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come forward to help with deliveries of the Eden Local magazines to keep it going through almost 16,000 doors every month. A busy August it has been, but myself and Mrs Q did manage to get 3 days off on the Northumberland coast midAugust at Seahouses for some nice walks and even an afternoon lying on the beach, which was a much needed break. Meanwhile, the people of Castletown and Townhead in Penrith West get to vote for a new district councillor on 30th September to assist with the transition to devolution. Whilst a few of you know how much I enjoy knocking on doors, which I have done a number of times in Castletown and in parts of Townhead over the years, Penrith West is the home of the leader of the District Council who resides in this ward. I’ll be sitting this one out, much to the relief for my wife, and I cannot afford to be off Eden FM Radio (due to Purdah rules). But I can, like you reflect on just how green the policies are and just how green the implementation of these has been for us in Penrith. From my experience in knocking on doors for many years, for so many voters it comes down to making sure household rubbish is collected. As to how much is recycled and where does it go and has it improved, who knows? Are our streets cleaner, do we have dual rubbish bins in the town for rubbish and recycling? Are our public toilets solar powered and fed by water from the roof tops? Is there an electric changing point at the Town Hall or at Mansion house? Well, I don’t honestly know. Without question I have to enjoy what I do, and August has been manic - probably my busiest month to date in 2021. Sometimes I sit in my office, seeing emails popping up, and I’m juggling three phones, but in the last 18 months, I have learnt, if nothing else, how to switch off. With my work as a volunteer at Eden FM, just sitting recently in the studio in the early hours of the morning in the darkness, it was so peaceful,l and it enabled me to see things in a different light. It brings you back to earth, but also reminds you of why you do what you do. Every month at this stage I thank a lot of people. At Eden FM it’s like a new beginning, and I hope some people reading this might think they would like a visit to the studios. Firstly, a huge thank you to Kathy at the radio for the task we recently undertook and completed, and the task we are now focused on. Secondly, thank you to the members who have been ‘rocks’ in this project that Eden FM have embarked on, and being there all the time - Pam, Steve and Martin. That was just a part of the collective group involved, with other members, along with businesses, friends and people just dropping into the studios, some of them joining the team soon, I think. Thank you to everyone for your support with your community radio. In this month’s magazine, we have some new businesses to welcome. I have some thanks to reiterate to those consistently supporting us every month. Thanks to all our voluntary writers. If you weren’t blown away by the front cover, wait until you read the article from the British Deer Society written by Charles Smith- Jones. These articles continually show how we have reached out to so many groups with our wildlife section. Meanwhile, I’ll be back with the Eden Local team in October, as many of us start to get organised for winter with getting the chimney swept and ordering logs. In the meteorological calendar, the first day of autumn is always 1st September; ending on 30th November. The Astronomical first day of autumn is defined by the Earth’s axis and orbit around the Sun which begins 22nd September 2021 and ends on 21st December 2021. Confused? Well, we’ll just let the trees decide! We’ll have the Bats featured in our Halloween edition online from Friday 24th September. Take Care Out There.

Until next month.

Lee

Phone: 01768 862394

Email: lee@cumbrianlocal.co.uk www.cumbrianlocal.co.uk Cumbrian Local Publications Ltd, Suite 6, Cumbria House, Gilwilly Road, Penrith CA11 9FF