Help us welcome the first stage of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women on Wednesday 19 August 2026. 

Cockermouth is the start and finish point for stage one and is the first time the town has hosted the women’s race. 

The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women is part of partnership agreed between British Cycling and Cumberland Council to grow cycling and tourism links in the region. Cumbria Combined Authority is also providing support for the event. 

The race will start at around 11am and is expected to return to Cockermouth at around 3pm. 

The race will travel through Asby, Whitehaven, Lowca, Workington, Flimby, Maryport, Allonby, Silloth, Wigton, Caldbeck and Aspatria before returning to Cockermouth. 

Residents and visitors are encouraged to plan ahead. To enable the event to take place safely, a combination of temporary road closures, rolling road closures and parking restrictions will be in place across the route on race day. Please familiarise themselves with the arrangements and allow extra time for journeys. 

Residents and visitors have another chance to get up close to the Tour de France Grand Départ Trophy when it visits the Cockermouth stage of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women.  

The trophy will be on display in the event fan zone near the start and finish line in Cockermouth town centre on Wednesday 19 August, giving visitors an opportunity to learn more about the world's most famous cycling race ahead of the Tour de France Grand Départ coming to Cumberland in July 2027. 

It will be the second time the trophy has visited the Cumberland area after being on show in Maryport as part of the Taste Cumbria event on Sunday 9 August. 

Photo Credit: Stuart Walker

Maryport’s waterfront was the place to be last weekend as thousands of people turned out for the town’s sixth Taste Cumbria festival.  

The Harbourside Event Space played host to The Teenage Market, acoustic stage and the Demo Stage where 200 visitors watched TV chef Rosemary Shrager make a fabulous seafood pasta.  

Other local experts included the team from Underscar Winery, Raven Nest café and cocktail bar in Whitehaven and Taste Cumbria favourite, chef John Crouch. The town’s own Stuart Eve, from Maryport Born and Bread, was joined by Raf Asboth from the Panda Polish Shop to talk about the secrets of sourdough and serve an international-inspired feast. 

The Marine Road Showfield was the location for the Producers’ Market, street food, the fairground rides and family fun, and the Main Stage where rock, pop and sea shanties entertained the crowds. The Maryport Round Table charity beer and rum bar also packed in the crowds all weekend. 

Elsewhere in town, there was the chance to visit the Maryport Classic Car and Vintage Vehicle Show and enjoy live music in many of the pubs which were packed into the night. 

The Taste Cumbria events are organised by Cumberland Council. The main sponsor is Maryport Town Council, with additional funding from The Captain Nelson Tavern, Maryport Storage, Grants Oak Smoked, Shane Taylor Welding and Milburns Solicitors.

Young people across Cumberland are being encouraged to take part in the Youth Matter survey and share what matters most to them. 

The survey gives children and young people the chance to talk about the things that affect their lives, including their communities, activities, wellbeing and future opportunities. Their feedback will help shape a strategy to inform decisions about services and support for young people across Cumberland. 

If you're a parent or carer, please take a few minutes to share the survey with your child and encourage them to get involved.

Eligible young people can now get a free NHS MenB vaccination to help protect against meningitis and septicaemia.  You are eligible if you: 

• Finished Year 13 this summer and were born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008 

• Are under 25 and starting university for the first time this autumn 

• Are under 25 and starting an eligible residential further education course for the first time this autumn 

The vaccine is given in 2 doses, at least 4 weeks apart, at a participating pharmacy.  How to get vaccinated: 

• Year 13 students: Book an appointment through the NHS national booking system: Book a MenB vaccination appointment.
• Under 25s starting university or an eligible residential further education course: Arrange an appointment or walk into a local pharmacy. 

Students across Cumberland are celebrating their hard work and achievements as A Level, T Level and other post-16 examination results are published today. 

Provisional results indicate a positive picture for Cumberland, with all measures showing improvement compared to 2025.  

Data shared by schools shows that the average Level 3 points score increased from 31.06 in 2025 to 33.09 in 2026, an increase of 2.03 points. Average A-Level points also rose from 31.35 to 32.76, while improvements were also recorded across academic and applied general qualifications. 

