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Worth Waiting for? Christmas Tree Collection The Holly - Ilex aquifolium Make a Seasonal Wreath New Year at the Highland Drove The Story of the Pheasant Local Government Reorganisation 2022
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Contents Now Open, Start a new chapter at Newton House! Page 2 Introduction Pages 4-5 Christmas Past - Quinn & Rex Di Noci Pages 6 & 10 Worth Waiting for? – Reverend David Sargent Page 8 Christmas Tree Collection for Charity Page 9 New Year celebration at the Highland Drove Page 9 Christmas Present - Quinn & Rex Di Noci Pages 10 & 12 North Lakes Hotel Wedding Fayre Page 11 Christmases to Come - Quinn & Rex Di Noci Page 12 Introducing personal Trainer Dave Kelly Page 13 Pams Flower Power- December Holly Pages 14 - 15 The Pheasant by Rafferty Antrobus Page 16 Shaping our Country by Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust Pages 17 & 26 -27 Christmas Word search sponsored by Ultimate Exterior Protection Page 18 Making a seasonal wreath by Karen Roberts Page 20 The Window Doctor – Don’t let your windows be a Pane! Page 21 Penrith Remembers by Penrith Town Council Page 22 New Website for Local Government Reorganisation of Cumbria Page 23 Looking Back at 2021 with Quinn HR Pages 24 - 25 Christmases to come - Quinn & Rex Di Noci Page 27 The Eden Project with a difference Pages 28 - 29 ‘Never Absent, Never Late’ By Sydney Chapman Pages 30 – 31 Celebrate this Christmas Season by Chaplain Ian Newton Page 30 Beating Conservatory Conversion Prices down Back Cover Follow us on Twitter for regular
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Welcome Your Festive Eden Local Moving on, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, I reckon there’ll be decorations up before the end of November. Traditionally, Christmas trees and decorations went up on first day of Advent, which is the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, but I’ll come back to that. We have covered a lot of elements this month which of course are about Christmas, however, I’m sure one of you will receive this Eden Local at the end of November, but I’m hoping everyone will have received it through their doors before 20th December.
Making the most of the short sunny days before I have to put my gloves on, trying to predict the next dry weather window for deliveries. I was even out delivering in my T-shirt and a few days later I had three layers on! The weather was good for the Royal British Legion Remembrance Sunday parade, which as I filmed will now be in the memory bank. We do a have a write up from Penrith Town Council on this (P22). As for the weather, will it be a white Christmas? At present it’s looking like 7 degrees and a slim chance of snow New years Eve.
As our November deliveries finish and our December deliveries commence, between Sunday 28th November and Monday 6th December marks the eight days Hanukkah, the Jewish festival that reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and the lighting of nine candles. Many would have seen the ninebranch menorah, a candelabra with 9 stems, known in Hebrew as Hanukiah and on each of the 8 days a candle is lit after sun set. The ninth candle is called Shamash (helper) and is used to light the others.
I will also remember November 2021 for the Cop26. Locally I’ll still be dwelling on just how many gas pipes are being laid and how many charging points there are in our Eden District Council Car parks and offices since it declared 11th July 2019, ‘A climate emergency and an ecological emergency’.
Some of us might know this as the festival of light, what I can now say is “Hanukkah Sameach!”. It’s taken almost 60 years for me to come to know this, but I importantly set aside the time to research it. As holidays go, from my research Christmas is the biggest holiday, Hanukkah is the second and New Year is third then it’s the Chinese New Year which in 2022 is 1st February. Of course, it isn’t just the Chinese that celebrate it and in this year that will be the year of the Tiger, the 16-day festival is celebrated across Asia and other Asiatic communities around the world. In the next issue of Eden Local I’ll be covering the Chinese zodiac (Sheng Xiao).
Would Electric charging points be a tourist attraction more than the Lakes Mountains in years to come or even as early 2022? Based on the readership we have online, I reckon travel plans are evolving. Meanwhile, it’s in the news and I’ve made space for it, the Local Government Reorganisation of Cumbria, which sees the Eden District Council phased out to create a unitary system (P23). In other ‘news’, I did get the chimney swept and the fire was on with our kiln dried logs by midOctober, using the last of our winter 2020/21 logs, with a top up delivery arriving from a local supplier accredited through ‘Woodsure Quality Assured Woodfuel and Woodsure Ready to Burn’, near Bolton.
As consumers, Christmas decorations are on sales before Halloween in many places, I always buy some to add to the Christmas ‘dec’ collection which I did before 27th October this year. Traditionally in my family we gauge when we put our decorations up subject to the buying of a real Christmas Tree. The care needed in watering it to keep it fresh and alive so in theory this might be 4
Sunday 12th 13 days before the big day. Christmas Past (p6), Christmas Present (p10) and Christmas’ to come (p27) all feature with Sonnets form Rex Di Noci! I do also have a special thank you to David Sargent for his piece ‘Worth waiting for?’(p8). After many years of Robins on our covers with the Fox last month I couldn’t resist a Pheasant this month and especially with links to the team at the charity that know a lot about Pheasants ‘The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’. They are of course not the only charity as we once again promoting the Christmas tree Collection to raise funds for Carlisle and North Lakeland Hospice at Home. When I look back at December 2020, we have all come a long way, part two of my article about Eden FM radio’s first 10 years concludes, now topped by the work I am now doing planning the next 10 years.
The Attic
Our final piece this came in from Ian Newton Chaplain, he is based on the east side of the county covering Carlisle, Penrith, Keswick and Brampton which includes the Cumberland Infirmary and other community hospitals.
