Welcome The editorial team is delighted that so many people have come forward with ideas and contributions for since we launched the first edition in November last year. Thank you too to all of you who have contacted us to tell us what you think. Our second edition is a true community effort - as we hoped it would be - and shows just what a strong community spirit we have here in Ulverston. We hope you enjoy reading news and views from around Ulverston, and do keep your ideas and contributions coming.
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Town Hall Queen St Ulverston LA12 7AR
Design: Thanks once again to Sophie Bennett for her beautiful design work on this edition.
Telephone: 01229 585778
A very big thank you to all the contributors, whose names appear in the magazine.
You will also find information on the web about Ulverston Town Council, what to do in Ulverston and local festivals. Useful websites are:
To let us know what you think about anything you’ve read in this edition, email us at townhall@ulverstoncouncil.org.uk or write to Talk of the Town, c/o Town Hall, Ulverston LA12 7AR. Let us know whether you would like us to publish your letter. We hope that will continue to be a place where people can put forward their views, and we will publish as many contributions as we can. To contact any of your Town and District Councillors use the contact details on page 23. If you would like to contribute to the next issue - due out at the beginning of May - or have an idea for a feature, or would like to highlight an upcoming event, contact Jane Harris: janeharris63@aol.com.
The Ulverston web portal Information about the Council, what’s on, accommodation, shopping and attractions: www.ulverston.net Festivals A guide to festivals and events in and around Ulverston: www.ulverstonfestivaltown.co.uk
Town Council meetings are held once If you wish to write to Ulverston Town Council, our postal address is:
Editorial Board: Jane Harris (Editor), Margaret Hornby, David Parratt, Colin Pickthall, Amanda Rigg, Paul Smith and Mark Wilson
Ulverston Town Council Latest news, Councillor contact details, minutes of Council meetings: www.ulverstoncouncil.org.uk
a month and start at 7:15 pm. You can find an agenda on the Council’s website a few days before the meeting. Forthcoming meeting dates are: Monday 11th February Monday 11th March Monday 15th April Monday 22nd April (Town Meeting, 7 pm at the Coronation Hall) Members of the public have an opportunity to speak at the start and end of formal business, and we encourage you to come along and have your say.
community all doing great work in different areas. Amongst those who I’ve lived in Croftlands for several years attended there was a sense of now, and love the area. I really see it as frustration by some, feeling that a safe and happy place to bring up my support is hard to come by, whereas two young children. In 2011 Croftlands others had support or knowledge to give but no real awareness of the Park was given an amazing and deserved face-lift, with new playground channels available for this, or indeed if equipment for all ages which has been it was wanted. used and enjoyed by many. Sadly, in This has prompted the start of a new the summer of 2012 after an accident group called ‘Croftlands Together’, the ‘Castle’, a main feature of the whose aim is to bring all these diverse toddler area, was severely damaged groups and individuals together to pool and had to be removed. This hit a that support, hard work and nerve within the community and was enthusiasm, and to give motivation to hard felt by many. each other for the benefit of our As this is a place that we use so much community. Examples of the kind of work being undertaken which and such a pivotal part of the ‘Croftlands Together’ wants to further community, I really wanted to do support and encourage are the something to replace the structure. At intergenerational bowling event this point I had no idea how to go between young people at the high about this. I spoke to a few people school, and the neighbourhood safety around the town and was directed towards both Michelle (from Pure) and group organized by Pat Appleton back Kristy , two fantastic local parents who in Spring. These events were a great success and broke down many also wanted to do some fundraising. Quite quickly it became very apparent barriers. that there were lots of others people ‘Croftlands Together’ has met three thinking the exact same thing. The times already and has had a really three of us set up a Facebook page positive vibe. There have been several and went about setting up a group that different groups represented alongside could be a central point for fundraising many individuals attending. This efforts. includes members of the council, We were overwhelmed by the amount representatives from the local school of support the project received. We had and Police, as well as the youth group no idea how long it would take to raise and local church. Even though there is the money and have been delighted by representation from groups within the the offers of money and help that came community, the group would still like to find out more about how the rolling in. It has been more than community as a whole feel about apparent to us that a community spirit Croftlands, what people like about it, is well and truly alive in Croftlands what you would like to see developed amongst all generations. more etc. To start to do this we have put together a questionnaire which will As we grew closer to reaching, and be delivered to every household. We surpassing, the target we needed to raise, we were very aware that it should would really appreciate it if you could find time to fill it in and drop it into one be the community who chose which castle should replace the original. With of the collection points stated, or use the Freepost address. the help of Peter Hornby at Cumbria County Council we organized an open Croftlands has shown that its community spirit is alive and well. meeting where as many members of There are already proposals for the community were invited to join us community events in the coming year, as were able. but Croftlands needs you! Due to the nature of the discussions that arose from this first meeting it was If you are interested in coming along to obvious that there were many varied one of the meetings or getting involved groups and individuals within the
in any way please either find us on Facebook or add your details to the bottom of the questionnaire and someone from ‘Croftlands Together’ will contact you.
Ulverston Bringing Communities Together is working with other partner agencies to re-vitalise Neighbourhood Watch and encourage more communities to get involved and look out for each other. Even if people don’t want to be in a N/Watch or community group, their community can still be the eyes and ears for any potential problems - which would make it more difficult for criminals to operate unnoticed. With help from Ulverston Fire Service we have been able to replace or update a number of the old and faded N/Watch street signs in the town. This was made possible thanks to money received from the Chief Constable’s Property Fund which enabled us to purchase new signs through Cumbria N/Watch Association. Police Community Support Officers Helen Madden and Janine Wade also joined forces with Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators, delivering information packs and speaking to some of the local residents about the benefits of belonging to N/Watch, such as cheaper home insurance, or addressing any community issues relevant to their area, with support from Cumbria Police and other partners. We meet periodically in Ulverston Fire Station and share information and ideas and offer support where needed.
In the last year a number of invited speakers have covered topics ranging from crime prevention to noisy neighbours to doorstep crime and cold callers.
Current opening hours are:
Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 6.30pm in the Ulverston Fire Station. All are welcome to come along.
Chair of Trustees
UBCT Secretary (01229 582394)
The Citizens Advice service in Theatre Street, Ulverston is well used, with plenty of highly trained volunteer advisers advising those who need free, impartial and confidential advice. However, outside our opening hours, telephone advice is limited. Citizens Advice South Lakeland is a charity, well supported by South Lakeland District Council and local town councils but it is in serious financial difficulties. We are therefore working with Cumbria Rural CAB (based in Windermere ) to improve the service across the whole of South Lakeland District (Ulverston, Kendal, Windermere and Grange), and to reduce running costs. We are working together to identify more effective methods of delivering a service, methods which are more convenient to clients, both in terms of greater availability and access.
Tuesday 9.30 – 12.30 Thursday 10 – 3 Friday 9.30 – 12.30
Cumbria Tourism has launched a new membership scheme to enable people who live or work in Cumbria to take advantage of discounts and special offers from local businesses. For just £20 your ‘My Cumbria’ card will entitle you to a whole range of offers and discounts from restaurants, leisure facilities, shops, attractions and accommodation across the whole county for a year.
To register your interest, you can sign up either online at , by telephone or by visiting one of the council offices in Kendal, Ulverston and Windermere to give your current usage figures of gas and/or electricity. The deadline for registration is . SLDC will once again work with specialist company, iChoosr, to negotiate with the energy companies on behalf of everyone signed up to the scheme to get the best tariff possible. An auction will take place on 26th February 2013 that will allow energy companies to bid for the custom of those registered. An offer with a price for energy supply would be sent to everyone registered that is calculated on their usage and only then would people decide whether they wish to accept the winning supplier’s offer or not.
You and your friends and family will be entitled to everything from 2 for 1, kids go free, percentage discounts as high as 50% off and many more exclusive card offers. There are currently over 200 offers available and you only need to use your card a few times to benefit. Some businesses in Ulverston have already signed up to the scheme and we hope that more will follow suit in the near future.
