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Also in this week's edition:
On the build up to the May bank holidays on Monday 4 May and Monday 25 May, Cumberland Council is reminding residents how to access its services.
Some of our offices - including Carlisle’s Civic Centre and Cumbria House, Allerdale House in Workington, and Market Hall in Whitehaven - will be closed to customers on Monday 4 May and Monday 25 May 2026. Online services will be available at www.cumberland.gov.uk
The main customer number (0300 373 3730) will close at 4.30pm on Friday 1 May and Friday 22 May and will reopen following the bank holidays on Tuesday 5 May and Tuesday 26 May at 9am. There will be a recorded message advising of the closure period and out of hours contact numbers for Highways, Homelessness, and Adults and Children’s Social Care, should anyone be calling in an emergency.
Household waste and recycling
There will be no changes to refuse and recycling collections on the bank holiday. Collections will take place on Monday 4 May and Monday 25 May.
Residents can check collection dates online.
Household Waste Recycling Centres will be open as usual.
For opening times and locations visit our website.
The permit helpline is closed on bank holidays and weekends.
Looking back on some of our top stories from the past month:
Spring is proving a positive season for Tullie Museum and Gallery, as two more awards bloom into its growing collection.
First for the organisation as a whole from Carlisle's Elite Awards, where the team took home the prestigious 'Contribution to the City' award. This recognition comes at a key time for the museum, a year on from the unveiling of its new entrance, welcome space, shop and Carlisle Gallery. Work is also just getting underway on Tullie’s next contribution to the city - the dramatic transformation of the first-floor Border Galleries to reveal 100,000 objects from the collections.
Café Tullie also scooped the 'Best Attraction Café' award for Cumbria at England's Business Awards. Café Tullie has received great critical acclaim and prides itself on using local produce to create a fresh, exciting menu. Nominated and voted for by the public, England’s Business Awards recognise the people’s favourite businesses on both a regional and national level.
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Visitors to The Beacon Museum this May can look forward to a packed programme of exhibitions, talks and family activities that span centuries of history, from Roman Britain to the pop culture of the 1990s.
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When the weather gets warm, many people understandably head to our rivers and lakes to keep cool. Taking a few simple steps can keep you and others safe.
Be wary of hidden dangers under the water and cold water shock, which can get even strong swimmers into difficulty.
Find out more about how to stay safe in water, and in the sunshine, on our website.
A local operator has been identified to take on the lease for a new Millom Town Deal project.
Samantha and Andrew Bowden will take on the lease for Millom’s former NatWest Bank now called The Old Bank and is putting in place the final formal arrangements.
Samantha and Andrew have strong connections with the local area. By showcasing their current operation at Silecroft Café, the new operators submitted a strong application to deliver on both the potential and long-term operation of the Old Bank.
Located in the Market Square, the building is currently undergoing sensitive refurbishment to bring it back into use. When complete it will provide a vibrant space for local businesses, artists, and community groups, helping to support enterprise and improve access to the creative arts and culture in Millom and Haverigg.
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 Nearly 1,000 residents have helped to choose a new name for Millom’s new flagship sports and leisure facility.
The building, currently under construction on Salthouse Road, will officially be called Millom Leisure Centre following a community vote.
The process saw 931 people across Millom take part, with 809 paper ballots cast by residents at designated voting locations throughout the town in addition to 122 votes submitted via an online form.
Every school pupil in Millom was also given the opportunity to participate, ensuring that the voices of the town’s youngest residents were heard.
Photo credit: Stuart Walker
Thousands of primary aged children in Cumbria are set to benefit from a National Cycle Training programme thanks to funding from Active Travel England.
Bikeability is the UK’s national cycling programme designed to give children the skills and confidence to cycle safely on today’s roads. It aims to promote active travel, improve road safety, and encourage cycling as a healthy, sustainable mode of transport.
Following a new confirmed funding allocation for 2026-2029, thousands of children from primary schools across the county will be invited to take part in a Bikeability course held in school.
Managed by Active Cumbria’s Active Travel to School team Bikeability is offered to all 273 primary schools in Cumbria. Last year 6031 children received the training.