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For now, I’m getting ready for a family Christmas, my 58th with nan her 97th as a one-to-one. Early Christmas lunch with nan, then I’ll be home for a second.
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Thank you to everyone who has made a contribution to the Eden Local in 2021 and thank you for once again taking the time out to read it. For those of you who I meet every month when I’m out delivering thank you for your kind words and appreciation shown for your magazine which has the largest readership in Penrith and Eden.
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Christmas Past Childhood As a child I don’t really remember many Christmases before I was eight, as the use of a camera was rare during that time and everything was very black and white, especially the television! Many of my early memories of Christmas were through the toys I had. The Christmas dinner as we called it was over before 1pm and pre 1970s, there are no photos of Christmas to help recall.
day. Wow the independence of having an eye on time! What has helped explain this more to my children, is the fact that with the exception of the video game and the organ, the rest of these toys are in our loft! At school, primary and middle school, it was all about the nativity. Were you a Mary or Joseph, a sheep, a king or maybe even a star? Were you in the choir or the school orchestra? Or were you helping out behind the stage or selling
From about 1970 the toys are memorable, when we talk about the games, who we played them with and other toys that meant sharing with a brother, sister a relative or friend - it helped retain Christmas memories. As an only child, I had games like Mousetrap, Battling Tops and I think pre 1970s, I was given the quiz board game the Amazing Magic Robot, which as a seven year old it was above my intellect - a bit like the chemistry set in the early 70s.
Continued on page 10
THE PRESENCE OF CHRISTMAS PAST
In the 70s though, we had Action Man, Scalextric 75 grand prix set, Arfix models, Timpo figures, the Binatone video and the Bontempi electric organ. But one of the most important gifts I had for Christmas wasn’t a toy in 1972, it was a Kodak 126 instamatic camera and that meant many Christmas memories. I also remember my first watch a ‘Smiths’ watch. It was like the camera, in that it was a present that could be used every
Thank God for those coloured Woollies’ pencils Though difficult to sharpen first time out A bonus were the animal stencils Take care not to tear – you’re risking a clout Two years on the junior Meccano A pound fifteen shillings and a tanner To Boxing Day’s panto you did not go When admitting that you’d lost the spanner For the teenager shoes with chisel toes Plus a fountain pen, a Conway Stewart A red and black jumper in which to pose Your mates all laughed but you never knew it Tin soldiers lead painted morphed to plastic Little knew we then - that would be drastic Rex di Noci November 11th 2021 6
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Worth Waiting For?
the waiting itself that matters? I offer a few suggestions that might help a little to make the coming weeks an essential part of our Christmas celebrations, rather than just a necessarily busy time to get through. Instead of collapsing in a weary heap, too tired or fed-up with the whole thing to enjoy it when it does arrive, perhaps enjoying the wait and the anticipation will make the celebration itself even more special.
I’m really not one for getting all irate about Christmas starting in late October. Our local businesses need all the trade and support they can get, not only because the continuing anxiety about Covid, but also with the ever increasing shift toward online shopping. However, have we lost something of the art of waiting? The weeks leading up to Christmas ask us not to rush headlong into the celebration, but to experience the moment itself, the not yet, the waiting time of Advent.
1. Waiting helps us notice and pay attention to the present moment. We easily rush on to the ‘next’ thing and never truly attend to the moment. 2. Waiting unmasks our preoccupation with ourselves. Our instant ‘have-it-now’ culture promotes an unhealthy culture of individualism. Waiting reminds us that we are not the centre of everything. 3. Waiting reminds us of those forced to wait though demanding situations; for an operation that should have happened months ago, for an asylum application that has not been attended to, for a loved one with terminal illness.
Some people are better at waiting than others. Maybe it gets easier as we get older and oldfashioned virtue of delayed gratification becomes a quality we are forced to accept, rather than intentionally choose. When we can’t move as fast as we used to, and can’t squeeze so much frenetic activity into an hour, we might just discover we didn’t need to anyway! Waiting is at the heart of the Christmas story; shepherds waiting through the long night; stargazers in distant lands charting the course of the heavenly bodies waiting for the alignment indicating new birth; Mary and Joseph waiting for Mary’s pregnancy to reach its full term and, ultimately, God, the eternal Word taking on flesh, waiting to be brought into the world.
I am sure you will think of other possible benefits of waiting; each depends on our willingness to watch and wait, not passively, but actively, like waiting for a birth, a new life, some new hope for our world. Waiting – because it’s worth is.
The best things really are worth waiting for! A well matured wine, a fine cheese, a skilfully aged steak, rising bread, fly fishing, a crafted garden, a well-practiced sports skill, the perfectly cooked dinner and … the list goes on. But what is it about
Rev David Sargent (Churches Together in Penrith) 8
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wasn’t a favourite of mine. On approaching my teens, I got to spend Christmas with my mum. I was dropped off Christmas Eve. We had a real Christmas tree, and it took up a quarter of the room in a small flat. On Christmas morning the turkey was cooking in the oven. It was a different world, which included going to the football on Boxing Day, a different Christmas experience. In my early teens as a choir boy, it was a busy time over Christmas with midnight mass and an early start on Christmas Day. I remember being out on a new bike - the Tomahawk - a step down from the Chopper, with a straight handlebar and 3 gears, then to the Raleigh Arena racing bike, eventually sold to go towards my first car. Playing football in a new kit on Boxing Day was also a must if it hadn’t snowed.
programmes at the door? Were you bold and stood at the front, narrating the Nativity or were you singing the solo of ‘Once in Royal David City’? The turkey was in the oven on Christmas Eve, and when presented 14 hours later you could break a milk tooth on it, but I loved it as it was the only dinner in a year that we, as a family of three sat down to together, and I have those photos - not a selfie of course! So, I disliked sprouts with a passion and most veg, and the thought of the stodge on Boxing Day when it was mashed up, fried and served with chutney and cold turkey
When did that childhood stop? Well, the photos when they became Polaroids and with no negatives, many memories were not saved. Something I didn’t have as a child was a bedtime story and whilst I knew the Nativity story, ‘Twas the night before Christmas’ was not something I had any knowledge of as a child.