If we can obtain the funding we are seeking, we will provide initial advice to To find out more and to view the offers all who need it by phone, and further, and discounts available visit more detailed, face-to-face advice will or contact be available in Ulverston for those who Cumbria Tourism on 01539 822222. need it. The service may be provided at different premises but it will continue and we will ensure that the changes are well advertised. We are always looking to recruit more volunteer advisers to help provide a service to the community and have a variety of volunteer opportunities open. Training will be provided. If you are interested please enquire at the office at Theatre Street or email manager@cabsouthlakeland.org.uk.
people a chance to reduce their energy costs.
While we’re on the subject of saving money, would you like to save on your fuel bills? South Lakeland District Council has come up with a scheme called Power up Your Community that could help you do just that. The scheme puts energy buying power into the hands of the community and offers
Councillor Clare Feeney-Johnson, SLDC Deputy Leader and portfolio holder for the Environment, said: ‘The Council is launching Power up Your Community again, as it is a huge opportunity for local residents to be part of a scheme that helps to reduce their energy costs. The other benefit of the Council’s scheme is that the switching fee paid to the council is used for the sole purpose of helping to combat fuel poverty in the district. The switching fee received by SLDC is ploughed back into local community projects that help people who are struggling to pay for fuel to keep warm.’ Cllr Feeney-Johnson, added: ‘Members of the public can sign up for free with
no obligation and the only thing they need to do is visit
midwifery-led service will have, and fear that the service may never return. The 'Thousand Voices' campaign has or call 0845 050 4434 to register their been set up by local people to interest. By switching energy supplier prevent the service from being people can often save a lot of money downgraded permanently. If you and switching has never been so would like to support the campaign, easy thanks to the support and please record a short clip on a guidance of the council. We need to camera phone saying why you think help those most in need to save all the service at FGH should stay, and the money they can.’ email it to:
Or visit to see clips already uploaded and to It was announced on 31st January that add your own. Furness General Hospital's Meanwhile John Woodcock, MP for consultant-led maternity service and Barrow in Furness, has secured a Special Care Baby Unit are to be parliamentary debate on the future of temporarily transferred to Lancaster. health services in the Morecambe The changes will take effect from Bay area. John said the debate, th Tuesday 5 February and are scheduled for Tuesday 5th February at happening in response to very high 11 am, would give him an opportunity staff sickness levels. to press ministers to keep key services like the maternity unit at Many Ulverstonians are very Furness General Hospital and to take concerned about the impact the the concerns of local people to change from a consultant-led to a Westminster.
The Children’s Centre is looking for ideas from you for future activities. A formal consultation will be launched in the Spring, to ensure the Centre continues to meet the needs of families. In the meantime, if you have any ideas, do contact the Manager, Neil Gillson on 0845 543 6913, or drop in to the Centre on Lund Terrace.
Our Mayor Cllr. Brenda Marr, Ulverston Town Councillors and Ulverston in Bloom will be leading a Spring Clean around the Town Centre on Thursday 21st March, the first day of Spring. Please join us from 10:30 am, working outwards from the Market Place. Equipment will be provided; all you need to bring is enthusiasm!
You can find full details of all Town Council discussions and decisions on our website. You can see minutes of all meetings by clicking on the ‘Council Admin’ tab on the website. Below is a brief round up of some key decisions.
At the Council meeting on 5th November members voted not to support the proposed development of a Sainsbury’s store on land off the A590. Principal reasons for this were the fact that the development is out of town on green belt land; the ‘sequential test’ (there are sites available nearer to the town centre); concerns about traffic and flooding, and non-conformity with SLDC’s land allocations plan. The Town Council is a statutory consultee on planning applications and makes recommendations to the SLDC planning committee, who make the final decision on whether or not to grant an application. The planning committee has not yet heard the Sainsbury’s application.
The Town Council agreed its budget for the year beginning 1 April 2013. The budget is largely the same as in previous years, except that the Council had previously agreed to make the post of Town Clerk full time and to employ a Handyman, resulting in an increase in salary costs. The budget, if accepted by SLDC, will result in an increase in the precept (the element of your council tax which relates to Ulverston Town Council) of £3.32 per household per year. You can see a full breakdown Town Council spending and the 2013/14 budget on our website. Click on the ‘Annual Report & Accounts’ tab under ‘Council Admin’.
The plaque had originally been presented by The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to Ulverston Urban District Council to commemorate the adoption of HMS Violet during Warship Week, February 1942. Ulverston had raised over £81,000 during Warship Week as part of the war effort, a substantial sum at the time, worth £3.2 million in today’s money. HMS Violet was built in Renfrew, Scotland and completed in 1941 and was involved in many campaigns during the Second World War. She was eventually broken up at Bilbao, Spain in 1970.
The Mayor, Cllr Brenda Marr, invites all members of the public to attend the Annual Town Meeting in the Coronation Hall Supper Room on Guest speakers will be Greig Rooney, Site Director at GSK, and his colleague Pat McIver, who will talk about GSK’s future At a recent Town Council meeting it investment and how this will benefit was agreed that a presentation and Ulverston. In November the Council also agreed unveiling ceremony take place in the to change its schedule of meetings Ulverston Town Council Chamber and from fortnightly to one per month from that Lieutenant Matthew Lister, Royal January to May 2013. This a trial, and Navy would unveil the plaque. will be reviewed at the annual meeting The Town Clerk, David Parratt, recently Lieutenant Lister is the son of in May. Councillor P. Lister, a Town Councillor. discovered the whereabouts of the The ceremony will take place on Adoption Plaque for HMS Violet, a Flower Class wartime Corvette and Saturday 23rd February 2013 at 11.00 Councillors heard concerns from local Ulverston’s adopted warship. am. We hope that representatives of people about the proposed SLDC Land the Flower Class Corvette Association Allocations plan. The plan is currently The plaque had been stored in the Sir and surviving members HMS Violet’s being examined by an independent John Barrow Cottage by Heritage First Ship’s Company will be able to attend. inspector, who has suspended his some time ago for safe keeping and it inspection until March to allow more has since been retrieved and shown to Various interesting links have been work to be done on the proposals. Ulverston Town Councillors. The discovered. Clive Parish, a Committee Members were urged to revisit plans for existence of the plaque had been made member of the Flower Class Corvette the siting of new homes in Ulverston known to the Town Clerk by Peter Association had confirmed that his and to take the opportunity to make Schofield, a keen naval historian. Mr. father served in the ship during the 2nd these views known while the plan is Schofield has since provided some WW. David Farnsworth from Lindale being reconsidered. The Council has useful background information and has been in touch and his father served written to SLDC about this. history of the ship. in the ship during the war. During Warship Week a child was born on 5th February 1942 and was named Lorna
Violet Squires. The Ulverston Savings Committee, involved in raising funds for the ship, presented her with a War Savings Certificate to mark the event. It is also fitting and appropriate that this naval event is being carried out just before David Parratt retires on 28th February. He served in the Royal Navy from 1964 to 1988, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
Councillors and members of the public have been concerned about the number of cars parking on pavements, particularly around schools and in the town centre. Often the parked cars are causing an obstruction to pedestrians, particularly those using wheelchairs or pushing prams. The police have advised that, if you see a vehicle parked on a pavement and causing an obstruction, you should report it to the local police, who will take action.
Cumbria County Council is holding a number of community drop in events throughout February for members of the public to come along and speak to your local County Councillors and a representative from Cumbria Highways to view plans and ‘have your say’ on the proposals reviewing restrictions on New Market Street, Market Street and Brogden Street on Market days. Details were published in the first edition of . Meetings will be held in the Coronation Hall on:
some of the comments received suggest this is not an issue that a large number of Ulverston residents have views about. However, there are some strong feelings on this, in particular about the need to curb vehicle speed around our schools. National Government is encouraging local authorities to do more to implement 20 mph speed limits in residential areas. Guidance issued in January 2013 states: ‘Traffic authorities are asked to keep their speed limits under review with changing circumstances, and to consider the introduction of more 20 mph limits and zones, over time, in urban areas and built-up village streets that are primarily residential, to ensure greater safety for pedestrians and cyclists.’
Wilson points out that the top concerns for emergency planners in Cumbria are the four ‘Fs’: flu, floods, fuel (disruption to supply) and failure (of the electricity supply). Cumbria has an emergency plan, which you can find at: . The website has been designed to point you to the information that will help you and your family prepare for an emergency. The best way to cope with the main risks we face here in Cumbria is to be prepared. Once you know the type of emergencies that may occur, Cumbria Council recommends that people should: ●
Elsewhere in Cumbria, following public consultation, Cumbria County Council has proposed introducing a 20 mph speed limit throughout Haverigg. Other areas in Cumbria are hoping to follow suit, and this may trigger a wider consultation in the future.
