The Whitehaven Guide Issue 47

GUIDE APR / MAY ‘15

WHITEHAVEN

EGREMONT // ST BEES // GOSFORTH // CLEATOR MOOR // SEASCALE

WESTERN LAKES

HOME & GARDEN K

ME UP I’

RUSSELL WATSON EXCLUSIVE

M

PIC

SHOW

FLOG IT!’ s PAUL MARTIN

...

FREE

EVENTS | LIFESTYLE | FOOD | FESTIVALS | & MORE www.theguidemags.com April/May 2015 | 1

TWO PERFECT DININg DESTINaTIONS IN THE WEST laKES

To enjoy West Cumbria’s best food and drink, you can’t make better choices than Irton Hall at Holmrook near Eskdale, plus The Bridge Inn at nearby Santon Bridge. Both are under the same top-quality dedicated management, and each offers superb bar food, evening meals and Sunday lunches, plus excellent overnight accommodation.

OT WHY N OR A F JOIN US IOUS DELIC ROAST SUNDADYIRECT NOW Call US BOOK! TO

ENJOY THE IRTON HALL BEER FESTIVAL 12th -14th JUNE 2015

Quality marques – your assurance of the best in food, 2 | The Whitehaven Guide drink and accommodation!

B&B Accommodation Beautiful Holiday Cottages extensive private grounds Licensed for Civil Weddings serving delicious Food & real Ales perfect for parties, Business Functions & Conferences On-site bar; all pets welcome

Historic 14th century hall in 19 acres of parkland, with bar and dining room, plus B&B and self-catering accommodation.

Call 01946 726025

Opening Times: FOOd served

Bar & restaurant

sunday to ursday 12:00-9:00pm Friday & saturday 12:00-9:30pm Please book a table for Friday & Saturday to avoid disappointment

Former coaching inn 16 individually styled en suite bedrooms & Bridal suite FRESH Weddings & functions HOME-MADE PIZZAS Jennings real ales served AVAILABLE real log fires TO TAKE WAY Hearty meals from locally sourced fresh produce Close to Wasdale & scafell pike

Former coaching inn (and host to the annual World’s Biggest Liar competition!) with real ales and real fires, plus comfortable B&B accommodation.

Call 01946 726221

Opening Times: FOOd served

Bar & restaurant

monday - sunday 12:00-9:00pm Please book a table for Friday & Saturday to avoid disappointment

irton Hall | eskdale | Holmrook Cumbria | CA19 1TA www.irtonhall.co.uk

e Bridge inn | santon Bridge Holmrook | Cumbria CA19 1UX April/May 2015 | 3 www.santonbridgeinn.com

Contents | The Whitehaven Guide

8-9

6-7

KEY FEATURES

6 A Life In Letters

8 The Windows To The Past

The work of Tom Flemming with Paul Martin

12 Treasure Hunters

Discover a Viking Hoard

22 Russell Watson

A Man of Many Talents

HOME & GARDENS

22-23

12-13

34 The Root To Good Gardening

Gardening Advice

36

Simple Touches

Can Make A Difference

HEALTH & BEAUTY

46 Bridget Foster

Splashing A Little Colour

48 Spring & Summer

Nelson Browns Look at LFW 2015

56

FOOD

56 Chowder For A Chilly Day

By Alan Spedding

WHAT’S ON

46 28

4 | The Whitehaven Guide

84-89 What's On Listings Music, Theatre, Film, Comedy, Other

theWhitehavenGuide APR / MAY 2015

Managing Director Stephen Murphy T: 01946 816 716

stephen@theguidemediagroup.com

A

Word FROM THE Editor S

pring is finally here! The sun is beaming through the windows as I write this, and although I did have to defrost my car this morning, there’s a definite feel of spring in the air.

As the nights get lighter, the bulbs start to sprout and lambs find their feet and begin to prance through the fields it’s hard not to feel positive.

Office Admin Manager Steffany Clarke T: 01946 816 719 steffany@theguidemediagroup.com

Graphic Designer Nicky Proniewicz T: 01946 816 728 nicky@theguidemediagroup.com

March brought with it some very good and some very sad news. The whole community was left in shock by the announcement that after 400 years St Bees School was to close but like so many times before the people of West Cumbria have come together to see what can be done.

Thankfully there’s been some good news to raise our spirits and show what can be accomplished when we come together. Whitehaven Teenager, James Burns, who we featured in the February/March edition managed to raise £73,000 for his operation and will be heading to America in the summer to have a life changing operation that will allow him to walk again.

The good news continued as the Whitehaven Festival Company announced their new festival: The Western Lakes Film Festival which will follow the return of the popular Home and Garden show in May. Both will bring a hoard of people to the town. (Read more about the film festival on P.21)

Writer Danielle Murphy T: 01946 816730 danielle@theguidemediagroup.com

To mark the return of the Home and Garden show we’ve created a Home and Garden section. It’s full of helpful hints, tips and advice on how to brighten up your home and get your garden ready for summer.

As Easter and the first of the years bank holidays will soon be upon us there’s no excuse not to get the paint brushes or the gardening gloves out.

Advertising/Distribution Paul Seath T: 01946 816720 paul@theguidemediagroup.com

Published by EOL Publications, The Guide Media Group, Phoenix Enterprise Centre, Jacktrees Road, Cleator Moor, Cumbria, CA25 5BD. All feature articles and advertising is copyright of EOL Publishing.

Printed by The Magazine Printing Company.

Photography Brian Sherwen

Happy Easter Ali xxxx Acting Editor Ali Hipkin T: 01946 816 715 ali@theguidemediagroup.com

GUIDE MAGAZINES

/thewhitehavenguide @whitehavenguide April/May 2015 | 5

L A Life in letters

History | A Life in Letters

By Pam Telford

The very first exhibition to be presented in the newly refurbished Powerhouse at Haig Pit showcases the life and work of Tom Fleming – A Life In Letters.

T

om Fleming has been one of the North East’s leading calligraphers for over 50 years and played a major part in promoting both the practice and understanding of calligraphy through his teaching and his work with the Society of Northumbrian Scribes, of which he was a founding member, former Chairman and President.

After attending school in West Lothian, between Edinburgh and Glasgow, Tom Fleming started work at United Collieries in Armadale in 1935. He quickly progressed from a job as a dispatch clerk into the Drawing Office and set out on a career as a mining surveyor combining his professional duties with calligraphy.

Fleming joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1940 and started a seven year stint during the World War II in the Middle East, North Africa and from Normandy to Berlin, where his work for his commanding officer included producing maps and adding names to the simple crosses that marked the resting places of so many of his comrades.

Arriving back in Scotland after the war he returned to, what is now, the National Coal Board in 1947 and worked

6 | The Whitehaven Guide

in West Lothian, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire before moving to Northumberland in 1953. Tom studied calligraphy in Newcastle upon Tyne alongside his colliery work and devoted himself to it his retirement in 1979.

Tom’s work is represented in the collections of HM Queen Elizabeth II, HM King Harald V of Norway, Trinity House in Newcastle, US First Lady Rosalynn Carter, local authorities, army, naval and air force units as well as families across the country and further afield.

Now in his nineties his work as a letterer and calligrapher is being celebrated in the newly refurbished Powerhouse exhibition gallery. The exhibition forms part of Tom Fleming’s first major retrospective touring exhibition.

L

A Life in Letters | History

The exhibition will include works produced from the mid-1930s - 2000s and includes drawings from World War II and work produced while Tom worked as a Mining Surveyor in Scotland.

It will also include his popular calligraphic maps; wedding invites and anniversary congratulations; scrolls recording the freedom of towns to army, air force and naval units, town twinning scrolls, testimonials, and his unusual lettering on shells and stones, which is sometimes so small it is amazing that he even managed to write on them at all.

You will also be able to see works created for Trinity House, Newcastle upon Tyne, Catherine Cookson, Northumberland County Council and Morpeth Town Council; work made as example for Tom’s students; his Holy Island map (see the original at the Lindisfarne Heritage Centre) as well as a print of his map of Mull; a design to celebrate the Church of England’s Durham Diocese’s Millennium in 1993.

Copies of some of his maps and other works as well as an illustrated publication about Tom Fleming and his work will be for sale as will his War Diaries from 1940-46.

Visit the exhibition and be inspired to try calligraphy for yourself. The exhibition is on now and will run until the end of June and is open daily from 10 am to 4.00 pm and the last admission is at 3.00pm (Access is through the mining museum).

Tickets costs are: Adult - £5; Child - £3; Senior - £4.50 ; Family - £12.50 (Groups & Schools Tel: 01946 599949). A ticket allows access to all of Haig Pit. For further information about the Tom Fleming show at Haig Pit contact the Operations Manager, Pamela Telford 01946 599949 info@haigpit.com April/May 2015 | 7

Feature| Paul Martin

8 | The Whitehaven Guide

Paul Martin | Feature

The Windows to the Past

April 23

Muncaster Castle

F

log it! Presenter Paul Martin is renowned for his floppy hair, good looks and his contagious, unwavering enthusiasm for antiques but his enthusiasm isn’t reserved for the camera as Danielle Murphy found out.

The popular TV star is looking forward to his visit to Muncaster Castle on Thursday April 23, where he will film several episodes of Flog it! He said: “I’ve visited Cumbria two or three times and I’m really excited to be coming back.

The last time I was up it was lovely and to be heading to Muncaster Castle is even more exciting. The county is just flourished with history.”

With the help of passionate experts like Paul and the growing popularity of all things vintage antiques are attracting interest from all ages, as people search for furniture and home-ware with personality and a story to tell. But antique shops aren’t the only place to find a valuable piece, Paul explained: “People don’t know what is hiding in their attics, and if anybody thinks they might have some antiques then I urge them to move them out of the sunlight, keep them away from moist areas and please, I beg, don’t try and restore them! This won’t do anything but ruin them.”

Paul will have a chance to explore the 13th century castle while on location, and he’s excited to see the treasures that lie within, he said: “I simply cannot wait to get to Muncaster Castle, there is so much history within the castle it’s hard for someone like me not to get giddy.”

“The castle holds so much information and history about the area through the centuries. There is so much to be learned from a building that is as old as Muncaster, I truly cannot wait to see what awaits me.”

Paul’s love of antiques started when he was just 14 years old and his passion for aged and artistic objects has never wavered, he said: “I was always into antiques; my uncle was a dealer so I was exposed to the wonders of them at an early age. It’s the story behind them that sparks my passion, I’ve always been a curious person and I like the idea that an object can have so much to tell us about a specific place in time.”

“To me, antiques are like windows into the past, they are like time portals that can tell you about certain things to do with a period in time; they are like oxygen to me.”

“Working on Flog it! Has taught me so much. Through examining antiques I have the opportunity to learn about history, art, and see where the inspiration for specific artefacts came from. I love it.”

April April/May / May 2015 | 9

Feature | What’s in a name?

NAME? WHAT’S IN A

W

e all know St Bees as a beautiful coastal village but the story of how the village claimed the name St Bees is a little less well known; it started with an Irish Princess.

said she could have the rights to all the land covered in snow on a midsummers day, it did snow but only on St Bees Head. St Bega’s peaceful life became derelict upon the arrival of the Vikings.

The Princess, St Bega, decided from a young age that she would devote her life to Christianity and the church.

However, as a young and beautiful princess she was a desirable match for wealthy young man and the proposals flooded in.

She fled across England to Hackness priory near Scarborough where she took her vows. Her body was discovered in the 12th century and taken to Whitby Abbey.

As a man of tradition her father arranged her marriage to the King of Norway. Terrified and angry Bega took it upon herself to escape her fate. Legend has it that she fled her father’s Kingdom using a magical arm band, bestowed upon her by an angel.

She landed on a secluded beach, now St Bees Beach, and it was here that she lived her life as a hermit, residing in a beach hut.

The story of the priory she built is perhaps the better known story, in one version it is said that Lord Egremont

10 | The Whitehaven Guide

Although the legend of St Bega’s life is fascinating it is the events which took place over the next 100 years which are really interesting.There were several phenomenon’s believed to be related to Bega and are known as ‘Bega-Miracles’. One of these miracles was the arrival of unseasonal snow.The snow fell everywhere but St Bees head, the place where St Begas Priory stood. Her “miracles’’ are said to have left the blind with sight, the sick feeling well and the murderous dead.

There are many speculations about who St Bega was and whether or not she was an Irish princess, a pagan or part of a cult but no matter who she was her story has spread across Cumbria and she left her mark on the small village of St Bees.

Spoke Fest | Feature

GET ON YOUR BIKE FOR

W

SPOKE FEST

ith the recent announcement that The Tour of Britain will pass through Allerdale it’s safe to say that Cumbria’s love affair with cycling is set to continue. Spoke Fest is a new cycling festival made up of three cycling races in Copeland which are spread out between May and September.

Spoke Fest kicks off on Monday May 4 in St Bees with two distances, 25 and 50 miles, to choose from so it’s perfect for cycling enthusiasts or for those who are relatively new to the sport.

The 25 miles starts in St Bees and the route follows the lower coast road to Nethertown and Beckerment before heading to Calderbridge to start the ascent of Cold Fell. After descending to Ennerdale riders head towards Egremont travelling through the town to join the higher coast road for the descent back into St Bees The longer route follows the 25 miles but splits at the foot of Cold Fell and takes riders into the Ennerdale Valley before ascending Cauda Brow and heading to Lamplugh, Mockerkin, Dean Moor, Moresby, Steel Brow and Kirkland.

This route then rejoins the 25 mile route at the foot of Cold Fell.

Most importantly there will be a food stations at the finish line for all who take part.

The next event is the Valleys of Copeland sportive which takes place on Sunday June 28, this follows on from last years event which saw just over 100 riders taking part. The sportive visits the Ennerdale, Wasdale, Eskdale and Ulpha valleys. Again there will be two distances of 45 and 72 miles to choose from. The longer distance has over 6500m of climb. These rides start and finish on the harbour side at Whitehaven. Entry for this one is £15 The final sportive is the Tour de Moor on the Sunday September 20, which proved to be more popular than anyone had imagined, when it took place last year with around 300 riders taking part, Entry for is £10.

All of the events are supported by British Cycling and Copeland Borough Council. The Tour de Moor is also supported by Cleator Moor Town Council.

Entries can be made at www.britishcycling.org.uk.

April April/May / May 2015 | 11

Feature| Treasure Hunters

Cumbrian Treasure hunters

strike silver for the second time

C

umbria’s Roman history is obvious and undeniable by the ruins that still stand but the ‘Vikings’ were just as keen to leave their mark on the county and like the Romans they left evidence of their presence.

Alan Gillon, Senior Learning Officer at The Beacon Museum explained the Gosforth cross is perhaps the finest example of an Anglo-Scandinavian carving in the north of England: “I can’t think of anywhere else in the north of England that has such well-preserved examples of Norse carvings.”

Before exploring the legacy that they left, we need to distinguish between Norse and Vikings. Vikings were actually Norse pirates or sea borne men; Norse refers to the settlers who occupied Cumbria. As for the image of hordes of Vikings running around the countryside in furs and helmets with bones we couldn’t be more wrong.

The Norse left several legacies; not only did they introduce the practice of fishing with nets, they introduced the Herdwick sheep that Cumbria is famous for, the pattern of small farmers that became established in the area also has its origins in Norse traditions, as does the practice of dividing holdings with dry stone walls. Perhaps the biggest legacy, though, was the language; leaving us with; Beck, fell, hamlet, tarn and larl.

The Norse settlers left a great legacy of crosses and grave stones across the county. The most prominent and significant of these is at one of the county’s most historic churches, St Mary’s, Gosforth; home of a 14ft high, red sandstone Viking cross. Gosforth is also the home of two 10th century ‘Hogback’ tombstones inside the church.

12 | The Whitehaven Guide

But these Norse settlers left more than just architecture and their language. Under the Cumbrian soil lie ancient artefacts.

Last year local treasure hunters Justin Bell and Daniel Boakes known as the ‘Garrett Lads’ found as many as 19 pieces of

Treasure Hunters | Feature

hack silver in West Cumbria that relate to the Norse period.

Daniel said: “We didn’t have a clue what we’d found, but I knew pretty quick that it was silver, but it wasn’t until we found the bracelet that we knew it was Viking You always feel a sense of responsibility for what you find and of course it’s exciting; to hold something in your hand and know a Viking war lord has held 1000 years ago is amazing.”

The hack silver was displayed in the British Museum in February this year as part of the annual treasure report, Barry Argar curator at the British Museum has called the find “an impressive Viking hoard.

It’s surreal to think that something you’ve found while you were walking through a field with your mate is now in a museum.”

The find has international importance and has received interest from the Ukraine and America, but for the “Garrett Lads” it’s the local significance that’s really important.

keep it in the area. If people can go and look at the artefacts and see them they can get an understanding. It tells the tale of where we’re at and where we’ve come from.”

A find like this is very rare, it is one of just seven in the world the majority of which were found in the 1800s.

Stuart Noon Finds Liaison Officer for Lancashire and Cumbria couldn’t believe the find and said it was of “significant importance.”

This is the second significant find that the Garrett Lads have unearthed, in 2013 they found a number of Roman coins that became known as the ‘Lowside Quarter Hoard.’ Dan said “The Roman Hoard was a one in a thousand find but this is like one in a million and million find.”

“Finding something like this makes up for the hours and hours of unsuccessful hunting in the fields.”

“This find is significant to the story of the west coast,” said Daniel, “Cumbria’s history is so massive that people don’t realise that we have Viking links, keeping it in the area will help us tell a broader history of the area. We’d really like The Beacon to have the collection so we can

The 19 pieces of hack silver included ingots and fragments of armlets. In the Viking period, coins were not widely used, instead pieces of jewellery and silver bars were hacked into pieces and used as currency. The silver was found with a lump of sandstone just above them, it’s thought that this stone could have been placed over the hoard as a marker.

It was common practise for Norse settlers to bury their wealth if they felt insecure about it or were heading off to battle. This was problematic in that, if they died in battle and didn’t tell anyone where the treasure was buried there was little chance the family would find it. The question remains, what happened to the owner of the silver to feel he had to hide it?

