CUMBRIAN MESSENGER

Bad news day for Eden

2011-01-07T13:55:00.001-08:00

I love the Eden Valley and it makes me feel sad when I have to report the demise of services and places that are part of our life here.
Today the first story I worked on came from a statement to the stock exchange in London from Cumbrian firm James Cropper Ltd. They are closing all 15 The Paper Mill Shop. That means no more visits to Rheged to fill boxes of craft paper and buy scrapbook items.
Then came the press release from Cumbria County Council to say they are taking over bus concession passes from Eden Council. They announced Eden's over 60s will only be able to get free travel off peak.
Then the final piece of bad news came from an email about Penrith Cinema closing. A popular venue which the owner wants to keep open but the owners of the property want them out. The National Lottery gave a grant to help upgrade the cinema and the owner has invested in a 3D projector. With so many empty properties in the town why is this happening?
A sad day for Penrith and Eden. I wish I could report a good news story.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Everything's back to normal

2011-01-04T12:22:00.001-08:00

The first working day of 2011 and one sure way of knowing it is the vast number of emails that landed in my inbox this morning.
Many of the stories we cover start off as a press release - hopefully accompanied by a good quality photo. From a new b&b opening at a working railway station to the new season tickets going on sale at Theatre by the Lake local news is flowing as normal gain.
For the latest news from your community visit your Messenger website. And if you have a story you'd like us to cover email me today messenger@contactbox.co.uk .

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Facebook - citizen journalism in action

2011-01-03T13:30:00.001-08:00

I've been reporting news for 21 years and in the past 12 months I've seen the growing role social media plays in news gathering. The first time I noticed it was listening to the World Service and the journalist quoting Twitter and Facebook Walls.
Today I got a message on my own Facebook page telling me about a local stargazer's guide to watching tomorrow morning's partial eclipse. It made a good story for the Lake District Messenger.
There is still a role for journalists and mainstream press in that there is so much information out there people are looking for a digest of news relevant and interesting to them. There's still only 24 hours in everyone's day.
For a roundup of news from your community visit your Messenger for local daily news just a click away.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Last blog from Cluj, Romania

2010-11-22T03:18:00.000-08:00

The last Blog – Sunday

It is with a heavy heart that we write our last blog of what has been an exceptional time. We have spent the evening with Pastor Rufus and his wife Dee, Levi, Ioana, Corrina and Atti, plus all the children. We shall miss them all.

Our day started early as we had to set off for the church in Cluj at 8.30. When we arrived at the church Dr Stanca was there and she gave me a letter. In it she apologised for not allowing us to hug or kiss her when we first arrived, but she had been trained as a doctor in communist times not to do these things as bacteria could be transmitted – or don’t convey love one to another because as communist we don’t like you to share love. I only got a third of the letter written before I was in tears and went over to Dr Stanca and put my arms around her; she grabbed hold of my hand and began to kiss it and we cried together. The rest of the team went to her and gave her big hugs and kisses so, if nothing else has been achieved, it was worth coming just to see a dear old lady released to be able to love another human being.

After the service we went with Pastor Rufus to the Gypsy church at Pata Rat. So we had come full circle as this is where we started last Sunday and now we were finishing there. We had some lunch with Rufus in a small room where the children do Sunday school where there is a wood burning stove which filled the room with plenty of heat. It was a pleasure once again to share with the Gypsy community in their church and enjoy the fellowship that they gave. When the service finished we headed for Iulinus Mall to get some food for the evening.

John had said that he wanted and ice cream yesterday but forgot about it until we returned, but today as we walked in the mall we saw an ice cream vendor that had loads of flavours; the look on John’s face you’d have thought we had found a pot of gold. After a sumptuous ice cream and getting our food we headed back to FAF (Family Aid Foundation) at Deausa and spent the evening with everyone.

We have to up at 3am as we leave at 4.15am to get to the airport. Our lives have been changed in this short time of sharing our lives with the Romanian people, and although we thought that we were coming over here to bless them, they have in fact blessed us. The United Nations can pass sanctions, countries can go to war, lunatics can blow up people, but in the end the only way that things can change is if humanity has love one for another. As Jesus said, they will know that you are my disciples, when you have love one for another.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the journey as much as we have.