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● The recent heavy rain and incidents of flooding in Ulverston have focused our minds once again on how well prepared we all are to deal with emergencies like flooding. Several Council members have attended training and briefing sessions on managing risks in Cumbria. Cllr. Mark
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Agree arrangements for staying in touch with family members Agree on a meeting place in the event of being separated Make arrangements in case you need to evacuate your home Agree who will take care of your pet or pets in an emergency Make sure you know how to turn off the gas, electricity and water in your home Know where basic items are in your home, such as a torch with spare batteries, sleeping bags or blankets, medication and first aid kit Store spare copies of important family documents (birth certificates, passports, insurance policies and licences) in a fire and waterproof container
Everyone is welcome and the above representatives will be present to answer any questions or concerns.
Following the article in November’s , a few people have responded to our survey. The small number of people responding and
Admission which includes drink and biscuits, tombola, raffle, Traidcraft stall, books, bric-a-brac, home-made cakes, and more.
A
The route around the edge of the bay from Lancaster to Ulverston was built by the Ulverstone & Lancaster Railway, engineered by Henry, John and Alexander Brogden, and upon completion was taken over by the Furness Railway based at Barrow-inFurness. On the morning of February 27th, 1903 sensational news broke in the town of Ulverston: In the early hours, at the height of a dreadful storm, a tremendous gust of wind had ovcrturned the Mail train on the railway viaduct which straddled the Leven Estuary at Tridley. It was surely unbelievable that the gale could be strong enough to blow over a train. The town buzzed with the news and curiosity drove many to head for Plumpton to view the stricken train wreck.
But our tale begins almost half a century earlier in the 1850s. The engineers of the (then) Ulverstone & Lancaster Railway Company puzzled at length on the sort of structure needed to span the River Leven at a place called Treadlow, or Tredlea, near the ancient Plumpton Hall. The railway company had already conquered the salt marshes so far but here the problem was more complex. Not only did the viaduct have to draw back in some way to allow shipping to sail up to the little port of Greenodd, according to an Admiralty ruling, but a public right of way must be catered for. Also, they
had to take into account very strong tidal currents and seemingly bottomless sands. These elements were not easily controlled and difficulties had already been encountered – tidal flows often washed out newly constructed embankments and during borings nothing but sand was discovered to a depth of 30 feet or more. Even the famous George Stephenson, when he learned that his friend Alexander Brogden was about to construct a railway from Lancaster to Ulverston, said “Well, Brogden, you are the only man I know who has the pluck to go through with it.” The Brogdens, father and sons, forged ahead despite construction difficulties, labour problems and clashes of personalities. Even their army of cart horses caught a disease which decimated their numbers, but the work slowly went ahead until by mid 1857 the director’s report stated: “The railway works were observed by the Government inspector as of great merit. The viaducts (Leven and Kent) attracted his particular attention and received his complete approval, having been subject to the most rigorous tests.” The strength of the Leven Viaduct was soon tested even more when the “John Bull”, a small vessel in charge of Captain Edmondson struck against the viaduct’s guard rails while passing through the new drawbridge on her way to Greenodd. The impact stove in the bows of the craft, she filled with water and sank almost immediately. The viaduct, however, remained solid. The weather prior to February 27th, 1903 had been wild and wet with frequent thunderstorms. During the afternoon a strong wind got up and increased to a frightening gale as darkness came. For the passengers who journeyed on the Mail train from Carnforth it had been alarming as the
train rocked with the force of the wind as they travelled along the exposed coastline. Then to add to their terror the carriage lights went out, leaving them to travel in complete darkness. The train reached Cark at 5.23 a.m. and it was duly signalled on to Ulverston. But when it failed to pass Plumpton Junction signal box at its allotted time the signalman Joe Miller became worried and asked the crew of the standby locomotive to go and look for it. Travelling slowly in the direction of the viaduct they soon came upon the distressed Harry Barker, fireman of the Mail train engine who told them of the accident. Next, Ulverston railway station was alerted by the signal box telegraph and soon about a dozen men including Doctors Bowman and Carter and Police constables Roscoe and Frazer were conveyed to the spot on a locomotive. Owing to the darkness and the terrific strength of the gale it was impossible to walk out upon the viaduct unaided, so the rescuers lashed themselves together with ropes and crawled along the metals gripping the sleepers as they struggled along to reach the length of overturned railway carriages. The two railway guards Thomas Kelly and Isaac Holmes, although themselves injured, helped to shepherd the bewildered passengers to the safety of the platelayers’ houses at the western end of the viaduct. There were thirty wounded, the most severely hurt being Mrs. Alice Goad of the Vulcan Hotel, Askam and her daughter Vivian Smith. Those that crawled along the tracks feared that at any moment they would be blown away into the churning waters below and yet, after the rescue of passengers was completed, the Furness Railway employees risked their lives to retrieve passengers’ belongings and the mail bags from the battered compartments. By daylight all
passengers except one, Mr. William Woodend, had been accounted for from the overturned nine carriage train. As the morning progressed the wind abated a little and soon a special train brought Furness Railway officials to the scene: Alfred Aslett the general manager, Mr. Pettigrew the locomotive engineer, Mr. Whitworth, engineer, Mr.Watson (outdoor superintendent) and Mr. Stephenson the Ulverston Station Master. They inspected the wreckage and stood by as the breakdown gangs commenced their daunting task. The only way to remove the carriages was to drag them one by one off the viaduct, a distance of some 150 yards, before they could be righted by the company’s steam crane. Yet, amazingly, in an hour and a half from the start of the clear-up operation the important Mail van was sent on its way, then at 3.30 p.m. the big London North
Western Railway passenger coaches were set on their wheels ready for the road and everything was cleared away before the fast 4.18 p.m. train sped through from Barrow to Lancaster. At the Board of Trade Inquiry Alfred Aslett expressed regret that so unfortunate and unavoidable accident should have occurred. The Duke of Devonshire expressed sympathy by telegram mentioning the efforts of the platelayers’ wives who cared for the injured passengers, the exemplary behaviour of the engine driver, fireman and guards and the speedy workmanship of the breakdown gangs.
not been brought to a standstill almost in the centre of the viaduct. The reason for this was the fallen line-side telegraph wires which had severed the brake pipes, causing the train to halt automatically. The engine fireman had climbed down twice previously on the journey to free other entangled wires but on this occasion he watched with horror as he saw the coaches of his train overturn before him. If the train had been travelling in the direction of Cark, the accident would have turned into a disaster as the carriages would have fallen off the viaduct and into the sea below, drowning all those on board.
So what was the cause of the derailment? Of course the wind was exceptionally strong and the site of the Leven viaduct very exposed, but all would have been well, said the engine driver Thomas Shaw, if the train had
And what of that missing passenger? William Woodend was badly stunned and suffering from shock when he clambered out of the upturned carriage window and slid to the ground. In his confusion he turned in the direction of Cark and fought his way along, until as it grew light he realised his mistake and slowly returned to the scene of the accident and was finally accounted for.
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Soon afterwards a wind speed gauge was placed at the western end of the viaduct, which was connected to Plumpton signal box. Upon the sounding of an alarm all trains were suspended until the wind had died down. As we travel on the train across the Leven viaduct today, spare a thought for the time, a hundred and ten years ago, when the Furness Railway Company turned a near disaster into a most remarkable feat of recovery and repair, the speed of which is unparalleled today.
