth in the making out west where there are plans to redefine and redevelop Sellafield and West Lakes; Workington has a glossy new £35m town centre; and an even more expensive renaissance is slowly taking shape for Carlisle.Rob Johnston, chief executive of the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce said transport providers should look at redrawing services, using imagination and initiative on how they are provided.James Mellor, commercial manager for Stagecoach buses which operates services across the county, said Cumbria could follow the example set by another rural county, Lincolnshire.Raymond Archer is part of the Cumbria Voluntary Social Car Scheme where volunteers provide transport in their own cars for those unable to use buses and trains.
The wastelands
Published 19 September 2008
The small rural Borders community of Nicholforest is used to standing up for itself and fighting its corner – they’ve had centuries of practice in the ‘Debatable Lands’.
The only lake in The Lakes
Published 19 September 2008
Owned by the Lake District National Park Authority, Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the longest and shallowest lakes in the national park. It is four miles long, three-quarters of a mile wide, with an average depth of 70ft.
What can be done with Carlisle's Castle Way?
Published 12 September 2008
There is a story, sworn by its teller to be true, of an American woman who visited Carlisle in the 1980s. “Nice place,” she said. “But what a dumb thing to do – building a castle so close to a road.”
City on the verge of a supermarket boom
Published 5 September 2008
The country may be heading into a recession but Carlisle is on the verge of a massive development boom. As schemes and debates over the Renaissance project rumble on, a multi-million pound trolley dash is gathering pace.
The summer that never was
Published 29 August 2008
If there is any consolation to be had, it is simply this: the summer of 2008 has not been as wet as the summer of 2007.
Going for London’s gold
Published 22 August 2008
On Sunday afternoon the Beijing Olympics will close, and three Cumbrian athletes – Sir Chris Bonington, Joss Naylor and Laura Park – will unfurl the 2012 Olympic flag at the top of Scafell Pike. With the 2012 games taking place in London, will Cumbria reap any benefits? Stephen Blease reports
What the top celebrity chefs think of our produce
Published 15 August 2008
“If you love good food, Cumbria has a real treat in store with a richly-stocked larder bursting with meat, game, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Why Cumbria must give the world food for thought
Published 15 August 2008
Recently, the winners of this year’s ‘food Oscars’ were announced. A clutch of the hard-won, much-desired Great Taste Awards went to Cumbrian producers, two of them picking up the top three gold star award.That shift from field to fork started with the BSE crisis of 1996 and was spurred on by the disaster of the foot and mouth epidemic which devastated Cumbria in 2001.
‘There’s good and bad in every culture and community... all we want is to be treated the same as anyone else’
Published 8 August 2008
In 21st century Britain there is a big push towards multiculturalism, towards breaking down generations-old barriers and encouraging different religions and cultures to live together as one.One person who is more than keen for this development to go ahead is Mrs Miller, a 27-year-old, married mother-of-one. Coming from a settled family in Carlisle, she had always socialised with gypsy children as a teenager.
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