Archive
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Best foot forward
ULVERSTON walking festival attracted record numbers this year as it has established itself as an important date in walkers' diaries. Within the first few days of the ten-day event - started up by Jean Povey four years ago - it pulled in more than 250
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'Nasty second home owners'
SIR, As one of those nasty second home owners who deprive the locals of so much, let me say how delighted I am that the councils are falling out amongst themselves about how the ill-gotten gains should be divided up. Because second home-owners do not
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What to do with tax windfall
SIR, The question of who should control the spending of the predicted £1.6 million windfall which South Lakeland District Council will collect when the 50 per cent council tax on second homes is abolished, leaves no doubt in my mind. Instead of the politicians
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Sharp contrast in meat inspections
SIR, Jeff Swift refers to the "puny efforts being taken to keep illegal meat out of the country" (Gazette, March 28, Over the gate our priorities are all wrong'). I visited New York recently and on landing at Newark airport was taken through a customs
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From Our Files...this week in history
25 Years Ago April 7, 1978 Mr Peter Shore, Secretary of State for the Environment, has now laid before Parliament a Special Development Order giving planning permission for the building of a reprocessing plant for irradiated oxide nuclear fuels at Windscale
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Digging for information
Rummaging among rock fall in a desolate, damp cave, it is hard to believe this was one man's home for nearly 50 years. "I'm not a superstitious person at all, but there is definitely an atmosphere here," says Harvey Wilkinson, registrar at Abbot Hall,
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Maiden rescue for Bay hovercraft
A SEARCH for two missing teenagers sent Morecambe's Hurley Flyer into action, marking the hovercraft's first life-saving mission since its launch last year. The craft's four-man crew joined police officers and search dogs late on Saturday night to look
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Johnny English
In an uncertain world, few things are as dependable as the British Secret Service. World-renowned for the calibre of its agents, the cutting-edge technology utilised in its weaponry and its international intelligence-gathering web, it is one of the last
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S Club: Seeing Double
IMAGINE a world where pop stars are cloned in an evil attempt to brainwash youngsters' minds As their world tour draws to a close in Spain, chart-toppers S Club (pictured) discover an impostor group performing live on TV from Los Angeles. Confused, the
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Bluffers are word perfect
A NEW Young Farmers Club competition has been won by Grayrigg YFC. The Call My Bluff competition proved highly entertaining on its very first outing with six teams from the county taking part in the game where teams try to pull the wool over the eyes
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Over The Gate with Jeff Swift
WHEN I was trying to put together last week's article about some stallions of yesteryear and the routes they followed on their travels, guess what DEFRA's Lord Whitty was up to. If you are as suspicious as me, you may well say, "Well nothing very helpful
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Verdant verges
MANAGING the county's verdant verges so they are a haven for flora and safe for drivers was up for discussion at a recent Cumbria County Council meeting. Members of the Community Consultative Forum heard from both sides of the fence on striking the balance
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Leighton Moss Spring Fair
MORE than 2,000 people turned out to the Leighton Moss Spring Fair last weekend. The two-day event at the Silverdale RSPB reserve had many ornithologists in a flap as countless exhibitions and stalls catered for every twitcher's need. Children got up
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Easter Out & About: April 19 - 27
What's on over Easter Easter Saturday, April 19: -See the new show from Monster Productions, Why do Bees Buzz? at the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, 3pm, family tickets £16. Bookings 01539-725133. -Watch the Cumbrian Mountain Festival Easter extravaganza
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Easter out & About: April 11- 18
What's on over Easter Friday, April 11: -DISCOVER more about the Viking age in Cumbria during a lecture at Kendal Museum, Station Road. Bookings £3 in advance, 01539-721374. -LISTEN to junior vocals all day at the South Cumbria Music Festival, Coronation
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Fixtures
Mark your calendars for these upcoming sporting events. RUGBY Saturday (3pm) NATIONAL LEAGUE Division Two Wharfedale v Kendal Merit League Kendal 2nd v Wharfedale 2nd North Lancs & Cumbria League Division One Rossendale v Kirkby Lonsdale Division
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Web Watch: The Lakes - A Living Landscape
The Lake District offers some of the most breathtaking views on the globe and the race is on to give viewers that up-close-and-personal experience using the Internet. The latest to offer up a buffet of Lake District images is Cumbria County Council which
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Jobs for the gardener this week
Prune forsythias after they have finished flowering, by cutting one third of all stems down to ground level. Sow seeds of hardy annuals direct into the soil where they are to flower. Sow them in short rows to make them easy to spot amongst any weed seeds
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Smoke gives Saddleback foods their distinctive taste
LIKE proud parents, Dacre-based Saddleback Foods & Smokerie partners Jane Farkins and Mark Atkinson have been delighted to see their baby' grow. In fact, it's positively bouncing, so much so that Jane and Mark have already set their sights on expansion
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Cheese please!