Ulverston was awarded its Fairtrade Town status in 2007, and a great deal has happened in the last 6 years. We now have to renew this status and we, the members of the town’s Fairtrade Steering Group, are really keen to involve as many people as possible in ensuring that we live up to being a Fairtrade Town. Cumbria Fairtrade Network, of which we are active members, is strongly promoting the concept of ‘Local and Fair’, and we want to support and work with local businesses, retailers, B&B and hotel owners to provide a good range of goods which are sourced locally, where this can be achieved, and which are from Fairtrade producers wherever possible. We believe that this is a really positive way forward, and means that we can encourage everyone to support our local farmers and producers, and also provide vital support to those producers in Fairtrade co-operatives in other parts of our world. When a producer, like Stephen Best, the banana farmer from St Lucia who visited Ulverston in the autumn of 2011 (when he gave a fascinating talk to
Rotary) belongs to a Fairtrade cooperative he or she receives a guaranteed minimum price for their product. You may not know that the co-operative also receives a Premium – a sum of money which a democratic group representing that community decides how to spend in order to improve the quality of life for everyone. They may spend that money on building a clinic, providing computer equipment so that children and adults can improve their skills and knowledge, improving roads, building a well or a bridge, etc, etc. We were privileged to welcome Francis Chisuse to Ulverston last March. When Francis spoke to school children at Church Walk Infants, Croftlands Junior and Pennington Schools, he described the importance of Fairtrade for the tea farmers in his village in Malawi. Francis had promised his community that he would promote Fairtrade in Cumbria in the hope that, if we all bought more Fairtrade goods, they could buy a vehicle to act as an ambulance to replace their current one, which was basically a cart attached to an elderly car, to transport seriously ill people to the hospital.
hil@talk21.com or Jane (01229) 480961 jane_longton06@hotmail.com
Ulverston Fairtrade Steering Group
While digging in the sleet might not be everyone’s cup of tea, January on the allotment has its own idiosyncratic charms. It’s rather like the precious time before the start of a new football season, when you can put the grinding tension of a relegation struggle or the disappointment of mid-table obscurity behind you, and look forward with optimism to a year when everything will go swimmingly for a change. Because nothing much productive is meant to grow, it doesn’t matter that nothing is, and this cold snap will have halted the grass’s sneaky plan to get longer come what may in its tracks.
When we buy Fairtrade bananas, chocolate, wine, biscuits, dried fruit, crafts etc. we are helping to change the world in a positive way, and are ensuring that some of the poorest producers are treated in a just and fair way. They don’t want charity – and Fairtrade is not charity – they want the chance, as we all do, to earn a living, Jolly guides to keeping an allotment provide for their families, and live in a tend not to mention the peculiar safe, healthy community. pleasure of looking at tidy bare vegetable plots, decorated maybe with We can make a difference by buying some over-wintering leeks, a cabbage more Fairtrade items, by asking for Fairtrade drinks in your favourite cafe – or two and a few hardy purple sprouting broccoli plants, and how this and coming to the Fairtrade Coffee is sometimes more enjoyable than the Morning in the Coronation Hall on 2nd perpetual battle of wills that is the March. Please take an extra step for growing season. Gardening books Fairtrade in 2013! For more information about Fairtrade or don’t want to put you off, so they tend to shy away from the uncomfortable the Steering Group, please do contact truths which become apparent after a either Hilary (01229 585900) tomfew years of wondering why your patch
bears no resemblance to those tempting glossy photographs. The greatest of these is that you are completely at the mercy of weather which is never right. At all the crucial times it is too hot, too cold, too dry or too wet with the wrong kind of rain, and good only for producing rot, virus, wilt, sunstroke, trench foot or a plague of locusts. If you live north of Birmingham, you should take everything written with a pinch of salt. Cleverly designed screens of woven willow (one picturesque suggestion) or strategically planted raspberries and blackberries are not effective against the type of gale which turns greenhouses inside out and picks up sheds to put them down two allotments away. You can guarantee that every September a mighty wind will flatten your slowly maturing sweetcorn just as you are letting yourself dream of luscious cobs dripping with melted butter, and the remains will then be frosted. A second truth is that an allotment doesn’t necessarily save you money. This doesn’t apply to top notch old hands who are organised, hardworking and know what works, but many pitfalls lie in wait for the unwary. One spring I made a moveable frame to protect a small patch each year against the dreaded carrot fly. When we’d eaten our first crop, I worked out that each misshapen carrot with three legs had cost about eighty pence after I’d accounted for the wood, the special netting and plasters for saw injuries, which is hardly a saving. It is very tempting to pore over catalogues by the fire on a January night and pick out expensive seeds from heritage varieties which enthusiasts have plucked from the brink of extinction. It is equally galling when they fail to germinate and you see your neighbour’s thriving plants grown from ‘just some packet I picked up at the cheap shop’. Another thing guides fail to emphasise is that nature abhors a vacuum, and your plot is constantly striving to return to its natural state, which is not neat rows of vegetables but deciduous forest. Don’t turn your back for a minute. In no time at all vigorous native plants will be colonising your lovely freshly
turned earth, tiny willow and sycamore seedlings will have turned into young trees with impressive root systems and you will need a machete to find your lettuces. It’s an unwritten rule that every site will have at least one allotment whose tenants were seduced by glib pronouncements on how easy it is to grow your own and who thought that you could plant stuff and forget about it until harvest time. While seeding knee-high grass and flowering weeds are a haven for bio-diversity, it’s still not terribly fair on all those stuck on the inevitable
waiting list and itching to get in there and start double-digging. Still, when all is said and done, I can’t deny that I’m looking forward to a blight-free year when it only rains in the hours of darkness, the peas don’t drop dead before July and the slugs decide to emigrate. It’s bound to happen. Next time I’ll be looking at health and safety: is an allotment a stress-buster or a source of existential angst and a bad back?
We are hoping to introduce several new initiatives this year to continue to improve Ulverston and we hope that everyone will want to get involved in at least one of them. We would like to work with new groups who would like to help us to improve the town. Already certain areas are sponsored by individuals or firms. Groups like Ford Park Volunteers, Ulverston Victoria students, the Scouts and the Rotary are working with us to improve areas in the town, and already some areas of the town have been adopted by individuals, such as Cliff Bradley on Union Place who plants the tubs on Brewery Street Car Park, Jane Swan at the Lighthouse who looks after the Theatre Street Car Park, and the bed at the top of Daltongate, which Pat Rushton and Mavis Woodburn have cultivated so beautifully for several years. Thanks also to Paul and Alison Saleh who are working at Lightburn Park to improve the planting. This year we are looking for local groups who might like to adopt a flower bed or small area in the town. Ulverston is far too large a town for the small number of regular volunteers who generally concentrate on keeping the tubs and beds in the town centre in good order. There are beds and other areas which could easily be developed in the town by those who live near them. There are certainly lots of opportunities on Oakwood Drive, North Lonsdale Road and the main entrance roads to the town. If you or your group or a group of neighbours have an idea please get your plan together and talk to us about it. Your plan might include vegetables as well as flowers. It was particularly pleasing this last summer to see whole streets or terraces where neighbours were taking a pride in their flower boxes, tubs and
gardens. I certainly would commend Sun Street, Sunderland Terrace and Tyson Square as areas which residents take a pride in. It might be that Ulverston in Bloom could consider supporting a friendly competition between neighbourhoods. Of course, we are not just concerned with planting but with keeping the town tidy and in good order. We really need a team who regularly tackles the town’s grot spots. Cllr. John Clough is very keen to start to build up such a team. We would like to hear from you: 1. 2.
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Can you suggest any grot spots which need tidying in the town? Would you be prepared to join a regular litter picking group? Or would you prefer to concentrate on just keeping an area near you tidy? Are you a member of a group which might consider adopting a bed? Or would you prefer to join an established group to help with planting? Would you be interested in taking part in some friendly rivalry in the town to establish the best kept neighbourhood to live in? Would you be prepared to join a “Spring Clean Initiative” for Ulverston in March? Would you be prepared to join our Open Garden Weekend at the end of June? Please contact Pat Bentley on 01229 581518 if you are.
Please contact Judy Pickthall, Chair of Ulverston in Bloom at jpickthall@btinternet.com with your ideas.
The piece in the last magazine about the cattle on Hoad Hill caught my eye. I run with my dog over the hill almost daily. We have developed a peaceable relationship with the cows quite quickly. My dog is scared of them and they ignore us! And the cowpats are recycling important nutrients back into the pasture so no problems for me
there. However, Hoad Hill is not just a place for cattle, people and dogs. It is a habitat for many other wild plants and animals whose voice is less often heard. What would they say about the cows? Many of them benefit from the grazing, trampling and cowpats. We no longer have wild large herbivores in most of the area – the odd Roe Deer perhaps. The grazing by these animals on pasture, moors and in woods is important. The cattle help control invasive species such as gorse and bracken. It favours certain plants and the footprints open up bare soil where seed can germinate. Large herbivores need predators too – us in this case - a great source of local fell bred meat!
