In February 2003, The Westmorland Gazette reported how the three teams fielded by Windermere Sports Club in the Westmorland Talbot Insurance League boasted seven sets of footballing brothers.

And the club had worked out that in its recent history 22 sets of brothers had pulled on a Windermere shirt.

Also in 2003 the Gazette reported how a pair of keen conservationists were leaving behind the South Lakeland winter and heading for the lush jungles of Sri Lanka to take part in a primate study.

Kendal women Valerie Macconnell and Mary Ulrich were due to fly out to south Asia to work alongside leading scientists and fellow volunteers in a study of the macaque society.

The two-week trip would see the women based in Polonnaruwa – famed for its ruined ancient temples – where they would share the jungle with the brightly-coloured monkeys, elephants and wild boar. The project was being run by environmental charity Earthwatch.

Ms Ullrich said she was looking forward to meeting people from other parts of the world and seeing how conservation work was carried out in another culture.

On their return the women aimed to draw up a community action plan and put their knowledge and experience to work within local conservation volunteering projects.

Plans costing £131,000 to improve and modernise Kendal Town Hall were being considered by South Lakeland District Council in 2003. Under the proposals the council chamber, committee room, members’ room and ladies’ toilets would benefit from a facelift. Part of the work was to improve access for disabled people.

Meanwhile conservation-keen children had a close encounter of the feathered kind when a birds of prey demonstration came to school.

Pupils at Old Hutton Primary School were visited by birds from Corio Raptor Care, High Bentham, and Nick Henderson, who gave them a talk about endangered birds.

“As a school we are very interested in wildlife,” said head teacher Graham Frost. “We have a wildlife area and have been working with English Nature since Christmas to develop it.”