The evaluation has been scheduled for the end of April but it could take a year before the value is established.

If you are considering taking up metal detecting make sure you get permission from the land owner first; you cannot dig anywhere without permission. You must also report any finds to the treasury.

April/May 2015 | 13

Feature| FLAG

FLYING THE FLAG FOR COASTAL COMMUNITIES and how good the photographs are. We’ve even been asked to send some magazines to areas where we haven’t funded projects, like Egremont.”

T

he Cumbrian coastline is renowned for its beautiful views and fascinating history. It’s lucky enough to have a stable fishing industry as well as a steady stream of tourists but there’s an organisation working behind the scenes to ensure coastal towns like Whitehaven continue to prosper.

North and West Cumbria Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) is an organisation dedicated to supporting the sustainable development of local ‘fishing communities’. FLAG operates along the coastal strip from Bowness on Solway in the North to Millom in the South, with the aim of helping and developing smaller communities where fishing is in decline.

Last month FLAG worked in conjunction with the Guide Media Group to publish their first ever magazine, Coastline, which aims to raise awareness of the local work that FLAG does. Susan Crooks, Administrative Officer said: “The aim of the magazine was to raise awareness of the work that FLAG has done and show that money has gone to support local causes. We wanted people to connect and identify with the projects and see how they have benefited local people. We don’t want people to see FLAG as a faceless organisation.”

“The response has been fantastic. Everyone who has seen it has been really positive and said how professional it looks 14 | The Whitehaven Guide

The Coastline magazine was taken to the European Maritime Festival in Brussels which is hosted by Farnet and links to the magazine online were retweeted by other groups at the conference. The magazines don’t just serve a local purpose, there are hopes that they will help secure government funding in the future.

FLAG is funded by the Marine Management Organisation and the European Fisheries Fund. These grants have helped fund community projects, supported local fishermen and the local fishing industry; contributed to coastal development and in some instances have helped change lives.

Whether it’s the Inshore Rescues or visitor attractions, educational projects or fishing co-operatives FLAG has supported all kinds of projects, charities and organisations. In December 2014 FLAG had distributed £1.5million to local causes.

Susan said: “It’s incredibly important to keep the connection with the community and spread the message in a local way.

A lot of the people that we work with like people in the fishing industry don’t really work with social media so this was the perfect way to get the message out there.”

Funding has been indispensable for Cumbrian Fishermen as they now have access to training in Cumbria instead of having to make lengthy journeys for basic training. Local attractions like Haig Colliery, The Beacon and The Lake District Aquarium have also benefitted . Not only has FLAG funding helped existing tourist attractions but it has contributed to bringing tourists into the area by granting the Marina funding for more berths.

AT Projects | Feature

come and see the pride in what we provide

W

hether it’s an extension or a conservatory AT projects can get the job done, efficiently and with a friendly smile.

Alan Thompson who has over 15 years’ experience in the business, says: “We go above and beyond for our customers. We will be involved from the very start, when we design the project, until the very last brick is laid. We take pride in the service that we provide.”

Using only the very best quality materials AT Projects’ builds stand the test of time and look fantastic!

“All the products we use are BBA approved; we won’t use anything unless it’s the very best quality.

We also fit solid roofs and Rockdoor composite doors, which are the best you can get.”

And Alan will soon be able to proudly show off all his work in his newly-opened showroom, which will make AT Projects the only company with five solid roofs on display in a showroom in Cumbria.

He said: “We also offer a full range of blinds and supply Karndean flooring. We take every measure to get our extensions looking the best they possibly can.”

“We’re good at what we do. We have so much experience that we know how to deal with anything a customer comes to us with; we like to challenge ourselves and to deliver and really excite our customers.”

April/May 2015 | 15

Feature | From Capital to Capital

W

hether it’s in by car, coach or train the journey from Edinburgh to London can be long and arduous, but what about running it? Martin Barwise and Andrew Robinson are doing just that; donning their running shoes and embarking on a capital to capital run in order to raise money for a lifesaving charity.

The Children’s Heart Unit Foundation (CHUF) is based at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and saves thousands of children every year. CHUF is one of the most advanced and important units in Britain, undertaking some of the highest risk procedures but CHUF is a charity and relies heavily on donations.

16 | The Whitehaven Guide

On Tuesday April 14 Martin and Andrew will be running from Edinburgh to London to raise money for CHUF. The cause is very close to Andrew, whose great niece was a patient at the hospital after it was discovered she had a hole in her heart and underwent surgery at just two years old.

Andrew said: “After Faith had her surgery she recovered well, there are possibilities she may have future problems and may need the hospitals services again. The idea of the run came to me when I was thinking what I could do to help. I had already done the Coast To Coast but then I thought why not do another C2C except this one will be capital to capital!”

From Capital to Capital | Feature

With a total of 377 miles to complete in just 10 days, the boys have set the bar high and they’ve been training every day, Martin said: “We’re not big sports people who have a lot of experience in doing things like this, we are just normal blokes. I played rugby years back but I haven’t done it in a long time; to be honest I hated running, but since starting my training for this challenge I’ve discovered a hidden passion for it and to be doing it for something so important makes it even more rewarding.”

They have both undergone a long and often difficult training regime made up of miles of running, gym work and possibly the hardest for both is the time commitment; both Martin and Andrew have sacrificed time with their families in order to prepare for the run.

Andrew said: “It has been hard, but we have encouraged each other and that seems to work really well; by bouncing off each other our motivation is so much stronger.”

Faith’s Grandfather and uncle, Reay Mckew Snr and Reay Mckew Jnr, will be supporting Martin and Andrew along the way by bicycle and support van. Friends and family will meet the pair along the way at different stops to give them a morale boost.

Andrew said: “Support is essential for us; we need people to get behind us. The support from family and friends is amazing and it really keeps us going. Every donation counts and goes toward helping save these children. Some of the patients we met whilst at the Freeman were only hours old, it really hit home and we want other people to realise why we are doing this.”

Martin and Andrew explained how important and lifesaving the money is, Martin said: “For a child waiting for a heart transplant, they can have a device known as a Berlin heart which pumps blood around the body but it’s only temporary, and can only be used once by one child, these devices save lives but unfortunately each Berlin heart costs around £70,000. This is why we are doing this run, this is why people need to donate even if its £1, every penny counts!”

To show your support for these two brilliant men, and to donate to a charity that needs your help visit either of these websites: Virginmoneygiving.com/team/andrewrobinson25 www.JustGiving.com/edinburghtolondon2015 www.facebook.com/edinburgh2london2015 @2CapitalsRun15 April/May 2015 | 17

Feature | Keswick Mountain Festival

ears K Ray M TO KESWIC HEADS

By Ross Brewster

I

t’s the one event in Keswick when Gore Tex and gaiters can be considered sexy.

Keswick Mountain Festival, Friday May 14 to Saturday May 17, now in its ninth year, has attracted a host of top names from the outdoor world, including TV bushcraft expert Ray Mears and Olympic gold medal winning triathlete Alistair Brownlee.

The Observer newspaper wrote that Keswick Mountain Festival was “one of the few places on the planet where Gore Tex and gaiters might actually help you to pull!”

With its array of leading mountaineers, sporting heroes and participation events the Observer’s “sexy” image may be true after all.

Ray Mears can paddle his own canoe, and last September did just that on a trip to Ontario, which explains why his talks, the headline events on the Saturday evening, are sponsored by Ontario Tourism as opposed to the Cumbrian equivalent.

Ray said that Canadian canoe journeys were “always special” and had “a unique ability to purge the spirit of unwanted static that accumulates in our technological lives.”

In his blog The Adventurer he said he was unsure why, but it was probably the simplicity of life as a canoiest, or the pristine quietude of the wilderness and the “honest labour of muscles propelling you through lakes and waterways.

Whatever it is, the effect is to cleanse and rejuvenate the soul.”

The TV presenter is unlikely to be spending his Lake District weekend staying at one of the local caravan sites after his recent run in with motorhome enthusiasts.

Mears was suppose to appear at the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at Birmingham’s NEC until he told Frank Skinner on the BBC’s Room 101 programme that he found the proliferation of caravans “hideous”. He lost the gig and the

18 | The Whitehaven Guide

reputed ten grand fee that went with it as show organisers branded his comments insulting.

This was no doubt a mere setback for Ray who was filming in Borrowdale just last year for an episode of his Wilderness Walks on ITV. Other speakers at this year’s festival include climbers Leo Houlding, Doug Scott and Andy Kirkpatrick and runners Joss Naylor, Steve Birkinshaw and Alistair Brownlee, who won gold at the London Olympics in 2012 and is a multiple Commonwealth, European and World champion triathlete.

Cumbrian sporting legend Joss set a 1987 record for a continuous circuit of the summits of the 214 fells listed in Wainwright’s Pictorial Guides. A record that Cumbrian fell runner Steve Birkinshaw finally broke last year.

Keswick Mountain Festival has a unique

Sub-head |

mix of outdoor activities, music, events and entertainment.

Organisers anticipate up to 16,000 visitors this year making it one of the largest festivals of its kind in the UK. On Friday and Saturday evenings music will be provided in Crow Park by the legendary Isle of Skye band Peatbog Faeries and singer songwriter Seth Lakeman.

There’s something for bike riders, climbers, paddlers, swimmers, walkers, navigators and families just out for fun.

For the energetic there are cycle rides and trail runs of varying distances from 50 km to a schools triathlon. There is also open water swimming in Derwentwater and a

Keswick Mountain Festival | Feature

tough triathlon which includes an 800 metre swim and 35km cycle ride over Honister and Newlands passes finished off by a 10km trail run to the top of Latrigg.

Many other activities include a chance to try wild food cooking, shelter building, firelighting and spoon carving under the expert guidance of David Alty from Keswick Canoe and Bushcraft.

With all that, Gore Tex and gaiters Keswick Mountain Festival has a pulling power all of its own.

May April/May / June 2015 | 19

Feature| A New Mountain To Climb

A NEW MOUNTAIN

TO CLIMB

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asdale Mountain Rescue Team have a mountain to climb but it’s a mountain with a bit of a difference; it’s a £500,000 mountain and the total of money needed for a new base.

The Wasdale team has been operating for over 40 years and is now looking to build a new base, John Bamforth the chairman of Wasdale Mountain Rescue said: “The base we

have had for the last 40 years is a very old building, seeping with damp and the accessibility is poor. We rely on the good will of a neighbouring pub to allow us to use their car park.’ ” Fortunately, the team have already found some land which is close-by with planning permission and they are applying for grants to help fund the build.

Last year a staggering £63,000 was raised for Wasdale Mountain Rescue after Adam Nolan’s dog, Jasper, went missing during a walk up Scafell Pike. The story tugged on the heart strings of the nation and the #FindJasper campaign went viral. Thankfully Jasper was located four days later by the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team and they succeeded in bringing him down.

All the money raised from the #FindJasper campaign will go towards the new base, John said: “The Jasper incident brought a lot of donations in a very short space of time.”

A new base will allow the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team to train their volunteers much quicker and make recovery operations flow more smoothly and effectively.

But it’s not just a new base that the Mountain Rescue needs, John explained: “It costs £25,000 a year to maintain the team and that doesn’t include vehicle maintenance and other such costs.”

In 2014 the team dealt with 92 incidents, which were made up of 58 call outs and 33 alerts. Members of Wasdale Mountain Rescue are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and the whole team is made up of volunteers who risk their lives saving others; they are some of Cumbria’s real life heroes.

The new base will help the Wasdale Mountain Rescue continue their vital, lifesaving work for another 40 years.

If you want to help this team of heroic people then visit their website and donate today: www.wmrt.org.uk

20 | The Whitehaven Guide

Feature| Western Lakes Film Festival

NEW FESTIVAL FOR

WHITEHAVEN

W

hitehaven harbour will be bustling this summer with not one but two festivals.

After the Home and Garden Show on May 15-16, the harbour will be transformed into a film buffs heaven as it hosts the town’s first film festival from Friday June 19 to Saturday June 20.

The film festival will be showing films for all ages in pop up cinemas along the historic harbour, Gerard Richardson of The Whitehaven Festival Co. said: “There will be several screens erected around the harbour in marquees and one in The Beacon. The Cinema’s will be available to wrist band holders. And with limited seating it will be first come first served.”

The film festival will be a festival in every sense of the word, not only will there be a variety of films played throughout the course of the two day event, but there will be between 140 and 160 market stalls and live music!

70’s rock band The Sweet will be playing some of their most

famous hit songs on Friday June 19. During their best years the band were firing out hit after hit including numbers like Wigwambam, Little Willy and Ballroom Blitz.

The Commitments will be taking the stage on Saturday June 20. The band evolved from popular 1991 film The Commitments, playing all the classics from the film including the hit Mustang Sally.

The air show this year will happen during the film festival.

We will see the return of the popular air force aerobic team the Red Arrows, who will be colouring our skies with their impressive displays.

Gerard said “We decided to bring the Air show into the events of the film festival because not only does it add something extra to the festival but people can still enjoy the stalls and our other events whilst waiting for the air show.”

Wristbands are £3 which gives you access to the film screens and the cafe bar area.

April/May 2015 | 21

Feature | Russell RebeccaWatson Ferguson

A man of many talents

by Ali Hipkin

W

hen Russell Watson answered my call I wasn’t the first interview of the day and I was by no means the last. I was interview number 27 but Russell insisted he was “still as fresh as a daisy” and if the size of my smile and my sporadic bursts of laughter were anything to go by he wasn’t lying.

22 | The Whitehaven Carlisle Guide Guide

Carlisles Russell Watson Future | Feature

Russell Watson, the people’s tenor is set to perform at The Sands Centre on Saturday May 16 as part of his new Up Close and Personal tour. It’s a tour with a bit of a difference for Russell who is used to doing arena gigs, he said: “I’m very excited. It’s great for me to do something different. I usually do 20-25 gigs in the major cities and this time I’m doing a total of 75 gigs in smaller venues.”

But after 16 years in the industry, why now? “It all started on the last tour when we added a little theatre in Scunthorpe to the dates.

It was less people than I would usually perform for on a tour. There were maybe only 1200-1300 seats but the place went bananas; I felt like I was one of the Beatles or something. What a reaction.”

"

Nessun Dorma. So I went away and learnt it phonetically.

It must have been bloody awful but the first time I sang it I got a standing ovation. I was making a connection with people and with people who wouldn’t necessarily listen to classical music.”

There was a standing ovation before I'd even sang a single note.

I'm very lucky to have such a loyal fan base.

Of course the adoration of thousands of women is nothing new to Russell who has an incredibly loyal fan base, he said: “It annoys me that people say ‘it’s only the granny’s that like you’, it might be true it might not be but my fans have stayed with me. They’re not faddy, they’re not going to leave me for the next new boyband and move on again in a few years; they are loyal.”

“When I was on the road to recovery after I was ill I remember thinking, ‘God I hope they haven’t forgotten about me’, my return tour was my fastest ever selling tour.

The audience knew what I’d been through and for every show there was a standing ovation before I’d even sang a single note. I’m very lucky to have such a loyal fan base.”

“When people come and see me perform live I want to take them away for 90 minutes, whatever’s happened to them that day no matter what they’re going through I want them to forget it, so they leave with the same feeling you get when you leave the cinema and think ‘yeah, that was good’.”

The arena gigs Russell now plays are a far cry from the Working Mens Clubs of Manchester in which he first sang Nessum Dorma, Russell recalled: “It was after my first 30 minute set in Wigan Road Working Mens Club, I’d finished the set with the Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera and the club secretary came to see me and said ‘I think you should try that nessel dorman [sic] I reckon your voice would really suit that song.’ Of course, he meant

As well as performing for his army of fans Russell has performed for some incredibly high profile audiences which include the Queen, the late Pope John Paul II and former US President Bill Clinton but he said that performing in the working men clubs in Manchester was more nerve racking than singing in the Royal Albert Hall.

Nessum Dorma has become somewhat of a trademark for Russell and while it can still bring audiences to their feet it’s a song that had lost something, he said: “I haven’t done it for two or three years because I began to feel a disconnection with the song. I’d go into autopilot, I felt like I wasn’t doing it justice.”

"

Before he first sang Nessun Dorma Russell was singing songs by the likes of Neil Diamond and Elvis so I was curious to know if he regretted the move to classical, “No, my career is based on a classical repertoire, I was different in that I could do Elvis and Meatloaf but I could also sing Nessun Dorma. There wouldn’t have been a career if I hadn’t. There may have been a time when my voice wasn’t geared up for classical but it certainly is now.”

His humble beginnings helped set Russell apart from other classical artists and he seems to be relatively unaffected by fame and remains the fun, cheeky chappy that hordes of women fell in love with 16 years ago. Throughout the course of the interview Russell seemed at ease; cracking jokes and putting on different accents as he recalled conversations.

The chance to get up close and personal with Russell isn’t the only good news for his fans; a new album is also in the pipe line, Russell said: “I took a couple of years off from recording because the classical crossover genre was becoming congested. I wanted to take my time and do something a bit different. If I feel we have the right blend of material and I’m happy with it it could be out at Christmas.”

April April/May / May 2015 | 23

Feature| Where Two Rivers Meet

Tales of

Monsters,

aliens and the

evil Mr

Pork Chop A

child’s imagination is a powerful thing; it is something so intricate and brilliantly colourful that we wonder how children come up with the stories, drawings and games that they do.

It’s not always easy to get an insight into a child’s mind but Beckermet Primary School have been making it possible by publishing a book compiled of stories written and illustrated by the pupils.

The 100 page book depicts stories of dinosaurs, aliens, erupting volcanoes, animals, the vilanous Mr Pork Chop and the infamous Will. I. Swim. Each story was written by a child between the of ages 4 – 11. Every child has contributed to the book, whether it be a drawing or a story; each is unique and full of fun.

Sales of the book named Where Two Rivers Meet will help fund some electronic tablets to make learning more interactive and fun.

24 | The Whitehaven Guide

Where Two Rivers Meet | 45

Claire Winter-Moore has been leading the project, she said: “The book is made up of stories which the children wrote themselves.The illustrations were also drawn by the children.