As with everything it should not be overdone. There are spots on Hoad Hill where some habitats would benefit from less or no grazing – sheep or cows. Some wetland areas have already been fenced off keeping the water source clean and benefiting a range of scarcer nesting birds, insects, amphibians and reptiles. Perhaps more areas could be protected this way. I would also like to see a few stands of trees adding another habitat to the hill supporting a wider range of wildlife. The beauty of Hoad Hill is that, as it is managed by the Townlands Trust, and many of us visit and value the place, we can all get involved in the debate of how Hoad Hill can be a beautiful place to visit, productive farmland and a flourishing habitat for wildlife. You will have noticed on the ward map in a previous issue that the Town Council represent a large rural area of farmland, salt marsh, woodland, moors and rivers as well as the town. Just as the Council want the town to be lively I would like to encourage them to work for a lively living landscape around the
town, one that provides work, local produce for our shops, access for everyone and a rich habitat for wildlife. This is what the Cumbria Wildlife Trust call a living landscape. It is one in which everyone has a stake and a say in how it is managed. Perhaps the management of Hoad Hill can give us some ideas about how to encourage these debates for a flourishing rural as well as town life.
Live Band one Friday and Saturday a month The Mill Open mic every Wednesday Old Friends Knitting and Nattering-Monday Nights
What I did was to buy a Brompton – a folding bike that I can take on the bus to Kendal. I zoom down the road to the bus stop in the mornings – fold my bike in seconds and then amble along the river Kent at the other end marvelling at the amount of wildlife I see on the way to work.
Rose and Crown Live Music-Blues and Rock- every Wednesday from 9:00 p.m. The Stan Laurel Chess on Monday and Tuesday evening from 7:30
Who says there is nothing to do in Ulverston during the week? Do you know how many of your local pubs host activities over the winter to help you get through the long dark nights? Following an in-depth survey we have discovered that as well as the weekly darts and dominoes competitions in many of our locals, there are quizzes of all sorts, lots of live music and convivial gatherings of all kinds. Here is a round up of regular events in Ulverston pubs: Farmers Arms Quiz with cash prizes and drinks every Thursday
Hope and Anchor Cheesy Tuesday Folk Session from 8:30 Quiz (with a difference) Wednesday from 8:30 The Best Local Jazz Thursday from 8:30 Live Band Friday from 8:30 The Kings Head (“Lal Kings”) Tuesday Quiz and Bingo - Homemade Soup and cash prizes Thursday Open mic for local singers and poets from 9:30. Bowling Green to reopen in Feb and March
The Swan Quiz Sundays 6:30 Please let us know if there are other activities open to visitors. We are looking to advertise them on the town’s visitor website. www.ulverstonfestivaltown.co.uk
The journey on the bus is relaxing – listening to music/radio, replying to There are significant ways of reducing texts/e-mails, writing notes, reading – carbon emissions. This is one person’s some of these I have not done for a while, like settling down to a good story of how she makes a difference. book. I live in Ulverston and work in Kendal 4 days a week and one day in Barrow. Every Kendal day I used to get into my car, as I am sure hundreds of others do, and drive 50 miles round trip to Kendal. Diesel costs were £6 per day and, if you take into account wear and tear on the vehicle, more like £20 per day (this assumes travel expenses at 40p per mile). Using the Direct Gov website carbon calculator I worked out that my work travel alone by car emits 2.19 tonnes of carbon every year. This felt like an area of my life that I could change. According to Andrew Simms (founder of New Economics Foundation) we have 50 months to get serious about climate change, and the need to do something about it was becoming urgent in my mind too. What could I do to make a difference when I am only one person?
I have reduced my carbon emissions by 80% and I save £10 a week on diesel costs alone. And the best bit – the other day I saw an otter playing in the middle of the river. What a great start to my working day. The whole experience was shared with a number of children cycling/using scooters to ride to school. Their faces and those of the adults with them showed sheer joy in such a delightful creature. So go for it - change how you live your life. You might find the whole experience very rewarding and contribute to saving the planet at the same time. The question is - what are YOU going to do to make a difference?
lesson. It’s very impolite in dog terms, you know. It’s a bit like a human stranger rushing up to you and sticking their tongue in your ear. You’d bristle. Secondly, only one command really matters: coming back. Learning to roll over and wave at grandma and walk backwards under the coffee table are all great, but not vital. Coming back is. And all it takes is a little bit of training in the home with a treat and a bit of patience. Always use the same command, call it again and again at odd times during the day, and when we come back tell us we are super and great. And give us chicken. I’m Tilly the Border Collie and this is my column. Hasn’t it been wet lately? Anyway, enough chit chat: for this second column of mine I want to talk to you about the importance of good behaviour within the canine community.
And thirdly, and I can’t believe I’m having to point this out: take your dog for a walk somewhere they can poo and pee out of harm’s way. Or clear it up. We dogs will hold it for hours and hours on end, but even the most buttoned up It has come to my attention that The of us will need to relieve ourselves Powers That Be (in Kendal. Who knew?) sometimes. And if all you do is take us are thinking of introducing something up and down a pavement or in a public called Dog Control Orders. This would park, we don’t have much option but to mean that our humans, in my case my go there. Little Owner Lady (LOL), would need to pick up our poo and keep us tethered in So in summary: teach dos and don’ts some areas on pain of severe from an early age, beef up the recall punishment. I’m not sure what the training with chicken, and take us for punishment is, but presumably it will regular walks. If there’s an outbreak of involve her having to go to her bed and common sense, you never know – we not move for a while, or being shut may not need Kendal to issue any outside to contemplate the error of her orders. I’ve been Tilly, and this is me ways. wishing you a polite daffodil season. Over and out. Woof! I’ve been Thinking Deep Thoughts about all this and it strikes me that this is a real shame. If all dog owners applied a bit of common sense we wouldn’t be in this pickle. So for those of you without any common sense, here On 22nd October, twenty two School are three Tilly Top Tips to help your Parliament members of Ulverston canine companion live a happier and Victoria High School travelled down to politer life. London for a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament. First of all, train at home from as early as you can. That’s me in the photo as a John Woodcock, MP for Barrow in puppy (yes, I know, sweet, yada yada) Furness, invited the School Parliament and by the time that was taken I’d down to see how everything is done begun to learn a whole lot of dos and professionally. Unfortunately, John don’ts. Do come back, do sit when asked. Don’t nip and bite - LOL used to Woodcock could not accompany us on the day, so a tour guide was provided. make a loud scary squealing noise when I did which scared the heck out of The students were given the chance to me so I stopped that pronto. Oh, and see both the House Of Lords and the don’t rush up to other dogs. Big life
House Of Commons. During the tour, the students were taught many things that could be put to use in their own School Parliament. Every single detail of the Houses Of Parliament was explained by the tour guide, letting them understand what Parliament does and how they do it. They went through all the processes of a debate, and all the pictures that were on the walls were also explained in great detail. One of the Students says,’I thoroughly enjoyed the tour, our guide clearly knew what he was doing. It is unfortunate that John Woodcock could not join us.’ The students were also allowed to enter the rooms where the debates were held. The tour guide explained how the Queen is only allowed to enter the Houses Of Parliament if she is actually invited. When the Queen is invited, the red carpet is laid down for her to walk on. If the Queen was not invited, yet she walked into the Houses Of Parliament, then she would have to be be-headed!
The students could not have learnt any of this without the tour guide who did a great job. UVHS School Parliament helps make the School a much better place, for both Students and Sixth formers. Lately, they have been discussing ways they could improve the School by using their £500 budget. Their Chairman, Rhys Brenton, manages all the procedures and is head of all their meetings. Thanks to the Town Council, their meetings are held at Ulverston Council Chambers. Thank you to John, the tour guide who did an excellent job and to everyone else involved.
Where are they going, loading up the car with pink life jackets, flasks of tea/coffee and paddle bags? Most Sundays during the summer a group of Ulverstonians load up their cars and head up Lake Windermere to the Low Wood Marina to enjoy a day spent out on the lake dragon boating. Yes, dragon boating, here in Cumbria! Read on….. Dragon boating originated in China 2,500 years ago upon the waters of the Yangtze River and is still the basis for annual water rituals and festive celebrations which venerate the Asian Dragon Water Deity. There is a story that the first dragon boat was used to save a local scholar from drowning and this is still honoured with annual celebrations in China. Dragon boat racing has become very popular around the world, especially in Australia and Canada, but the group on Windermere is no ordinary dragon boat team.