Christmas present Sharing my first Christmas with Charlotte was the first of 26, and whilst so much has changed around the routines. The Christmas we’ll have this year isn’t that different to what we set out to do back then. It has just constantly evolved around some much-loved traditions. Going to see the Nutcracker ballet in London on Christmas Eve was a start of something new. Buying that really big ‘real’ Christmas tree and decorating it together, having a real fire in our home, roasting real chestnuts and having that smell of a Christmas turkey on a Christmas morning – these are all very much a part of our Christmas activities, which would suggest it’s quite traditional in many ways.
Christmas lunch are still there, but 2020 changed a lot of that. I was allowed to see my nan on Christmas Day, in my mask, gown and gloves. I took her a Christmas dinner and we had a glass of wine. The plan for Boxing Day was cold meats with bubble squeak (Stodge up!). Unfortunately, it didn’t happen as I called on Boxing Day morning and was told Nan was locked down again, no visitors and they were preparing a lunch. I dropped her stodge at the door. At 96 then, this Christmas I really hope to be there again on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. I absolutely love sprouts and every vegetable there is. We haven’t seen the Nutcracker in a
The routines of visiting relatives for Christmas lunch, having relatives come to our home for
Continued on page 12
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Continued from page 10
confess Barbie and the Nutcracker was a bit of low point! The Christmas magic on the small screen has a scheduled routine at Christmas in our house. Whilst most films are available via one package or another, we still have the DVDs and we’ve all got our favourites and we all get to choose those as we work through the order of play.
while, but so much of what we’ll be doing this Christmas is also talking about last Christmas and the Christmas before. Those photos will come out. Those 70s toys will come out, but this year I also have something special planned. A memory box for Christmas on Boxing Day.
We learn so much as children, which makes us the parents we are or even grandparents one day. I think part of this is that our memories come back to us every Christmas, especially when we share those memories openly about those who are not with us anymore.
Yes, I know why we have Boxing Day! It got its name as I understand it from when Queen Victoria was on the throne in the 1800s and has nothing to do with the sport of boxing. It comes from a time when the rich used to box up gifts and give them to the poor. It was a Boxing Day tradition to give servants the day off and they received a special Christmas box from their master. So, this is for nan who needs her memories refreshed in a special box of memories, and I reckon my daughters to.
Santa’s favourite refreshments at Christmas since our children arrived has also evolved to. It’s certainly moved on in 20 years from milk to a range of true Christmas spirit (not of the Christmas Carol type)! This year what I really want to do is just send out as many Christmas cards as I can - memories off screen and on social media are getting a bit old hat really……
One routine I think about at Christmas and miss, but I remember it as if it was the first, was that first Christmas Eve night when I sat there in the nursery and I opened a book and I read:
Continued on page 27
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
THE PRESENCE OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care ….
We’re in the time of the expensive gift The modern keeping up with the Joneses If nought else it gives the givers a lift Blind to what the total of their loans is The world has become too lazy to shop COVID 19 the ready made excuse The token that caught your Gran on the hop From La Senza - is that old age abuse?! The presence of Christmas presents captured With a range of rainbow smartfone cases Cruising through Greenwich Village enraptured Comparing Bloomingdale’s price with Macy’s The piece de resistance arrives online D Phil. ( Amazon ) just nine ninety nine
Other traditions, since the girls could reach the top of the Christmas tree, include the tradition of taking it in turns each year to put the fairy on the top. The collection of decorations that we have go back to my child hood and hold a part of Christmas history of many, many years. We even have a red tractor bauble going on this year! Christmas Eve used to include Christingle for us, but when I grab those decorations out of the loft, I’ll be picking the Christmas day toys we’ll play with Scalextrics and Striker football and many other games will be dusted off. I might even venture up into the loft and bring the Thomas the Tank Engine down! The dartboard will be up as playing games in our house isn’t just at Christmas. Unlike upgrades and modern technology and gadgets, you can’t beat rolling a dice.
Rex di Noci November 15th 2021
The Christmas films have also made Christmas more magical over the years, though I must 12
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December – Holly
And so we come to the final piece of our year of flowers; and of course it has to be the seasonal Holly ever popular on Christmas cards, wrapping paper and all things Christmas. The red berried greenery is cut and brought into many homes for the Yuletide celebrations. The holly - Ilex aquifolium - is native to the UK and is found in hedgerows and woodland particularly native oak and beech woods. Mature trees can grow up to 15m tall and live for around 300 years.