The book not only helps fund the schools desired equipment but it gives the pupils something they can be proud of.”

The children were given some guidance and advice on how to create their stories by local children’s author and illustrater Time Stead. Tim, who has written and illustrated his own children’s books for two to five-year-olds – So, You Ran in the Wash; Harry & the Butter Bye-Bye; Ted Needs Some Space!, Count Coffin’s Cough!, Pim Pim’s Christmas List; Fat Bat and The Strange Woolly Hat. Tim, who lives in Silloth, is an Eddie Stobbart Trucker by day and got his big break when the company sought an illustrator for their magazine. Tim said “When the head teacher called me and asked me to go and do something with the children I was delighted. I love working with kids, their imagination is great!”

bellowed “Get in that line”.

But Tim isn’t a lorry driver-turned-artist, rather an artistturned-lorry driver who studied graphic design at Cumbria College of Art and Design and went on to study illustration and graphic design at DeMontfort University.

The Triceratops shook like a leaf and joined the line.

After an early attempt at an artistic career didn’t work out Tim decided to follow in the footsteps of his truck-driving father and pass his HGV licence and launch a career which, in turn, has appropriately helped him along the road to becoming a successful professional illustrator.

WHERE TWO RIVERS MEET

Where Two Rivers Meet | Feature

these children; it’s such an honour to be recognised like this.

I really think projects like this should be implemented in schools everywhere! It’s a great way to raise money and to educate.”

There will only be 100 copies of the book and all of the profit will go directly to the school. “Where Two Rivers Meet” will be launched at Beckermet School on Friday April 17 at 2:30pm The Book is available from Beckermet School, The Beacon and the village store in Gosforth.

For more outlets visit www.theguidemags.com

58 | Beckermet School

Stories from the children of Beckermet C.E Primary School Where Two Rivers Meet | 1

Claire said: “Tim showed the children how to put a story together and taught them some basic drawing skills.”

Tim said: “The wonderful thing with a project like this is the children get to see all stages of a book, they start with a blank piece of paper and then they get to see the finished product and know that it was their efforts that made it happen.”

Tim gets his ideas from daily life. His latest story Ted Needs Some Space, was inspired by the large number of soft toys adorning his son bed, overcrowding which suddenly registered with him one day.

The Fat Bat story was born when a bat became lodged beneath the exterior sun visor of the lorry he was driving, one night, along the M6 and he had to slow down to let it escape.

He said: “I was privileged to be asked to come and inspire April April/May / May 2015 | 25

Feature| Save St Bees

THE RACE IS ON TO SAVE ST BEES SCHOOL S t Bees and the surrounding areas were left shaken last month as it was announce that St Bees school would close at the end of the summer term but it didn’t take long for the community to rally round to see what could be done to prevent the closure of the historic school.

Since the announcement was made on Friday March 13 a rescue team, made up of local businessmen, has been established and they’ve been working tirelessly to rescind the closing notice.

The first meeting public meeting about the closure showed the amount of local support the school has as 600 people turned up rather than the 200-300 people that had been expected.

St Bee’s School is an integral part of the village, “The school is a major employer and a major part of the village,” said Chris Robson the rescue group’s spokesman and retired Physics teacher from St Bees, “When I moved here in 1968 the interaction between the school and the village was quite minimal; there was a certain amount of conflict between the two but slowly, they have moved together and there’s been more and more interaction between the village and the school.”

Less than a week after the closure was announced and prior to a commencement of an organised funding initiative the team received £250,000 in pledges and as the Whitehaven Guide went to press the amount had risen to over £2million. An online petition has also reached over 4000 signatures. The rescue team have established a four point plan which gives possibilities of saving the school and they are hopeful they will be able to rescind the closure notice.

26 | The Whitehaven Guide

Save St Bees | Feature

without the school would be an awful awful place, it will survive but in a difficult way.”

The closure of the school would not only effect the teachers and the pupils but the rest of the staff who work at the school, like the cleaners, gardeners, kitchen staff, admin workers and of course, the village itself. Chris explained: “The minute you look into an impact assessment of the closure you begin to see that this stone that’s been thrown into the pound will have ripples that will turn into tsunamis if we’re not careful.”

Despite all the positive progress that has been made in just a few weeks Chris admitted there would come a pivotal moment when they would know, one way or another, what the future of the school would be.

The rescue team estimate it would take £4-5 million of additional funding in order to sustain the school for a 5 year period and thanks to the generosity of the general public and Old St Beghians they are half way there.

For those who are clinging to hope it’s worth remembering that the school almost closed down once before in 1938 as a result of the depression. However the new headmaster at the time said the school should not be allowed to close, the Old Beghians agreed and the money was raised to save the school.

Although the schools future is, at this time unclear, key members of staff have decided to stick by the school as have the majority of pupils, who pulled together just days after the closure announcement to create a heartfelt and emotional video to raise support for their school. Past students have alsocreated their own Save Our School video.

Chris said: “It’s like the middle of the village has been ripped out – the school and the village have grown around each other for hundreds and hundreds of years. The village

St Bees School is renowned for turning out household names like Rowan Atkinson and England Rugby coach Stuart Lancaster. When the Whitehaven Guide spoke to Stuart last year he reminisced fondly of his time at St Bees and said: “I loved it at St Bees, I loved being outside, playing sports outside or going to the beach, I just loved the outdoor feel of it.”

Stuart has said he is devastated by the closure of the school.

The history of St Bees School is undeniable and should be saved. The school is as much a part of the village as the beach or St Bees head and is a part of the local history. The School was founded, by Edmund Grindal, the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1583. Grindal was born in St Bees in 1517.

After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1535, there was little opportunity for formal education in this locality. So he petitioned Elizabeth I for permission to establish a school on the basis that ‘Cowpland [sic] is the ignorantest part in religion and most oppressed of covetous landlords of any part of this realm to my knowledge’.

Chris said: “In the financial crisis they always said that the big banks were too big to fail, well St Bees is too good to fail.”

One thing that is for sure is that time is off the essence.

As the Whitehaven Guide went to print the fate of the school is still uncertain but the Rescues hoped they’d be in a position to make an official announcement at Easter.

April/May 2015 | 27

Home & Garden | Home & Garden

Welcome to our very first Feature | Oakmere Homes

HOME & GARDEN

T

here’s no better time to embark on those home improvements that you’ve been thinking about all winter. The days are slowly but surely getting longer, the weather’s brightening, which will help lift your mood, and there’s a whole host of new and exciting interior trends to experiment with.

SPECIAL!

15th 16th

MAY

With the first of the year’s bank holidays approaching and the Western Lakes Home and Garden show coming up (Friday May 15 and Saturday May 16) it seemed like the perfect time to take a closer look at this season’s trends and how to improve your home and garden, to turn them into places you want to spend time in.

As ever we’ve been talking to the experts, no we’re not talking about Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen or Joe Swift who both feature on the bill for Western Lakes Home and Garden show. We are, of course, talking about our advertisers.

28 | The Whitehaven Guide

For those who like to get stuck in and for those who don’t, for those who like to make a statement and for those who just want to add a little bit of colour, for those who want to get out in the garden and dig and for those who want to chill out in the garden we’ve got it covered.

Celebrity experts confirmed for this year’s Home and Garden show are chef Jean-Christophe Novelli; Gardeners World presenter Joe Swift; actorturned- cheesemaker Sean Wilson, wine connoisseur Oz Clarke; interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and local celebrity chefs, Jon Fell and Peter Sidwell.

Wristbands to gain access to all the theatres and a private cafe bar area will be £3 per day and are on sale now, email: gerard@richardsonsoffice.net

Home & Garden | Home & Garden

Home & Garden Show 15TH & 16TH MAY

Grow your own GARDENER

G

ardening with your children or grandchildren is not only a great way to keep them entertained during the holidays, it's a healthy, outdoor activity which will keep them away from playing computer games and it's something that you can plan and enjoy doing together.

Gardening doesn’t have to cost the earth and you don't have to have an allotment or even a big garden. In fact, if you're just starting out, it's often better to stick to something smaller and involving less maintenance, such as window boxes. You don't even need to go to the garden centre, use margarine tubs and yogurt pots to start growing your seeds in, instead of spending a fortune on tools and seed trays.

Get your children to make plant labels to mark which seeds have been planted where. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy; use something simple like lolly pop sticks.

otherwise nothing will grow and the children will become uninterested. Giving your child their own place in the garden will again give them a sense of responsibility and it means they won't ruin your grown up flower beds.

Growing your own fruit and vegetables is a great way to get your children involved in the garden and to encourage them to eat more healthily; children will eat anything they have grown themselves through sheer pride. And if you opt for growing fruit and veg you could end up saving money in the long run as you won’t need to buy as much in the weekly food shop.

Stimulate your child’s senses by choosing plants that have soft leaves or bright flowers, grasses which rustle in the wind, scented flowers, fruit and vegetables. Grow plants to attract wildlife, bees and butterflies. Not only will the insects help pollinate your flowers but they will excite your children.

One thing that is worth investing in is a water spray gun so your children can help water the little plants instead of drowning them with a watering can. By getting your children to water the plants/seeds it will give them a sense of responsibility. Spray bottles are relatively cheap and come in a variety of bright colours for children.

If you decide to move away from window boxes and into the garden dedicate a small place that your child or children can be responsible for; let them plant their own bulbs and seeds. Make sure "their garden" gets a decent amount of sun, April/May 2015 | 29

Home & Garden| Home & Garden Show

T

he Western Lakes Home and Garden Show returns to Whitehaven’s historic harbour on Friday May 15.

This is the second annual Home and Garden show and this years is expected to be bigger and better than last years.

A whole host of celebrity experts have already been announced and they’re ready to dish out some of their knowledge, in the form of garden, interior and cookery demonstrations.

With the success of last year’s show fresh in everyone’s minds it’s obvious why the show has returned for a second year. Last year around 40,000 people piled into Whitehaven to experience it.

Gerard said: “With such a massive turn out last year we decided to make this year even better. There will be more street theatres and entertainment. There will also be a mobile touring cinema with a 92% capacity. This year will be around 20% larger than the 2014 show so it’s going to be even better!”

As the Whitehaven Guide went to print interior designer Lawrence Llewelyn Bowen, hairdresser Nicky Clarke, wine connoisseur Oz Clarke, gardeners Joe Swift and Toby Buckland, Gastranaut Stefan Gates and Whitehaven favourites Jean Christophe-Novelli and Sean Wilson had all been confirmed.

Not only will there be a cinema but there will be three celebrity theatres for some home or garden advice.

Gerard Richardson, chairman of the Whitehaven Festival, said: “It’s really exciting; we’ve taken the most popular aspects of the old Maritime festival and put them together to make a brilliant show.”

Gerard said: “We really think that people will be able to get right into the event this year. There is going to be so much to do and see that everyone will find something to spark their interest.”

This year’s event will involve around 180 market stalls, lots of entertainment and some street theatre. Gerard said: “It will essentially be a massive market; there will be lots of stalls selling some brilliant produce and some great entertainment!”

There are a limited number of wristbands available which will allow holders access to the chefs theatres, mobile cinema and café bar. Wristbands are available from Richardsons and are £3.

30 | The Whitehaven Guide

There is also going to be a train ride running from The Beacon and fun family activities going on as well as the more grown-up stuff.

Hubble Bubble | Home & Garden

Home & Garden Show 15TH & 16TH MAY

W

Hubble bubbles AND NO TROUBLES!

hen thinking of the design of a house, it’s often easy to forget about the bathroom but when you think about it, it’s one of the most important areas in the house. We spoke to Dave Shepherd from EPS for some advice on what to look for when getting a new bathroom fitted.

When it comes to essential rooms, like bathrooms, size is important. If you don’t have room to shake a towel in then there are things you can put in place to save on space Dave said: “There are lots of space saving products available now, such as short projection toilets and basins. Also the varying sizes available for baths and showers makes things possible that you wouldn’t have been able to do even five years ago!”

With interior design and fashions constantly changing, it can be hard to keep up and find a design that you like for a long time, Dave said: “Traditional style furniture in pastel type colours is becoming very popular again! Also walk-in shower enclosures continue to be more and more popular and many people are replacing baths with wet rooms or large showers.”

“Digital Showers are a fast growing product with modern designs, remote control options and are suitable for almost any home!”

We all have a different preference and opinion on what is the most important thing about a bathroom and what we want from our bathroom depends on our lifestyle; whether we have children, whether you like a bath occasionally rather than a shower, Dave said: “Most people still want practicality above anything else. It does depend very much on the individual and the budget, but the options available now usually allow us to satisfy the needs and wants of most customers.”

Before committing to any design Dave advises people to get a computer aided design done, Dave said: “Having a CAD design done is usually a great place to start. A CAD design is a digital 3D image on a computer that gives you a basic view of what your room could look like. It allows people who have expertise and knowledge of the industry to help you discover the options available to you! A CAD design will allow you to appreciate space and design and ensure you make the correct decisions!”

April April/May / May 2015 | 31

Home & Garden | Something Extra

Give your garden a little SOMETHING EXTRA

Feature | Oakmere Homes

W

ith spring upon us and summer approaching it’s time to start thinking about those gardens, and with some advice from the experts you can get started. James Toman from Toman Paving has been giving us some tips on how to make the most of your garden.

With the summer of 2014 scorched in all of our memories, there is hope that this year will be the same, and it’s a perfect opportunity to get out and do some DIY in the garden.

“There is a big demand for artificial grass at the moment,” said James, “Artificial grass doesn’t require maintenance so people love that. Another thing that is really popular at the minute is natural stone flagging.”

It seems that gardens are all about the patio at the minute, if you want to have a go yourself you should think about a few

32 | The Whitehaven Guide

things first. As well as the finished surface, it is equally important to make sure that the unseen base is constructed correctly.The base of a patio is a ‘Type 1’ sub base, topped with a good quality sharp sand and cement wet mix, laid as a ‘full bed’.

The actual patio flags should then be either good quality concrete flags or a natural flag of perhaps sandstone or limestone.To break up the area, decorative chippings and good quality artificial grass could be used.

For those with a smaller garden, there is no need to fret, size doesn’t matter, James said: “You can make your garden appear bigger by splitting it up with light coloured flag stones and Astroturf.”

Patios don’t only make your garden look bigger, they can do much more: “A patio gives a garden a hard area which can be beneficial during summer, it gives you a seating area and when it rains you don’t have to trail mud through the house.”

Aga | Home & Garden

Home & Garden Show 15TH & 16TH MAY

AGA - at the heart OF THE HOME

I

F you go into the homes of AGA owners you are most likely to find them in the kitchen.

The AGA cooker is a design icon and it’s also a people magnet. As well as offering stunning good looks and a focal point in your kitchen, it also cooks differently, using gentle radiant heat, heat that is kind to food and which locks in flavour, moisture and goodness.

The AGA serves not only as a cooker but can save you time, money and valuable space in your kitchen, each one holding all the desirable aspects of just one appliance.

The AGA is as popular today as it was innovative at the time of its launch and the new, more flexible models, which have launched over the past few years, have attracted a whole new audience to enjoy the benefits of AGA cooking and reduced running costs.

But while these particular cookers are famous for their good food they are also multi-talented, being used for drying washing; making the best toast and dispensing with the need for countless small kitchen appliances such as bread-makers and electric kettles.

As there are now many different models available – including cookers that can be operated remotely with a smartphone – it really is a case of choosing the right AGA cooker for your lifestyle.

For example, a family out all day might prefer the on-off flexibility of an AGA Total Control, whereas someone who has owned an AGA before and wants that constant background warmth, may opt for an AGA Dual Control in which the ovens remain on, while the hotplates can be switched on and off as they choose, thus saving both energy and money on running costs.

April April/May / May 2015 | 33

Home & Garden | Brighten up your Garden

The Root to GOOD GARDENING Feature | Oakmere Homes

Y

our garden is your own piece of paradise, it can be whatever you want and now is the time to start preparing for the garden season.

We spoke to Nic Murfitt from Whitehaven Garden Centre for some tips and advice on what you should be planting in the spring.

Spring is where the hard work starts for gardeners as it’s time to start clearing the garden from the winter by chopping plants back ready for the new growth. Summer is the time for lawn cutting, weeding, feeding and watering plants. Nic said: “Little and often is the key here so you keep on top of it all, that way you have more time to sit back and enjoy the garden.”

“April is a month for planting trees, shrubs and perennials in the borders. The garden centres will be stocked with loads of fresh, new seasonal plants and if they’re planted now they will get established over the summer. Towards the end of April and through May its bedding plant time, so long as the frosts have finished.”

The gardener’s worst enemy is pests that eat all your efforts in a short space of time. They are preventable though, Nic advices using pesticides early on, she said: “In the case of diseases, prevention is better than cure. For example roses need spraying just as the leaves open and an ongoing programme to run through the season. With vegetables, companion planting is becoming popular. This is where a strongly scented plant is grown between your veg and deters pests. Using insect netting will also prevent attacks.”

Not all insects are pests and there are things you can do to attract the right kind into your garden, Nic said: “Wildlife can be a big positive influence in your garden. Encouraging bees into the garden will aid pollination and will lead to increased yields whilst encouraging predator insects like ladybirds and lacewings will help with pest control.”

When it comes to gardens size isn’t everything, it’s about utilising the space you have, Nic said: “One of the best ways to make the most of a small space is to grow plants in pots.

There’s also a wide range of shrubs and even small trees that will grow quite happily in containers. A hanging basket of herbs outside the back door is a good way of having a mini herb garden.”

34 | The Whitehaven Guide

Brighten up your Garden | Home & Garden

Home & Garden Show 15TH & 16TH MAY

Gardening is something that anybody can get involved with and there’s nothing to be scared if you’re new to it, Nic advices you to find out what type of soil you have by doing a PH test and which way your garden faces as this will help determine the best type of plants for your garden.

Nic said: “Draw a plan of how you want your garden to look.

Then pop down to your local garden centre and get some advice. One of the best pieces of advice is visit a garden centre once a month and buy what looks good rather than buying everything in one go. That way you’re guaranteed to have something looking good in your garden 12 months of the year.”