A day to explore Cluj

2010-11-22T02:52:00.000-08:00

Saturday’s blog

Throughout the night I could hear the rain falling and it seemed to never ending, was this going to be in for all of Saturday? The mist was with us again when we woke around 8am but this soon dissipated and the sun began to shine again.

We had arranged that we would go into Cluj with Ioana and the children at 10am. She was going to take us up to a hill outside the city so we could look down and get a panoramic view of the whole of Cluj, but the mist was about in the valley so this was not possible. Instead we headed into the centre of town and parked up and went for a walk. Ioana took us into the main squares where we saw a bit of the history of Romania and Cluj, but we also got a feeling of where we were too as the city is quite cosmopolitan. Being a university city, there are 12 in all, it is reflected in the architecture and the way of life, it has an open feel to it with wide streets and several large squares with statues and churches. There is an ornate theatre in centre opposite the statue of Avram Iancu, a Romanian leader who did much to bring the different factions in the country together, and next to the theatre are the law courts that also houses the prison where went to on Friday.

After a time looking around we then went to the ‘shopping mall’ the Iilnus Centre. This is an ultra modern building and could be anywhere in Britain. Maud had brought her disabled badge and this came in very useful when parking in the underground car park as we were able to park in the disabled bay, just like back home. As we entered the mall you were immediately struck by the globalisation as many of the shops I recognised from back home, and reflected too, that once again the effect of the shopping mall was to cause the decline of the city centre. We went around the mall but were heading for the Auchan or supermarket. Ioana needed to get some provisions and as we walked in it was just like being in Asda or any of the big four. What a contrast. Go just a couple of miles and you will come upon people who are in desperate poverty and live on meagre rations, yet here we were with an abundance of food, white goods, toys and household items – and oh yes, a whole isle of chocolate. Now there was the usual chocolate from Mars and Nestle etc, but also there was a lot of home grown stuff to be looked at. I must admit that I am partial to white choccy and so had to get a bar to test for quality control purposes, and the bar I got was silky white Primola which is produced in the capital Bucharest. As we looked around, at the end of just about every isle there was the opportunity to sample various foods – in an English supermarket there may be only one or two samples but here they were numerous and so I was able to have my starter, main and desert. English supermarkets have a lot to learn from the Romanians.

This evening we are all having a barbie and waiting for pastor Rufus to return from Odessa in the Ukraine. In the morning we shall be away early with Rufus to the first of our church services and which will be our last day in the country.

Romania an emotional roller coaster for John and team

2010-11-22T02:23:00.000-08:00

Friday’s blog

We didn’t have to rush this morning as our itinerary did not start until the afternoon. After a leisurely breakfast Ray and Anita set off on foot to go into Deusa (Dewasha) which is the village just 500 yards from FAF and where the warehouse is. They met some local people but the language barrier prevented them having a meaningful conversation. On their return they said how friendly the people are as they will just start talking to you as you walk by. When they set off into the village the mist was rolling in as we are quite high up on a hillside, but then just as quickly as it arrived the mist would disappear. By mid morning the sun had broken through and we had another good sunny day, albeit slightly colder than previous days.

Last night after we arrived back from Mera we spent a long time talking and praying as this was the first time that we had any chance to do a debrief, because we have been so busy that we have been getting back late, do the blog and then to bed in readiness for the next day. Knowing that Friday morning was free we decided to leave doing the blog until then. It was very evident from how we spoke last night that we are not the same four people who arrived in Romania last Sunday. Our emotions have been on a roller coaster and we are quite overwhelmed by the welcome we have been given and the love that has been shown. We came here to bless the people with our material aid but we shall go home with a bigger blessing in our hearts.

Lunchtime soon arrived as we were having an early one because we needed to set off at 1pm for the prison visit in Cluj. Bridgette was coming with us; she is a team member from FAF, but I felt it would be good for her to join us and speak to the women in the prison about her faith because she has gone through many trials in her life and she is only 30. She has a servant heart and does all the cooking and cleaning at FAF and never grumbles, but it is obvious that she has more to give than serving.

