|
Also in this week's edition:
Do you need additional garden waste bin collections? Have you signed up yet?
From week commencing Monday, 31 March 2025 if you have a garden waste bin you will get one bin collected as normal every fortnight (March - November), but any additional bin will have a yearly £40 collection charge.
Make sure you're signed up in time.
You can sign up to a maximum of three additional garden bin collections per fortnight, per household.
Stickers will be supplied for the additional bins once the payment has been processed.
|
The Cumberland Local Area SEND and Alternative Provision Partnership has publicly launched their strategy to improve outcomes for those aged 0–25 with SEND and those accessing Alternative Provision.
The Partnership consists of colleagues from Cumberland Council, local NHS and health services, schools and settings, and the parent-carer forum for the local area, SEND Alliance Cumbria (SENDAC). SEND is an acronym for special educational needs and disabilities, and Alternative Provision refers to tailored education for children and young people who face challenges accessing mainstream education settings, or for those who may not be able to have their needs met in mainstream settings.
The strategy details the priorities of the Local Area Partnership, and key actions that will be taken over the next four years to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their families. The priorities are:
-
Working Together and Building Trust
-
High Quality Local Provision and Services
-
Preparing for and Moving into Adulthood
-
A Supportive, Effective Alternative Provision
- Valuing our Children and Young People and Achieving Best Value in Cumberland
Taste Cumbria is back for 2025 with another great line up of food festivals, family fun and live music.
The first event of the year takes place in Wigton on Saturday 26 April and there’s loads of free entertainment for everyone to enjoy.
The centrepiece of the Wigton event takes place on Water Street car park and will feature a producers’ market and hot food court, the big music stage, a climbing wall and children’s rides. In the neighbouring Market Hall there will be all the family fun including, for the first time, a silent disco. There will also be madcap activities with entertainer Liam Moorhouse, while NADT Youth will be staging loads of art and crafts.
New for this year will also be a competition to create a celebratory flag for Wigton. Details will be announced soon.
Taste Cumbria Wigton will be followed by the Taste of the Sea festival in Maryport on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 August, before the flagship Taste Cumbria festival in Cockermouth on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September then the second Taste Cumbria Carlisle event on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November. Taste Cumbria Christmas on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December, also in Cockermouth, will end the year.
Trader pitches are now available for the Producers’ Markets.
Visit www.tastecumbria.co.uk and follow the link to the application forms. Priority is given to Cumbrian producers, but the organisers welcome enquiries from other areas.
A consultation on the latest version of a draft development plan that will result in 10,000 new homes, new schools and employment sites being built in Carlisle is set to get underway.
St Cuthbert’s Garden Village is one of the largest projects of its kind nationally and the largest in the north of England. The scale and location will provide a genuine opportunity to make a difference - in a well-planned and coherent way - with the completion of the Carlisle Southern Link Road at the end of 2025 helping to unlock the development potential here.
Following the Council’s approval last week (Tuesday, 4 March), the draft Local Plan for the St Cuthbert’s Garden Village, located in the south of Carlisle, will go out for final public consultation from next week.
The plan spans the next 30 to 40 years and the development area also includes commercial, retail and employment space as well as five new primary schools and a secondary school.
The public consultation will be held between Monday 17 March and Tuesday 6 May 2025.
It will consult on the draft policies and map and is the last chance for comments before the plan goes before an independent inspector.
Public consultation events will be held on:
-
Tuesday 18 March: 10am - 8pm, Cummersdale Village Hall.
-
Wednesday 19 March: 10am - 8pm, Carlisle Racecourse.
-
Thursday 20 March: 10am - 8pm, Creighton Rugby Club.
For more information or to comment on the draft St Cuthbert’s Garden Village Local Plan, visit www.stcuthbertsgv.co.uk
|
World Sleep Day is an annual celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep, including medicine, education, social aspects and driving.
The theme for this World Sleep Day is Make Sleep Health a Priority.
Sleep is essential to good health and is as much a pillar of health as nutrition and physical activity, supporting:
- Improved mood
- Health heart
- Regulated blood sugar
- Improved mental function
- Restored immune system
- Stress relief
- Athletic performance
- Maintaining healthy weight
The scientific evidence is clear: your sleep is essential to health and wellbeing. Good sleep promotes wellness and resilience, while poor sleep negatively impacts almost all aspects of your body and mind.
It’s time to make your sleep a health priority. Here is how to start:
- Maintain a regular sleep schedule
- Creating a relaxing environment for sleep
- Reflect during your day: do you feel rested?
Some tips for a healthier, deeper sleep:
- Avoid having screens like phones and televisions in your bedroom as they can keep you awake
- Try to spend time outdoors during the day, if possible
- Avoid caffeine before bedtime
- Go to bed at a similar time each night
- Try a relaxing activity before bed like reading, having a bath, or writing your thoughts down in a diary
Do you have trouble sleeping? If so, you can access some useful advice via the NHS Inform website. Here you will find links to sleep-based charities, self-help guides, links to the Sleepio app, and access to support via the Mind to Mind service.
NHS Inform - Sleep
Suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 49, yet many men struggle to ask for help. The NHS in Lancashire and South Cumbria has launched the Let’s Keep Talking campaign to challenge the stigma around male mental health and suicide prevention.
Men are often expected to be strong, self-reliant, and unemotional – beliefs that can prevent them from seeking support. This campaign highlights that reaching out is not a sign of weakness but a vital step towards getting the help they deserve.
We all have a role to play in supporting the men in our lives. If you or someone you know is struggling, resources such as the Staying Alive app and the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB male suicide webpage are available. Together, we can create a culture where no man feels he has to suffer in silence.
Residents in South Cumberland are being asked to join in a conversation about food and health.