It is easily recognisable by its bright red berries and shiny leathery leaves which often have sharp prickles along their edges. Interestingly the older the bush the smoother the leaves become and the higher up the tree the leaves are they are also likely to be smooth. The dark glossy leaves are evergreen and can be spotted throughout the year but it is in the late autumn and winter months when the glorious red berries appear. Hollies are dioecious which means they need both male and female plants in order to produce seeds. The simple flowers of the holly are white with four petals, blooming in the spring and early summer. It is the female bush which will have the red berries; male plants do not produce them. It is also important that the male and female plants are close enough to each other (within about 200 yards of each other) for pollination to occur. The holly berry will only grow on shrubs which are at least 3 years old and on branches which are two years old so care should be taken if you are pruning your holly bush, only prune in winter or early spring as you don’t want to cut off the new growth that will produce the next year’s berries.
mammals and hedgehogs use the dry leaf litter for hibernating. The feisty Mistle Thrush is known to guard the berries in the winter to prevent other birds from eating them! The berries also provide a rich food supply for small mammals such as wood mice and dormice. Deer enjoy grazing on the smooth leaves found on the upper branches and other leaves are eaten by caterpillars of a number of holly loving butterflies and moths. In the spring the flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees so ensuring that the female flowers are pollinated and produce berries and seeds.
The holly provides food, cover and shelter for many birds and animals. Its dense foliage provides safe nesting places for birds while small
There is much mythology and symbolism associated with the holly tree; the most common 14
being linked to Christmas and the tradition of bringing leaves and berries into the home. The Druids, Celts and Romans all brought evergreens into their homes during the winter; when everything else appeared dead and lifeless the green and red of the holly became a symbol of hope for the return of the spring and also of fertility.
to offer protection from lightning; this is not as strange as it may first sound. It has been shown that the spiny prickles on the leaves can act as tiny lightning conductors which protect the tree and also anything that may be nearby! The heavy, hard and finely grained wood of holly is the whitest of all the woods so is often used in furniture making, marquetry, chess boards and also for walking sticks. It is excellent firewood burning steadily with a strong heat; perfect for a cold winter evening around Christmas perhaps!
In Christianity the symbolism of the spiny leaves as Jesus’ crown of thorns and the red berries as the blood is told in the Christmas Carol ‘The Holly and the Ivy’.
No more flower facts for this year; now to plan what to write about next year… see you in 2022!
Holly was also thought to ward off evil spirits, mischievous fairies and guard against witches. It is considered bad luck by some, even today, to cut down a holly tree because of the protection they provide. In some rural areas holly trees are often allowed to grow through hedges to prevent witches from running along the top of the hedgerow!
By Pam Waggott References. www.woodlandtrust.org.uk www.plantlife.org.uk www.treesforlife.org.uk www.nationaltrust.org.uk www.flowerfairies.com
Holly trees were traditionally planted near houses
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The Pheasant Introduction by Rafferty Autrobus (age 9)
Although a common sight in the English countryside, pheasants are actually native to Asia and are thought to have been introduced into Britain by the Romans. The pheasant is one of the world’s most hunted birds and records show that over 20 million birds are reared and released by gamekeepers in England every year. This gives the pheasant a very poor average life expectancy of only a year.
Pheasants Fly fast for short distances but prefer to run. Much like the Archaeopteryx, which was the first pre-historic winged reptile to be discovered and experts believe that it shared similarities, it flew in short bursts of flight. Pheasants are thought of as a good luck symbol due to a Burmese Hunter once finding an emerald in a pheasant and then returning to the pheasant’s home he found an emerald mine. If you are looking for ideas for your Christmas lunch, the Archbishop of York in 1465 once had a feast which consisted of at least 200 pheasants, 12 seals, 104 peacocks, 400 swans, 500 stags, 2000 geese, 4000 mallard and six boar. Imagine the washing up! Finally I would like to wish all my readers a wonderful and safe Christmas.
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Pheasants - how they shape our countryside The pheasant is not native to Britain, but has a long history of residence here. There is some debate over the success of various possible introductions dating back to the Romans, but it is generally agreed that pheasants were common by the 15th century. The pheasant, although often thought to be a bird of woodlands, is really a species of woodland edge and agricultural land. In areas where woodlands are not common, shrubby wetlands provide suitable habitat. Despite its introduced status, the conservation of the pheasant is important because of its long history of naturalisation and importance as a symbol of our traditional countryside. During the 20th century the pheasant became an increasingly important gamebird. The effect of game management on the conservation value of woodland Open areas within woodland, such as rides or glades, are important habitat for a number of species including birds, butterflies, reptiles and plants. In the UK the availability of these open areas has declined due to changes in forestry management, including increases in plantation forestry and the suppression of natural disturbances like fire. However, in woodland managed for released pheasant shooting,
these open areas may be maintained. For example, rides (linear opening or tracks) are managed to provide stands for guns, access for vehicles and habitat for pheasants. The maintenance of these habitats could provide wider wildlife benefits. Released pheasant management in woodlands is known to have both positive and negative environmental impacts, and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has researched these issues. What effect can the release of pheasants have on the local environment? Positive effects are seen in the surrounding woodland and farmland as a result of management measures undertaken for the pheasants and which tend to benefit other wildlife as well. In general, any negative effects are seen around the release pen, feed sites and wherever birds congregate in large numbers, because of direct effect of the birds being present. 17
Some of the measured positive effects include: 22-32% more songbirds in woods managed for pheasants; many more songbirds in cover crops planted for game; twice as many butterflies and an increased number of flowering shrubs in woods managed for game. Woodland management for pheasants also benefits some small mammals, such as wood mice and bank voles. The provision of supplementary feed
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Auld Lang Syne Bells Carols Celebration Christmas Countdown Reindeer Resolutions Santa Snowman Sing Gingerbread Holly Kiss Midnight New Year Presents
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HOSPICE AT HOME CHRISTMAS TREE COLLECTION tree every year, but we have an amazing team of volunteers and business supporters who enable the event to take place. We would like to extend our gratitude in advance and invite anyone who might like to take part in any capacity to reach out to us in the run up to the holidays.”
Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland will once again be collecting real Christmas trees this year. Christmas Tree Collection Day has historically been a huge success, and a testament to the generous support of the hospice by the local community. Last year, notwithstanding the cancellation of the collection due to COVID-19 restrictions, just under £17,000 raised for the charity, with over 1100 trees registered for collection.
Tree collections may be booked from the 15th of November until the 10th of December by visiting www.charityxmastreecollection.com.
Volunteers and business supporters will set off early on the 12th of January to collect trees from Carlisle, Penrith, Longtown, Brampton, and Wigton– locations which the Clinical Services Team of Hospice at Home visit to provide vital care and support to patients at the end stages of life.
Please visit www.hospiceathome.co.uk or the charity social media pages to find out more about the charity. Anyone interested in raising funds or volunteering please contact the Hospice at Home Fundraising Office 01768 210719 or visit www.hospiceathome.co.uk.
Tiffany Lew, Fundraiser for Hospice at Home, said, “The year on year success of our annual tree collection is always a remarkable testament to the support the community offers to the charity. Not only do more and more people book in their
SAVE OUR BEES! SAVE OUR FOOD! YOU CAN HELP the bees by buying the Penrith Beekeepers Association 2022 Calendar.
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To preview the calendar visit www.penrithbeekeepers.org To order copies contact 01768 894404 or email mr4cnr@gmail.com Available to purchase from Booths and Star Fruits in Penrith. 19
Recent autumn garden jobs Fragrance
It’s been quite mild but winter is around the corner and I’ve taken the dahlias up and sorted and labelled the tubers to store until spring. In some areas giving them a heavy mulch and leaving in the beds gives enough protection but I haven’t dared try it in Cumbria yet… For me, dahlias give border appeal with fabulous late season colour.
Other evergreen options give fragrance too. I love the glossy leaves of bay (Laurus nobilis) and the needlelike dark green of rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus).
Hopefully you’ve also got bulbs in the ground now; that’s another job that’s definitely worth the effort!
Pizzazz Finally it is time to add colour and berries are a good start. It’s not only holly, raid the Pyracantha or Cotoneaster, and for white use snowberries (Symphoricarpos alba). Remember to leave some berries for the birds though. (And a word of warning about plants including their berries, keep away from children if they’re poisonous!) Other embellishments can include pine cones, and with a bit of forward planning, rose hips dried when they still have their deep colour look spectacular. For something different try using fading hydrangea heads.
Make a seasonal wreath I’ve started foraging around the garden to make a wreath. It’s not too tricky creating one and there are so many plant choices you’re likely to have something in the garden. The base A base can be fashioned from flexible stems of shrubs such as willow, hazel or dogwoods, as they bend and can be woven into a circle. For an alternative wreath try entwining coloured stems from dogwoods such as the red of Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, green of Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’ and orange of Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’.
From the kitchen Also look in the kitchen cupboards and dry citrus slices (oranges or lemons ) or tie up packs of cinnamon sticks.
The basics Start with evergreens. Holly (Ilex) is the classic but it is prickly to work with. Other good ones are Pine (Pinus) and Box (Buxus sempervirens). A shrub I put in lots of planting designs is Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’, so I’ve got plenty of this in my own garden to snip and use. Weaving in ivy (Hedera helix) is great, especially the variegated forms.
I hope you all have some fun in the garden and here’s wishing you the very best seasons’ greetings. To plan now for spring give me a call or email.
07856 528893 • karenrobertsgardendesign@gmail.com 07856 528893 karenrobertsgardendesign@gmail.com
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Councillor Doug Lawson, Ex Chair of Penrith Town Council and Ex Mayor of Penrith was pleased to be able to present Mayors Medals to Tony Pears in recognition of all his hard work in keeping Penrith tidy with litter picking and to Cameron Stewart in recognition of his Christmas appeal during the pandemic.
everyone who participated in the event and for making the event covid safe. The Government is reorganising Council structures in Penrith and Cumbria and over the next few years you will be hearing more about this. The Town Council will be seeking your opinions and asking you to get involved as we expect the Town Council will be accepting more assets and services currently provided by Eden District Council.
The Mayor’s Medal is presented to persons who have, in the opinion of the serving Mayor, made important and significant contributions to Penrith. The medals may be awarded for activities such as bravery, long-service and outstanding contributions to the community. Two more medals will be awarded in December.
All the district Councils and the County Council will be dissolved in May 2023 and the Government intends to create two new unitary councils. For the Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland areas the council’s name will be Cumberland. For the Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland areas the council’s name will be Westmorland and Furness.
On 30 October the current Mayor Councillor Charlie Sheppard attended the launch of the 2021 Poppy Appeal in Penrith. Penrith Town Council was pleased to support the Appeal and the Royal British Legion in Penrith, the RBL is 100 years old this year and Penrith was one of its founding branches.
Elections for the two new councils, as Shadow Authorities, will take place in May 2022. A shadow authority is an ‘authority’ which is appointed or elected to shape the two new councils ready for vesting on 1 April 2023. When the new councils go live on 1 April 2023 the shadow authorities are also then dissolved. This is subject to Parliamentary approval which is likely to take place in March 2022.
Due to the Covid 19 Pandemic, last year the Council successfully arranged for distanced wreath laying and the Citation to be read in St Andrews Churchyard to acknowledge Remembrance Sunday.
The Penrith Town Council Office is open again to the public Monday to Wednesday 9:30am to 3:00pm providing you are free from Covid 19 symptoms.