And so we set off for Cluj. Dr Stanca once again was giving directions, which means that when you get to a junction and just level with it, she then tells you to turn in to it, either left or right. Thus, we would miss the junction and then she gives me an earful for missing the junction. I did try once to carry out a manoeuvre into a junction on her instructions and nearly got taken out by several cars. We were going to visit a prison I didn’t want to be staying in it for dangerous driving!! We arrived at the prison which is connected to the law courts and she wanted me to park on the pavement, and then when I said no she said to park in a space that was available. The space was the entrance to the prison. She was determined to get me in that prison.

Dr Stanca had said that they are short of ping pong bats and balls in the prison, so we bought seven sets that included a net for the table. When we gave them to the guard who looks after the education department he was overjoyed and said that they had been wanted these for many months. Unfortunately we could not see the men prisoners but that would give us more time with the women prisoners. After going down several corridors we finally arrived in the cell block. This time we actually met the women on the landing of the cell block and this gave us a better understanding of their conditions. Each of us spoke to them including Bridgette who had them captivated by her story; listening to how Jesus had changed one of their own countrywomen had a big impact on them. One of the women, Lydia, said that she had turned her back on her faith but now she was going to follow again and change her life. 13 women decided that they wanted to follow Jesus for their life. Throughout our time speaking with the women, one of them, Christina, never stopped looking at Maud. When the meeting finished Christina made a bee line for Maud and held onto her hand and asked how old she was; when Maud told her 78 she held onto Maud even more and began kissing her hand. It was evident that she and Maud had connected and she wouldn’t let go of her until we reached the gates. These are memories that we shall treasure.

On our return to FAF we were emotionally drained. Fortunately we didn’t have anything to do this evening which has meant that we could talk about the day and reflect on the visit to the prison. Levi and Ioana’s daughter, Beatrice who is 5, came to join us and began to sing songs that we were taught at her age. What a joy she is.

Tomorrow is a free day so we are going into Cluj to have a look around, so I am sure we shall have something for the blog.

Latest report from the House of Joy in Romania

2010-11-19T07:14:00.000-08:00

Catch up on what Brough's town crier, John Dawson and the other three members of his church have been doing on their mission to Romania via this video montage of photographs.

Thursday’s blog

We awoke to rain falling on the roof and mist outside. The weather had finally broke, but never mind we have had several days of sunshine.

As today was to be the first of our two visits to the prison’s, we needed to be away early for the drive to Gherla which is about an hour away. Dr Stanca goes into the prison every week so we relied on her for direction – oops! She goes by train as she doesn’t drive. We ended up in the industrial part of Cluj which was in the right direction but a dead end basically. After asking for directions and going along an unclassified road we got onto the road for Gherla, but now we were falling behind time. Romanian road craft is.....? well let’s say frantic for the want of a better word. The best thing is to go with the flow and keeps your eyes peeled, so John went native as we drove to Gherla. Fortunately we arrived at the prison only a few minutes late.

The prison was built by Mary Theresa, queen in the nineteenth century for the criminals of Europe. The prison houses 1,500 inmates consisting of men and youths. The political cells are 30 feet below the river Somes and this means that they are very wet. I don’t think they are in use any more. We were taken into the education block and 28 men came to listen to us talk about our lives and why we had come to Romania. It was a pleasure to be with them and share; unlike British prisons there is no parole or early release system, if someone is sentenced to 20 years they serve 20 years. When we had finished talking to the men we were shown the painting room where the men paint Jesus for the Orhtordox church. These paintings are magnificent and done with an incredible amount of talent. We also saw other drawings and paintings the men had done and these are top class pieces of art. There is so much talent going to waste that could be of great benefit to humanity. Unfortunately for obvious reasons, we could not take photos. We left the prison after two hours, but in that time our lives had taken on a new perspective.

On our way back we dropped off Dr Stanca in Cluj and made our way back to FAF (Family Aid Foundation) for lunch. As we got out of the car Snitchell, Pastor Rufus’s dog, made his customary greeting and we filed in for minced beef topped with cheese and sour cream. After lunch it was time to regroup and prepare for the afternoon service at the Baptist Church in Mera, about 10 miles north west of Cluj.

