25 years ago — 1996
Alston
A businessman has revealed his £2million plan to turn a disused underground cave at Alston into a major tourist attraction.
Russell Wood, who lived in the Alston area for 17 years, told the Herald his dream of reopening Nent Force, an underground passage originally used to transport lead from Nenthead.
Appleby
A sports hall costing £230,000 could be built in Appleby if plans by the town’s primary schools get the go-ahead.
Governors want to build a multi-purpose sports hall within the grounds of the school.
However, they stress it will be for the use of all the residents of Appleby.
Eden councillors have also agreed to spend £100,000 towards the building of an all-weather sports pitch at Kirkby Stephen, subject to other funding being in place.
Penrith
An injection of lottery money could see a revamp of Penrith’s Castle Park within the next few years.
Eden councillors have decided to carry out a study of the facilities in the park with the possibility that lottery money could help improve it.
The original idea for the study came from the members of the Castle Park Bowling Club, who wanted to see their own facilities and those of the park improved.
An era was due to end in the early hours this week when the travelling mail train from Peterborough to Carlisle made its last scheduled stop at Penrith railway station.
Rail express systems, the private sector company which operates the train, has been told by Royal Mail that the Penrith stop is no longer required because of the introduction of a new, containerised mail distribution system which will use an integrated network of road, rail and air transport.
The North
Former Herald reporter John Lawrence is to join the BBC’s Look North nightly news program as part of a new line-up which replaces long-serving front man Mike Neville, who is moving to Tyne Tees Television.
John, aged 33, started his career with the Herald and later became the newspaper’s Keswick area reporter. His wife, Sue, hails from Skelton.
Upper Eden
An internationally recognised artist has completed the first of nine sculptures he hopes to build in and around villages in the Kirkby Stephen area.
Inspired by the mysterious cairns on Nine Standards Rigg, the sculpture by Andy Goldsworthy at Raisebeck, near Orton, takes the form of a cone of stones.
The work was constructed inside the village pinfold, where stray sheep used to be held until collected by their owners.
Stone for the cone was provided by local farmer John Burra.
50 years ago — 1971
Penrith
Latest figures issued by Penrith Employment Exchange show that in mid-May the town and surrounding area had a total of 231 workless — 193 men, nine boys and 29 women — which gave a two per cent unemployment figure.
This was slightly better than the position in April when there were 266 out of work.
Exchange manage Mr Harold Edmondson said that future prospects were not too healthy — there was nothing in the offing to counter the run down in the number of men employed on the motorway.
Threlkeld
At the age of 85, Penrith-born Colonel Horace Westmorland, Threlkeld, has just climbed Pillar Rock, Ennerdale, to celebrate his first climb of the rock 70 years ago. He did the same in 1951 to celebrate the 50th anniversary.
Eden
A crisis meeting is to be held of the representatives of the Cumberland and Westmorland Angling Alliance and the Cumberland River Authority in an attempt to find a solution to large scale pollution in the River Eden — one of the North West’s most important fishing rivers.
Fishermen claim that gallons of virtually untreated sewage are being poured into the river daily because many sewerage schemes are inadequate and the use of household detergents is making others ineffective.
The meeting, to be held in the Mitre Hotel, will consider another problem —the vast amounts of weed which have developed in the river in recent years and which is ruining fishing.
Appleby
37 members of the Evergreen Club, Appleby, celebrated their 15th birthday with a tea at the Courtfield Hotel, Appleby, where the gathering included Mr and Mrs J. F. Whitehead who were welcomed by the chairman Mrs L. Robinson.
100 years ago — 1921
Penruddock
After nearly 28 years as master of Penruddock School, Mr Thomas Ryder is to retire.
He has also been voluntary organiser and choirmaster at the church and is one of the founders of the village institute.
Appleby
The first meeting of the newly formed Women’s Institute was held in the Bongate Institute, where Mrs. Gudgeon, vice-president presided.
Mrs. Baker read a report of what had already been done and Miss Anson gave an address on the aims of the movement.
Songs were rendered by Mrs. Gudgeon and Miss Perry gave a reading.
Penrith
Penrith Football Club has had a successful year, winning both the Carlisle and District League Championship and the Eden Valley Cup.
At the annual meeting Mr S. B. Richardson, treasurer, said the turnover amounted to nearly £900, of which £626 was gate money.
150 years ago —1871
Appleby
The sensation of the wrestling at Castle Eden Sports was the defeat of the well-known exponents, Wright and Jameson, of Penrith.
They threw their opponents easily until pitted against George Steadman, a powerful athlete from Drybeck, near Appleby, who threw Wright with comparative ease and Jameson after a prolonged tussle.
