25 years ago – 1996
Tebay
A pensioner has put his best foot forward to raise money for the chapel he has supported for much of his life.
Stanley Guy, of Vicarage Terrace, Tebay, who is 71, set off at 8-30am on Saturday on a sponsored walk around the Tebay parish boundary.
He opted for an early start because he was determined to complete the first leg of the walk by early afternoon, so that he could watch the FA Cup final on television.
Mr Guy is expected to finish the final part of the walk today, with the money raised going towards refurbishment work at the village Methodist chapel.
Penrith
A Penrith couple had first hand experience of what it must have been like to be a prisoner of war when they became locked inside the infamous Colditz Castle.
Retired building director Jimmy Earl and his wife Dorothy were with a party on a guided tour of the former Nazi prison camp when they were inadvertently locked inside a room.
“We were stuck for about 20 minutes and some people were beginning to get a bit worried but eventually a key was found,” said Mr. Earl. “We had a good laugh about it anyway.”
Penrith library’s World Wide Web home page has enabled a former Penrithian to make contact with his home town from Australia.
Bill Dalton found the page on an Internet search for information about Penrith.
He discovered the e-mail address of Penrith-based public relations consultants Julie Prior Associates, and in his correspondence asked Stephen Prior if he could be put in touch with somebody who could tell him about changes in the town since he left to join the Royal Navy in 1942.
Keswick
Competitors at the Keswick Herdwick ram fair on Thursday had no reason to complain about inexperienced judges.
The two men carrying out the job could muster 157 years between them!
Bringing their vast experience to the task were William Bowes, aged 77, from Broughton-in-Furness, and 80-year-old Billy Wilson, of Scarness, Bassenthwaite.
Mr. Wilson has a particularly impressive record of showing and judging Herdwicks, having attended every Keswick ram fair for 81 years – the first when he was only a few weeks old.
Penruddock
Penruddock School finished the Cumbria Schools Orienteering Championship in fine style by holding off Borrowdale School to win the primary schools’ trophy for the second year running – the first school to do so.
Jake Arnold, aged 11, and nine-year-old Amy Illingworth both finished first in their respective age group categories.
Other members of the Penruddock team were Jenny Jones and Katie Illingworth, who finished fifth and sixth respectively in their categories.
Great Salkeld
The death has occurred at his home at Wolfa, Great Salkeld, of Holstein-Friesian cattle enthusiast Maurice Armstrong, aged 74.
Mr. Armstrong was known throughout Great Britain for the development of the award-winning Wolfa herd of pedigree cattle and his pioneering commercial work in the fields of artificial insemination and embryo transfer.
50 years ago – 1971
Penrith
The fight by residents of part of the Townhead area of Penrith to save their houses from an Urban Council scheme to clear and redevelop the area in the next ten years threatens to grow in intensity.
The controversy provoked two discussions at Wednesday’s meeting of the council, which was attended by 17 residents of the area.
The angry and worried residents of the Scotland Road-Foster Street-Harrison Street area who formed a Residents’ Committee after the plans were announced claim they won the first round of the battle when the Council promised to think again about the proposals.
A member of a family who have lived in the town since the 18th Century, Mr. J. J. Varty, was elected the new Chairman of the Penrith Urban District Council on Wednesday evening.
Mr. Varty started his working life as a printer in the old “Observer” works in Bishopyards, moving in 1946 to Reeds Ltd., printers.
Sixteen years ago, however, he left Reeds to start in business as proprietor, with his wife, Mary, of a tobacconist’s and confectioner’s shop at the corner of King Street and Crown Square, where he became well-known to townsfolk.
Appleby
A bid to restore the old-established cricket club at Appleby was initiated at a special meeting on Thursday evening, called by the President, Mr. J. F. Whitehead, because of grave difficulties which have arisen.
He said no club could be run with a committee of about five and called for volunteers to come forward to help the club out of its plight.
Mr. E. Metcalfe gave details of the income and expenditure account which revealed that the club was in debt.
The annual income of about £200 from dances had not been made up since these had ceased to be profitable.
Keswick
Buildig commences on Monday on a new £15,500 supermarket at Keswick which will open in July for the Penrith and Keswick Co-operative Society.
It is estimated that the 4,000 square foot building will be the largest Co-operative supermarket in Cumberland It will be built on the site of a Co-operative warehouse at James Court, Main Street.
Cumberland
At the annual meeting of Cumberland County Council on Wednesday, Mr. James Westoll was re-elected chairman, and Mr. R. F. Dickinson vice-chairman.
Mr. Westoll, who has been chairman for fourteen years, said there was very little doubt that this present council, would be the last Cumberland County Council.
100 years ago – 1921
Penrith
Castleown Football Club is to be disbanded it was decided at a meeting of members.
Owing to the success of the Penrith Town Club, Castletown have been badly supported in terms of “gates” and although there is a balance in hand, it was considered that there would be no justification in attempting to continue next season.
The balance is to be handed to any junior club which might be formed in the town.
Nenthead
The Nenthead Agricultural Show Committee have made a presentation to their former treasurer, Mr. T. Liverick, who is leaving the district.
The President, Mr. J. I. Jackson, presented him with an oak eight-day striking clock. Mr.J. Rutherford presided at the ceremony.