Atti went with us and we arranged to meet Pastor Pal on the outskirts of Mera. This is Pastor Pal’s second church that he serves but is far poorer than the one at Luna De Sus. As we got further into Mera the road became steadily worse until it was mainly just mud and we arrived at this small Baptist Church that is over 100 years old. As we went inside the air was thick with smoke from the burner that sits in the middle of the church, I looked up to see if any fish or joints of meat were hanging for smoking. On the left the women were sat and on the right the men – very traditional. There was a real sense of the love of God among the people and we had a blessed time with them. When the service had finished we took photos and one of the women came up to Anita and gave her a necklace. These necklaces are made of plastic beads and are very ornate and colourful. The women make them and then go to the markets to sell them, so we ended up going to one of the homes to see more of these necklaces and ornate trinkets. We have brought some with us that we are going to see if we can sell for her at church.

Once again we got blessed more than the people we came to bless. We arrived back at FAF to a pasta dinner and enjoyed an evening of relaxing and talking.

Latest report from the House of Joy in Romania

2010-11-19T01:47:00.001-08:00

Romanian mission working in the sunshine on the House of Joy

2010-11-18T00:51:00.000-08:00

Wednesday’s blog

Once again we woke to another glorious day. The weather has been exceptional as normally this time of year they expect it to be -10. Most of the time working outside we have been in T shirts and sweating when working. They are saying that rain is on it’s way, but never mind, the weather we have had has been a blessing.

Levi was saying that they are making the most of the good weather to get on with the building work as when the winter really sets in they will have to stop until the spring. When you consider that most of the construction work is by hand, you can understand why they will stop. While working outside this morning I began to think about this. Mine and Rays job was to continue digging some holes for concrete supports and Levi said to me that they needed to be 50cm deep, so I asked him for a tape so that I could keep measuring but he said just to go to the top of my knee then it would be deep enough! Anyway, as I was digging I thought to myself, if it was -10 there is no way that I could dig this hole as the soil would be solid and so cold to work. Fortunately we got the holes dug before lunch so that we could relax and prepare for the evening meeting at the Baptist Church in Luna De Sus.

Before we started work this morning Levi brought the Romanian team into the house we are using for prayers. He thought it would be good too if we went around every body to say a bit about themselves so that we can get to know each other better. We found out that Richard is from the Congo, that Dr Stanca, who is 84, spent time in Siberia because of the Russians and that Dorrian wants to start a church. At the end we knew each other more intimately.

In the afternoon our team spent time preparing for our visit to the church at Luna. We set of at 4.30 and the people carrier would not start as the battery was flat. Fortunately we were able to take the Dacia car and made our way into Cluj. Yesterday Levi had taken us to Luna to meet the aid lorry and to show us the way so that we could go on our own today, and although we did make one wrong turn, we got there on time. It was nice to meet up with pastor Pal again and he showed us around the church and then asked us to join him talking to some young women who were preparing for baptism in December. Pal asked Ray and I to have some input and he interpreted for us. After a little while the women said to him that they could understand English!

The service began and Pal had Anita, Ray and Maud give testimony for a time. Some hymns had been sung which were sung in Hungarian as this part of Romania used to be Hungarian. We then sung ‘Give me oil in my lamp’ to the congregation and some of them knew the tune so joined in with us, although some just laughed – did we sing that badly? I finished off by bringing the word of God and then we said our goodbyes to the congregation.

Pal then took us up to his apartment which is at the top of the church and we had super; chicken and roasted vegetables followed by some cream filled rolls that a member of the church had made for us. We didn’t have many – honest.

Tomorrow we have a big day as we have to leave early to go to the prison in Gherla which is over an hour away. We then come back to Cluj to meet up with Pal to go to his other church in Mera in the afternoon.

It is now nearly midnight so I am going to sign off. God bless you all.

Updates from the Romania mission

2010-11-17T03:49:00.000-08:00

Tuesday’s blog

It was 7.24 this morning when a text came on the phone. I quickly got the phone as I had a good idea who it was – yes it was Kolea to say that his ETA was about one hour to the Baptist Church in Luna De Sus with the aid. With a 45 minute drive and the team not ready, he was going to get there before us.

On the streets in Romania

Zero immisions Romanian style

We set off with Levi driving but could not make great time as the road from Deus to Cluj isn’t the best and cars have to go on the other side of the road to avoid the pot holes. We finally got into Cluj and the Oradea road to Luna but then came across a massive jam – no this was not the M25, but it could have been. We were negotiating the jam because of a road accident when another text came through from Kolea to say that he had arrived. We finally got to the church at 9.30 and began to unload.