THERE'S a delicious new cheese on the block thanks to an exciting link forged between Low Sizergh Barn farm shop and highly-respected Lancashire cheese-maker Chris Sandham. He's now using milk from Low Sizergh's organic dairy herd for his latest creamy
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The Nent pasty has arrived!
THE Cornish pasty has competition from Cumbria. The Nent Miners' Pasty has just been unveiled at Nent Valley - The Secret Adventure', where visitors can take a fascinating trip down a real lead mine. Nent's answer to a McDonald's happy meal', the pasty
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School forms link with East Africa
A PARTNERSHIP between two very different Lake District schools separated by language, climate and thousands of miles is helping its pupils to become truly global citizens. Leck St Peter's Primary School, near Kirkby Lonsdale, is working with a school
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Celebrate St.George with breakfast
THE Heaves Hotel, at Levens, is to host a Great English Breakfast' as part of St George's Day events on April 23, organised by the Country and Business Association to celebrate local pride and produce'. This year is the 1,700th anniversary of the death
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Adrian Mullen's 'Arts Diary'
SOME of the top young musicians in the county perform at The Lakes School, Troutbeck Bridge, on Wednesday, April 16 (7.30pm), in Cumbria Youth Orchestra's Easter concert. Under the direction of Timothy Redmond and led by Sam Glover, the players swing
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Mill opens up new space
FARFIELD Mill has opened a new exhibition area, opening with a double dose of artwork. The Sedbergh art and heritage centre has created the light and airy Howgill Room to stage paintings and other media exhibitions. Running until April 30 is a joint show
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Letters about Wordsworth donated to Trust
Unpublished letters by William Wordsworth's sister-in-law offering fresh insights into the life and times of the archetypical Lake District poet have been handed over to The Wordsworth Trust. Some 156 letters penned by the sharp-witted Priscilla Lloyd
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Letters about Wordsworth donated to Trust
Unpublished letters by William Wordsworth's sister-in-law offering fresh insights into the life and times of the archetypical Lake District poet have been handed over to The Wordsworth Trust. Some 156 letters penned by the sharp-witted Priscilla Lloyd
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Chamber backs road plans
BUSINESS leaders in South Lakeland have thrown their weight behind renewed efforts to secure a northern relief road for Kendal. They say a road linking the existing bypass to Shap Road would secure the future prosperity of the town and reduce traffic
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On course
CURRICULUM writing and PowerPoint are two of the courses open to the public at Coniston Community Development Centre. Two-week evening courses in CV writing begin on Monday and April 22 and a five-week course on the basics of PowerPoint presentations
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Holiday fair
A HOLIDAY fair is being held in the Victory Hall, in Broughton-in-Furness, on Sunday, from 10.45am to 4pm. The event is part of the project set up to aid the village's survival after foot-and-mouth, so admission is free. There will be arts and crafts,
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Fixtures for the week ahead
- SUNDAY'S Booths Grand Prix time trial around Windermere kicks off the local cycling season with a bang. Lakes expert Gethin Butler of Preston Wheelers heads a star-studded line-up and the first rider gets away from the Rayrigg Road start area at 7.45am
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Kendal mint cake features in Everest anniversary
KENDAL mint cake is to feature in the 50th anniversary celebrations being organised to mark the memorable ascent of the world's highest mountain. The sugary confectionary helped power Sir Edmund Hillary to the top of Everest on May 29 1953 and half-a-century
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Shopmobility fund raising continues