This year on 14 November 2021 Penrith remembered the sacrifice of all those that have fallen and those that defended our freedoms; the Armed Forces, their families, the vital role played by the emergency services and those that have lost their lives as a result of conflict or terrorism.
With best wishes and health and happiness for the New Year. office@penrithtowncouncil.co.uk
Penrith Town Council worked with partner organisations to ensure that the event could go ahead in a Covid safe format. To mark Remembrance Sunday, Penrith Town Council arranged the Penrith Remembrance Parade and supported Reverend David Sargent to deliver the service of Remembrance.
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!!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank 22
NEW WEBSITE For Local Government Reorganisation A new website has been launched to explain more about a major reorganisation of local government in Cumbria.
All seven existing local authorities, supported by the Government, are collaborating on the programme to create the new Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness authorities.
The website - newcouncilsforcumbria.info - has lots of useful information about the complex process to create two brand new councils for the county.
This entails a considerable amount of work to ensure that people in Cumbria receive the high level of service and delivery they expect and deserve.
From 1 April 2023 the current six district councils and Cumbria County Council will be replaced with two new ‘unitary’ councils. The intended names for the two new councils are :
The new website explains the process and the timeline and will include updates on the work of the Local Government Reorganisation Programme.
• Cumberland Council will cover the current Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland council areas.
A spokesperson for the Cumbria Local Government Reorganisation Programme Board, said: “We know there is a great deal of interest in the reorganisation process, among residents, businesses and organisations.
• Westmorland and Furness Council will cover the current Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland council areas. The two new councils will be responsible for services currently provided in those areas by the district councils and the county council.
“This is a hugely complex undertaking and will affect everyone who lives, works, does business or studies in Cumbria. It is the most significant change to the structures of local government in this area for a generation.
The changes aim to: • Improve services for local people, making them more effective and efficient with a greater integration of planning and delivery activities.
“The programme will involve officers and councillors from all seven existing councils and we are determined to create the right platform for the new Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness councils to thrive.
• Provide greater clarity for residents on their democratic representation, making local authorities even more accountable to the people they serve with more effective governance arrangements.
“All those involved in leading this project are committed to ensuring that local people are engaged in this process as we move towards April 2023 and the new website will be an integral part of that.’’
• Provide a stronger voice to central government. • Attract inward investment into our communities. Since the UK Government announced its decision in July to reorganise local government in Cumbria, work has been ongoing on the first steps of this huge transition. 23
Q
HR
Looking Back at 2021 Well, what another interesting year it has been! Whilst the Pandemic has continued to present enormous challenges, it has also afforded us opportunities and encouraged us to think a little differently about the way we live and work. Agile and hybrid working arrangements have continued for many, hopefully allowing us to achieve a better work life balance. Many of us have also developed our IT skills with having to get used to remote working – I must say that my IT skills have improved dramatically over the last 18 months! Reflecting on 2021 – my work and the articles I have written for the Eden Local, this has also been quite different, not least as I took on a new and exciting part time role in April, teaching adult HR apprentices. It’s been a fantastic opportunity and I am incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful group of students.
about the EU Settlement Scheme – the new points-based global immigration system, and the importance of applying in good time for settled status, to ensure the right to live and work in the UK was maintained.
We began the year in February’s Eden Local suggesting it was probably a good time to review employment documents, to update them to reflect any new working arrangements, such as hybrid and agile working.
In June, Long Covid was the topic, and the symptoms people may suffer for weeks or even several months. We provided some guidance on the sorts of things employers need to think about when supporting staff.
In the March/April Eden Local, we confirmed the new, increased National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates that would take effect from April 2021, as well as the other statutory rates of pay that would increase, such as Statutory Sick Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay.
In July, we talked about Quinn HR and reminded readers of how we are able to support businesses with employment matters, through ad hoc support or on a retained basis – employment support tailored to your business.
In May, we provided information and advice
In August, celebrating 25 years in HR, I explained 24
how my career began and gave readers an idea of the experience I have. In September, recruiting new workers was the focus, with hints and tips on things like ensuring applicants have the right to work in the UK, ensuring they have the right qualifications, seeking references, medical questionnaires and how to make an offer of employment. October was about managing absence – short-term and long-term absences, and the importance of the role of line managers. In November, with Christmas fast approaching, we provided some advice on things to consider when organising work parties and other work-related social events. And so, here we are in December again, approaching Christmas, reflecting on what has been another extraordinary year!
Can I help you in 2022? If you need support or advice with any employment related issues, please just drop me a line – I’d be delighted to hear from you. Whilst my workload is always varied, typically I offer advice and support with: • Employee relations – disciplinaries, grievances, bullying and harassment • Attendance issues – sickness related and other • Performance issues – appraisals, managing poor performance and capability • Staff Handbooks – policies, procedures and standards • Employment contracts – terms and conditions of employment • Recruitment and selection – recruitment exercises and job descriptions • Pay and benefits – pay structures and job evaluation • Reorganisation and redundancy Whether you need some immediate, ad hoc advice or whether you would like to discuss ongoing support, please contact me - charlotte@quinnhr.co.uk or 01768 862394. You can also read more about me and the support I am able to provide on my website www.quinnhr.co.uk
My very best wishes to you all
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predators and providing supplementary food.
has positive effects on many seed-eating birds, some of which are UK BAP priority species.