“The second piece of advice is to prepare the ground well to begin with, that way what you plant will flourish. It’s far easier to do the hard work before the garden is full.”

You may think that your garden is done but you need to maintain it otherwise all that hard work will be gone in a matter of months, Nic said: “Once your garden is planted and shaped to what you want it needs to be maintened.

Start in the autumn by putting the garden to bed. Cut back perennials clear the veg garden and start adding plenty of mulch in the form of manure or compost so that it has the winter to be broken down and feed the soil.”

April April/May / May 2015 | 35

Home & Garden | Simple Things

A few simple touches CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE Feature | Oakmere Homes

S

pring is here and it’s a great time to start redecorating and breathing new life into your home. Easter brings with it the first of the year’s bank holidays so it’s the perfect time to improve, redecorate and refurbish your home.

Your home is a reflection of your personality, adding a few personal touches can make it appear more welcoming. With shabby chic’ and upcycled furniture still leading the way in interior design you don’t have to spend a fortune to own something unique.

But you don’t have to completely redecorate in order to give your home a lift, simply giving a room a lick of paint or adding some new soft furnishings can make a room appear a lot brighter and bigger.

There is so much that you can do to make your home unique. Chalk paint is becoming really popular and is great for repainting old furniture and giving it another life.

Chalk paint is very easy to work with and very rarely requires any preparation, such as sanding or priming. It can be used on nearly all surfaces from wood to metal, and matt plastic to terracotta. To create something even more original try buying a piece of furniture from a car boot sale or charity shop.

Another great reason to try upcycling and making your own accessories is to get the whole family involved. Whether it’s painting a side table or making a collage canvas, you can all get a little messy and add something with a special memory for your home!

Accessories can change the look and feel of a room instantly; cushions and throws can bring a room to life. Floral vintage patterns are still very much on trend adding to the

36 | The Whitehaven Guide

Simple Things | Home & Garden

Home & Garden Show 15TH & 16TH MAY kitschy theme but there are also some more unusual themes emerging; bold is definitely big right now whether it’s a bright geometric pattern or a big leafy pattern the bolder the better.

Whether it’s a rug, a suite or a mirror, a beautiful accessory in a room never goes un-noticed, and it isn’t hard to make a statement piece of furniture. Look in small independent shops for something unique and try getting crafty; it’s easy to do and the results are well worth it.

With all of these nifty little tips, you can create an individual home without having to empty your purse and you don’t need to break your back redecorating the whole room! You might even find that you enjoy giving your home a mini makeover and be surprised how much difference a few touches can make!

April April/May / May 2015 | 37

Home & Garden | Social Hub

The heart of the home OR A SOCIAL HUB?

Feature | Oakmere Homes

T

he kitchen is often seen as the heart of the home, whether it’s huge, shiny and modern or cosy and traditional, everybody should love their kitchen and utilise it in the best way possible.

We spoke to Mark Stamper of Stamper Lloyd, Whitehaven about Kitchens and how to make the most of your space.

Mark said: “Smaller kitchens can be just as practical as large ones when you know how best to utilise the space you’ve got.

For example you have to look at the design of the kitchen, then implement some space saving techniques, there are loads!

You also have to look at what you want from your kitchen.”

With more and more people using it as a room to entertain in the modern day kitchen has become a social room as well as a practical one. It’s no surprise then, that the interior design of the kitchen is seen as an extension of the rest of the house.

Mark said: “At the minute the shaker style kitchen is extremely popular, lots of greys and paler colours. People seem to be veering away from the traditional wooden kitchens in favour of much cleaner, brighter look.”

38 | The Whitehaven Guide

A vintage take on the kitchen is also very popular at the moment, with quirky kettle designs and matching appliances it’s easy to have a retro-inspired kitchen.

While it’s nice to have a kitchen that looks good don’t get carried away; the whole purpose of a kitchen is to prepare and cook food. So it’s important to make sure your kitchen is safe, functional, and has the right components for you, Mark said: “The first and most important thing about a kitchen is its practicality. It’s lovely to have a nice design but if it’s not suitable for your needs then it’s just going to cause problems; always think about what you want out of your kitchen.”

Having a kitchen installed can be stressful and it’s often hard to know where to start, but it doesn’t have to be so difficult, Mark said: “Think about your personal needs, the designer will have a good idea about how to design it to suit you, so decide how you want it to look and how accessible you need it to be. And also make it personal to you, everybody likes different things so if you want to try something a bit new, just ask the designer if it’s possible.”

Textures | Home & Garden

It’s all about the TEXTURE

C

ushions, curtains and bedspreads are the things that make a room; they can bring it to life, add character and set a theme, but it’s often difficult to find just what you’re looking for. It’s no surprise then that there has been an increase in the number of people getting creative and adding their own handmade touches to their homes.

Here Tanya Rothwell, of Textures fabric shop, Saint John’s Street, Keswick, gives us an insight into the ever-growing trend of home-made furnishings and what’s in for 2015.

“People are now sourcing the unusual, they want something different; it makes their home a little bit more interesting and unique to them.”

Home & Garden Show 15TH & 16TH MAY

Tanya also thinks Velvet will catch people’s eyes this year: “Velvet is going to be popular this year; it’s a beautiful fabric and it’s much more affordable now.”

There are a few things to think about when picking a fabric and you have to decide what you really want from the material, Tanya said: “Some people like heavy materials and some prefer lighter ones but it’s important to think about what you want the fabric for and how you want the end result to look.”

For a long time sewing was associated with the older generation but that’s changed as more and more young people are taking to the sewing machine in an attempt to experiment with different fabrics and textures.

“It’s so lovely to see younger people getting involved. I have seen a huge increase in the age range, I think it’s down to individuality. Since I started stocking quirky prints, I have had a lot of footfall from teenagers. They want to have unique furnishings.”

“This summer off-purples, greens, pastels and muted colours are all popular. People are getting bored with beige, but are still too weary to go for full-on bright colours so I think they’re just dipping their toes in for now. The natural look is really popular at the minute as well.”

One particular fabric which is becoming increasingly popular, and one that can really add something different to a room is pure wool Tartans. Tanya said: “Wool Tartan is a fabric which has been generating a lot of interest, not only does it look it authentic but the texture is fab!”

April April/May / May 2015 | 39

Home & Garden | Feature Wall

Just one wall CAN CHANGE A ROOM Feature | Oakmere Homes

Wall stickers have also grown in popularity over the last few years as they are a fun and easy way to make a wall stand out. Wall stickers come in a variety of sizes and styles; everything from elaborate forest inspired designs to simpler designs like stars or fairies that can be scattered across the wall, famous quotes and song lyrics, you can even get the personalised with names – great for children’s bedrooms.

Wall stickers are removable but they aren’t reusable so you need to take special care when fitting the sticker.

For something even more unusual step away from the paint testers and the wallpaper samples and get creative. To create a personal feature wall that is totally unique to you choose a selection of your favourite photographs and display them in different shaped and sized frames; don’t just stick to one or two, go all out and cover the wall.

You can take this idea a step further by making it more 3D by adding in some old postcards, quirky plaques and hangings.

N

eutral coloured walls have become the norm in the majority of houses; creams, oatmeals and the palest pastels, are easy to live with, easy on the eyes and create a fresh look. Although these neutral colours can create a clean finish they can also make a room lacklustre. Creating a feature wall is a simple way to give a room a dramatic focal point.

A feature wall can inject personality and excitement without overpowering the rest of the room and you can be more experimental and daring with colour without committing to one shade throughout. A feature wall is also a quick and easy way to change the mood of your living space.

The easiest way to create a feature wall is by adding a stronger, more vibrant colour to one wall. This has maximum impact with minimal effort.

One of the most popular ways to create a feature wall is by wallpapering one wall; whether it’s a bold pattern, a vintage pattern or something more original choose a colour that compliments the colour or just keep it neutral.

40 | The Whitehaven Guide

Dream Price Tag | Home & Garden

Home & Garden Show

Your dream sofa, with a 15TH & 16TH MAY DREAM PRICE TAG

T

he arrival of spring brings with it the urge to redecorate and change things in the house, it can be a costly process but thanks to new business The House of Sofas buying a new suite doesn’t have to cost the earth.

Gary Seward decided to open the shop when he saw the resounding success that his other business Bargain House.

Gary said: “We offer brand new three piece suites at clearance prices, so people really do get value for money.”

Not only do they provide high quality, beautiful sofas and upholstery but they do their best to give the customers the best possible experience. Gary said: “We provide a free immediate delivery service so that people don’t have

to worry about waiting times or additional costs. We want people to find a brilliant suite, for a great price and leave feeling that they have received the best service possible.”

House of Sofa’s opens from 10am – 3pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. If you turn up at the shop throughout the week and there is nobody available to help then all you have to do is call the mobile number below and somebody will be there to help you as soon as they can, almost like shining batman’s torch in the sky!

The House of Sofas, 56 Roper Street, Whitehaven, 07747592671

April/May 2015 | 41

Home & Garden | Wallpapering

The job we LOVE TO HATE

Feature | Oakmere Homes

O

ne of the most difficult decorating skills to master is the art of hanging wallpaper; it should be smooth, straight, and the pattern should always line up. Even for the most accomplished DIY-er wallpapering can go drastically wrong. So we’ve created a list of helpful hints to make sure it hangs smoothly.

First things first, make sure you choose the right kind of wallpaper; heavy paper is easier to hang than lightweight paper as it doesn’t tear as easily when wet. It’s vitally important that you buy rolls of paper with the same batch numbers or you could get some colour variations between rolls.

Before you begin make sure you remove all loose paint, plaster, old paper and fill any cracks. Some shops suggests that you use lining paper, it’s not always necessary but is recommended if you're hanging embossed or expensive wallpaper or if the wall has imperfections that might show through your wallcovering. If you are using lining paper hang it horizontally so the joins don't match up with those on the top layer.

42 | The Whitehaven Guide

Standard wallpaper rolls are 0.53m wide and usually 10m in length. Measure the total perimeter of the room in metres, including doors and windows, and divide by 0.53.This is the number of widths needed.

Multiply the height of the room (in metres) by the number of widths needed to get the total length of wallpaper required.

Divide this by the length of a roll.This is the number of rolls you'll need. Always buy an extra roll or two, most shops will refund any unopened rolls.

Turn off the electricity and remove wall plates with a screwdriver. As you’ll be using a water based paste it's necessary to turn off the electricity in the room or you risk dangerous electrocution or ruining the outlets. Removing the panels can also help create a clean finish.You should also tape over the outlets to protect them; put small pieces of tape over the outlets and switches, enough to cover them.

House walls are not usually perfect right angles.To ensure that your wallpaper is straight, you will need to make a plumb line

Wallpapering | Home & Garden

Home & Garden Show 15TH & 16TH MAY

from which you measure the alignment of the paper.This can be done by using a carpenter's level.

Make sure your line is straight and keep a carpenter's level handy; use it to double-check that your wallpaper is straight.

paper from the middle out, using enough pressure to force the bubbles out through the edges. If you do create some wrinkles carefully pull the paper away from the wall until you reach the wrinkle and press it out slowly.

The first strip should be about four inches longer than the height of the wall. Strips after that should be at least two inches longer on the top and bottom but may need to be longer than the first one to insure that the pattern matches.

Continue hanging around the room, matching the pattern appropriately. Align the next piece to the first., if you’re using patterned wallpaper it's important to match the patterns as closely as possible.To line them up, start at a middle point to get them as close as possible and trim off the excess at the top and bottom.

Line up the paper with the line you drew on the wall. Begin at the ceiling, leaving about 2 inches hanging over the top and bottom of the wall. Carefully line up the wallpaper and press firmly into the wall to secure it.

Use a seam roller on each wallpaper seam. Make sure you have enough adhesive on the seams to prevent the paper from peeling but don’t push too hard or you may end up squeezing the glue or adhesive out.

Flatten the paper with a wallpaper brush this will help you eliminate any creases or bubbles in the paper. Smooth the

After letting the wallpaper set for at least 15 minutes clean up the seams by wiping off the excess glue with a wet sponge.

April April/May / May 2015 | 43

Feature | Oakmere Homes

44 | The Whitehaven Guide

Outside, Inside | Home & Garden

Bringing the OUTDOORS IN

W

e all love the outdoors; the smell of plants, forrest wood and beautiful scenery, but it seems that that is no longer enough as more and more people are bringing the outdoors into their homes.

From remarkable lamps and candle holders made from driftwood to natural sculptures made from tree stumps to rolls of wallpaper that can turn your living room wall into a never ending forest it’s easy to bring a natural theme into your home.

Whether it’s a house plant or some home grown herbs or flowers on the window sill bringing plants into your home can create a more natural feel,. Chose plant pots that will compliment your colour scheme for a more complete look.

If you’re not blessed with green fingers there are easier ways to bring the outdoors in. Leaf prints are in this season so it can be as simple as buying some new throw pillows or a new pair of curtains.

Furniture that has been carved roughly out of wood or has been designed to look like it belongs in a forest with natural twists, lumps and bumps is the ultimate way to create a home that feels like it’s at one with nature.

Bringing the outdoors in doesn’t have to cost a fortune, you can accessorise a room with shells from the beach, acorns or twigs from the park and, well, pretty much anything you like.

April April/May / May 2015 | 45

Health & Beauty | Bridget Foster

BRIDGET FOSTER

tells us how to SPLASH A LITTLE COLOUR ARTICLE BY

BRIDGET FOSTER Footer will go here Make Up & Hair Artist www.bridgetfoster .co.uk

C

hristmas is a distant memory, dry January is well and truly over and as the nights get lighter our moods are starting to brighten.

However, the cold weather can still keep us hibernating as we contend with dry skin, red noses and tired eyes so it’s extra important to have a regular skincare routine.

Make use of all those hand lotions, body lotions and bathing products you got for Christmas and exfoliate that flaky skin to get your glow back.

Regular readers of my column will know that I love cleansing oils; they’re the best way to clean your skin regardless of whether its dry, oily or combination. The essential oils used in cleansing oils will remove all the dirt and make up from the skin with out stripping it of its natural oils.

My new favourite is Sanctuary Facial Cleansing Oil £8, massage the oil into the skin until it becomes milky; the massage will stimulate the blood flow to your skin plumping out any fine lines and feeding your skin properly. Use it with Sanctuary Ultimate body Salt Scrub £11, a blend of sea salts in jojoba oil, coconut oil and almond oil. Apply gently to dry skin and rinse off. Your skin will never have felt so good.

If your skin still feels a bit dull you could try Vita Liberata £22.50 available in different strength mousses and creams. All these products are available from Boots.

46 | The Whitehaven Guide

Bridget Foster | Health & Beauty

Make Up Most of you will know how much I love skin that glows and how excited I am about Topshops make-up range. Give dull skin a glow with Topshops Glow Dust in Radiate £12, I wear this for special occasions or if I'm having a tired day; apply to cheek bones, tip of the nose and the sides of the forehead but I prefer a matt bronzer if I’m doing serious contour work.

As spring arrives you’ll want to add some colour to your wardrobe; adding subtle colours to your make-up will break you in nicely. A spot of colour will boost and brighten your mood as well as your skin; adding just a small amount of colour can brighten your eyes and boost your skin tone.

Opt for violet coloured mascara on the bottom lashes to enhance green/ hazel eyes or a coral blush to make blue eyes bluer – we used these techniques on our model. You don’t have to spend a fortune on eyeliners, buy a few deifferent colours, cheap ones and experiment, I like MUA pencils from as little as £1.

I purchased Urban Decay Vice Palette £60 over Christmas; it’s a brilliant range of matt colours and shimmers, vibrant plums and blues.

We’re already seeing some beautiful colours in high street fashions. I have also started re-using Naked Palette 3 from Urban Decay £38 which has a stunning range of pinks and plums, a lovely alternative to browns and done well with a plum or black liner will suit majority of eye colours and create a very feminine look.

I used this concept in a fashion shoot last autumn with a combination of outfits from up -coming designers that stylist Sophie Benson put together. I know Sophie loves using colour and shape so I needed my paints.

Our model, Emily, has a delicate face so I choose to add colour subtly to complement the styling; we used pastel and candy colours, adding a violet line or a blue eye brow or neon lips. I also used some Lime Crime Lipsticks £12.50 a small make up company whose colours are defiantly for the brave.

Photographer: Lucie Crewdson Stylist: Sophie Benson Makeup: Bridget Foster Model: Emily Ann Parsons at J’Adore Models April/May 2015 | 47

Health & Beauty | Fashion Week SS15

The make-up was softly highlighted on the eyes and lips, but kept as clean and simple as possible; giving a less is more feel.

Whistles

Jasper Conran

By Nelson Brown: www.facebook.com/brownshair

Spring

Summer

2015

Clean, crisp and laid back, Jasper Conran created a beautiful, fuss-free collection of utilitarianinspired separates.

Every day jersey fabrics were paraded alongside elasticised waists, dropped shoulders, maxi dresses and varsity stripes.

Bright blues clashed on geographical prints and provided statement linings to otherwise simplistic outfits.

The hair was given a natural, loose texture and appeared fuss-free, matching the models make-up perfectly.

Lead Stylist: Sam Hillerby @ Streeters London Assistant: Nelson Brown @ browns 48 | The Whitehaven Guide

Lead Stylist: James Pecis @ D+V Management Assistants: Nelson Brown and Trae Corbett @ browns Sensual simplicity was the key feature at Whistles, who showcased little white dresses, jumpsuits, slouchy tops and fluid pants.

Linen textures were teamed with raffia fringing that made a strong, bold statement. Laser cut leather was a prominent feature and was seen on dresses, tops and jackets. The key colours were black and white, with pastel lavenders and soft greys in-between. Whistle's designs scream perfect tailoring, and the stylish city wear was teamed with flat sandal platforms.

The hair was in a centre parting and placed in a loose low ponytail at the nape of the neck, fastened with a stylish metal bar grip.

Simone Rocha

Hunter

Simone Rocha's designs ooze love and passion, but her spring/summer 2015 collection is geared towards dark romance.

Lead Stylist: James Pecis @ D+V Management Assistant: Nelson Brown @ browns

Hunter's designs were all about military and utility; sporting olive greens, mustard yellows, soft lavenders and contrasting bright blues to break up the military aspect.

