25 years ago – 1996
EDEN
Two Eden teenagers fought with nightmare conditions to put themselves in climbing history and help raise money for a school expedition.
Leo Holding, aged 16, of Bolton, Appleby, and Haydn Martin, who is 17, of Sleagill, became the youngest duo to tackle the Old Man of Hoy, a 450ft sea stack off the Orkneys.
The two had to endure gale force winds and powerful waves in order to achieve their goal and raise money for a trip to Nepal by members of Appleby Grammar School, where Haydn still studies and which Leo attended until recently.
Eden Council have taken the major decision to transfer all their blue collar services, together with the workforce, to the British-owned company John Doyle Limited, who are based in Hertfordshire.
At a special meeting, councillors also agreed to transfer all leisure facilities at Southend Road, Penrith, and Appleby swimming pool to Glendale Leisure Limited. The overall contract value is around £17.5 million over 10 years and could save the council up to £750,000.
DACRE
A Dacre pensioner who spent two weeks with disabled people in the forests and jungles of remote western Nepal has returned with new inspiration.
Norah Viney, who is 75, saw an advertisement in a wildlife magazine for a mixed ability adventure. She decided that she needed a break and this was her sort of trip. The trip was an experiment to help team leader John Havens, who is operations director of Oxventure, assess how much an adventure trip could be adapted for disabled people.
APPLEBY
A heart transplant patient has declared he will never again use Cuedoc — the out-of-hours emergency doctor service operating in parts of Eden — because he claims they were too slow to respond to his call for help.
Ken Burrell, of Drawbriggs Lane, Appleby, was one of many outraged townsfolk who attended a public meeting to air discontent and concern about the Cuedoc system, which was introduced in April.
KIRKSTONE
Plans to introduce charges for car parking on the summit of Kirkstone Pass are set to be dropped.
The car park is leased from the Kirkstone Pass Inn by the Lake District Planning Board and there are 30 years of the lease still to run. The board want to introduce charges at more of the car parks they control, but a report to the visitor services committee states the owners of the land at Kirkstone have said they will not renegotiate the lease to allow charging to be imposed, fearing their trade would be affected.
PENRITH
Student Sheena Rowley decided to leave her family behind when she enrolled on the International Baccalaureate course at Penrith’s Ullswater Community College.
Sheena, who is 16, was born and brought up in Cheshire and went to school there before opting to pursue the post GCSE education in Penrith, becoming the first student to choose to attend Ullswater College from outside the county.
50 YEARS AGO — 1971
STAINTON
Seven-year-old Ian Brown, Sunny Bank, Stainton, was due to receive a £1 premium bond last night for winning a contest in road safety and other aspects of accident prevention.
Competitors — and there were 250 of them from schools in Penrith Rural area — were required to put in order of priority twelve situations to be avoided, so far as safety on the roads and in the home are concerned, and also to write a school slogan.
Ian’s slogan was: “Walk in the side of the road or footpath and use the kerb drill when crossing.”
APPLEBY
Appleby’s 160-year-old Cloisters, which form the entrance to St. Lawrence’s Church, will not be demolished, the Borough Council decided on Wednesday, when it was revealed that certain bodies in the town would be prepared to raise funds for any further restoration work.
Controversy flared at the previous meeting, when it was suggested that the building be pulled down, in view of the £1,400 cost of remedial work to dry rot in the timbering.
BROUGHAM
There is a big question-mark over the future of a “national treasure” — the 500-year-old carved and painted reredos or triptych, given to Brougham Chapel 120 years ago by the famous Chancellor Brougham and now undergoing a “facelift” in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
In the latest issue of the “Eden Valley Church News” the Rector of Clifton, the T. E. T. Burbury, seeks parishioners’ views on what should happen to the triptych when the restoration has been completed. He says in the article that the value of the triptych is unknown and not until it is re-assembled in the museum, after restoration early next year, can even a guess be made.
PENRITH
Mr. Philip Carr, 44-year-old head gardener for the National Trust at Powis Castle, Welshpool, Montgomeryshire, has been appointed Penrith Urban Council’s new parks superintendent. He will success Mr. Bernard Curtis, who has been the Castle Park keeper for 25 years.
ALSTON
Members of Alston Moor Fire Brigade were honoured by the R.S.P.C.A. on Monday when they received a framed certificate recognising their successful effort last May in rescuing a cow and calf from a crumbling mine shaft at Garrigill.
Two members received R.S.P.C.A. gold medals for their courage in descending the shaft during the three hour rescue. They were Fireman Harry Frazer and Sub-Officer James Davidson.
100 YEARS AGO — 1921
PENRITH
A proposal is afoot to form a cricket league for Penrith and district. The clubs which view the proposal favourably are Penrith, Edenhall, Culgaith, Patterdale, Greystoke, Shap, Lazonby and Great Salkeld. Mr. John D. Herd. Penrith, is acting as secretary.
LOWTHER
“Silverpen,” in notes on Lowther Football Club’s transport problems in getting to away matches, said the members, all workmen on the Earl of Lonsdale’s Estate, had been given permission to use the estate lorry for travelling to matches, but, unfortunately, it was not licensed to carry passengers and the chauffer was fined by Appleby magistrates recently.
As a lorry, the licence was £16 but if passengers were carried, it rose to £23.
150 YEARS AGO — 1871
PENRITH
At the Martinmas Hirings the wages asked for, and in most cases obtained, were considered to be very exorbitant for the winter half-year. Second-class men obtained from £8 to £10 10s. for the half-year; third-class men and boys £3 5s. to £7; second-class women £3 15s.; and third-class girls £2 to £3 10s.