Our work is detailed. In one study we surveyed 139 woods. Approximately half of these woods were actively managed for game and half were woods that had not been managed for game for at least 25 years. In each wood we measured the amount and size of the ride habitat. We then selected the widest ride in the wood for more detailed surveying. We first assessed the structure and management of this focal rides, for example we quantified the amount and type of disturbance (vehicle, horse, footfall) the ride experienced. Next, we surveyed the ground vegetation, specifically we measured the amount of bare ground, the percentage cover of different plant groups and took a count of the overall number of species.
As an example, the combined package of game management measures at the GWCT demonstration farm in Leicestershire increased the abundance and breeding density of several bird species, including blackbird, song thrush, dunnock, whitethroat, chaffinch and yellowhammer. A further unpublished GWCT study looked at 34 farmland sites nearby, and found 30% more farmland birds on farms with shoots than on farms without. Pheasants are birds of the woodland edge, and some evidence shows that new woodlands are more likely to be planted, and existing woodlands to be preserved and better managed in areas with pheasant shoots. Generally, as well as game management providing food and reducing predation pressure, woodland management practices that provide suitable habitat for pheasants also improve habitat for these other species.
What we found Although the overall amount of ride habitat was not greater in woods managed for game, the rides present were 20% wider and more open. This suggests that there were differences in the management of the ride habitat in game woods. In addition, the overall amount of disturbance was lower in rides in game woods and the types of disturbance differed from non-game woods. Rides in game woods were more disturbed by vehicles whereas rides in non-game woods were more disturbed by footfall and horses.
What are these management practices? Pheasant management includes: reducing the canopy density (skylighting, thinning, coppicing) to allow more light into the wood, maintaining and widening woodland rides, more diversity at woodland edges, creating or maintaining hedgerows, planting game cover crops, controlling
These differences in management, combined 26
with the effect of the gamebirds themselves, could explain the differences in the vegetation communities we observed between rides in game and non-game woods. The high light levels in wide rides, the soil disturbance caused by vehicles, and the physical disturbance and increased soil fertility caused by the pheasants themselves may have created conditions for particular ground flora species to flourish. There were more species that prefer these high-light and high-nutrient conditions including grasses, and ruderals like hempnettle and hogweed, in game woods. These species tend to be fast-growing and competitive, and increased numbers of these species may explain why there was also less bare ground in rides in game woods. What does it mean for our woodland open areas? In recent years, species found in ancient woodlands have declined, and it has been suggested that this decline is partly because open areas within these woodlands have been lost. Our work suggests that rides in woods managed for gamebirds can provide these open areas.
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust Registered charity number 1112023 (England and Wales) Tel: 01425 652381 Email: info@gwct.org.uk Web: www.gwct.org.uk
Christmases to come Christmas 2020 will have memories - not all good but we can’t change the past. New routines, new challenges hit us every day, so many things we can’t do anything about, but there are many things we can do something about. We just need to hold on to the good memories. Based on our present experiences, as we discovered for Christmas last year, COVID was the Grinch that stole not just Christmas but stole so much more in 2020. We can wish ourselves, our family and our friends, the best for the future but never forget tradition. Not all traditions are good, but in them there are many positives and changes, still very much alive today that will survive just like Christmas. Some old traditions die and new traditions are created. We are a year on from probably one of the biggest challenges we have experienced in our lives. Day by day we have to accept there are so many things we can waste time on, however, one of the most important things we have is time, and time doesn’t stop for anybody, so we should make the most of it. I am so looking forward to Christmas 2021, it’s not here yet but I’m already sharing with you…
THE PRESENCE OF CHRISTMAS YET TO COME Fast forward to the year Infinity Where there is no sense of nostalgia In the likeness of man Divinity No blood, no tissue, no neuralgia Post a millennial sabbatical Humanity absconded from the Earth Succeeded by hologramatical Units with ev’ry one a virgin birth The activists have turned androgynous No shapely calves in the Christmas stocking Energy has become hydrogenous The free range turkeys robots a-mocking Christmas lunches were never this pleasant Silicone chips with virtual pheasant Rex di Noci November 16th 2021 27
Eden107.5 A Celebration of an Eden Project with a difference Part 2 (Continued)
In the November edition, we started to describe the journey of Eden FM as a project - the idea was for Cumbria to have its first full-time community radio station.
last time it would be turning off its transmitter for a long period. Other projects running in parallel with Eden FM
2010 was about putting in a lot of foundations for a project that never had a finishing date. When it switched on for its first trial transmission in 2011, just for 4 weeks, the challenges it faced then were just the beginning of many challenges that would follow! By Christmas 2012, the station was known but still unable to transmit on an FM frequency. It had to wait until Ofcom invited stations to apply in the next application round for community radio licences, that was anticipated to be at the end of 2013. To keep the team together and support its continual development, it had to be motivated. Switching its transmission off after its second 4-week trial was always going to be a low point, so with not much more to prove to the community, it continued as an online station in an area with struggling broadband connections. Its only constant connection was through the Eden Local then, which had changed to become the Cumbrian Local, as it stretched out of Eden into areas of Keswick.
were now in place. Links to its future included the start of the Penrith and Eden Valley Monopoly board game design, and on the horizon as the founder and Chairman of the station, I was also then very active in the campaign for Penrith to have a Town Council. This was addressed on page 12 of the June 2013 edition.