Transparent raincoats showcased beautiful geometric prints from underneath.

Classic Hunter boots were teamed with Paddington style coats.

Hunter's creative director, Alasdhair Willis, based his spring/summer collection around the idea of dazzle; the camouflage painting technique that was used on British warships.

Beautiful textured dresses were seen in black and off white, accompanied by fur trims and flat brogues.

Sheer, see-through dresses were styled alongside sheer trench coats, with the odd model sporting a romantic hair net. Alongside the black, white and soft pinks were bright floral contrasting

dresses, teamed with matching floral brogues.

The hair was given a wet, dishevelled, romantic appearance, with strong side-swept fringes. The wet look was emphasised by the hair often seen sticking to the model's face, in a carefree manner.

Barely there, minimal make-up accompanied the hairstyles, with an emphasis on well defined eyebrows and soft, natural coloured lips.

The hair was kept natural with a slight texture. Centre partings were given to each model with their long flowing locks tucked behind their ears to run smoothly down their backs.

The men's hair was kept short and natural, with some showcasing a side swept fringe, others a quiff and the rest left to its own devices.

Make-up was natural and barley there, with the skin given a rosy, blush glow and lips given a silky sheen.

Simone Rocha

Lead Stylist: James Pecis @ D+V Management Assistants: Nelson Brown and Trae Corbett @ browns April April/May / May 2015 | 49

50 | The Whitehaven Guide

Fashion| Health & Beauty

PUT A BIT OF SPRING IN YOUR WARDROBE

S

pring is here! And while you’re giving your house a spring clean, head to your wardrobe and clear a few things out of there as well.

We know it’s difficult to let go, but just think, if you haven’t worn it in the last three months get rid! Plus once you get rid of some of your old wardrobe you’ll be able to introduce some of this spring’s hottest fashion trends!

Look out for gingham this season; if you’re anything like us, it’ll make you feel a little bit nostalgic. It reminds us of being at primary school and wearing blue and white summer dresses. Wearing gingham will make you feel light, fluttery and probably, make you want to play hopscotch in the street.

Bright colours are back; yellow is great for spring as it will instantly brighten your day and make you look bright and happy but keep an eye out for baby colours like pink and blue as well.

In fabrics for this season are suede and denim, which will be hitting the high street pretty soon.

If you still need some inspiration on how to dress this spring, we’ve put together an outfit inspired by these very current trends.

Outerwear

Capes are bang on trend at the moment; plain, checked, faux fur - you name it. They’re everywhere! And with so many different patterns to choose from, you’re sure to find one that suits you. One that’s perfect for any wardrobe is Topshop’s super soft dark blue cape. It will go perfectly with a dress for more formal attire, or for the Boho, fresh out of bed look, pair with a shirt and jeans.

Top

Shoes

For shoes you can’t go wrong with is a pair of black ankle boots or even higher if you want; knee high black boots are in fashion right now, so give them a go!

Accessories

Finally if you want your jewellery to scream happy and fresh, try H&M’s white short necklace, which reminded us of daises, perfect for the spring theme.

Spring is a time to feel fresh, ready for the year and happy for the sun that’s finally starting to come through and this should be reflected in your clothes because if you’re feeling good, it’ll show!

Choose a top that will contrast beautifully with your cape of choice. A yellow ribbed halter neck from River Island would look great with a navy cape and will make you feel ready for the warm weather, but don’t worry; the cape will keep you snug while you wait for it to kick in!

Bottoms

Cheap Monday’s dark high rise jeans, which you can buy through Cheap Monday or Urban Outfitters, would be perfect with this outfit. They‘re comfortable, stylish and will keep you a little warmer than a skirt because let’s be honest, it may be sunny but it’s not warm yet.

April April/May / May 2015 | 51

N O I H S A F Y T I C f o E T S A N AT E V A H E T I comes to WH Feature| Dixons

N

ow with fresh refurbishment Dixons Department Store is almost unrecognisable.

The store has been transformed in to the most contemporary of city high street department stores that would sit well in any city or town. New brands are flooding in and they’re reaching out to the younger shopper.

No matter what your plans are for the summer Dixons have an outfit for every occasion.

Get ready for a day at the races, a wedding or a christening with a beautiful dress from Phase Eight, Jacques Vert, Windsmoor or Precis and team it up with a stunning fascinator, Radley handbag and pair of shoes from Jones the Bootmaker. You can also treat yourself to a beautiful new outfit from the new Wallis summer collection.

If your summer plans are less formal then check out their White Stuff, Sea Salt, Dash and Esprit collections. With floral dresses, nautical stripes and this summer’s must have; the denim dress. These can be teamed up perfectly with a pair of Converse which can be found in the new shoe department. Add a lightweight patterned waterproof and your summer wardrobe is set 52 | The Whitehaven Guide

New brands for men include Superdry and Jack & Jones which complement current brands such as Weird Fish and Peter England.

What better way to complete your summer look than with a bright new lipstick. Whether you want to try a vampy red, a pretty pink or play it safe with nude shades you can find them all in Dixons. To complement the Estee Lauder brand Dixons have introduced Sisley, an exciting skincare and make-up brand. Call in and treat yourself to a make-over or facial from either Estee Lauder or Sisley in Dixons new beauty room.

Dixons new fragrance department includes perfumes and aftershaves from Jimmy Choo, Elie Saab and Paco Rabanne.

So there’s no need to travel out of Whitehaven for leading fashion brands, simply browse the new look Dixons and when you’ve shopped ‘til you drop enjoy a relaxing cup of coffee or lunch in The Rooftop Cafe.

Effects of Water | Health & Beauty

A DROP OF HEALTH WITH EVERY GLASS

L

ast year one woman set herself the challenge of drinking a gallon of water everyday for 30 days and the world was shocked by the impact it had on her physical appearance. Her experiment doubtlessly encouraged us to think about how much water we actually drink but drinking water has a bigger impact on your health than on your physical appearance.

Fluid balance: Roughly 60 percent of the body is made of water. Drinking enough H2O maintains the body’s fluid balance, which helps transport nutrients in the body, regulate body temperature, digest food, and more.

Calorie control: Forget other diet tricks—drinking water could help with weight loss. Numerous studies have found a link between water consumption and losing a few pounds; water simply helps people feel fuller which means they’re less likely to snack.

Kidney function: Our kidneys process 200 quarts of blood daily, sifting out waste and transporting urine to the bladder, but the kidneys need enough fluids to clear away what we don’t need in the body.

Fatigue buster: Forget coffee—water can help fight those tired eyes. One of the most common symptoms of dehydration is tiredness. Drinking though the day can also help you concentrate and stay alert. A study in London found a link between students bringing water into an exam room and better grades, suggesting H2O promotes clearer thinking.

Sickness fighter: Water can help with decongestion and helps the body bounce back when your feeling under the weather. Just beware—drinking fluids hasn’t been scientifically proven to beat colds in one swoop, so don’t swap this for other cold remedies.

Muscle fuel: Sweating at the gym causes muscles to lose water. And when the muscles don’t have enough water, they get tired. So try drinking water to push through that final set of squats.

This is by no means an exhausted list, amoung other things water can also help prevent paint, clear spot prone skin and prevent breast from sagging.

April/May 2015 | 53

| Health & Beauty

Health & Beauty | Nails

Hard as Nails

HARD AS NAILS

N

othing says glamour quite like a set of perfectly manicured nails but in our day-today lives we expose our hands, and therefore our nails, to harsh conditions and chemicals which can cause our nails to peel, snag and break. So how do you maintain long, strong nails?

Moisturising is essential for healthy nails; the actual nail forms just below the cuticle, and when you massage the cuticle you bring blood into that area which promotes healthier nail growth. Moisturising will help keep the skin hydrated as will drinking plenty of water, sounds obvious but you’d be surprised how many of us don’t drink enough of it

Although it is technically spring we’re still suffering from wintery temperatures and icy winds which can dry out our hand and nails so protect them by wearing a pair of glove when you go out – preferably not fingerless mittens.

When your nails do chip don’t start sawing them with a nail file as this will weaken them; file from each outside edge toward the centre of the nail. It’s important to keep a nail file with you at all times to smooth any rough edges and prevent making it worse.

Speaking of things that dry out your nails, that bacteria killing hand sanitizer you’re carrying around in your handbag is probably do as much harm as it is good. Although the nails are one of the dirtiest parts of the body be careful not apply too much to your cuticles and nails to prevent drying them out too much.

Remember to wear rubber gloves when using household cleaners, these will provide a barrier of protection against harmful chemicals that break the nail down.

54 | The Whitehaven Guide

There are some great products on the market that can help to strengthen your nails such as nail strengthening polishes, cuticle oils and even products like Shellac, which helps bond the layers of nails together. However, peeling Shellac off, or indeed any nail varnish, instead of removing it properly, can damage the surface of your nails.

April/May 2015 | 55

Food & Drink | Alan Spedding

CHOWDER for a CHILLY DAY I

t’s minus five outside as I write this and although we’re well into the swing of a new year I’m sure we still have lots of very cold days left before things start warming up again at Easter. With chilly days in mind this recipe is an absolutely perfect way to warm you up from the inside out.

It’s a good old fashioned chunky Chowder packed with goodness and robust flavours.... its top shelf comfort food.

For those out there feeling a little health conscious cut the fat off the bacon and use skimmed milk. I prefer to leave the fat on and use full cream milk as obviously the end result is determined by the quality of the ingredients used and it tastes far better this way. At the end of the day, it`s a pretty healthy concoction packed with good Carbs so rest assured that your diets will be unaffected. For those of you that don`t like Prawns simply substitute them for 2 small Chicken breasts.

Words & Photography by Alan Spedding Follow Alan at: www.alanspedding.co.uk www.cumbriafoodie.wordpress.com www.theguidemediagroup.co.uk

56 | The Whitehaven Guide

Alan Spedding | Food & Drink

SMOKEY PRAWN, CORN AND SWEET POTATO CHOWDER (MAKES 4 GOOD SERVINGS.) 4 slices dry cured smoked Bacon Olive oil 1 medium red Onion, diced 2 stalks of Celery, diced 2 medium sized sweet Potatoes, diced 1inch thick 2 sprigs fresh Thyme ¾ tsp smoked or regular Paprika ½ tsp Chili powder ½ tsp Cumin ½ tsp dried Oregano ½ tsp sea Salt 2 cobs of cooked

Sweetcorn (corn removed) 3 tbsp plain Flour 480 ml stock 700 ml milk For the Prawns: 10-15 large Prawns ¼ tsp Cumin ¼ tsp Salt ¼ tsp black Pepper ¼ tsp Paprika ¼ tsp chili powder Pinch or two red Pepper flakes

FOR THE CHOWDER

Dice up the bacon and cook in a large heavy pan over medhigh heat until fat has rendered and bacon is crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon on to a paper towel.

There should be about 2-3 tbsp of rendered bacon fat in the bottom of your pot. If there is less, add a bit of vegetable or olive oil to top it up.Turn the heat down to low-medium, add the diced onion and celery and cook until translucent, after roughly 4-5 minutes add in sweet potato, stir and cover. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until sweet potato is starting to soften. Add the thyme and spices and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute.

Pour in the stock and milk and bring to a gentle simmer, whisking constantly. It should start to thicken. Pour in the Corn kernels. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until it’s thick and creamy.

If it’s too thick, add in some more milk or stock to thin it out.

Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.

FOR THE PRAWNS

While the soup simmers and thickens, toss your peeled prawns with the spice mixture then let them rest for 2 minutes. Add vegetable oil to a pan over a medium to high heat and cook the prawns, one layer at a time, for 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through and starting to curl and turn golden brown. At this point, you can leave the prawns whole so they look good on top of the soup.You could also cut them into bite sized chunks and toss into the soup.Top with bacon bits, fresh ground pepper and thyme leaves. Ladle into mugs or whatever you have available and enjoy!

April/May 2015 | 57

Food & Drink|Rhubarb Vodka

Ingredients 1 litre/1ž pints vodka 2 rhubarb sticks ½ lemon, zest only 3 cloves 1 cinnamon stick 3 tbsp sugar

RHUBARB

VODKA ...ANYONE

?

Preparation method Crush rhubarb with a mortar and pestle and place in a kilner jar with sugar and leave to macerate for two days.

Add the cloves, cinnamon and zest and cover with vodka.

Leave the jar in a cool dark place for 3 weeks, but shake daily.

Filter through muslin, re-bottle and leave for 3 months before drinking.

58 | The Whitehaven Guide

R O F K O O L FRESH NEEW F A E H S T A THE WH

The Wheatsheaf | Food & Drink

T

he Wheatsheaf Egremont, has been stuck in the 80s for far too long and Max Bacon, had just about had enough and decided that he needed to bring it into the 21st century.

The popular pub, known for its live music, has unfortunately been stuck in the past and hasn’t been a redecorated for over 30 years. But now with the contemporary new look Max hopes people will see the pubs true potential, he said: “The pub hasn’t had a decent refurbishment for years; it needed it.”

With a new bar that completely changes the feel of the room, you get a sense of class when you’re ordering your drink and the new wooden floors contribute to a modern and relaxed feel.

The space created behind the bar has been very cleverly thought about, Max explained: “We’ve utilised all the space we had behind the bar to give us a huge area without sacrificing any of the pub space. It’s great because now we are serving people much quicker and its much less stressful.”

The whole refurbishment has taken eight weeks to complete. The amazing thing though is that the bar didn’t have to close due to work being done. They have worked through it all and the former GTR is delighted with the results: “I love it, it looks fantastic. It gives the whole pub a modern, fresh, clean feel. I think it feels bigger and much more welcoming.”

With the contemporary bar, the fancy new floors, the gorgeous lights behind the bar and the entertainment area for live, local music The Wheatsheaf is the place to be.

For a list of events of what’s coming up at The Wheatsheaf, check our What’s On guide!

April/May 2015 | 59

60 | The Whitehaven Guide

Hot Cross Bun Butter Pudding| Feature

HOT CROSS BUN &

BUTTER PUDDING This easy, seasonal recipe is a great pudding on Easter Sunday and great way to use up any hot cross buns that may have gone stale.

SERVES 4 -6 PEOPLE

Ingredients: Lightly butter an oven proof dish roughly 20cm x 15cm x 5cm 8 hot cross buns 1 pint/568ml double cream 6 eggs 4oz/100g caster sugar 2oz/50g butter 2oz/50g white chocolate buttons 2oz/50g dried apricots, chopped 2oz/50g dried sultanas

METHOD:

Cut hot cross buns in half and butter Whisk eggs and sugar until light and well combined, whisk in the cream Place half the hot cross buns in the buttered baking tray and sprinkle over dried fruits and white chocolate and top with the remaining hot cross buns Pour over the cream mixture and allow to soak for 1 hour.

Bake at 160 for 30-40 minutes until lightly set April/May 2015 | 61

Food & Drink| Akash Bhaji

AKASH ONION

BHAJI

T

he Onion Bhaji is an Indian dish that we Brits can’t resist. Whether it’s with a hot Vindaloo, or a mild Korma, the Onion Bhaji compliments any meal. And it doesn’t have to be an Indian dish that your Bhaji’s can make special, they go beautifully with a Salad! So why not have a go yourself?

INGREDIENTS (Makes 4)

• 2 onions finely chopped • 100g gram flour • 1 tbsp vegetable oil • ½ tsp turmeric • ½ tsp cumin • ½ tsp chilli powder • ½ tsp fenugreek leaves, chopped • ½ tsp salt • ¼ tsp fennel seeds • 1 egg • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped • Small bunch of coriander, chopped • Vegetable oil, to cook

METHOD

Mix all dry ingredients together, then add the tbsp of vegetable oil, egg and garlic. Once the consistency is of a light batter add in the chopped onions until they are well coated. Then mix in the coriander last.

Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or large pan on around 190C. Once the oil is up to temperature, shape mixture into medium sized balls. Drop into the oil, then stir carefully to stop them sticking. Cook for about four minutes, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden.

Can be served with chutney or pickle.

62 | The Whitehaven Guide

Akash Bhaji | Food & Drink

RICHARDSON’S

WINE ADVICE

O

nions, Tomatoes, Curry and spices are about the worst things in the world to try to partner with most wines simply because the flavours are so far out on a limb that they clash rather than compliment with fruit and alcohol.

The former can taste sour and the latter like vinegar when paired with Curry so Onion Bhajis are a deliciously awkward food to pair. I would normally recommend going native and drinking a cool fruit yoghurt with them, a crisp cool Lager or a light beer such as Kobra. Yes, you heard me, even Fine Wine Merchants can admit to being lager louts on the odd occasion. If however you’re a bit of a Mrs Bouquet and need a mask of respectability with your dinner then you need to go white and specifically a German Riesling or an Alsace Gewurztraminer.

They are both soft, waxy styles of wine that absorbs some of the stronger flavours rather than trying to enhance them. Whatever you do, avoid Red unless you’re a bit of a masochist.

April/May 2015 | 63

PRODIGIOUS AWARD FOR LOCAL DELICACY

Food & Drink| Rum Story

64 | The Whitehaven Guide

J

efferson’s Rum is the oldest rum label in the United Kingdom it’s the most historically significant of all the local spirits and now Jefferson’s 1785 Extra Fine Dark Rum has won a global award.

The Global Rum Masters 2015 awarded Jefferson’s Rum a Silver award in the Dark up to Seven Years category at the event which was held in the Jugged Hared in London’s Chiswell Street last month.

Set up in 2007 the Global Rum Masters has become one of the most respected blind tasting competitions in the world.

The judges are tasked with testing the diverse style, complexity and flavour of each rum. The judging panel is made up of highly experienced spirit and on-trade specialists awarding Silver, Gold and Master medals. The Masters is different because of the amount of categories it breaks each spirit into.

Judges scrutinised white, gold, dark and flavoured rums but the Dark up to Seven Years category was by far one of the judges favourites. One Judge said: “There’s a much wider complexity coming through in this round. Some were creative but didn’t quite hit the mark, while others were incredible – aromatic and flavourful”. Another added: “This was a consistent round, and all delivered ‘perfectly acceptable’ to ‘very good’ results. It seems the rum industry is fully aware of what makes a good dark rum.”