In the 1980s a Dr Don McKenzie, sports medicine physician at the University of British Columbia, Canada, was conducting research into the effects of exercise on lymphoedema, especially in women who had had breast cancer and who had undergone mastectomies and lymph node removal. The received wisdom was that exercise was bad for lymphoedema, and breast cancer survivors were often told not to exert themselves. As a part of his
studies he started a dragon boat team in Vancouver and medical research was carried out on the women who took part. The results were a surprise since no new cases of lymphoedema occurred and none of the existing cases became worse. Dragon boating took off among women who had had breast cancer, teams were created throughout the world, and it reached Windermere, Cumbria in 2008.
Paddlers for Life (PfL) Windermere is now about to start its sixth year on Lake Windermere. PfL is a registered charity offering dragon boating to all those who have been affected by cancer, not just breast cancer. Although the majority of current members have had breast cancer, their families and friends are included too. Every year brings new challenges, lots of fun, and a fantastic way to keep fit. PfL is a fabulous post cancer support group as the focus is on the paddling, making friends, improving technique, entering the odd regatta, enjoying the view, being part of a team, keeping active and having fun!!
Last year, we joined the regatta on the Thames for the Queen’s Jubilee, and escorted the Tern with the Olympic torch into Bowness. Next year 2014, we are joining other breast cancer
survivor dragon boat teams from around the world in Sarasota, Florida and this year we plan to join the Worcester Busters and others from around the UK in Worcester. So, there is a lot going on beyond Windermere’s shores as well as on the lake itself. For further enquiries, please do visit Paddlers for Life’s website at www.paddlersforlife,co.uk where you will find lots of photos and information. We will be back on the water this Easter and if you have been affected by cancer, you are most welcome to join us in this most wonderful of sports.
David Parratt retires on 28th February after five years as Ulverston Town Clerk. Jayne Kendall is the ‘Town Clerk in Waiting’ and has already begun working with David to enable a smooth handover. Appropriately for this time of year, when it is traditional to look backwards at the year gone by and forwards to the one ahead, I spoke to David and Jayne and asked them to look back at the last five years for Ulverston and to talk about what they think the future holds. David joined the Council in March 2008 after a varied career in the Royal Navy, as Bursar at Oundle and Sedbergh schools and, just before coming to Ulverston, as Town Clerk in Stamford. He returned to Cumbria after ten years away in 2007 and made his home in Sedbergh, where he still lives and from where he commutes to Ulverston every day – a drive he says he will not miss. David has held senior roles in the Navy and, after active service in the Falklands in 1982, he was given command of his own ship, the HMS Jersey, in 1983. HMS Jersey’s job was to patrol the seas enforcing the EU
(then EEC) Common Fisheries Policy, which meant, for example, identifying fishing boats operating outside their own zones, fishing with the wrong nets or catching the wrong fish, and making arrests where necessary. It was fitting that David’s first big challenge on arriving in Ulverston was to oversee the refurbishment of a lighthouse on land, the Hoad Monument. David came into post just as the Town Council had secured a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £900,000. With contributions from the Market Towns Initiative, Cumbria County Council, South Lakeland District Council and the local community, a total of £1.2m was raised towards refurbishing the monument, originally built in 1850. David recalls spending a lot of time in Portakabins pouring over plans and eating bacon sarnies with architects and contractors. Steering the project to its successful completion is one of the achievements of which David is most proud. He commented: ‘As well as being an iconic structure, the Hoad Monument, although not a real lighthouse, is actually a navigational mark, which ships at sea can use to fix their position.’
up his Italian, having lived in Rome with his parents as a child, and to visit Italy. What does David think the future holds for Ulverston? He says: ‘I think the future is in the balance and it’s up to the people to decide which way they want to go. I would hate to see Ulverston spoilt by developments that are too big for the town, but keeping the town thriving is a challenge. We all know, for example, that the market has declined and something needs to change. There are many examples of towns running markets successfully, and Ulverston can learn from places like Keswick.’ He added: ‘The next few years will be very interesting in terms of how local government will change, particularly with less money going to councils. Doing things differently will be a big challenge.’
Of his successor, David said: ‘Jayne is the right person with the right experience to help Ulverston deal with the challenges it faces. She will be able to bring forward lots of initiatives and help attract investment to the town.’ David says: ‘I have really enjoyed my time in Ulverston but now is the time to retire. I have particularly enjoyed working with the community and being involved in the festivals, Ulverston in Bloom, the Allotments Committee and events at the Coronation Hall.’ He added: ‘What I particularly like about Ulverston is the people, the community spirit and its proximity to the lakes and fells.’ David has a long to do list for his retirement and he will soon wonder how he ever had time to work. His plans include walking up mountains, improving his golf handicap, playing more tennis, spending more time on his allotment in Sedburgh and doing more cooking. He also plans to brush
David is far too modest to say this himself, but as Jayne Kendall said, ‘David is a brilliant administrator. He has made sure everything runs smoothly and has put in place many procedures that will help the Town Council to apply for Quality Council status in the near future.’
David has served Ulverston with distinction and leaves behind a steady ship. We hope he will stay in touch and he will be welcomed back whenever he has time to visit. Jayne Kendall is a well-known resident of Ulverston, where she lives with her husband Colin. Jayne is a stalwart volunteer for many Ulverston festivals and is to be seen treading the boards or directing for Ulverston Outsiders. She has also been the driving force behind much of the investment in the town over the last few years, mainly though the Market Towns Initiative. Soon after arriving at the Town Hall, Jayne said: ‘David is a very hard act to follow. I have great respect for him and all he has achieved, particularly his work on the Hoad Monument project. I have a lot to learn from him and at the moment I see myself as the sorcerer’s apprentice.’
Before taking up her new post, Jayne was Economic Development Manager for South Lakeland District Council, a role which makes her well placed to help grow Ulverston’s economy. Of her new role, Jayne says: ‘It’s nice to be coming home. I’ve done a lot of work in Ulverston previously, as Town Centre Manager and with the Market Towns Initiative, and I know and enjoy working with Town Councillors and other local people.’ As someone who knows Ulverston well, Jayne already has lots of ideas to bring to the job of Town Clerk. She firmly believes that council services should be run ‘on a business basis’, with some services generating income to pay for others. She is very keen that Ulverston Council should be able to offer a range of services that ‘pay for themselves, so we don’t have to increase the precept, and may even be able to reduce it’. Jayne is looking forward to helping the Council develop a strategy for the town. She says: ‘We have to be far
thinking in our strategy so we can grasp opportunities to attract new money from sources like section 106 (funding that comes with new developments) and the New Homes Bonus (similar funding awarded when new homes are built). We need to recognise that the town centre isn’t all about retail. We also need to encourage leisure facilities, activities for families and the night time economy. We need to think about how best to use empty shops. Perhaps some of those on the fringes of town could be turned into housing, for example.’ One of Jayne’s first tasks will be to investigate the feasibility of setting up a Business Improvement District (BID) for Ulverston. Jayne says: ‘BIDs are a great idea. They are all about partnership between local businesses and the community for mutual benefit. BIDs give businesses the opportunity to decide what they want and to put money in to make it happen. BID money doesn’t replace money from government or statutory responsibilities; it is additional and enables towns and cities to do things they would otherwise not be able to do. Penrith has recently voted to set up a BID and already they are seeing a positive impact on the town.’ Jayne wants the Town Council to be transparent and to engage with local people. She sees several ways of achieving this. She is determined that Ulverston Town Council should achieve Quality Council status, so that people can be assured the council is properly run and accountable to residents. She is very keen to consult widely about the new strategy for the town, and plans to do this via social media such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as more traditional methods. She also plans to keep the council office open from 9 am to 5 pm every day for people to call or drop in. Of the task ahead, Jayne says: ‘It is a big challenge, as these are difficult times, but I like a challenge and I love Ulverston and want to do the best I can for the town.’