The truck has arrived at the Baptist Church in Luna De Sus

The unloading quickly got underway with many helping hands from the church – many hands make light work. The mood of everyone was joyful and the truck soon began to empty. Pastor Pal was in the basement of the church directing where boxes should go as each box was clearly marked with the contents, so these will be easy to sort and distribute.

Before we left the UK, Pastor Rufus had written up an itinerary for us and had us down on Tuesday to go to Lunca Mores (Lunca Moresh) to be at the gypsy mothers meeting and afterwards with the children’s meeting. But, with going to Luna to unload the vehicle this would not be possible, or so we thought. Progress was so rapid with the unloading that Levi said that we could still make it Lunca, so with a quick goodbye to Pastor Pal we set off back to meet Atti who was taking us Lunca.

By 1pm we were sat in Atti’s father and mother’s house having lunch – white bean soup followed by chicken in sauce. Very tasty.

After lunch we went into the attic of the house for the mothers meeting. Corrina was quite stern as she spoke to the mothers as there had been some bickering about who had received some clothes the previous week. As Corrina said, these are gifts not a right. Although stern, Corrina was loving as she pointed out that they had a wrong attitude; the mothers accepted her chastisement and apologised. We were given the opportunity to speak to them and said that being a Christian was about being part of a big family, and that we had popped over from England to see our sisters. This was well received and brought a big smile to their faces.

When the mothers left it was time for the children to come in and we had a joyful time listening to them singing some songs. After the songs Atti was going to do some rehearsing with them for their Christmas nativity, so Corrina suggested that we go down the road and see an old lady called Essie who is wheelchair bound and has no family. She is looked after by some people who live above her small basement room that has no electricity, a small bed, no carpet, one door to the outside and one window, with the ceiling being about 5’9” inches from the floor. I say about because the floor had more ups and downs than the Alps! This woman lives by herself and spends her day sat in the wheelchair in the doorway watching the world go by. She can’t easily move the chair as she is paralysed down one side and the tyres have been removed from the rims as they are punctured. Basically her life is the pits but she still had a smile for us and welcomed us to her home. It is for people like Essie that you folks back home have given the aid and why we came out here to give whatever support we can, meagre as it is.

We spent some time with Essie but had difficulty speaking to her as her paralysis has affected her speech, so sign language was the order of the day, even for Corrina. It was hard to leave Essie because although the people above her look after her, they too are in absolute poverty and so can only do so much. But you have to leave, so we returned to Atti’s mum’s home.

Arnu, Atti’s mum, gave us a look around the farm? Yes a farm in the back yard of the house. In the yard they keep pigs, rabbits, hens, ducks and store corn on the cob that they grow in a field outside of the village. No doubt DEFRA would have a field day with them about animal welfare, but this is how these people feed themselves as they have no income or state benefit. This is not living – this is survival!!

By the time we left Lunca Mores the light was fading and so were our reserves. You can only take so much heartache in one day, but oh boy, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Despite their situation these people can still smile and just get on with life.

Anyway, it is now 11pm so I am going to my bed as we have another big day ahead. Construction work in the morning, and then, preparing for preaching at the Baptist Church in Luna De Sus in the evening. Good night.

Cumbrian Messenger hands over The Blog to Romanian mission

2010-11-15T03:16:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to hand over this blog for the next few days to a group of people who have gone out to Romania to help create a safe haven for young girls and their babies.
John Dawson from Brough has coordiated the project and he will be writing his blog about the tripo which started this weekend.

John set off from Brough at 8pm on Saturday night to go and pick up Maud from Thirsk. From there we carried on to Leeds to pick up Ray and Anita, and then onto Luton Airport.

John at Ray and Anita's house before setting off for Luton

Due to being in the early hours of Sunday morning, the M1 was quiet and we made good time, actually in plenty of time, but better to be early than late. By 2.30am we had officially made it into the souwf as we stopped at Watford Gap - 2 Yorkshire folk, and 2 southerners.The northerners were making it through by stealth but any boffer and the southerner would get us through.

At the Airport Carparkz: Angela and Guy Hollis,
Gary Kird and Andrew Melville

We made it to our car parking venue for 3.30 and were greeted by the helpful staff at Airport Carparkz.