Jefferson’s Extra Fine Dark Rum is an impressive marriage of two classic rum styles aged in oak casks to impart a complex balance of flavours. It’s a rich, beautifully textured dark navy rum which displays a fine balance of deep toffee, liquorice and vanilla with a subtle hint of honeycomb and ripe fruit at the finish.

Celia McKenzie, Chief Executive of Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners said: “We are delighted that our Jefferson’s 1785 Extra Fine Dark Rum has received a Silver award. This award recognises excellence by category, age, design and packaging.

Our production and distribution is very small compared to many of the entrants and as our rum is not a means to an end just to sell alcohol but as a quality product to support and promote the Rum Story, this award just confirms that, and the opinion of our regular customers, this is a ‘delightful’ and ‘consistant’ sample of the Dark up to 7 years old category.”

Although produced on the Jefferson Family’s Antiguan estate 230 years ago in 1785 the Dark Spirit has its roots firmly set in the west coast of Cumbria due to the local family and the once thriving harbour through which it was imported.

April/May 2015 | 65

Food & Drink| Greek Easter Lamb

GREEK EASTER

LAMB INGREDIENTS

• 1 garlic bulb, separated into cloves, half peeled and sliced, half unpeeled • 8-10 fresh bay leaves • 3 lemons, cut into quarters lengthways • 2½ kg leg of lamb • 50ml Greek extra virgin olive oil, plus 4 tbsp for the potatoes • 1 tsp ground cinnamon • 1kg Cypriot potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthways (if you can’t find these, any large, waxy variety is fine – try Desirée) • 140g Greek Kalkidis olives (or other large pitted green olives) • 125ml red or dry white wine

METHOD

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Arrange the unpeeled garlic cloves, 3 bay leaves and the lemon quarters in a large roasting dish and cover with 200ml cold water. Sit the lamb on top, drizzle with the olive oil and rub it in all over.

Using a small sharp knife, cut small incisions in the lamb skin, then tuck the remaining peeled and sliced garlic and bay leaves into these slits.

Season the lamb well and sprinkle over the cinnamon.

Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.

Leave to cook for 4 hrs, skimming the fat from the juices and removing the foil for the final 30 mins of cooking.

66 | The Whitehaven Guide

Greek Easter Lamb| Feature

After 1 hr, put the potato wedges in a large roasting tin, coat them in 4 tbsp olive oil and season well. Roast in the oven with the lamb for 11/2-2 hrs.

Transfer the cooked lamb to a large piece of foil, wrap tightly and leave to rest for 20-30 mins. Check the potatoes are cooked (if you need to, turn the oven up to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 to finish cooking). Add the olives and wine to the pan juices, simmer them and keep warm until ready to carve.

Serve the lamb thickly sliced with the olives, potatoes and Tahini & lemon sauce with the meat juices poured over at the last minute.

April/May 2015 | 67

Feature | Tee Off

LIGHT NIGHTS ARE HERE. IT’S TIME TO TEE OFF!

A

ny keen golfer knows that practise is the key to improving their game but the right equipment can also have a huge impact on the way you play. We take a look at Cumbria’s newest golf centre Ultimate Golf, which is dedicated to ensuring the highest quality kit is available so you can play the best game possibly i.e. with sunshine on your back!

Ultimate Golf welcomes and caters for golfers of all ages and abilities. Previously known as Carlisle Driving Range, Ultimate Golf’s new owner and pro golfer Daniel Hookway took over seven months ago and is already making changes, with new clothing ranges, improvements to the driving range, GC2 Golf Course Simulator and the facility to custom make golf clubs on site.

Having a set of custom made clubs is a must for any golfer who is trying to improve their game, Daniel said: “Every player needs something a bit different.”

Not only is Ultimate Golf the National fitter for Orka golf clubs in the North of England and Scotland but all the staff are passionate about the sport, especially European Tour Technician Jimmy Latta. Jimmy has made clubs for some of the best golfers 68 | The Whitehaven Guide

Tee Off| Feature

in the world and is now doing the same for golfers in Cumbria After an initial appointment where your measurements are taken and your speed and club head are evaluated, your Orka clubs will be made on the premises and ready for you to take home within a few hours.

Using only the best components at affordable prices Orka is a small brand that is growing quickly and has already won awards.

Ultimate Golf also offer custom made clubs by other major brands like Nike but these are not made on the premises.

The renovations at the driving range include additional targets, flood lights and targets that light up in the dark; all this means that you’ll be able to practise for longer, even in the winter.

Ultimate Golf is Cumbria’s newest and most exciting golf centre and is the perfect place to fulfil all your golfing needs whether it’s to learn, practice or improve.

Facility includes: • • • • • • • • • •

Short Game area with practice bunker and Huxley Green Private Teaching Room with the latest high speed cameras and coaching software Indoor Putting Green Custom Fitting room utilising state of the art simulator and GC2 Launch Monitor A large retail shop specialising in the best and most up to date brands National Fitting Centre for the North of England for ORKA Golf Clubs Authorised Fitting Center of Nike, Ping,Taylor Made, Titleist, Srixon and Cobra Golf Clubs A fully kitted out workshop ran by our ex European Tour club technician Jimmy Latta 2 on site Qualified PGA Professionals Daniel Hookway and Stuart Rafferty COMING SOON – Fitness Room ran by qualified TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) Golf Fitness Professional Russell Jones.

April/May 2015 | 69

Feature | Adrian Lewis

l for locta s n a F s r Daeaton Rugby Club S 8th May,

F

ast-paced, exciting …and with a growing following, darts is no longer merely a pub sport.

Darts is a sport that appeals to all ages and with its party atmosphere crowds are desperate to get a bit of the action.

Luckily there’s a chance to experience the best that British darts has to offer on Friday May 8, when World Champions, Adrian Lewis and Keith Deller, play each other at Seaton Rugby Club, giving fans a rare chance to get up-close and personal with these dar ts legends.

The event has already proved incredibly popular, with VIP tickets selling out in just two days, but it’s not just the locals who are excited. Adrian told us: “I’ve played in the area before and have always had a great time and I am excited to entertain the local crowd. I’ll be enter taining them with some great darts and a few fancy finishes but more importantly it’ll be just great to meet the people from Workington.”

age of 30 he’s relatively young in comparison to others on the dar ts circuit but he’s already twice won the World Championship. Adrian said: “To win the World Championship once is a great achievement but to win back the world title is a great feeling and doing it at such a young age means I can, hopefully, add to my tally of two.”

But Adrian isn’t complacent about his achievements and he knows the competition is still fierce. He said: “When you win the biggest title there are always players waiting to knock you down; but I look at winning as a confidence boost and want to win more majors.”

There is even a chance for members of the audience to play against Adrian. Organiser of the event and dar ts promoter, Ben Nicholson, said: “It’s going to be brilliant. It will have the same atmosphere that you see on the TV; the music, the referees and two world champions - you don’t get any better than that!”

“I’ve been friends with Adrian for a while and last year he promised that he would come and play in my home town some time and, as it happened, Peter Gilmore of Seaton Rugby Club wanted to hold a dar ts night and he called me. Luckily Adrian kept his promise.”

Since winning the British Teenage Open, in 2003, Adrian’s career has gone from strength to strength and at the 70 | The Whitehaven Guide

“I really look forward to the big matches against the likes of Taylor, MVG and Gary Anderson; because these are the players you know you have to beat to win the big titles. It’s always great to play with the legends of the spor t such as Eric Bristow and my manager Keith Deller, because they tell me some great tales of the past.”

Yet despite his success Adrian admitted that he is still

Adrian Lewis | Feature

affected by nerves. “I always get nervous before a match, which is a good thing as it means your mind is on the job in hand. The important thing is to control those nerves so you play your best darts.”

Having played all over the country I was curious to know whether Adrian preferred a game in a local pub or big arena games, he said: “I enjoy playing in the big TV events as you get a big buzz as you walk onto the stage and it’s a great feeling when the winning dar t goes in and you are the champion. The bigger matches are the high profile events but the ones on the floor are as impor tant because they’re the ones that keep your form up.”

“It’s very important to play in the smaller venues, as the players on the way up need to gain experience.”

“We have to look to the future generation because our sport is in a great place and the likes of Keegan Brown coming through means our spor t will keep getting stronger. There are a lot of academies around the country now and I always enjoy going along to meet the youngsters.”

A combination of the younger players and a par ty atmosphere has led to an increase in the number of fans, Adrian said: “Dar ts is a great event to come to as people can watch the top players in the world. The fans like to dress up which adds to the par ty atmosphere.”

“The fans are very impor tant; when we play tournaments and you can hear them singing your name it can help you to win games. The top players know that without the people coming we wouldn’t have great tournaments.”

For those who are eager to travel in the same footsteps as the likes of Aiden his advice was simple: “It’s very impor tant to practice hard whenever you can and to enter league dar ts and small competitions to gain experience.”

Ben said: “It’s amazing to see how many people want to get involved. I have travelled all over with dar ts and I have never known an exhibition take so much interest.”

The event will take place on Friday May 8 and starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are £20 call Ben on: 07742125817

April April/May / May 2015 | 71

Sport | Whitehaven R.L.F.C.

NGING?

IS HAVEN’S LUCK CHA

BY CRAIG WISHART

RY MCKEATING

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GA

Hardly an ideal start to the season as assistant coach James Coyle supported by experienced players like Brett Seymour and James Robinson were left to pick up the pieces.

According to Seymour: “It’s probably best that it’s happened now rather than later in the season. We now have to put a team out that we think will best represent Whitehaven.

Nothing will change from how we have worked. We’ll be using his (Deakin’s) systems, the boys understand them and me and James have to implement them.”

STEVE DEAKIN

T

wo months ago, when the last guide was out, Haven were looking to find their feet before the start of the season. A new group of players had been assembled and the new coach, Steve Deakin, was looking forward to guiding his team through the Championship. Haven now have another coach after the unfortunate resignation from Deakin before his sides season opener against Halifax.

Deakin was unable to commit to the club because of personal reasons and CEO Barry Richardson was frustrated.

“We would like to thank him for the high level of commitment that he has shown in his time here. It comes at a disappointing time with just a week to go before the start of the season.”

72 | The Whitehaven Guide

It was always going to be a tough ask for the players to respond in the face of such chaos, especially with twelve debutants named. Haven lost that game 44-16.

JAMES COYLE

Coyle was understandably pragmatic after the match.

“It’s going to take time. We’ve lost a coach and we’ve got to consolidate for the next couple of weeks and try and put a team on the field that’s going to compete. Hopefully we’ll do a little bit better each week and then the fans will start coming back in.”

Consolidating is easier said than done when your next match is an away game to the relegated Bradford Bulls. It

Whitehaven R.L.F.C. | Sport

was no surprise Haven lost although the 34-4 score line was not really fair on the players.

Seymour said: “I didn’t think the final score reflected on our performance and Bradford would probably say the same.

There was that little touch of class and they put us to the sword. We ran out of gas towards the end.”

Haven were simply overrun in the latter part of the game as Bradford ran in four of their six tries in the second half.

A week later and Haven faced a critical match against Sheffield, they were competitive for long periods of the match but an error riddled last half cost them dearly.

Newly appointed coach James Coyle admitted: “I was a bit disappointed with the performance to be honest. The effort was outstanding and the intensity was good. But we had a spell in the second half when we failed to complete nine sets in a row and that was the difference between winning and losing.”

After the 23-16 loss to Dewsbury in the fourth game Coyle was disappointed again.

“Over the last few weeks we have been taking steps forward and in my opinion we went backwards. We had

more than a good opportunity to win the game. We got ourselves in front in the second half and had a massive advantage with the wind behind us but we played pretty dumb. But we switched off and it’s been a problem over the last few weeks.”

His disappointment is understandable because Coyle’s team has been improving, each week their losing margin lessens as the players gel together and they exert greater authority during play. A win was desperately needed for morale.

It came against London, although Haven made tough work of it as they blew a fourteen point lead in the second half.

Local recruit John Paul Brocklebank starred in that match scoring a try and three conversions.

Unfortunately it was a tough draw for Haven in the fourth round of the Challenge Cup as they came up against Featherstone. They lost the game 36-12 but most fans would claim the referee was responsible for the blowout score line.

Haven can now focus on the rest of their season and it’s not as bleak as the table position suggests. No doubt it was a tough start but there is improvement every week and there will be more victories to follow.

April/May 2015 | 73

Sport | Comets

comets are ready for the new Words By: Laura Morgan

W

orkington Comets kicked of the new season last month with a press day.

Conditions were good as the sun shone down on all seven riders as they took to a fast looking track. Six of them for the first time this year but for young signing Nathan Greaves it was his first ever look at the Derwent Park track.

Admission was by way of a donation to the Great North Air ambulance and on the day £359 was raised and with a late donation making it £400, the management are delighted to be able to send yet another substantial donation to this incredibly worthy cause.

We start our season with a pair of two leg challenges to 74 | The Whitehaven Guide

season!

allow the riders time to get dialled into the track and have some vital track time before our league competitions kick off in early April. We begin with the A66 Trophy home and away against Redcar, followed by the Ian Thomas memorial shield, home and away against Redcar.

New to Workington this year will be a junior section of the supporters club with regular activities, competitions and lots of ideas to try and involve the younger generation and retain their interest. In turn, I will also be starting a junior section on the website.

I intend to use our advertising budget to advertise locally as we believe there are still so many people who either have no idea that speedway is running in Workington or have some misguided pre conceived ideas regarding what speedway is about. People decide they won’t like it before they have even tried. Another focus this year is trying to capture the “we always used to go” brigade by giving them incentive to come back and try it. Most of our supporters tell us they came once, and were hooked. So, I am hoping we can attract more spectators through the turnstiles this season.

Again, I have tried to extend some of our more popular lines of clothing by introducing more colours to our tremendously popular hoodies. These are sold at a very reasonable price and are becoming increasingly popular amongst non- speedway supporters, making our logo quite a familiar local brand. Everyone will no doubt have seen someone wearing one somewhere! You can take a look at our hoodies and keep up to date with new by visiting www.workingtoncomets.co

April/May 2015 | 75

Motoring | Pirelli

25TH APRIL

ICONIC RALLY CARS RETURN FOR PIRELLI RALLY

C

arlisle’s city centre will be filled with car enthusiast as they eagerly gather for the 38th Pirelli Carlisle Rally on Saturday April 25. This year’s event will see some of yesteryears most take to the track.

The track runs from Carlisle city centre outside the town hall, through Kielder forest, stretching over 155,000 acres this section of track provides some beautiful scenery.

Full of excited spectators awaiting the thrill that the race brings to the city each year; the atmosphere throughout the city centre is fantastic when the rally comes around as young and old alike jostle to take photographs and collect the autographs of the star drivers.

Unlike previous years, the 2015 Carlisle rally will be part of the British Historic rally championship. Brian Kinghorn,

76 | The Whitehaven Guide

Pirelli | Motoring

director of the rally, said: “The cars this year are going to attract a lot of interest from enthusiasts and the public alike, over 70 of the cars taking part in the race will be classic’s.”

The event is one of the longest running in Britain. Every year the rally attracts hundreds of spectators and competitors Brian said: “This year we are expecting around 100 to 120 entries which is really exciting, there will be competitors from all over the UK and overseas so it’s sure to be interesting.”

The first cars will arrive at 9am were they can be viewed and photographed outside the old town hall. The first car will set off at 10am: Brian said “The track is beautiful and will take the drivers through some really stunning scenery.”

After an excellent year in 2014, when the rally won the Best Round in the British Historic Rally Championship, organisers are hopeful that this year will bring as much success as previous years.

April April/May / May 2015 | 77

Feature| Pick-up

THE PICK-UP TO PICK UP

T

he Isuzu D-Max –‘Pick-Up Truck of the Year’ in the Fleet Van Awards 2014 has an impressive 3.5-tonne towing limit and has enjoyed strong sales over the past and appeals strongly to fleet buyers With a five-year/125,000-mile warranty and two-year service, plus competitive running costs the D-Max has the ruggedness required for a multitude of fleet roles but also appeals to drivers with its easy driving style and comfortable seats.”

It combines world-class ability and refinement with low ownership costs and is one of the most cost-effective pickups on the market with ultra-low insurance groups (8A to 10A), class-leading residual values and fuel economy (38.7 mpg combined), industry-leading fleet packages (available from £185 per month), all backed-up by that pioneering five-year / 125,000-mile warranty.

78 | The Whitehaven Guide

Last year sales rose 33% as the D-Max’s reputation continues to spread.

The D-Max is available in three body styles – single, extended and double cab – with prices starting from £14,749 (CVOTR) for the entrylevel single cab 4x2 rising to £25,995 (CVOTR) for the special edition Isuzu D-Max Blade Auto.

The Isuzu D-Max is fitted with a super-efficient 2.5-litre twin-turbo diesel engine, producing 163 PS and 400 Nm of torque and able to tow a class-leading 3.5-tonnes (braked), which can be mated to a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission.

Local independent specialists for Isuzu are Fulton’s, of Dean Cross, near Lamplugh who are also the local Land-Rover specialists.

Pick-up| Feature

Tour de force …and speaking of Land-Rovers… an all new Defender tour has opened at their Solihull, Birmingham plant to celebrate one of the world’s most iconic vehicles. It’s part of a new visitor attraction replicating an original 1948 production

line and over 20,000 visitors are expected before UK production of the Defender ends this year. There’s an authentic replica of the production line used to manufacture its first 4x4 in 1948.

It gives an insight into life on a car production line in the late 1940s using original tools and a draftsmen’s drawing board where visitors are also asked to wear authentic overalls.

The new Defender factory tour lasts approximately three hours and costs £45 per person.

April April/May / May 2015 | 79

Fun & Games | Colouring Time

DAnielle’s Colouring in Competition

WIN a colouring set!

Your Name:.........................................................

Your Address:.................................................... ...................................................................................... ......................................................................................