attractive addition to a home and as a solution to rising fuel costs. Ronnie and his team offer a complete service, from taking out an old gas fire to fitting to a new multi-fuel burner and This quarter we feature chimney chimney liner to re-plastering and sweeping business Ronnie Haddow. making good. They have a qualified Ronnie himself founded the business after leaving the Army in 2009. Ronnie gas fitter who works with them on the installations. Ronnie estimates that was in the King’s Own Regiment for householders who invest in a multi24 years, having joined straight from fuel burner will make their money school. When it came to thinking back within two years through savings about what to do after the Army, Ronnie chose chimney sweeping and, on heating bills. It is possible to heat a whole house from a bag of coal, and with the support of the Army, did all even to boil kettles on top of a multihis professional training in the six months before his official leaving date. fuel stove. He is a member of the Institute of Chimney Sweeps and is qualified as a senior adviser to other sweeps. Ronnie’s business has grown from year to year. Bill Haddow, Ronnie’s cousin, is also a sweep, and Ronnie and Bill have taken on two apprentices, who will be able to work on their own as sweeps once they are qualified. Anita Haddow looks after all the administration and makes sure the business runs smoothly, leaving the sweeps to concentrate on what they do best. Ronnie hopes to give job Ronnie says all chimneys need to be opportunities to more young people swept at least once a year to prevent from the area as his business grows. chimney fires and to keep insurance policies up to date. He regularly finds all sorts of obstructions inside chimneys, including birds’ and squirrels’ nests and, occasionally, bats. Fortunately modern technology, in the shape of long brushes, makes actually climbing up the chimney unnecessary these days. Traditionally, the chimney sweep is the bearer of good luck. The tradition started just over 200 years ago after a London sweep saved the life of King George III by stopping his out of control horses and carriage. The King proclaimed that all sweeps were good luck and should be treated with respect. The folklore was established and to this day chimney sweeps are still invited to attend weddings and Although based in Ulverston, the team kiss the bride for good luck, a service works across South Cumbria. As a which Bill Haddow is happy to modern business, they not only perform! sweep and maintain chimneys, but also fit multi-fuel burners, which are For chimney sweeping, multi-fuel becoming more popular as an burner fitting or lucky sweep services, contact Ronnie Haddow on 585152.
Books by local authors
For many in Ulverston, Conishead Priory is a familiar landmark, which hosts festivals throughout the year and brings to the town Buddhists from around the world. However, there is much more to Conishead than its present status as a respected and dedicated place of spiritual learning. Over the past six years, I have been researching and writing about the history of the priory, and recently my efforts were published as ‘The Paradise of Furness – The Story of Conishead Priory and Its People’. The book tells, for the first time, the full, in-depth story of how the priory was originally established as a hospital and administered by a community of Augustinian canons during the 12th century. Following closure during the dissolution of the monasteries on the order of King Henry VIII, Conishead Priory was sold into private hands and for four hundred years was successively inhabited by the Sandys, Dodding, Braddyll and Askew families. During the Braddylls’ tenure, the priory was transformed into the building we see today, a magnificent early 19th century Gothic mansion house, with extravagant shades of Hampton Court, and which the renowned modern architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner described as ‘one of the finest buildings in the North of England’.
writers and members of the Royal family. Following its time as a private residence, thousands of patients passed through its doors during its heyday as a Hydropathic Hotel and later as a Durham Miners Convalescent home during the 20th century. It has also come perilously close to ruin on several occasions, but through good fortune and hard, committed work it has survived and still stands to tell the tale.
who lived there, with their hopes and successes, failures and tragedies.
Ulverston writer Paul Kingsnorth (pictured) is best known for his political travel books, (2003) and (2008). He has also published a book of poetry (2011), and has now completed a grand slam of literary genres. His first novel will be published this Summer by Unbound, the innovative ‘crowd funding’ publisher which allows potential readers to donate money to help a book get published. Authors pitch their ideas, sometimes before the book is even written, and readers can then choose which books they want to support.
Copiously illustrated, the book includes family trees of the Dodding, Braddyll and Askew families, and a full transcription of the Census returns for Conishead Priory from 1841 to 1911, detailing the names of all those who lived and worked at the priory during those years. With the help of archives I was captivated by the beauty and and images I have also endeavoured to potentially rich past of Conishead create a pen portrait of the priory’s Priory during my first visits, which appearance both internally and inspired me to produce an in-depth externally during the 19th century, when look at the priory and its people. Over its proprietor Thomas Richmond Gale the years, I discovered an epic and enthralling story. Woven throughout the Braddyll commissioned a re-build of his ancestral home and poured his money history of the house are stories of is set in the three years after into creating his ‘Paradise of Furness’, ghostly activities, murder and intrigue. the Norman invasion of 1066, an event During its heyday, Conishead attracted leading to personal calamity. It is also which Paul believes was the most trauthe fascinating story of the individuals the patronage of prestigious artists, matic and significant in English history.
It tells the story of a fractured band of guerilla fighters who take up arms against the invaders. Hung carefully on the known historical facts, restores to vivid life the almost forgotten, decade-long war of underground resistance which spread across England after 1066. To do this, Paul had to invent a new language: a middle ground between the Old English that would have been spoken by these characters and the English we speak today. He says, ‘I gradually began to see why: the language that we speak is so utterly specific to our time and place. Our assumptions, our politics, our worldview, our attitudes – all are implicit in our words, and what we do with them. In order to have any chance of this novel working, I realised I needed to imagine myself into the sheer strangeness of the past. I couldn’t do that by putting 21st century language into the mouths of eleventhcentury people.’ You can read more about and order an advance copy here: www.unbound.co.uk/books/the-wake
with the rigours of the journey (cycling for ten hours a day in temperatures often in excess of 100F, fighting punctures, endless repairs, inescapable Kate Rawles’ book grinding fatigue ...) but does constant was published in 2012 and was a runbattle with her own ideas and assumpner up in the Banff Mountain Festival tions, helps us to cross the great divide Book Awards. Now between where we are on climate has been nominated for the People’s change, and where we need to be. Can Book Prize. It’s a great adventure story we tackle climate change while still and is one of those very rare books that keeping our modern Western lifestyles takes ideas and brings them to life in a intact? Should we put biofuel in the practical and humorous way. camper vans and RVs? Or do we need much deeper shifts in lifestyles, values In 2006, Kate cycled 4,553 miles from and worldTexas to Alaska, following the spine of views? the Rocky Mountains as closely as posIf you get a sible. Cycling across unforgiving but chance to read starkly beautiful landscapes – New Mexican deserts, over high mountain soon passes, across glaciers, and down to and you would the sea – she encountered bears, like to vote for wolves, moose, cliff-swallows, aspens, it to win the and a single, astonishing lynx. Along People’s Book the way, she talked to Americans about Prize, you can climate change – from truck drivers to do so by visitthe Mayor of Albuquerque – to find out ing the website what they knew about it, whether they cared, and if they did, what they www.peoplesbookprize.com. The closthought they could do. Kate's story of the trip, in which she not only deals ing dates for votes is 28th February.
visit
The Book Shack Ulverston Indoor Market Non-fiction, fiction and children’s Interesting remainders and returns
Here is our second crossword, which assures us is a bit easier this time! Send or drop off your completed entries to Talk of the Town, Town Hall, Queen Street, Ulverston, Cumbria LA12 7AR by The first correct entry drawn at random will win a £20 book token from Sutton’s bookshop. Answers on the council’s website after 28th February.
