25 years ago – 1995
Warcop
Four Chieftain battle tanks, worth well in excess of £4.8 million, were blown up at Warcop training area on Wednesday to conclude a three-year arms reduction operation.
The destruction of the offensive combat equipment brought to an end a scheme, codenamed Operation Abanet, arranged to reduce the number of battle tanks in the UK to comply with the terms of a treaty signed by NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries in 1989.
Penrith
Budding film stars were in action in Penrith when student film-maker Rachel Mathews was at work.
Rachel, aged 23, of Roundthorn Farmhouse, Penrith, appealed for volunteer actors and actresses earlier this year to help her make a film as her graduate work for an MA in film and television from Sheffield’s Hallam University.
The film, The Dinner Party, follows the lives of about 20 characters throughout a day.
Former Herald editor Frank Shaw returned home this week after attending the 50th anniversary celebrations of the liberation of Hong Kong.
As a signals officer with 5 Commando Brigade, Mr Shaw helped re-establish telephone links in the colony after the British accepted the surrender of Japanese army units there.
Ullswater
Intrepid 10-year-old Genevieve Steven swam the width of Ullswater in an impromptu bathing session with her family.
Genevieve, a pupil at Lowther Endowed School, Hackthorpe, was boating and bathing with her mother, Michelle Burrow, of Bampton, when she decided to take the swimming challenge.
Genevieve swam from Beauthorn Bay to Sharrow Bay, a distance estimated at five-eighths of a mile.
If it’s time for tea, then it’s time to visit the Sharrow Bay Hotel at Ullswater.
That was the verdict of the In Britain magazine when the Sharrow Bay was picked as the country’s best hotel for afternoon tea.
To mark the award, proprietors Francis Coulson and Brian Sack were presented with a specially inscribed Minton bone china plate by John Jackson of Royal Doulton.
Skelton
The end of the 1995 bowling season was marked with sadness by members of Skelton Bowls Club because of the sudden death of Robin Mounsey at his farm at Unthank.
Mr. Mounsey was a past-president of the club and, with his family, was a keen supporter of all club events. He presented two major trophies for internal competitions, for mixed triples and mixed rinks.
Blencarn
The tiny fellside village of Blencarn will become a giant sales shop tomorrow as fund-raisers take action after being told by experts that, unless a large sum of money is spent, their village hall will not see the year 2000.
According to a structural survey, the small Victorian building, built at the turn of the century as a school, is falling down.
50 years ago — 1970
Clifton
A pair of Clydesdale geldings have been sold by Mr. Irving Holiday, Clifton Hall, to a Canadian who keeps teams of Clydesdales for show purposes.
After being shipped out, they will go to Toronto Fair and then on to a farm in Alberta.
Mr. Holiday, who is a well-known judge of Clydesdales, bought the horses in Yorkshire, but he says they are becoming hard to find.
Penrith
After what had seemed like interminable delays to many local people, Penrith’s first new infants’ and junior schools for over half a century are now safely under way — a new infants’ school on the Scaws estate, already half-built and due for completion by February, and a new Wetheriggs junior school, on which a start has just been made, so that a completion is not expected before December next year.
They represent a total investment of over £140,000 — £62,000 in the case of the Scaws Infants’ School, which will accommodate 240 pupils, and £82,000 for the Wetheriggs Junior School, to hold 320.
Now staying with her grandmother, Mrs. Joan Gloag, at the Castle Hotel, Penrith, is four-year-old Tracy Donovan, after a trans Atlantic flight by jet jet aircraft from her home in New Jersey, U.S.A.
Tracy is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick James Donovan, he father being a law officer with the New York Commission.
Her mother, Mrs. Gloag’s daughter, was formerly Miss Eileen Stocker, who left Penrith in 1961 to join the famous Ivy Benson’s all-girl band.
Ravenstonedale
Although the managers of both Ravenstonedale Endowed and Newbiggin-on-Lune Church of England Primary Schools wish for a speedy amalgamation of the two schools, the Policy and Finance Committee of Westmorland County Council is at present blocking the move.
Minutes of the Schools Sub-Committee state that the Director of Education for the County had reported that the move would be possible if the planned installation of a new oil-fired central heating system at Ravenstonedale School could be carried out during the current financial year at a cost of £1,140.
However, the Policy and Finance Committee had not approved the expenditure at this early date in the financial year.
100 years ago — 1920
Kirkoswald
The revived Kirkoswald agricultural show was held to be the best ever.
Messrs. J. and H. Jackson, Skirwith, with a young roan bull, won the cattle championship and reserve was a heifer owned by Mr. J. T. Ion, Low Holme, Heads Nook.
Champion in the agricultural horse section was Mr. T. Griffith’s three-year-old bay gelding from Eamont Bridge, and reserve was a bay gelding owned by Mr. T. Wannop, Blencowe.
Warcop
The grounds of Warcop Hall were transformed into an illuminated fairyland when Mr. and Mrs. Wild held a garden fete in aid of Warcop Sports Club.
Fairylights lit the spacious grounds and a fancy dress parade was judged by General Sir A. S. Wynne, Mr. J. A. Wild and Captain Chamley, who awarded prizes to Mrs. J. A. P. Wild and Mr. W. Lancaster.
Dancing went on until the early hours to Mr. Wishart’s orchestra, Penrith.