80 | The Whitehaven Guide

Children’s Puzzles | Fun & Games

Colour in the picture and send it to: Danielle at The Guide Media Group, Pheonix Enterprise Centre, Jacktrees Road, Cleator Moor, Cumbria, CA25 5BD Entries must be received by 31/5/15

Kids’ Sudoku

Word search

Spring Words

Christmas Word search Fun Blossom Daffodil Bulb Bonnet Lamb Basket Bunny Primrose Easter Chicks Spring April/May 2015 | 81

Puzzles | Take a break

Catch-Words

Test your knowledge and complete the catch-phrases

Please see p97 for puzzle solutions ALPHA SUDOKU Place a letter from A to I in

each empty cell so every row, every column and every 2x3 box contains all the letters A to I.

82 | The Whitehaven Guide

Across 1. ___ speak louder than words (7) 5. Pieces of ___ (5) 8. Trade ___ (7) 9. The Holy ___ (5) 10. __ the lion (3) 12. Lead by ___ (7) 14. A little rough around the ___ (5) 15. Last but not ___ (5) 20. Time is of the ___ (7) 22. Tic-Tac- ___ (3) 23. A ___ playing field (5) 25. Sorely ___ (7) 27. __ your bets (5) 28. Many happy ___ (7) Down 1. Question and ___ (6) 2. ___ pink (7) 3. The ___ and only (3) 4.You can't beat the ___ (6) 5. Chicken and ___ (3) 6. ___ the nettle (5) 7. Fortune ___ (6) 11. A drop in the ___ (5) 13. Secret ___ (5) 16. Helter ___ (7) 17. Health, ___ and happiness (6) 18. ___ late than never (6) 19. Jack of all ___ (6) 21. ___ by the bell (5) 24. Let sleeping dogs ___ (3) 26. ___ his match (3)

SUDOKU Place a number from 1 to 9 in each

empty cell so everyrow, every column and every 3x3 box contains all the numbers 1 to 9.

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Supermarkets

Points Of Interest The Candlestick The Crow’s Nest The Hub The Market Place Library Castle Park Trinity Gardens/Labyrinth Mount Pleasant St. Nicholas Centre

Guest Houses

Local Ameneties Post Office Police Station Petrol Station (x3) Parking (x8) 28 Corner House

24 25 26 27

Rail

22 Whitehaven Station 23 Corkickle Station

Places Of Worship 19 St. Nicolas Chapel 20 St James’ Church 21 St Begh’s Church

Sports Grounds 17 Recreation Ground 18 Cricket Ground

15 Tesco Store 16 Morrisons

10 11 12 13 14

6 7 8 9

Information 4 Local Records Office 5 Copeland Borough Council

Attractions 1 The Rum Story 2 The Beacon 3 Haig Mining museum

Whitehaven Town | Map

d es R ous Foxh Irt Ave

ve Esk A

ve

April/May 2015 | 83

Feature|Festivals

F

estival season is just around the corner!

So get your wellies out and the tent ready. Not only does this year see the return of some of our favourite festivals, but the introduction of some awesome new ones!

There’s nothing better than waking up in a tent, in the middle of a field at the height of summer.

The sound of live music, the smell of Grass, the taste of beer and the sun on your face (hopefully). This is what the festival experience is all about, whether you’re a festival virgin, or a regular tent dweller, this summer should be all about the experience!

With Kendal Calling upping its capacity and announcing a star filled line up and the return of the much loved Solfest this year could be the best yet for Cumbria’s festival lovers.

Check out our festival guide in our next issue!

IREBY FESTIVAL 22 to 23 May STEPPING STONES 12 to 13 June CARLISLE MUSIC CITY 17 to 19 July MARYPORT BLUES 25 July KENDAL CALLING 30 July to 2 August SOLFEST 28, 29, & 30 August NEW! ASPATRIA FESTIV AL 17 to 19 July NORTHBOUND 7 to 9 August

84 | The Whitehaven Guide

WHAT’S ON

MUSIC / THEATRE / FILM / COMEDY / OTHER

to 11 April Sister Act Carnegie, Workington

//MUSIC April 3 Johnny Turpin The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------April 4 Darren La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------April 5 Postcard Band The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------April 9 Kids Disco for Charity Haven Club, Whitehaven ------------------------------------------------April 10 Max Bacon with Danny Pickering The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------April 10 Billy Bibby (Ex-Catfish And The Bottlemen) Copeland Stadium Club Bar ------------------------------------------------April 11 Barbarella La’al Club, Egremont, -------------------------------------------------

April 13 Flower Club La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------April 17 Gary McAlone The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------April 17 – 19 Dubfest Weekend Eskdale Campsite ------------------------------------------------April 17 17th – DJ PAUL SEATH – DJ & SINGER Woolpack Inn, Eskdale ------------------------------------------------April 18 Bernie La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------April 18 Tommy Scott (Space) PLUS SUPPORT Copeland Stadium Club Bar ------------------------------------------------April 19 Nathan Carter One of the biggest names on the Irish music scene.

The Sands Centre, Carlisle ------------------------------------------------April 19 La’al Big Band: Glenn Miller Themed Night Whitehaven Golf Club. 7:30 start ------------------------------------------------April 24 VICE SQUAD + Muff Wigs kiss tribute :- hotter than hell Vine Bar, Workington The Sex Pistols Experience The Brickyard, Carlisle ------------------------------------------------April 24 Newton & Smith The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------April 25

Mojo Rising The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------April 25 CULTURE ‘Vocal Anthems’ TJ’s Bar, Whitehaven ------------------------------------------------April 25 Don McKie La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------APR 28 The Wedding Singer EGREMONT MARKET HALL ------------------------------------------------April 30 Country & Western La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------May 1 Luke Hobson The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------May 1 Regulation 21 Vine Bar, Workington -------------------------------------------------

April/May 2015 | 85

WHAT’S ON

MUSIC / THEATRE / FILM / COMEDY / OTHER

May 1 The Farm Acoustic Copeland Stadium Club Bar ------------------------------------------------May 2 5 & Dangerous The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------May 7 Country & Western La’al Club, Egremont, -----------------------------------------------May 7 Keswick Jazz Festival Keswick ------------------------------------------------May 8 The Marratimes The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------May 8 Neutronz Vine Bar, Workington ------------------------------------------------May 9 Fiction The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------May 9 Jeff Douglas La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------May 10 Albert Lee & Hogans Heroes Rosehill Theatre, Whitehaven -------------------------------------------------

86 | The Whitehaven Guide

May 11 Flower Club La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------May 15 Adam Amore The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------May 16 Nicky Mayson La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------May 16 La’al Big Band Seacote Hotel, St Bees. 8:15 start ------------------------------------------------May 22 Luke Mateer The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------May 22 Inspiral Carpets The Old Fire Station, Carlisle ------------------------------------------------May 23 Joey Matthews La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------May 29 Heavy Hearts The Wheatsheaf Egremont ------------------------------------------------May 30 Simon Caine (Comedy Vocal)

Sun 18 Apr Steve Ignorant The Vault, Workington La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------May 30 Figaro - Opera Kirklinton Hall, Carlisle ------------------------June 6 Live Music La’al Club, Egremont ------------------------June 7 La’al Big Band Seacote Hotel, St Bees. 8:00 start ------------------------June 20 Danielle La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------June 25 Country & Western La’al Club, Egremont, ------------------------------------------------June 27 5 Piece Avalon La’al Club, Egremont,

Get Listed...For FREE

email whatson@theguidemediagroup.com

or call: 01946 816730

MUSIC / THEATRE / FILM / COMEDY / OTHER

//THEATRE

//COMEDY

April 9 Sister Act Carnegie Theatre Workington ---------------------------------------April 14 A Night of Dirty Dancing Carnegie Theatre Workington ---------------------------------------27th Apr- 2nd May The Full Monty The Sands Centre, Carlisle ------------------------------------------27th Apr- 2nd May The Bay City Rollers with Les Mckeown The Sands Centre, Carlisle ------------------------------------------April 23th Back to Broadway Carnegie Theatre Workington

Fri 3rd Apr Comedy Night The Venue, Carlisle ---------------------------------Sun 12 Apr Jo Caulfield Kirkgate Centre ---------------------------------Thu 23 Apr Dave Spikey Theatre By The Lake, Keswick ---------------------------------Thu 27 Apr Sean Locke Carnegie Theatre Workington ---------------------------------May 16 Robin Ince Kirkgate Cockermouth

JAYDEN WELDON FUND RAISER

G

et your dancing shoes on! On Thursday April 9 everybody will be boogying the night away at the Disco event which is being held by Jayden Weldon’s family at the Haven club on Hensigham!

Jayden is trying to raise money for a much needed, all terrain Wheelchair which will allow him to play on the grass and sand with his friends. Something he is unable to do now. The Childs disco will run from 3pm-6pm. Tickets will cost £5 and there will be hotdogs, Prizes to be won and best of all there will be visits from some very popular super hero’s such as Batman and the lovely Alice from Alice in Wonderland!

ROCKING FOR M.E.3

T

he Rocking for M.E concert is back for a third year and it looks like the event is going to be head banging brilliant!

The event is held by the M.E and Fibro North West Support group. With local bands such as The Mustangz, Byrne Jovi, MT Arms, and AVALON, you wont be able to keep still.

7-10 May Keswick Jazz Festival Keswick

The concert will take place on Saturday May 9th at the Grasslot Working men’s Club in Maryport.

Tickets cost £5 and are available from How Bazaar fancy dress shop in Maryport.

April/May 2015 | 87

WHAT’S ON

MUSIC / THEATRE / FILM / COMEDY / OTHER

//OTHER April 8 Talk by Pat Martin - Historical Society - Easter Traditions Helena Thompson Museum, Workington ------------------------------------------------April 9 National Trust: Force Crag Mine Open Day Borrowdale, Keswick ------------------------------------------------April 10 Cumbrian Alchemy The Beacon, Whitehaven April 14 Anecdotes of Camerton with Margaret Smart & Friends Helena Thompson Museum Workington --------------------------10am April 18 10am April 19 A Grand Day Out - Maryport Model Railway Club’s 8th Annual Model Show Netherhall School, Maryport CA15 6NT ------------------------------------------------April 11 Screening and presentation of The St Bees Knight St Bees Priory ------------------------------------------------April 14 Teddies go Free Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway ------------------------------------------------April 15 ARTIST ROOMS: Anselm Kiefer Tullie House, Carlisle ------------------------------------------------April 17 Herdwick: A Portrait of Lakeland Rheged, Penrith ------------------------------------------------88 | The Whitehaven Guide

April 18 CNC for Furniture Making BEC Fab Lab, Cockermouth ------------------------------------------------April 21 Susan Allen “ Dove Cottage” Wordsworth to Present Day Helena Thompson Museum, Workington ------------------------------------------------April 23-26 CIDER + SASUAGE FESTIVAL THE WOOLPACK INN ----------------------------------------------23rd June National Trust: At home with the Wordsworths Thu 23 Apr Wordsworth House, Dave Spikey Cockermouth Theatre By The Lake, Keswick ------------------------------------------------April 26 Old Fire Station Open Day Buses, Fire Engines, Transport June 16 Displays.

Visit to Holme Cultram Abbey Old Fire Station, Workington Helena Thompson Museum, CA14 4DR Workington -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------May 5 June 27 History of Cumbria’s Beer Festival (www.wtht.co.uk) Cooperative Societies Old Fire Station, Workington The Beacon CA14 4DR -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------May 13 July 6 An Alternative Look at West “From beat to Special Branch” Cumbria Helena Thompson Museum Helena Thompson Museum, Workington Workington ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------July 8 May 15 Visit to Whitehaven Records Step by Step Silver Jubilee Show Office, Religion in Workington Lakes College in earlier Times by Robert ------------------------------------------------Baxter May 19 Helena Thompson Museum, Tim Lawrence “Watchtree Workington Nature Reserve” ------------------------------------------------Helena Thompson Museum, Workington -------------------------------------------------

Carlisle goes cosmopolitain I

f cocktails drive you crazy and you go mental for Mojito’s, then you will love Carlisle cocktail week!

From Monday April 27- Sunday May 3 you will have the chance to taste, discover and learn all about cocktails from some of the most well informed in the field.

Organiser of the event, Paul Kasiera said: “Our ultimate goal is to encourage people to come and try something new and help the city centre as a whole.This week isn’t just for the people of Carlisle, we want people from far and wide to come and really experience what Carlisle has to offer.”

Paul is somewhat of an expert when it comes to Cocktails having been involved with art since the early 90’s. Over 25 bars, hotels and restaurants will be involved in the event which aims to showcase the diverse range of cocktails and food Carlisle has to offer.

“The event is an opportunity for people to learn about the art of cocktails and discover what spirits mix well. It will also give bar staff a larger audience and really challenge them; it will be an experience for all parties involved,” said Paul.

A week for cocktails | Whats on

There are hopes that Carlisle Cocktail Week will become an annual event. It is also hoped that the event will boost footfall in Carlisle and bring a mix of people to the area.

Paul said:“Carlisle is such a wonderful place and it has so much to offer, we want people to have a whole new experience and put Carlisle on the map, for years I have seen bars develop and change in Carlisle and its great to see the Cumbrian city rise and start to become as popular with cocktails as some of the major cities.”

Whether you’re a cocktail virgin or you consider yourself a cocktail connoisseur there’s something for everyone, including a chance to try your hands at mixing your own cocktails, learning to flare, and of course, the best part, tasting your creations!

A fabulous new event, Paul said: “This week is a perfect opportunity for people to meet up, reminisce and really have a laugh over some exciting, new drinks. People will also get the chance to have a go at mixing themselves and learn about what makes a good cocktail.”

For more information and to subscribe for your Carlisle cocktail week wrist band then visit their website: www.carlislecocktailweek.co.uk

April/May 2015 | 89

Feature| Coastline

THE

BEAUTY OF

THE

COASTLINE W

ith the beautiful coastal fields on your left and nothing but the ocean with the Scottish landscape just visible on your right the walk from Whitehaven to St Bees is full of history and beauty.

This year marks 50 years since the National Trust set up The Neptune Project, a scheme to protect this walk and the lands surrounding it.

The National Trust ranger for Whitehaven, Chris Tomersall said: “This is a beautiful walk that people had been doing for hundreds of years.”

“Along the walk, there are hidden gems that can tell a story about the mining history of Whitehaven. There are also some of the best wildlife habitats in Cumbria; there is an RSPB protected part of the walk and when you look at the cliffs you can see thousands of sea birds.”

The Neptune Project was set up to try and conserve these coastal walks and allow access through land. The project has ran since 1965 and since then has acquired and maintained 740 miles of coastline throughout the country.

The project aims to keep the natural and inevitable changes that will occure at a sustainable and manageable rate by implementing natural strategies to keep them at bay.

Chris said: “The coastline changes all the time; we have to adapt and be prepared for the future. With rising sea levels and the last few winters the cliffs have taken some battering.

Erosion is inevitable, the rate however is dependent.”

Luckily these changes don’t hinder those who want to explore the coastal route and take in all that it offer .There are several hidden gems if you know what to look for, one in particular is Fleswick bay, a bay which sits in between Whitehaven and St Bees, the beach cannot be accessed via car which is what makes it so special.

“Fleswick is one of those real hidden gems, it doesn’t feel like Cumbria. It’s covered in these beautiful smooth rounded stones, some believe there are even semi-precious stones on the beach. It’s just a wonderful hidden place that everybody should have the opportunity to experience,” said Chris.

90 | The Whitehaven Guide

Old Fire Station | Feature

Exciting new venue for Cumbria

old fire station

C

umbrian musicians have a new stage at their disposal; Carlisle’s Old Fire Station is no longer deploying people to put out fires, it now to stands as an arts venue and aims to spark the creative minds of those in Cumbria and the surrounding areas!

Creating a new arts centre in the capital is a great way to support and encourage the growth of Cumbria’s rapidly expanding music scene.

Local music promoter, Danny Maudling has been asked to get involved, he said: “It’s a brilliant opportunity for not only Carlisle, but for the whole of Cumbria and hopefully further afield. So much effort has gone into getting this venue up and running so we just have to see what 2015 will bring.”

But it’s this new venue isn’t just for musicians; it will see a whole variety of exciting, unique and different forms of art including poetry, music, writing, art and anything else you can think of.

Stephen Dunn, arts officer at Carlisle Council will be running the arts centre, he said: “This is such a great opportunity for Carlisle and the surrounding areas! We have people working with us from all over Cumbria and we want the venue to be for all of Cumbria’s talented and ambitious people.”

“We want to create a platform for local artists, to help them get their names out there and get themselves known, as well as encourage more people to stay in Carlisle and Cumbria by creating opportunities like this.”

Inspiral Carpets have already been announced as the first big act; an alternative rock band from Manchester they will play in the Old Fire Station on Friday May 22 and will be performing on the opening night with local band The Chadelics.

April/May 2015 | 91

VISITORS CENTRE & PIT TOP CAFE

01946 599 949 SOLWAY ROAD, KELLS, WHITEHAVEN, CA28 9BG www.haigpit.wordpress.com

WORLD WAR ONE IS COMING TO HAIG AT EASTER

H

aig Colliery Mining Museum is hosting a WW1 event from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, featuring a WW1 cinema with footage of the Great War, WW1 enactors and a selection of exhibitions from The Beacon in Whitehaven and Tullie House in Carlisle. www.times-past-events.co.uk Times Past is a small association of historians dedicated to the historical interpretation of history from the Elizabethan Age to the Nuclear Age, from the fall of the Earl of Essex in 1601 to the Cuban Missile Crises in 1962.

Pamela Telford Museum Manager at Haig said, “It’s really quite exciting to have a WW1 cinema and enactment group within the powerhouse, so it doesn’t really matter what the weathers doing outside, and we are grateful for the loan of the WW1 exhibition from the Beacon.”

Also on display at Haig will be the Cumbria in 1914 exhibition from Tullie House. More than 30 volunteers took up the challenge and created a snapshot of life on 5th December 1914 across the area that is now Cumbria www.onedayincumbria.org.uk The whole weekend events are within the Powerhouse of the new museum and included in the entry price £5 per adult, £4.50 concessions, £3.00 a child and under 5s free, family tickets are £12.50 for 2 adults and up to 3 children.