Outside Carparkz

We were dropped at the airport ten minutes later and went into the terminal - 2 hours before the opening of check in. John proceeded to enjoy the benefits of the Luton Airport Hotel and went into the land of nod. Where there's no sense there's no feeling.

John enjoys a sleep before departure

The intrepid explorers were suitably filled with tea and hot chocolate and then got down to praying for a safe flight.

Praying for a safe flight.

The fight was uneventful and we 'wizzed' through the air to land on-time at Cluj. Levi was there to pick us up and took us to our first meeting at the gypsy church in Pata Rat.

Arriving at Cluj Airport

Now we were to see real life Romania and the reason why we were distributing the aid that so many people had graciously given. Romania has embraced new EU emissions regulations that require zero emissions. We enjoyed celebrating with the gypsy Christians and as the video clip shows, we got into the swing of the traditional music.

Levi tooks us further up the Gypsy camp which consisted of people just living in shacks and then over the hill to the rubbish dump where he showed us the homes of people who actually live inside the dump. They make their living by sorting through the rubbish and seperating the recyclabe stuff to sell to the recycling busineses. Next time you complain about sorting the recycling at home, remember that you don't have to do it to survive.

The mood in the car turned sombre as we headed away from the camp and to where we are to spend the rest of the week. Fortunately for us, Levi and his wife, Ioana, have given their house over to us and we have enjoyed a well prepared meal of pork and rice wrapped in a cabbage leaf - extremely tasty. We are in stark contrast to the living conditions of the gypsies that we left today, and this once again reinforces why we wanted to see the people who would benefit from the aid.

Tomorrow, Monday, we are scheduled to work in the warehouse sorting out clothing and other materials for distribution to the needy. We have been told to be ready for 08.30am for prayers and then into work, which we are told will be cold. Not as cold as those who live in the shacks will be. Please do not give up giving to the missions mart.

Getting ready for all the e-Biz

2010-09-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

It’s an exciting time for Chesworth Press Agency as we are working on the launch of a countywide business news service.

It’s a time of meetings and sorting out experts in all areas of business to be writers for the daily business news website and weekly e-magazine.

In less than four weeks we will be live.

One of the important things in business today is making sure no one can use your identity in social networking, so before we even told anyone about eBusinessCumbria we had to buy the domain name, set up the Facebook page and Twitter accounts.

So now you can follow the build up to the launch by following us at twitter.com/eBizCumbria or on our Facebook page BusinessCumbria.

Oh what a show time in Eden

2010-09-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

The kids are back at school and the nights are drawing in, but for a reporter in rural Cumbria it is the last of the agricultural shows that heralds the end of summer.

Every weekend there seems to have been a town or village show and I must admit it did feel like Ground Hog Day at times – the same faces, the same horses bottoms.

Nearer the end of the show season in the Eden Valley I was having to double check I hadn’t already photographed the same person with the same show bird at an event the week before.

But it has been a great show season for everyone – despite everyone complaining about the wet summer we have had, every show except Dufton’s Royal Fellside enjoyed sunshine all day long. And even at Dufton it was only the odd, but very heavy shower.

And the rain at the right time has led to a bumper showing of vegetables, especially the giant entries. Though the poor old garden flowers did get a bit of a beating from the rain and wind.

The summer shows are the backbone of my reporting during July, August and September, and though it is hard work getting the results, photographs and videos uploaded the same day as the event, it is well worth it. And my work is a lot less than the volunteers who spend the whole year planning and working towards a day that can be wiped out with one bad day of weather.

Though based on competitive spirit, these traditional shows bring everyone in the community together. And I always come away with more news stories. It is a time when you get the chance to catch up with people, have a chat and remind people about their daily, local news websites http://www.edenvalleymessenger.com/ and http://www.thelakedistrictmessenger.com/

Take a look at the video’s from this year’s Eden Valley shows and see for yourself. And don’t forget to leave a message or comment. Your feedback is important to me. Now the show season is over for me, I'll be writing my blog again to give you the inside view of life as a reporter in rural England.

Dufton's Royal Fellside Show Crosby Ravensworth Show and Vintage Rally, Appleby Show, Ravenstonedale Show and Brough Show.