A KENDAL-based charity has received more than £17,000 during the first three months of a three-year-long fund-raising campaign. Kendal and South Lakes Shopmobility launched a major money-making drive in January because it faces a fight for survival when
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New project to help tackle child abuse
Tackling the sensitive issue of child abuse without shat-tering innocence is a challenge. But a pioneering project designed to help children keep themselves safe from harm is taking it on at St Thomas' CE School, in Kendal. St Thomas's is the first school
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A bridge too far - council rejects ambitious blueprint
A VISIONARY blueprint for a 12-mile bridge linking Heysham and Barrow has run into a major roadblock. Lancaster City Council has deemed the plans for the proposed multi-million pound structure invalid. The proposal - submitted by Kendal businessman David
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Resort plan wins £1.5million heritage aid
A £1.5 MILLION grant for Morecambe could bring the creation of a new conservation area and a revamp of historic buildings in the resort. Lancaster City Council has won the cash from the Heritage Lottery fund - and now plans to launch a Morecambe Townscape
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Bay 'Flyer' gets its first call
A SEARCH for two missing teenagers sent Morecambe's Hurley Flyer into action - the RNLI hovercraft's first life-saving mission since its launch last year. The craft's four-man crew joined police and search dogs late on Saturday to look for the 14 and
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Bay police get 'tough on crime'
MORECAMBE'S top cop has pledged to be tough on crime'. The resort's new inspector is Richard Debicki, who has stepped into Insp Ken Clayson's shoes with a vow to relentlessly target criminals to make this a safer place to live and work'. As part of that
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GP quits in cash wrangle
PLACES for almost a thousand patients have had to be found with new surgeries this week after a Morecambe GP shut up shop over a funding row. Dr Malcolm Seville closed his Landsowne Road Surgery in Bare at 6pm last Friday after 25 years service, explaining
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Gift of life for Jennifer
A DONOR has been found for Jennifer Wilson, the Lancaster mum whose only hope of recovery from a rare form of leukaemia is a bone marrow transplant. It is the news Jennifer has long been waiting for, and she is now preparing to return to Manchester's
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Prince Charles visits Furness
A BARROW-based community organisation which branched out into Ulverston last year will receive a royal stamp of approval Friday during a visit from HRH The Prince of Wales. The visit to Community Action Furness coincides with the organisation's tenth
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Prince Charles visits
A BARROW-based community organisation which branched out into Ulverston last year will receive a royal stamp of approval Friday during a visit from HRH The Prince of Wales. The visit to Community Action Furness coincides with the organisation's tenth
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Flag Fortnight coming fast
PEOPLE who would like to take part in Ulverston's fifth Flag Fortnight have only days to register their interest. From Saturday, May 3, to Sunday, May 18, more than 150 silk flags will be on display outside shops, businesses and houses in Ulverston. Already
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The Way I See It
ASK anyone who has been overtaken by a mountain rescue Land Rover and they will tell you that the teams are pretty nippy when dashing to a rescue, but a letter shown to me by Rod Berry, of Endmoor, made me realise that they must be speedy at other times
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Professor of Adventure
Another spring settles in Borrowdale, new woodland daffodils carpet the valley floor and swallows return from hot climes to a peaceful patch of paradise. Once, they were joined by another familiar figure making his journey home for the summer months.
