THE Samaritans are holding a Brew Monday coffee morning from 11am on February 3 at Ambleside Library, raising money for the charity which gives people who are having a tough time somewhere to turn to when they need to talk.  Donations of £5 can also be made by texting Brew5 on 70507.  ALSO next Monday February 3 there will be a free lecture open to the public at 6.30pm at the campus Percival theatre when university lecturers Dr Martyn Hudson and Jackie Haynes explore the work of the German refugee artist and his cultural landscapes in the years when he lived in Ambleside, just before his death. 

LAKES Parish Council has formally asked LDNPA for urgent work to be done to update the 1973 bylaws about the use of powered boats on Grasmere and other smaller lakes.

Council said the bylaws had become completely outdated over the past 47 years, but the actual change required would be small, as expressed in the 2010 bylaws for Coniston Water when the term “power driven vessel” was made to mean any vessel propelled by machinery.

PETER McCall, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria, informed Lakes Parish Council recently that its application to the commissioner for one-off funding for two CCTV cameras in Ambleside will be granted, with up to £3,000 allocated for each of two cameras.

COUNCILLORS are to consider what representation the council should have as part of the newly restructured Armitt Board.  This could be either as a Trustee of the Armitt Library and Museum Centre or as a valued advisor in attendance, who could assist the Board on relevant matters.

The Armitt, which has restructured and updated the Board’s governance procedures, described it as a very exciting stage in the Armitt’s history when it welcomed someone with a deep commitment to the Lake District who also shared its ambitions to increase visitor figures, upgrade the building and displays, forge local and national partnerships and bring substantial investment to the museum.  THE historic Ambleside Association for the Prosecution of Felons came together recently to hold the annual Bond dinner at The Salutation Hotel.  A total of 113 members dined on  customary fare that hasn’t changed in two centuries, consisting of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, followed by Christmas pudding and brandy sauce.

Many other districts had similar organisations for the prosecution of felons at that time, but Ambleside’s Association is probably the longest surviving one, having been founded in 1813 by Agnes Nicholson, the village postmistress, but which later became an all-male group.  Established some 40 years before the introduction of a regular police force, its purpose was to deal with local crime at a time when petty theft and vagrancy were rife in the countryside, much of it committed by jobless soldiers returning from the Napoleonic wars.  Ambleside had a village constable who arrested, detained and brought miscreants before the magistrate, but a successful conviction depended entirely on witnesses.

For this, witnesses were paid a reward, plus their expenses for attending court, which was funded from subscriptions paid by the Association’s members.  Once the police force was set up, the Association became redundant.  However, rather than disbanding, Ambleside’s Association continued, with an annual dinner as its only remaining function.

This year’s dinner saw fines of ‘half a crown’ paid on behalf of 76 absent members by fellow Bondsmen.  The toast to Town, Trade and Farming was proposed by Chris Lane, who talked about local mines and his adventures exploring them over the years.  The toast to the Prosecution Bond was given by Ian Stephens from the University of Cumbria and formerly Cumbria Tourism, who spoke about tourism, his life in the Lakes and his love of Welsh rugby.

Heads were bowed in memory of Bondsmen Clive Bibby, Alec Mann, Ian Smith, Colin Tyson and Malcolm Tyson whose deaths occurred in the past year.  Eight new members were welcomed, with a waiting list remaining of 20 prospective members.

AMBLESIDE and District Art Society’s painter of the month now exhibiting in Ambleside Library is Steve Kelly, who worked professionally as a freelance graphic artist and turned to painting on a more regular basis after retirement.  Steve likes to paint different subjects whether it be from the imagination or from a photo, and his work has been influenced by artists including Rowland Hilder, Archibald Thorburn and Edward Seago.

Although watercolour is Steve’s preferred medium, he’s not averse to using different techniques.

“Sometimes the paintings work, sometimes not -  but it can always provide fuel for the fire,” he said.  The exhibition is in the community room during Library opening hours.