From mums and toddlers to World Cup anthem

2010-06-17T01:54:00.000-07:00

When we moved to Cumbria 16 years ago we knew no one. We had been made redundant after the newspaper we both worked on in Manchester closed. We had just taken out a mortgage on a cottage in the shadow of Great Dunn Fell and had booked our wedding at Penrith registry office. We moved up, lock, stock and barrel.

We soon got to know people. We went to the local pub in the next village and I joined the WI – instant friends. But it wasn’t until we had a child that we really began to feel part of this wonderful, close knit community.

With a baby in arms everyone stops to say hello. The first visit into Appleby the week after she was born people came up to her and put coins in her hand as a token of good luck – and it seems to have paid dividend as a I feel we are very lucky to be living and working in such a wonderful place.

Most of my closest friends are now people I met at Mothers and Toddlers group, nursery, outside the primary school and at the dance classes and music events.

And I was fortunate enough to meet some of the new pupils from my daughter’s old primary school this week. As you can see, these friendships last long after my daughter left the village school.

A school of less than 30 children, they often join forces with other similar sized schools in the area to share events. The Middle Eden Small Schools network was holding their week of world music workshops at Cliburn Village Hall which culminates in a concert on the Thursday. And this year’s theme was the World Cup.

The children were led by Barbara Gilbertson of Music for Life. They wrote then performed their own Anthem for England’s World Cup team.

Their anthem is so catchy I’ve been humming Come On England ever since. And their anthem shows that children attending small schools don’t miss out but gain a great deal from working together. Small schools sharing resources such as Barbara’s workshops is a great way for the kids to get to know those they will be going to Grammar School with in just over a year’s time, and also provides them with professional tuition from an experienced musician.

I’ll let the kids show you themselves, their musical talents. Here’s the link to a video we have on the Eden Valley Messenger website of them in rehearsal. Come On England!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgRAxDepzyY

It's good to talk

2010-06-16T01:02:00.001-07:00

There’s no substitute for going out and meeting people. If I go to one meeting I will come back with enough stories to keep me going for a week – and it’s all down to good old fashioned face-to-face talking.

New technology is a great thing, but there is no substitute for meeting people in reality rather than virtually on line. And it’s so interesting when you do meet people in the real world after working with them for sometimes years online.

This weekend I went to my first festival since the 1980s when I saw Elvis Costello at Glastonbury. It was a much smaller venue but equally entertaining. Lazonby Live is now in its third year. Set up originally to raise funds to build a new kitchen and dining room for the village school, it is now a firm part of the local calendar and any money raised is shared between local charities.

I went to the event to video a local Celtic band, Drumlin, set up by violinist Barbara Gilberts on Music for Life. But I ended up meeting several people who I had built up email friendships over the past 18 months since we launched the Eden Valley Messenger.

People knew who I was because I was sporting a very trendy Eden Valley Messenger polo shirt, but I had no idea who they were. Unlike the old days when most interviews were done on the telephone, I didn’t even know the sound of their voices as most contact now is via email.

But the one good thing was, after the shock of putting a face and voice to the emails, was that the first face-to-face conversations were like those with a well known friend. Email can never replace human contact, but it’s a starting point for getting to know people.

And if you would like to see the results of my visit to Lazonby Live 2010, here’s a link to one of the videos.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfWLFKr1HPA

Appleby Horse Fair 2010 Weekend.wmv

2010-06-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

Appleby Horse Fair 2010.wmv

2010-06-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

Appleby New Fair 2010 on The Sands.wmv

2010-06-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

A first for Cumbrian news

2010-05-27T04:56:00.000-07:00

Today I launched the first mobile news website for Cumbria, www.thelakedistrictmessenger.com is now available is a specially designed, easy to use version for your smart mobile phone.

When you are out and about, especially in a rural area like Cumbria you tend to have your mobile phone with you at all times – and the laptop stays at home.

This is why we decided to create the mobile version of one of our websites – and we hope to replicate it for the Eden Valley Messenger later this year.

The story has been covered by the industry website How Do already, and we only launched today, May 27, 2010.

Accessing the internet and picking up emails is just so much easier with an iPhone – there’s no plugging in the computer and waiting for it to come to life. The mobile is always on, always ready and quick use.