The UK terrorist threat level has been raised to 'Severe' this week – meaning an attack is highly likely.
For you, the public, this means remaining alert but not alarmed.
If you are out and about then stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. If you see anything that doesn’t feel right report online in confidence at gov.uk/ACT .
In an emergency always call 999.
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Cumberland residents can access helpful online relationship courses, which are available free through OnePlusOne.
These evidence-based courses support parents to strengthen relationships and manage everyday pressures, including:
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Getting on Better for separated parents
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How to Argue Better to support parents strengthen their relationship and communication
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Support during key life changes, such as having a new baby
Each course is just 30 minutes long and entirely confidential.
This spring, Cumberland is launching a county-wide book donation scheme to help children and young people have books of their own.
You can donate new or good-quality used books for children and young people at:
Small donations make a big difference. The scheme supports the National Year of Reading and helps children discover the joy of reading for pleasure—your donated book could be a child’s first book of their own.
We are urging private landlords, letting agents and property managers across the area to prepare now for significant new legal responsibilities coming into force under the Renters’ Rights Act.
From Friday 1 May 2026, wide‑ranging reforms will introduce a new tenancy system, including the end of Section 21 ‘no‑fault’ evictions. The changes also include new measures designed to prevent rental bidding, rental discrimination, and inappropriate requirements for rent in advance.
All landlords in Cumberland are being encouraged to familiarise themselves with the official Government guidance to ensure that both current and future tenancies comply fully with the new legislation. Landlords can download the Government’s information leaflet for landlords via GOV.UK.
We are proud to be one of the partners in Escape to Safety - an interactive exhibition in which participants experience something of what it is like to seek asylum in Britain.
They walk through a labyrinth of eight stations which depict the stages a refugee experiences on their journey to the UK.
This powerful multi-media exhibition is on at Carlisle College on Thursday, 7 May, from 6pm until 8pm.
Entry is free and there will be world music, snacks and drinks.
A summer of positive community action is planned, as Cumberland's Operation Respect events return.
Cumberland Council’s Local Focus Hubs will bring residents, partners and services together at three amazing free events designed to build pride in communities.
The events will run from 10am until 2.30pm on the following dates:
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Wednesday, 22 July – Hammond’s Pond, Carlisle
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Thursday, 23 July – Westfield Estate, Workington
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Thursday, 30 July – Mill Hill, Cleator Moor
There are a number of events being hosted in Bitts Park in Carlisle this weekend, starting Friday evening and running through to Sunday.
Normally, Castle, West Walls and Caldew Riverside car parks are closed and barriered off for security purposes from later in the evening until the following morning, however, due to the number of events taking place that have later scheduled finishes, they will remain open from Friday May 1 right through until the evening of Sunday May 3.
The normal parking charges and restrictions apply.
Recycle Now, the national recycling campaign, has launched a new Refill Locator. The tool helps households across the UK search for nearby refill locations for food, personal care and cleaning products. The Refill Locator aims to break down barriers to refill shopping by showing people where to shop and how to use refillable packaging.
Recycle Now has mapped the locations of 675 refill stores throughout the UK from Brighton to Edinburgh.
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Then subscribe to our dedicated email newsletter.
In the latest edition we have news about our waste services, details of a clothes swap in Workington, news from the Solway Coast AONB team (see also below), and much more. Don't miss out.
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This summer the Solway Coast National Landscape team will be joining the West Cumbria Ringing Group for a couple of sessions to take a closer look into bird ringing.
There is an opportunity to come along to these sessions, open to anyone who is keen to learn more about bird ringing, what species we see on our coastline, what habitats the birds are using and much more.
Please see the available dates and booking link below.
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Wednesday 6 May 2026
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Saturday 11 July 2026
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Thursday 13 August 2026
These are informal sessions where you can observe the group with birds in hand, see the equipment that’s used to record information, watch as the birds are released and learn more about the habitats at Crosscanonby Carr that make this place a haven for birdlife. This really is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the wildlife and nature on the Solway Coast National Landscape.
These events are weather dependent and MUST be booked in advance – places are limited so be quick!
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