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Shared memories
TWO women met this week to share stories of Millican Dalton - one had met him, the other was married to his nephew. Nora Dalton, now widowed and living in Devon, was riveted by her husband's tales of the cave man he worshiped. Nicholas Dalton as a boy
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Regional Government: Wide unitary choice
IF THE North West votes for its own assembly next year Cumbria looks set to be carved up, wiping out six district councils and a county council. The Government has made it clear that a regional assembly would come hand in hand with new single tier unitary
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Prince Charles visits Ulverston
A BARROW-based community organisation which branched out into Ulverston last year will receive a royal stamp of approval Friday during a visit from HRH The Prince of Wales. The visit to Community Action Furness coincides with the organisation's tenth
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Prince Charles visits Ulverston
A BARROW-based community organisation which branched out into Ulverston last year will receive a royal stamp of approval Friday during a visit from HRH The Prince of Wales. The visit to Community Action Furness coincides with the organisation's tenth
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What's on at your local cinema this week
AMBLESIDE: Zeffirellis, 015394-33845 Johnny English (PG) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (12A) Chicago (12A) S Club Seeing Double (PG) Maid in Manhattan (12A) Jungle Book 2 (U) The Hours (12A) BARROW: Apollo 4 Cinema, 01229-825354 Jungle Book 2 (U)
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Journey to the centre of the Earth
THE bleached earth trembled beneath the soles of my boots. Then, with a great, gurgling groan, a spout of boiling steam shot more than a hundred feet into the air ...a bucolic welcome to a holiday at the centre of the earth. Iceland truly is one of the
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Gig Guide
TO HAVE your gigs included FREE of charge in the Gig Guide, telephone Beth Broomby on 01539-720555, or send a fax on 01539-720990, or drop a line to the Gig Guide, The Westmorland Gazette, 22 Stricklandgate, Kendal, LA9 4NE, at least TWO WEEKS before
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Union backs import plan
A NEW Government plan for dealing with illegal animal and plant imports has been welcomed by the NFU. According to the union, the revised draft of the Action Plan is a "significant improvement" on the situation before the foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2001
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DJ night extravaganza!
DANCING shoes at the ready, a house DJ with an international reputation is calling into Kendal next weekend and you've just a few days left to get your ticket. Former choirboy turned superstar DJ Greg Vickers (below) is set to guest for Fairplay Productions
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No more grazing
RIGHTS to graze animals on commons on the Warcop Training Area have now been extinguished. Compensation has been paid to the commoners, which will allow infantry recruits to fully use a new comprehensive firing programme, says the British Army. The formal
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Public input wanted for bridleway
RESIDENTS are being asked to generate ideas to put the finishing touches on a user-friendly Lake District bridleway. The route, which runs along the old Coniston branch line of the Furness railway, has been given a special surface to accommodate wheelchair
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Priceless experience
ONE of the UK's best acoustic blues musicians is on a whistle stop tour of the Lakes. Peter Price, who has received recognition following appearances at various venues throughout the British Isles and Europe, will play two gigs in South Lakeland next
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Win tickets to launch of Hush CD
SOUTH Lakeland band Hush are offering Off The Record readers a chance to catch their CD launch gig at The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, for free. Last May the group sold out the 400 capacity venue when they played tracks from their first CD What's It All
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Jansch at the Platform
A TRIPLE whammy of music events is on at Morecambe's Platform this weekend. Kicking things off tonight (Friday) is Plainsong, billed as a harmonious band on lyrical overtime. Next up is folk, blues, jazz blend Bert Jansch tomorrow (Saturday) and finally
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Pick of the Week
Activities, talks, exhibitions and much more ACTIVITIES - SWALLOW and Amazons cruise on Coniston Water, Coniston Launch, Coniston 4.30pm, return 6.00pm and explore Arthur Ransome's Coniston. No under-6s. For details, call 015394-36216. -RADIO Dayz'. Windermere
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Lottery Fund chief takes first hand look at footpath work