1. Headgear at church enough to make something break out (5) 4. Me - a learner I stuck behind carrier into village (7) 8. Measure of small birds determining quantity of a constituent in a compound (7) 9. Really appreciate a thing with one finger (5) 10. A real negative through the middle of Firenze (4) 11. Eggs scrambled - let me toe the line (8) 13. Town singer inside does nothing initially (6) 15. Combine real beer and North West Yorkshire to create an island (6) 17. A good looking worker, like myself (8) 19. A hundred chop wood for chomp (4) 22. Lay out cash to finish soft porn initially (5) 23. Posh southern hat halts outflow (7) 24. Appertaining to important church gathering (7) 25. Two small/medium enterprises equal a tithe, or one tenth (5)
1. Instrumental groups play in headgear (7) 2. A backward thing, with sunburn, can become a mythical giant (5) 3. A Home Office Advertisement for a northern landmark (4) 4. The hundredth set of papers is the best (5) 5. Primitive ruddy organism can stain the Lakes (3,5) 6. Short Margaret weighs a heck of a lot; can prove explosive (7) 7. Motor-bike race moves East to Los Angeles for a drink (5) 12. Long-eared rabbit became partisan, but was leaning over too far (8) 14. Learner insect led Eric’s short partner to Ulverston Festival (7) 16. Bow-maker in churchyard, yet were changed (3,4) 18. Haulage dogs lost that is becoming empty shells (5) 20. ‘..as the clever ––––- expire of a low dishonest decade’ W.H. Auden (5) 21. The end of B.C. led towards a fine reptile (4)
Calling all budding artists and designers! We’d like you to design a poster to encourage people to visit Ulverston. It can feature anything at all you think is good about Ulverston - for example, the Hoad, shops, Laurel and Hardy Museum, the Coro - or as many things as you can think of! The poster just has to make people who see it think, ‘yes, I’d like to visit this place’. There will be a prize of £25 for the best design in each age category (age at 31st August 2013: and ) plus prizes for runners up. The best designs will be chosen to feature in an Ulverston calendar for 2014, which will be sold in aid of the Mayor’s charities. Your design can be hand drawn or designed on a computer. If you design it on a computer please print it out and send it to us.
Kay Hebbourn looks at the ‘5 Rs’ of website performance for businesses
They are and and if you want your website to wing its way to your customers, you must understand them.
Did you know that 65% of web visitors find websites through the search engines like Google. So if you want people to reach you, you must include the kind of words that they are likely to type in when they are looking for you. These are called keywords or key phrases.
he search engines favour websites that are frequently updated and kept fresh. It's a bit like changing a shop window, if it always stays the same, it looks stale and boring. It takes a lot of discipline and patience to keep updating, but if you want your website to work for you, you must put in the time and effort.
Make sure that the content on your site is reliable and that the service that you offer can be trusted. You can use testimonials of one kind or another to back up your claims and also you can use photos and videos as a form of evidence. Having open interaction is also social proof that you are who you say you are. Lastly, a personal photo and clear contact information will help people to know, like and trust you.
Include a site map page on your website so that the search engines can index all of your pages. They cannot index the pages that they can't find, but site maps will help them to see every page, even the ones that are tucked away.
To stay readable by your visitors, use very plain language and keep sentences short and snappy. Big blocks of text should be broken up into little chunks as most people just scan and don't read. Little icons and graphics help to tell the story in images for the super scanners.
Make sure that you have a relevant title and description on each web page. The page title is the most important factor for the search engines to understand what your web pages
are all about. If you have keywords in your title, you are much more likely to get good search engine ranking and for people to find you easily. For instance, www.ulverstonlawyers.co.uk/accidents/
would be a great page title for lawyers in Ulverston who are dealing with accidents. Keep your retinas peeled for the next article, which is all about why your website must be responsive to the kind of devices that are being used to search for it.
Tuesday 9th U3A 9:00 am
1:00-2:30 pm Post Natal Wellbeing 1:00-2:30 pm Health Visitor Drop-in
Thursday 11th Manchester Camerata - Brahms & Beethoven 7:30 pm £20/£17.50/£15
Thursday 7th The ELO Experience 7:30 pm £18 Saturday 9th Poem & A Pint (Supper Room) 7:30 pm Sunday 10th Antiques Fair 9:00 am Tuesday 12th U3A (activities for people no longer in full-time employment) 9:00 am Friday 15 Spirit of Smokie 7:30 pm £13.50 th
Saturday 2 And finally ... Phil Collins 7:30 pm £18/£17
Saturday 13th Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra with Jess Gillam 7:30 pm £15 16th - 20th Ulverston Outsiders - My Boy Jack 7:30 pm £9 Saturday 27th Eric Robson Talk - Wainwright Redefined 7:30 pm Sunday 28th English Lakes Classic Body Building Championships 3:30 pm
Wednesday 6th Shakespeare 4Kidz – The Tempest 10:30 am & 1:30 pm £18/£11 Tuesday 12th U3A 10:00 am Thursday 14th Moscow Ballet La Classique - Coppelia 7.30pm £23/£21 17th -23rd South Cumbria Music Festival (Schools only) Sunday 24th Tommy Emmanuel 7:30 pm £20 adv. £22 door Saturday 30th Let’s Hang On 7:30 pm £16/£14.50
4th -7th Spring Art Exhibition - Ulverston Society of Artists 9:00 am Free
9:00 - 11:30 am Unity Drop-in 1:15-2:45 pm Disability Support Group - for parents/carers of children aged 0-8 years who have a disability
All our main activities at the centre are offered at a special junior rate to encourage visiting the centre with friends and family. These include swimming, tennis coaching, astro kickabout, table tennis and our Active 7 holiday pass. We also offer a special family swim price. All events on a pay and play basis: Fridays (fun fitness 4.30 – 5.30 pm class for children aged 8+8+) £2.00
nd
Sunday 3rd Antiques Fair 9:00 am
Fridays
: Children’s story time every Friday 9:30 -10:00
Lund Terrace. Tel 0845 5436913 Open: Mon-Thurs 9-5, Friday 9-4.30 Regular events every day
Saturdays 2-4 pm . A supervised session of match play and practice for children (8yrs+) looking to supplement their weekly coaching lesson. £5
Saturday & Sunday 10.45-11.45 am & 11.45 am-12.45 pm Mondays £2.20 (induction required £7.50 book in 10:00 -11:30 am Baby Time, including advance) - rowers, Baby Talk, Baby Picasso, Baby Wiggles treadmills, bikes, cross trainers, and Baby Rhythms (suitable from birth) resistance and more! Qualified gym Term time only instructor on site to supervise. Ages 13 – 15 years 1:30-3:00 pm Stay and Play Parent Forum (children 0-5) 3:45-5:00 pm Youth Contraception Clinic (under 25s)
Approved football training for children aged 3-7 years at Sir John Barrow School, Argyle St Daily classes 4:30-5:25 pm Call 01539 898195 or email scormack@littlekickers.co.uk for details
Tuesdays 10:00-11:30 am Toddler Time - variety of activities for children aged 18 months - 4 years and their parent/carer. Term time only Drama classes at Pennington Memorial Hall, 6 to 7.20 pm Juniors, 7:20 to 9:00 3:45 - 5:15 pm Mini Youths Musicality pm Seniors £3 per meeting. Phone Liz on 585433 Thursdays or visit 9:30-12:00 Childminder Drop-in
Your town councillors and how to contact them Conservative
Conservative Tel No : 07731 883732 Email : n.bishoprowe@southlakeland.go v.uk
Tel No: 01229 585416 Email : pmhornby@live.co.uk
Conservative (SLDC councillor)
Conservative (SLDC councillor)
Tel No : 01229 581454 Email : helenirving@02.co.uk
Labour
Labour
Tel No : 01229 480666 Email : jpickthall@btinternet. com
Tel No : 01229 588422 Email : jbtate@hotmail.co.uk
Tel No : 01229 581024 Email : sally.lister@btinternet.c om
Tel No: 07930921902 Email : m.wilson@southlakelan d.gov.uk
Tel No : 07817680574 Email : paulsmith@colwyncity. fsnet.co.uk
Labour (SLDC councillor)
Tel No : 01229 585305 Email : JEJenky@aol.com
Conservative
Tel No : 01229 584090 Email : m.marr379@btinternet. com
Labour (SLDC councillor)
Tel No : 01229 583629 Email : bsr1821@googlemail.c om
Labour
Conservative (SLDC councillor)
Labour (Town Mayor)
Labour (SLDC councillor)
Tel No : 01229 480406 Email : a_rigg@hotmail.com
Conservative
Labour
Tel No : 01229 467831 Email : psjc@cooperwood. wanadoo.co.uk
Tel No : 01229 581970 Email : jvcgc2925@gmail. com
Labour Tel No : 01229 583588 patricia89.jones@ mypostoffice.co.uk
Conservative
Tel No : 01229 219360 Email : janeharris63@aol.com
Labour (Deputy Mayor) Tel No : 01229 586974 Email : jwprosser@talktalk.net
Tel No : 01229 480666 Email : jpickthall@btinternet. com