By March 2013, Eden FM was preparing for its final trial transmission in June, but also preparing for its last 12 months as an internet station just needing to be on an FM frequency. In June, Eden FM completed its final trial licence, which also meant it was the last time on that 87.7 frequency and the
Meanwhile, as Eden FM progressed through 2013, in an article titled ‘The Lids off and its Manic for Monopoly’, which appeared on page 6 of the October magazine with the official Monopoly logo on the front cover, sponsors and interests to purchase the board were on a growing list. On the downside, it was about to lose its main sponsor The Penrith Co-operative Society, as it was taken over by Scotmid. A part of Penrith died that year and it’s never come back as we see every time we drive past the empty, decaying shop front of no 19 Burrowgate. This story was covered in the 28
December 2014 edition of the magazine. Into 2014, the campaign progressed, and the Community radio licence application was delivered to Ofcom by presenter and volunteer Matty Buck. A document of 80 pages was also posted, but the delivery was made direct just in case. In April 2014, Eden FM announced that the wait was finally over, it was switching on in June, and in May it was given the frequency 107.5 FM. Unfortunately, in April 2014, it had to move its studios less that 2 months from its launch date due to development of the site, however, this didn’t deter the team.
Eden
Into a Portacabin they went! Then on 23rd June 2014, Eden FM finally achieved its ultimate goal of becoming a full-time radio station. The celebrations were only just starting. The July cover of the magazine was the Penrith and Eden Valley Monopoly. Eden FM would be at the Penrith Show as the Main Ring Sponsor to unveil the new Monopoly. I wish I had a show programme from that day if anyone has got one out there?
107
There was of course one more project, and that was to get the message out about the referendum for Penrith Town to have a town council, so that it would have a local governing authority should a unitary system be implemented in the years to come. The team of presenters then doubled as reporters and produced a local paper which they handed out. The Local Post only printed twice, but it was enough to get the town its referendum, and as we know, the people of Penrith voted yes.
Eden107.5 01768 899107 www.edenfm.co.uk
That’s a story for another day, in fact it will be in the next issue and the first Eden Local issue of 2022, which will cover the first 5 years of Eden FM’s full licence, that was renewed from 2019 to 2024. And the plans for the next 10 years will also be shared.
Eden FM Radio Ltd , Suite 6 Cumbria House, Gilwilly Road, Gilwilly Ind Est, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 9FF
The story and the journey continues for Eden FM from 2010 to 2020, and now to 2030!
29
‘Never Absent, Never Late’ at Penrith and Eden Museum Article by Sydney Chapman Recently given to the Museum are two late Victorian photographs of pupils who attended Penrith’s Brunswick Road Board School. One is captioned ‘Scholars never absent during the year ending January 31st 1897’ and the other ‘Scholars never absent during the year ending January 31st 1899’ stating that it was ‘Photographed and Presented by John Bolton, Head Master’. Photography was an expensive pursuit then and largely the preserve of well to do amateurs, like this head master who was probably show-casing his hobby and talents, or professional photographers. The children have turned out in their Sunday best judging from the profusion of starched collars and lace trimmings on their clothing.
Brunswick Road Board School’s ‘Never Absent’ pupils, 1897
In the early years of the Victorian period, many children never went to school. All schooling cost money and there was no law to say that children had to attend. In 1870 a law was passed to say that all children between the ages of 5 and 10 had to go to school but their parents were still expected to pay and it was not until 1891 that it would be free. In towns poor families still frequently sent their children out to work just to have enough money to buy food. In an agricultural area like Eden there was a never ending round of
Brunswick Road Board School’s ‘Never Absent’ pupils, 1899 work to do on the farms and on the fell-side, tasks like feeding and attending to livestock, sowing crops and reaping them at harvest time, cutting grass for hay, making butter, collecting eggs and taking produce to the markets. Here too parents would often keep their 30
Silver attendance medal awarded to John Jackson, 1907
Bronze attendance medal awarded to John Jackson, 1903
children away from school to assist them.
encourage them to go to school on a regular basis. Examples of them in the Museum’s collection are illustrated here: a bronze one awarded to John Jackson in 1903 with added clasp bar for 1905 recording two years of perfect attendance; in
Eventually Cumberland County Council Education Committee, like others elsewhere, adopted the idea of awarding a medal to pupils with a perfect or good attendance record to
1906 a star was pinned to the ribbon through the clasp for completing his three years of perfect attendance. Remarkably he achieved a fourth year without losing a day’s schooling and was given a silver medal in 1907. These awards were, of course, useful when it came to seeking a job as employers were looking for workers who were good time keepers. The wording towards the edge of the medals also echoed the idea of useful, regular and dutiful employment: “With Head and Heart and Hand We Work For Cumberland” words chosen by the co-founder of the National Trust and the School of Industrial Arts at Keswick, Canon Rawnsley.
Celebrate this Christmas Season Whilst we have suffered loss over the last months there is still much to celebrate. Many businesses are bouncing back. Some have more work than ever. Many employees are earning more money. From shop workers to school teachers, we are proud of those who ploughed on through the pandemic and continued to inspire working through these challenging times. Many have continued in their volunteer roles and some have entered new roles. When you visit your local vaccine centre, instead of complaining about the long wait caused by outside profiteering pharmacies merging two days’ bookings into one to half their overheads whilst getting paid the same money, express your gratitude to the local
volunteers. Some have even personally paid to do training to serve the public in a voluntary role. So, as you are getting your booster, give them a boost. And yes, as a Hospital Chaplain, I am conscious that there will be absences around our tables this Christmas season. Even here, let us celebrate the memories. For whilst loved ones are physically gone from us, they are forever in our hearts and nothing can take away the memories we treasure. Let each of us bring some Christmas cheer to people by speaking words of encouragement and appreciation. Ian Newton Chaplan - Cumberland Infirmary and East Cumbria Community hospitals 31
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