Open from 10 till 4 with last museum entry at 3pm.

There will also be free children’s Easter activities in Haig’s Visitor Centre all week with an egg hunt at the Visitor Centre on Saturday 4th April organised by the National Trust.

THANK YOU TO ALL STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS PAST AND PRESENT FOR THEIR DEDICATION TO THIS WONDERFUL PROJECT KEEP UP WITH 92 | The Whitehaven GuideUS ON www.haigpit.wordpress.com

HAIG COLLIERY MINING MUSEUM WHITEHAVEN

Health Checks | Pets

Dangers in the grass

S

pring is the time when your pets are most at risk of parasites, so it is important to keep an eye on them and to worm them regularly.

Not all animals show symptoms; some species of worm are harmless to your pets however, some can cause your animal discomfort, pain, serious health issues and even death.

There are several harmful species of worms, each causing different symptoms. However, there are some universal tell signs that your pet has worms, these are:

•

•

•

•

•

•

Weight loss Loss of fur or dry coarse fur Loss of appetite Diarrhoea ‘Pot belly’ in young animals.

Worms in faeces or vomit or around bottom.

Worms don’t only cause discomfort. They can cause infection and spread disease and some can be passed to humans or other pets.

You can reduce the risk of worms by following simple steps.

Like most things prevention is better than the cure so treat your pet regularly; using flea treatments on a monthly basis can prevent Tapeworm as fleas often carry worm eggs.

All food and water bowls should be disinfected daily, also housing should be spot cleaned every day and a full clean once a week. Be careful about your choice of disinfectant, as some are harmful to animals; use pet friendly cleaning products.

When your animal relieves itself you should clean the waste quickly and efficiently. This will prevent any chance of worms lingering and causing future problems.

There are several ways your pet can pick worms up. Other animals can spread the parasite, parasite eggs usually lay dormant in grass and other vegetation and can be picked up through grazing For carnivores such as cats, worms are picked up through eating raw meat.

If you think your animal may have worms, take them to the vet, this way they can check for any other underlying problems.

April/May 2015 | 93

Wildlife of the Solway Firth | Marine Turtles

WILDLIFE OF THE SOLWAY FIRTH MARINE TURTLES By Mark Vollers

A

Turtles are marine reptiles that evolved over 100 million years ago and once flourished in much greater numbers.

They are vulnerable when returning to land to breed; they get entangled in fishing nets and drown or die as a result of ingesting human debris (deflated balloons look very like their main food source, jellyfish).

fauna, by choice and not by accident, it’s arrival often coincides with jellyfish population peaks. They are well adapted to life at sea, able to stay submerged for over an hour, dive to over 100m and reach speeds of over 20mph.

The rest of UK recorded turtles are here involuntarily because sea currents have carried them here. In order of frequency they are: the Loggerhead, the Kemp’s Ridley, the Green and the Hawksbill. A Kemp’s Ridley, which was found cold stunned and barely alive by Walney Island S. Cumbria in December 2014, was brought here to the Aquarium at Maryport. It sadly died in spite of all expert advice taken and the staffs efforts.

The largest and most frequently recorded is the Leatherback, often well over a metre long and 2-300kg in weight. It is now recognised as part of our native marine

Any stranded live turtles should not be returned to the sea but reported to British Divers Marine Life Rescue on 01825765546.

lthough rarely seen at sea and even less frequently stranded on our shoreline, five out of the seven species of marine turtle have been recorded around the UK and at least two in the Solway Firth.

94 | The Whitehaven Guide

Tide Tables | Info

APRIL 2015

WHITEHAVEN

MAY 2015

WHITEHAVEN

HEIGHTS ARE ABOVE CHART DATUM High Water Date

Morning

HEIGHTS ARE ABOVE CHART DATUM

Low Water

Afternoon

Morning

High Water

Afternoon

Date

Time

m

Time

m

Time

m

Time

m

W TH F SA O SU

09 40 10 17 10 50 11 22 11 51

7.0 7.3 7.5 7.6 7.6

22 03 22 37 23 07 23 37

7.1 7.4 7.5 7.6

03 54 04 33 05 07 05 37 06 09

1.9 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.2

16 22 16 59 17 31 18 01 18 31

1.5 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.0

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

M TU W TH F

00 06 00 37 01 10 01 45 02 23

7.7 7.7 7.6 7.5 7.2

12 20 12 52 13 25 14 01 14 44

7.6 7.6 7.5 7.3 7.0

06 40 07 13 07 45 08 20 08 58

1.1 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.6

19 01 19 32 20 04 20 39 21 18

1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8

11 12 13 14 15

SA SU  M TU W

03 11 04 15 05 38 06 58 08 07

6.9 6.7 6.5 6.7 7.1

15 40 16 54 18 23 19 42 20 46

6.7 6.4 6.4 6.7 7.2

09 45 10 48

1.8 2.0

00 56 02 16

2.2 1.8

22 11 23 26 12 12 13 40 14 52

16 17 18 19 20

TH F SA  SU M

09 05 09 56 10 42 11 27

7.6 8.1 8.4 8.5

21 39 22 26 23 10 23 52 12 11

7.7 8.1 8.3 8.4 8.4

03 22 04 19 05 10 05 57 06 40

1.4 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4

21 22 23 24 25

TU W TH F SA 

00 34 01 16 01 58 02 42 03 34

8.3 8.0 7.7 7.3 6.8

12 57 13 39 14 24 15 12 16 10

8.3 7.9 7.5 6.9 6.5

07 22 08 02 08 45 09 28 10 20

26 27 28 29 30

SU M TU W TH

04 37 05 53 07 07 08 11 09 01

6.4 6.1 6.2 6.4 6.7

17 19 18 38 19 49 20 45 21 28

6.1 6.0 6.2 6.6 6.8

1 2 3 4 5

Morning

Low Water

Afternoon

Morning

Afternoon

Time

m

Time

m

Time

m

Time

m

F SA SU M O TU

09 42 10 17 10 51 11 24 11 55

6.9 7.2 7.4 7.5 7.5

22 02 22 36 23 08 23 39

7.1 7.3 7.5 7.6

03 52 04 31 05 07 05 42 06 18

1.7 1.5 1.3 1.1 1.0

16 19 16 55 17 30 18 03 18 37

1.4 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.0

6 7 8 9 10

W TH F SA SU

00 12 00 49 01 28 02 11 03 02

7.6 7.6 7.5 7.3 7.1

12 31 13 09 13 50 14 37 15 34

7.5 7.5 7.3 7.0 6.7

06 53 07 30 08 07 08 49 09 38

1.0 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.5

19 12 19 47 20 24 21 07 22 01

1.1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8

2.1 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.4

11 12 13 14 15

M  TU W TH F

04 05 05 19 06 34 07 42 08 41

6.8 6.7 6.8 7.1 7.5

16 43 18 02 19 16 20 21 21 16

6.6 6.5 6.7 7.1 7.5

10 39 11 53 00 28 01 46 02 53

1.7 1.7 1.9 1.7 1.4

23 09

2.0

13 12 14 24 15 27

1.6 1.4 1.1

15 53 16 48 17 36 18 20 19 01

1.0 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.5

16 17 18 19 20

SA SU M  TU W

09 34 10 23 11 09 11 53 00 13

7.7 8.0 8.1 8.0 8.0

22 04 22 49 23 32

7.7 7.9 8.0

12 37

7.8

03 53 04 47 05 35 06 21 07 03

1.2 0.9 0.7 0.6 0.7

16 22 17 12 17 56 18 38 19 17

0.9 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.9

0.6 0.8 1.1 1.5 1.9

19 39 20 17 20 56 21 38 22 28

0.7 1.1 1.5 1.9 2.3

21 22 23 24 25

TH F SA SU M 

00 55 01 36 02 18 03 04 03 58

7.8 7.5 7.2 6.8 6.5

13 20 14 02 14 46 15 36 16 34

7.5 7.3 6.8 6.5 6.2

07 44 08 25 09 07 09 51 10 42

0.8 1.1 1.4 1.7 2.0

19 54 20 32 21 09 21 52 22 46

1.2 1.5 1.8 2.1 2.3

11 26

2.2

2.5 2.2 2.2 1.9 1.7

26 27 28 29 30

TU W TH F SA

05 02 06 12 07 16 08 13 09 00

6.2 6.1 6.2 6.4 6.7

17 41 18 50 19 51 20 42 21 25

6.0 6.0 6.2 6.6 6.8

2.2

2.5 2.4 2.1

23 40 12 43 13 55 14 52 15 38

11 44

01 05 02 16 03 09

01 08 02 13 03 05

2.4 2.2 1.9

23 54 12 52 13 56 14 49 15 35

2.4 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.6

31

SU

09 42

6.9

22 02

7.2

03 51

1.7

16 18

1.4

Time Zone UT (GMT)

Time Zone UT (GMT) Time Zone UT(GMT)

Time Zone UT(GMT)

April/May 2015 | 95

HANDY NUMBERS ATTRACTIONS Haig Mining Museum Muncaster Castle Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway The Beacon The Rum Story

01946 599 949 01229 717 614 01229 717 171 01946 592 302 01946 592 933

COUNCIL & OTHER SERVICES Egremont Library Copeland Council (enquiries) Copeland Council (out of hours emergency) Cumbria County Council Whitehaven Credit Union Whitehaven Library

01946 820 464 0845 054 8600 01946 815 500 0800 121 8800 01946 667 55 01946 506 400

EMERGENCY SERVICES Police/Fire/Ambulance Emergency Non-emergency Police

999 101

MEDICAL & SUPPORT SERVICES Careline Cumbria Health on Call (CHOC) Lowther Medical Centre Mansion House NHS Direct OutREACH Cumbria LGBT Helpline Proudfoot and Rudman Queen Street Medical Surgery Sydney and Partners Trinity Health Surgery West Cumberland Hospital

01946 810 500 03000 247 247 01946 692 241 01946 693 660 0845 46 47 0800 345 7440 01946 693 094 01946 694 457 01946 692 173 01946 693 412 01946 693 181

MISCELLANEOUS Citizens’ Advice Bureau W. Fare Ltd Pharmacy

01946 693 321 01946 692 978

Cumbria County Council 0800 121 8800 96 | The Whitehaven Guide

Cumbria Health on Call 111

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SERVICE LISTED HERE PLEASE CALL: 01946 816 716

SPORTS GROUNDS & CENTRES Whitehaven Cricket Ground Whitehaven Recreation Ground Whitehaven Sports Centre

01946 695 441 01946 328 088 01946 695 666

SWIMMING POOLS Egremont Swimming Pool Hensingham Swimming Pool

01946 821 038 01946 696 049

TAXIS Downton Travel Stirling Taxis

0800 118 2891 01946 823000

THEATRES & CINEMA Carnegie Theatre Kirkgate Theatre Plaza Cinema Rosehill Theatre Theatre by the Lake The Wave

01900 602 122 01900 826 448 01900 870 001 01946 692 422 017687 744 11 01900 811 450

TOURIST INFORMATION Egremont

01946 820 693

TRAVEL & WEATHER Bus Timetables Lake District Weather Service Train Timetables

0871 200 22 33 0844 846 2444 08457 48 49 50

VETS Galemire (Cleator Moor) Millcroft (Egremont) West Lakeland Veterinary Group (Egremont) West Lakeland Veterinary Group (Whitehaven)

Lake District Weather 0844 846 2444

01946 810 295 01946 820 513 01946 820 312 01946 693 303

Copeland Swimming Pool 01946 696 049 April / May 2014 | 96

Summary of train times between Train Times - January 2015 - May Sunday 14 December 2014 – Saturday 162015 May 2015.

Barrow-in-Furness - Whitehaven - Carlisle Mondays to Fridays Barrow-in-Furness Askam Millom Ravenglass Seascale Sellafield St Bees Whitehaven 0620 Workington 0638 Maryport 0646 Wigton 0707 Carlisle 0729

0557 0607 0626 0644 0651 0658 0709 0724 0742 0750 0812 0834

0650 0700 0719 0737 0744 0751 0801 0812 0831 0839 0900 0925

0758 0808 0826 0843 0849 -

0906 0924 0932 0953 1015

0908 0918 0936 0953 1000 1007 1016 1025 1043 1052 1114 1135

1010 1020 1038 1055 1101 1108 1118 1128 1146 1154 1216 1238

1131 1141 1158 1215 1222 1228 1238 1251 1309 1317 1339 1401

1231 1241 1259 1316 1322 1328 1338 1348 1406 1414 1435 1458

1331 1341 1359 1416 1422 1428 1438 1449 1507 1515 1537 1559

1452 1502 1520 1537 1544 1551 1602 1612 1629 1637 1659 1720

1640 1650 1708 1725 1731 1740 1751 1800 1818 1826 1847 1910

1728 1740 1758 1815 1822 1827 1845 1855 1912 1920 1942 2004

1934 1952 2000 2021 2043

2030 2150 2048 2210 2056 2117 2139 -

0609 0619 0635 0651 0658 0705 0715 0724 0742 0750 0812 0834

0655 0705 0724 0742 0749 0756 0806 0816 0834 0842 0904 0926

0744 0754 0812 0829 0835 -

0906 0924 0932 0953 1015

0908 0918 0936 0953 0959 1005 1017 1027 1045 1053 1114 1137

1010 1020 1038 1055 1101 1108 1118 1128 1146 1154 1216 1238

1126 1136 1153 1210 1217 1223 1233 1241 -

1254 1312 1320 1341 1404

1233 1243 1301 1318 1324 1330 1340 1350 1408 1416 1437 1500

1350 1400 1418 1435 1441 1447 1457 1507 1525 1533 1555 1617

1452 1502 1520 1537 1544 1551 1601 1611 1629 1637 1659 1720

1533 1543 1601 1618 1624 1630 1646 1656 1714 1722 1744 1806

1726 1736 1754 1811 1817 1822 1833 1843 1901 1909 1930 1953

1934 1952 2000 2021 2044

2030 2048 2056 2117 2140

1915 1933 1954 2005 2025 -

2033 2051 2112 2123 2143 -

2015 2032 2052 2104 2125 -

2145 2203 2224 2235 2255 -

Saturdays Barrow-in-Furness Askam Millom Ravenglass Seascale Sellafield St Bees Whitehaven Workington Maryport Wigton Carlisle

Sundays 0620 0638 0646 0707 0729

1233 1251 1259 1318 1341

1433 1451 1459 1518 1541

1633 1651 1659 1718 1741

1933 1951 1959 2018 2041

2200 2218 2239 2250 2310 Sundays 1410 1710 1427 1727 1447 1747 1459 1759 1520 1820 -

1910 1927 1947 1959 2020 -

2110 2127 2147 2159 2220 -

Additional trains operate between Barrow-in-Furness and Millom - please see Northern timetable guide 6 for full details.

No Sunday service between Barrow-in-Furness and Whitehaven.

Carlisle - Whitehaven - Barrow-in-Furness Mondays to Fridays Carlisle Wigton Maryport 0559 Workington 0609 Whitehaven 0628 St Bees 0636 Sellafield 0651 Seascale 0654 Ravenglass 0701 Millom 0723 Askam 0741 Barrow-in-Furness 0758 Saturdays Carlisle Wigton Maryport 0613 Workington 0624 Whitehaven 0644 St Bees 0651 Sellafield 0704 Seascale 0707 Ravenglass 0714 Millom 0733 Askam 0749 Barrow-in-Furness 0805

0722 0729 0740 0744 0751 0810 0826 0843 0735 0753 0814 0825 0845 -

0735 0753 0814 0825 0845 0905 0908 0915 0934 0950 1005

0901 0904 0911 0930 0946 0959 0838 0856 0917 0928 0948 0955 1006 1009 1016 1034 1051 1108

0838 0856 0917 0928 0948 0955 1006 1010 1016 1035 1052 1109 0938 0956 1017 1028 1048 1055 1108 1111 1118 1136 1153 1208

0938 0956 1017 1028 1048 1055 1108 1111 1118 1136 1153 1208

1054 1112 1133 1144 1204 1211 1222 1225 1232 1251 1307 1324

1054 1112 1133 1144 1204 1211 1222 1225 1232 1251 1307 1324

1138 1156 1217 1228 1248 -

1150 1208 1229 1240 1300 1307 1318 1321 1328 1347 1403 1420

1254 1302 1314 1318 1324 1344 1400 1416

1247 1305 1326 1337 1357 1404 1415 1418 1425 1444 1500 1517

1247 1305 1326 1337 1357 1404 1415 1418 1425 1444 1500 1517

1420 1438 1459 1510 1530 1537 1555 1558 1605 1626 1644 1701

1420 1438 1459 1510 1530 1537 1550 1553 1600 1619 1635 1653

1512 1530 1551 1603 1622 1630 1643 1647 1654 1714 1732 1748

1525 1543 1604 1616 1636 1643 1654 1657 1704 1723 1739 1755

1631 1649 1710 1721 1741 1752 1804 1807 1814 1835 1853 1910

1636 1654 1715 1726 1748 1755 1808 1811 1818 1837 1853 1911

1740 1758 1819 1830 1850 1859 1911 1914 1921 1939 1956 2013

1727 1744 1805 1816 1836 1844 1856 1900 1906 1925 1942 1959

1814 1832 1853 1904 1925 -

1814 1832 1853 1904 1925 -

1900 1918 1939 1950 2010 -

Additional trains operate between Millom and Barrow-in-Furness - please see Northern timetable guide 6 for full details.

No Sunday service between Whitehaven and Barrow-in-Furness. ss s ne es ur rn n -F on n d t ss Fu s n ve ld gt la -in oa le s n- ld or ia le ow t to ne i n ha n in n w fie m ca y ng y to hert Bee kick sle yp e n R llom crof tle tr o te ing ork to lsto ka rkb oxfi ree rli i t r ve rigg eas ella rays rr o hi arto arr e ig mb Mar spa M St S S W D Ba As Ki P Co W G A Sil Ne Ra H Bo Fli F W B Ca Da

For train times and fares information visit our website or call National Rail Enquiries 08457 48 49 50.

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100 | The Whitehaven Guide