FOOTPATHS are as essential to the British people's heritage as Buckingham Palace, said a National Lottery Fund chief. On a first visit to the Lakes, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund Liz Forgan tramped some popular walkways to see how her million pound
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Steel Magnolias
What a treat the recent warm, sunny weather has been, allowing us to get on with work in the garden untroubled by wind and rain. The fine weather has brought some plants into bloom unexpectedly early, including some stunning magnolias. We have several
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Town's birthplace of Methodism by Derek Kingwell
IT SEEMS entirely appropriate that in the year the Methodists are marking the 120th anniversary since the rebuilding of their present Wesleyan Chapel at the foot of Windermere Road, we take a look at the building that was to become their first meeting
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Festival time
IF YOU love local food then make a note in your diary for June 21 and 22. That's because the very first North West Food Lovers Festival went down such a storm in 2002, that organisers North West Fine Foods have once again booked the Westmorland County
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Relish the moment
No wonder they're smiling! Mark Whitehead and Geoff Monkman are winning converts to the Hawkshead Relish cause left, right and centre. Only the best will do for Holker Hall and Muncaster Castle so you'll find the relish range on their gift shop shelves
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Town crier lands a double
THE town crier for Dalton-in-Furness does the job so well that he has landed himself a second appointment. Alan Brown has been Dalton's town crier for more than two years. When he was approached by Barrow Borough Council to take up a second post, he said
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Spirit of nature
The title Spirit of Nature is a marvellous way of summing up what could be one of the region's best wildlife and landscape exhibitions of the year. Being staged at Silverdale's treasured Wolf House Gallery by owners Colin and Sandra Bellinger - who took
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Appropriate farewell to leader
The Lakeland Sinfonia's concert in the Westmorland Hall was an auspicious occasion for Martin Hughes, the orchestra's leader during the last five years. The concert was his last as he has resigned prior to becoming head of strings at Bedford School. The
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Head and shoulders above the rest
HEADS up, here comes Tony Bevan. Stand back, and admire his focus on the human frame. From Monday until June 26, Abbot Hall Art Gallery will be up to its artistic neck and beyond with the much lauded figurative paintings and charcoals of London-based
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Cracking comedy in 'Adrian's Wall'
SIX cracking characters and a volley of side-splitting one liners. Adrian's Wall was a jolly affair. Alison (Naomi Blenkarn) persuades city boyfriend Graeme (Paul Sullivan) to go on a conservation weekend in the Lakes. A get to know each other better'
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Search on for Dusty
THE writer of a musical play based on the life of Dusty Springfield is searching for someone in the region to play her part. Middle of Nowhere runs at Staveley Roundhouse on July 22 for five nights and Steve Andrews is keen to hear from anyone aged between
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Sing a new song
SING a New Song is the rather poetic title of the next Pro Nobis Singers concert performed at Kendal Parish Church tomorrow (Saturday, 7.30pm). Conductor Clive Walkley is particularly excited about the event because it stars the Thomas Tallis compositional
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Rugby Union Club under spotlight
THE future of Kendal Rugby Union Football Club is to come under the spotlight next week. Three meetings are being held to give everyone from fans to players and club officials the opportunity to give their views about the future development of the 98-
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Rugby Union Club under spotlight
THE future of Kendal Rugby Union Football Club is to come under the spotlight next week. Three meetings are being held to give everyone from fans to players and club officials the opportunity to give their views about the future development of the 98-
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Buildings shortlisted for awards
TWO South Lakeland buildings have been given national recognition as "outstanding examples" of architecture and environmental design. Windermere Arts and Crafts house, Blackwell, and Kirkby Lonsdale supermarket E.H Booth were both shortlisted for the
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Business recycles printer cartridges
