THE chair of a village residents' committee said that 'no one cares about us here in Oxenholme.' 

Steve Warner campaigns on issues related to Oxenholme, a community on the outskirts of Kendal famous for its station on the West Coast Main Line. 

Despite the village itself being small the area is busy due to the railway station which not only provides transport links to popular destinations in the Lake District but also as a means for locals to access larger centres such as Manchester. 

Mr Warner contacted this publication after reading an article about how busy Oxenholme station is. The latest Office for Rail and Road data states that there were 482,000 entries and exits into the station in 2022-23. 

Mr Warner also argues that Helmside Road is busier than the council recognises. The road, he claims, is often used as a means for residents living in the Strawberry Fields area of Kendal to quickly access the A65. 

"You will recall that over many years we have had the same discussions about the issues for resolution in Oxenholme," Mr Warner said.

"The only response had so far is what seemed to be a Kendal Town Council decision to provide the village with two dog bins which are yet to be delivered.

"In the meantime we see many millions proposed for Kendal Town which, although clearly welcome, only reinforced the view that no-one cares about us here in Oxenholme.

"We have been promised a traffic evaluation survey to establish what can be done to reduce the speed of vehicles. Improved signage and slow signs would help.

"I often think that no-one accepts the volumes using Helmside Road are very high and I have seen the growth of the railway station, passengers and traffic massively contribute to this. One villager even built a car park to accommodate this. At least someone helped with parking issues."

Mr Warner said he was considering campaigning for different councillors in the future 'to give someone else the chance to help us.' 

Doug Rathbone, the Westmorland and Furness councillor for Oxenholme, said: "Oxenholme is definitely not the forgotten part of Kendal, not least because I live next door to the station.

"The funding for the centre of Kendal was central government funding. It is available only for town centres."

In terms of the traffic, Cllr Rathbone said that the council is 'aware' of the issue in Oxenholme, and it has been discussed in highways meetings. 

"It can take a long time, there needs to be money found and proper consultation and agreements," he said.

He said that as a Liberal Democrat: "We talk to everybody all the time. We go and knock on doors and listen to the general feeling of a neighbourhood."