Got a hobby you love or a talent you’re ready to show off?
Carlisle’s Teenage Market is back in the Market Square, outside the Old Town Hall on Saturday 28 March, 10am–3.30pm, and we’re looking for creative young people aged 8 to 25 to take part.
Sell your crafts, artwork, bakes, or handmade creations, or step onto the performance stage to sing, dance, act, or play music. It’s a brilliant chance to share your skills, meet new people, and maybe even make some money doing what you enjoy.
Let’s fill the Spring Teenage Market with colour, creativity, and amazing young talent.
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The Iron Line project in Millom and Haverigg has reached another key milestone after Cumberland Council’s Planning Committee (Wednesday 25 February 2026) resolved to support the new planning application.
The updated application replaced the previous submission made in 2023 and was actively shaped by feedback from the local community, key stakeholders, and statutory consultees.
The Planning Committee delegated the final planning approval to the Service Manager for Development and Implementation - subject to agreement of further ecological info.
The revised plans improve protection to environmentally sensitive areas to the site and remain true to the original vision of creating an inspiring, accessible coastal route around the Hodbarrow Nature Reserve.
The Iron Line is a flagship project for the Millom Town Deal programme, which is investing more than £29 million Government and partners’ funding into the local area. The Iron Line will transform the sea wall and surrounding landscape into a space that promotes walking, cycling, nature, and heritage.
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We are relocating customer service provision in Wigton and Keswick to the towns’ libraries.
This move ensures local people can access help, advice and council services more conveniently and forms a key step in improving access for residents and strengthening the council's community-based offer.
In Wigton, customer services will move from The Market Hall reception, a building which is operated by the North Allerdale Development Trust (NADT) into Wigton Library on High Street from 1 April 2026. A receptionist service for NADT will continue until 31 March 2026.
In Keswick, customer services has now been relocated from the Town Hall on Main Street into Keswick Library on Heads Lane.
The changes are being made following feedback from residents and local organisations, with the council taking steps to relocate some essential services to better support those who need them.
Award-winning crime and thriller writer M.W. Craven has been appointed as the Cumberland Libraries Ambassador for 2026 as part of the UK wide movement, The National Year of Reading.
The National Year of Reading 2026 marks one of the most ambitious literacy campaigns in a generation, encouraging people everywhere to (re)discover the joy of reading.
Born and based in Cumbria, M.W. Craven is best known for his internationally acclaimed Washington Poe series. With multiple awards to his name and a rapidly growing readership, he is now recognised as one of the UK’s most celebrated and best-selling crime authors.
Join our special event
Join us for a special event on Thursday 26 March at Whitehaven Library, celebrating the release of the paperback edition of his latest Poe and Bradshaw novel, The Final Vow.
The evening will include an author talk and Q&A session, giving fans the chance to speak with Mike and have their books signed. Light refreshments will be provided. This event is expected to sell out, and tickets can be booked via this link.
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Our Social Prescribing team connects people to groups, services and activities to help improve their wellbeing.
Join us in Millom and Maryport to find out how social prescribing can help you.
We will be at the libraries in both towns on Thursday, 26 March, from 11am until 2pm.
You will discover lots of wellbeing support and activities, and there are even mini health checks. Everything is free.
There will be tea and cakes too, so why not pop in?
A huge thank you to Upperby Primary School, Friends of Hammond’s Pond, Model Engineers, Riverside, Police Community Support Officers, Eden Valley Hospice, The Rock Youth Project and Stomping Ground for helping to plant 200 new trees yesterday.
That brings the total to 300 new trees, supporting a greener, healthier and more welcoming park for everyone to enjoy.
Another important milestone reached for the project, and a great example of what can be achieved through partnership and community involvement.
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Do you have a passion for improving your community? Can you lead and empower others?
There’s still time to shape the future of Flimby, Ellenborough and Broughton Moor - we’ve extended the deadline for applications to become Chair of the Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board. Applications are open until 13 March.
The area will get £20m to invest over the next ten years, and you could be part of that legacy.
The voluntary chairperson will:
- be a champion for the programme
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convene and lead the Neighbourhood Board
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work closely with council officers, the MP and others
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champion community engagement
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ensure delivery of outcomes
The role is voluntary, part-time and requires around eight to 10 hours each month.
Major works to clear land at the Port of Workington and nearby Oldside and prepare the area for future development are underway.
The programme will see redundant infrastructure demolished, hazardous materials and contaminants removed and land remediated. Work has started on an area at the port known as Tank Farm B with the overall project also encompassing the area known as Tank Farm A and part of the Oldside site.
Once complete, approximately 8.49 hectares of prime development land will be available, with quayside access, rail and road connections. This provides an opportunity for the establishment of a dedicated terminal and significant open storage within the boundary of the Port of Workington.
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The new Cumbria Combined Authority has been formally established, unlocking at least £333m in long‑term investment and devolved powers to improve transport, skills, jobs and economic development across the region. Its first meeting will take place on 18 March, with leadership shared between Cumberland Council and Westmorland & Furness Council until the first mayoral election in 2027.
Cumbria is set to take centre stage at the Houses of Parliament next month as political leaders, investors and industry representatives gather together for an economic showcase designed to unlock the county’s next chapter of growth.
Cumbria’s Going for Growth Showcase, taking place on Wednesday 4 March 2026, will bring together MPs, national policymakers, senior civil servants, investors and business leaders to champion Cumbria as a nationally significant destination for investment.
The event is being hosted by Josh MacAlister MP for Workington and Whitehaven and delivered by Enterprising Cumbria in partnership with Cumbria Combined Authority, Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council.
Supported by public and private sector partners, the showcase will promote the ambitious Cumbria Going for Growth Strategy - a long-term plan positioning the county as open for investment, partnership and sustainable prosperity.
Cumbria’s message to Westminster is clear; the county offers world-class sector strengths, exceptional natural capital and a coordinated, delivery-focused strategy to drive inclusive growth.
The Cumberland Health Determinants Research Collaborative (HDRC) research skills training programme is here to help you feel more confident using existing and first-hand research in your role to enhance your work, capture what you already know and share what works (and what doesn’t) and support your decisions.
No research background necessary, this is about building on the skills you use every day like asking good questions, gathering insights, learning from what’s already out there and turning this into impactful outcomes.
Through these practical, hands-on sessions you’ll focus on:
- using curiosity to spark ideas and solve problems
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finding and using evidence more confidently and to support decisions
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evaluating what’s working and what could be improved
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working together with communities
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applying straightforward methods and frameworks to break down projects and tasks into its core components, the changes you want to see, and the steps needed to get there
Contact Cumberland HDRC Training Office Jae-Llane Ditchburn - jae-llane.ditchburn@cumberland.gov.uk – for more information.
Now’s the time for LGBTQ+ people across Cumbria to consider fostering, as Cumbria Fostering proudly supports the launch of LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week 2026, which launches on Monday 2 March.
Led nationally by the charity New Family Social, this year’s campaign theme, ‘Now’s The Time’, highlights an important message: while there’s never a “perfect” moment to start the fostering journey, there is an urgent need for more foster carers right now.
As part of the week’s activities, Cumbria Fostering will host a special online information session on Tuesday 3 March, 6pm–7pm. Attendees can join from home to hear a short presentation, meet the team, and ask questions about fostering.
To register, visit our website or speak to the team on 0300 019 0200.
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