A NEW business promising printing cartridges that don't cost the earth has opened in Kendal. Cartridge World specialises in refilling empty ink, bubblejet and laser cartridges and says recycling an old cartridge is not only much cheaper than buying a
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Business recycles printer cartridges
A NEW business promising printing cartridges that don't cost the earth has opened in Kendal. Cartridge World specialises in refilling empty ink, bubblejet and laser cartridges and says recycling an old cartridge is not only much cheaper than buying a
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Business networking pays off
WORD of mouth has proved a powerful sales tool for a group dedicated to generating more business for its members. The Business Networking Forum was only formed in January last year, but already has 15 members, who have all directly benefited. The group
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Firm poised for expansion
A SOUTH Lakeland retail business is poised for a major expansion programme which will lead to a chain of outlets across the North West. Lifestyle clothing shop Rush has reopened its doors in Bowness after a big refurbishment project which has seen the
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Pick of the Week
ACTIVITIES - SWALLOW and Amazons cruise on Coniston Water, Coniston Launch, Coniston 4.30pm, return 6.00pm and explore Arthur Ransome's Coniston. No under-6s. For details, call 015394-36216. -RADIO Dayz'. Windermere Steamboats and Museum, Rayrigg Road
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Bogus bomb warning
POLICE are asking for information on a hoaxer whose bogus warning of a bomb in the Newcastle Building Society office in Stricklandgate, Kendal, on Monday lunch-time led to the two-storey building being cleared for an hour and a half. A spokesman for the
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Nautical expert rewarded for work
A NAUTICAL expert with links to the Lake District has been given a lifetime achievement accolade. Julian Parker, who moved to Grasmere when he was two, is to retire this summer as secretary of the Nautical Institute, the world's leading professional body
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Checkout
What's in the shops this week with the emphasis, where possible, on locally produced seasonal & speciality foods. Dales butchers, Kirkby Lonsdale: Very popular free-range chickens from Wigglesworth - advisable to order - birds average 6-7lbs weight
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On course
CURRICULUM writing and PowerPoint are two of the courses open to the public at Coniston Community Development Centre. Two-week evening courses in CV writing begin on Monday and April 22 and a five-week course on the basics of PowerPoint presentations
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New market town officer
THE Lakes Market Town Initiative, designed to rejuvenate the communities of Windermere, Bowness and Ambleside in the wake of foot-and-mouth disease, has a new project officer. Donna Lee, from Rydal, in North Yorkshire, will start work on April 28. The
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Kendal mint cake features in Everest anniversary
KENDAL mint cake is to feature in the 50th anniversary celebrations being organised to mark the memorable ascent of the world's highest mountain. The sugary confectionary helped power Sir Edmund Hillary to the top of Everest on May 29 1953 and half-a-century
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London Marathon beckons
KENDAL dentist John Hall is limbering up for his third London Marathon this Sunday to raise money for sufferers of Lupus. The Kendal Mountain Search and Rescue Team member has raised more than £5,000 in the past three years for Lupus UK, the charity which
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Bridge plan hits first snag
A VISIONARY blueprint for a 12-mile bridge linking Heysham and Barrow has run into a major roadblock. Lancaster City Council has deemed the plans for the pro-posed multi-million pound structure invalid. The proposal - submitted by Kendal businessman David
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Bay police get 'tough on crime'
MORECAMBE'S top cop has pledged to be tough on crime'. The resort's new inspector is Richard Debicki, who has stepped into Insp Ken Clayson's shoes with a vow to relentlessly target criminals to make this a safer place to live and work'. As part of that
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June date set for smell control hearing
THE first steps in a legal battle over the control of alleged smell from Fats and Proteins (UK) Ltd at Nightingale Hall, Lancaster, will take place in June. At a preliminary hearing at Lancaster Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Michael Byrne agreed that
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We're getting tough vows resort top cop
MORECAMBE'S top cop has pledged to be tough on crime'. The resort's new inspector is Richard Debicki, who has stepped into Insp Ken Clayson's shoes with a vow to relentlessly target criminals to make this a safer place to live and work'. As part of that