To help improve the condition of West Walls Car Park, essential maintenance works will be taking place during the week commencing 17 August. 

The works will include: 

• Resurfacing repairs. 
• Replacement of speed humps. 
• Drainage maintenance, including jetting of slot drains and gully cleaning. 

Car park closures and reduced capacity: 

• Monday 17 August and Tuesday 18 August: West Walls Car Park will be fully closed. 
• Wednesday 19 August to Friday 21 August: The car park will remain open, but with reduced capacity while works continue. 

We appreciate this is relatively short notice, however carrying out the work now will allow us to make these important improvements sooner, with the next available opportunity unlikely to be until later in the year. 

Please plan your journey accordingly and consider alternative parking arrangements during the closure period. 

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience while these essential improvements are completed.

We are set to begin work on a major upgrade of Carlisle's Market Hall bus hub, improving facilities for passengers and enhancing one of the city's busiest public transport gateways. 

Phase 1, which will begin on 1 September 2026, will see the installation of new sandstone paving, four new lighting columns and new street furniture around the bus hub area. These improvements will create a more welcoming environment for passengers while complementing the historic Market Hall building and recent city centre regeneration works. All works in this phase will be delivered by Cumberland Council's in-house Highways teams. 

To allow the works to be carried out safely, the footway area within the site will be fully closed to pedestrians and buses during this period. Temporary bus stops will be provided on Drovers Lane next to the former Debenhams store, and on Lowther Street near the former Debenhams store and the Howard Arms pub. Access from the north entrance of Carlisle Market Hall will also be unavailable while the works are underway. 

Ahead of the works getting underway, we will be holding a drop-in information session on Friday 21 August, from 12pm to 5pm in the communal area of Carlisle Market Hall. 

Phase 2 is scheduled to begin in early January 2027 and will focus on the renovation of the two large bus shelters attached to the north elevation of Carlisle Market Hall. The shelters will receive new roofs, upgraded LED lighting and redecoration to match their existing appearance. 

The Old Bank in Millom is now complete, and the building has officially been handed over by Story Contracting Ltd to Cumberland Council while final arrangements are put in place with the new operator. 

A huge thank you to Story Contracting for all their hard work in bringing this project to life. Their team has carefully restored and refurbished this historic building, helping to create a space that will serve the Millom community for years to come. 

The Old Bank forms a key part of the Reactivating Heritage Buildings programme - one of four major transformational projects within the Millom Town Deal, which secured £20.6m from the UK Government’s Towns Fund alongside additional match funding. 

There are a few further arrangements to complete before the building is handed over to the new operator, local business owners Samantha and Andrew Bowden, who will then begin planning for the official opening. Thank you for your patience while these final steps are worked through. We’ll share further updates when there’s more news to announce. 

There’s plenty to look forward to, so keep an eye on our channels for more updates in the coming weeks.

Plans to transform the centre of Cleator Moor have taken a major step forward, with Story Contracting Ltd. appointed as Principal Contractor for the £4.2 million Revitalised Town project. 

The project is one of four schemes that make up the Cleator Moor Town Deal programme, which secured £22.5 million from the Government's Towns Fund. Managed by Cumberland Council, Revitalised Town aims to bring underused buildings back into use, improve the look and feel of the town centre and create new opportunities for local people. 

The project will create a new public services and community hub by linking and refurbishing the existing library and former Credit Union building in the Town Square. The hub will include improved library facilities, new exhibition and arts space, areas for youth activities and a café annexe with a commercial kitchen. Improvements will also be made to the Town Square to create a more welcoming space for residents and visitors. 

Want to find out more about the Cumberland Sports Village project?   

The project team will be out and about at local sporting fixtures, providing the latest updates on the development and answering any questions from supporters, residents and stakeholders.  

You can meet the team at The Fibrus Community Stadium for Workington AFC Official home fixture against Guiseley on 15 August and Workington Town Rugby League Football Club’s home fixture against Rochdale Hornets on 16 August to learn more about the project, see the latest CGI visualisations and hear about the next key milestones as plans progress towards construction.  

If you can't make it along, keep an eye on the project website, which will soon be updated with the latest project information, visualisations and delivery programme.