The South Cumberland Community Panel is hosting the get together, which has a special focus on our local food networks - how food is grown, sold and consumed. There will also be other food and health-related organisations there to chat and share information.
The event is at Millom Network Centre on Wednesday, 26 March, from 2pm until 3.30pm.
Attendees can also get expert guidance on how to use the NHS App, hear from our waste and recycling team, find out more about growing food in the community, and hear what a ‘master composter’ does.
|
We’ll be celebrating Social Prescribing Day next week.
Come and join us in Workington and Whitehaven to find out more about Social Prescribing and how it can help you.
You’ll find lots of wellbeing support, craft activities, seed planting, and you’ll even be able to get a mini health check. Everything is free and of course, there will be tea and cakes too, so why not pop in?
We’ll be at both Whitehaven and Workington libraries on Wednesday, 19 March, from 11am until 2pm.
Due to some works being carried out by Electricity North West, there will be some temporary reduced capacity in Castle car park, Carlisle over the next three weeks.
The works are scheduled to begin on Monday 17 March and be completed on or around Sunday 6 April.
We have unveiled a bold new campaign to crack down on littering, with the launch of ‘Don't be a TO55 3R – take your litter home!’
This hard-hitting initiative aims to remind residents and visitors that littering is not only illegal but also anti-social, harmful to the environment and wildlife, and costs thousands of pounds each year to clean up.
While the campaign’s striking tagline is designed to grab attention, it is not intended to cause offence—it is a direct call to action to encourage people to take responsibility for their waste.
|
We are carrying out proactive maintenance on the A597 Mossbay Road to prevent long-term deterioration and ensure safer, smoother travel for residents and businesses.
Following data scanning, cracking was detected in the road surface, which if left untreated risks further deterioration to the integrity of the highway. Addressing this now will help prevent repairs and disruption in the future. While the road closure may cause short-term inconvenience, the long-term benefits will be a more durable, resilient road.
These works, delivered by the council's surfacing contractor, DSD Construction Limited, will begin on Monday 17 March 2025, and is expected to take approximately 10 working days, subject to weather conditions.
A by-election for two seats on Ennerdale and Kinniside Parish Council was held on 13 March 2025. The result of the election was as follows:
- Christopher Jeremy Ayling - 77 votes (elected)
- Michael John Cullen - 20 votes
- Jasmine Hine - 29 votes
- William Muir Lachlan - 71 votes (elected)
- Paul Rowson - 24 votes
- Alexandra Sarah Young - 40 votes
There were no rejected ballot papers.
Therefore Christopher Jeremy Ayling and William Muir Lachlan have been duly elected as councillors for Ennerdale and Kinniside Parish Council.
Turnout was 48.7%. The size of the electorate was 269 and the number of ballot papers issued was 131.
The local NHS has shared details of pharmacy opening times over the Easter period. Please find details in this downloadable document:
Time is running out to take part in our surveys on car parks in Whitehaven, Workington and Cockermouth.
We're encouraging everyone, whether you're a resident, work in the towns or visit them, to have their say and help us as we develop a car parking strategy for Cumberland.
Our survey gathers opinions of the parking options, users’ reasons for using the car parks, value for money, how sites could be improved and more.
The closing date has been extended slightly from Friday 14 March to Sunday 16 March.
In honour of Mother’s Day, Cumberland Council’s Distington Hall Crematorium is offering the community a heartfelt opportunity to remember and celebrate the cherished maternal figures in their lives. From Monday 24 March, leading up to Mother’s Day on Sunday 30 March, visitors are invited to participate in a special memorial tribute at the Crematorium.
Families and friends are encouraged to bring photographs of their loved ones and place them on the notice board in the Chapel of Remembrance. This simple yet meaningful gesture allows individuals to share treasured memories of mothers, grandmothers, and maternal figures who have passed away.
As a token of remembrance, small seed packets will also be available for visitors to take home, offering a simple way to remember loved ones by planting and nurturing a living tribute.
The Chapel of Remembrance is open daily from 9am to 4pm and is located in the grounds near the main crematorium building. It offers a serene space for bereaved families to leave a lasting tribute to their loved ones. Families can have an entry inscribed in the Book of Remembrance, which is displayed in the chapel. Vases are also provided for floral tributes.
A drop-in event is being held for people to see how their organisation could apply for Community Investment Funding through Nuclear Waste Services’ Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) programme.
The Mid Copeland GDF Community Partnership is inviting people to find out more about the funding. We are also pleased to be joined by people already benefiting from funding to talk about their projects and the difference to their community. There will also be a chance to meet other local funders, including representatives of Cumberland Council and Cumbria Council for Voluntary Service (CVS).
The event takes place on Thursday, 27 March at Gosforth Public Hall between 11am and 3pm.
The Mid Copeland GDF Search Area covers the electoral ward of Gosforth which includes Seascale, Gosforth, Beckermet, Calderbridge, Haile, Thornhill, Nethertown and Braystones. The Lake District National Park is excluded from consideration - however Community Investment Funding can be used for eligible community projects benefiting this area.
Up to £1 million of funding is available annually per community, rising to up to £2.5 million if deep borehole investigations take place in a community to assess the geological suitability of a site.
A GDF is an underground facility designed to safely and securely dispose of the most hazardous radioactive waste.
The Cumberland Safety Partnership is drafting a really important document that sets out our approach to tackling domestic abuse.
And we want to hear your views. Is our approach effective and have we prioritised the right aims?
The survey will remain open until 31 March.
Domestic abuse is one of the partnership’s main four priorities, so we are keen to get this right and do all we can, collectively, to keep people in Cumberland safe from domestic abuse.
Cumberland Council is a member of the Community Safety Partnership along with Cumbria Police and many other statutory and voluntary partners. You can find out more about the CSP here: cumberlandcsp.org.uk
|