The mobile phone is one of the few things that has got quicker to use with new technology. The TV takes forever to come to life while it tries to find the satellite signal, the radio now digital is the same and the energy saving bulbs still have a delay.

I use to joke about how we use to have to turn the TV on five minutes before a programme started to let the valve warm up. It seemed such an old fashioned thing to do when we got our first big TV with the remote control. But now I say the same thing to my daughter, turn it on now to give the box time to warm up or we’ll miss the first five minutes of Emmerdale.

But one thing that is improving is mobile communications, so take a look at the new mobile site and give us your feedback. Email your comments to messenger@contactbox.co.uk

Here's the link to a video about the new mobile news service:

Social media’s sympathy role

2010-05-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

As news of the tragic accident on the A66 came through yesterday afternoon the actions of one school boy enabled thousands of people around the world to express their sympathy in a non-intrusive way.

Within hours of the accident in which a school bus and car were in collision , killing two teenage students from Keswick School and the driver of the car, a Facebook group appeared Respect for those involved in the Keswick School bus crash. Set up by Harry Holme who attends the school, he provided a place for messages of support. It was a place where fellow students and friends could express themselves.

Facebook has had some bad press over the past few months, but this is one example of where it can benefit a community.

Anyone who has waved a child off on a school trip or to school must have stopped in their tracks last night, as the TV footage revealed the horror of the event. My daughter’s school are on a residential in Keswick and my nephew is a student at the school. When it is all so close to home, you realise that we are all just a second away from our world crashing down around us.

The shock we feel as outsiders needs a release, and I can’t even imagine what the family and friends of those killed and injured are feeling. But Harry and his Facebook page gave everyone a place to go and express ourselves.

Facebook does have a human face.
The latest information of the car investigation and the recovery of those injured can be found at our website www.thelakedistrictmessenger.com

News or coloured views

2010-05-21T05:33:00.000-07:00

Can news ever be just facts, or is it always a personal view of what is going on around us?

This is a question I’ve been asking myself this week, as I thought I had put out a straight news article about Appleby Horse Fair – but readers from each side of the story have emailed to accuse me of favouring the other side. Have a read for yourself Facebook Group’s anger at Horse Fair blockade.

It is very rare that anyone emails to say I’m bias towards them.

The facts of the article were a Facebook page called Save Appleby Horse Fair had been set up with, then 1,000 members and on it page it claimed that stopping off points had been blocked on the routes to Appleby. The Facebook page does exist, I checked it out and wrote the story.

But I’ve had comments ranging from I’m glamorising the fair and giving a voice to people who don’t deserve it – to I’m always picking on gypsies.

At the end of the horse fair last year, I put together a video of scenes from the event and added a voice over which had the facts about that year’s fair from the police and councils. It was just facts I had been given.

The comments I received have ranged from “Why does the media always paint this romantic image of bow tops and horses when the fairs not like that” to “ thanks for pointing out all the bad things that happened in Appleby”, “I wouldn't comment unless you've been there” to much more colourful language.

I do live in the middle of where the trading goes on during the Horse Fair. But I knew about the event before we moved here, knew what to expect, so I don’t feel I have a right to comment. I chose my location and I’m happy with it.

My reports are given in an impartial way – but it is interesting how the same article or film can be seen from two complete extremes. Maybe we just look for what we want to see in everything. View last year’s video and let me know what you think.
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Appleby Horse Fair 2009

The Historic Making of a Mayor

2010-05-20T01:42:00.000-07:00

An invitation to attend the historic Mayor Making Ceremony in the Moot Hall, Appleby-in-Westmorland is a thrill to receive. It is an honour to be part of such a great tradition which goes back to before William Pitt – yes the William Pitt – was Mayor of the town. If you have never been inside the Council Chamber of the Moot Hall I suggest you pay a visit later in the year when it will be open for the national Heritage Weekend. The panelled walls are filled with drawings, paintings, prints and now digital photograph of every person who has been Mayor of Appleby-in-Westmorland. The Jack from the saying “House that Jack built” is just one of the historic figures hanging in the only remaining Moot Hall in the country which is still a working council chamber. When the Mayor Elect, Dot Anderton sent me my invitation I wrote back immediately to say thank you, and accept. Then when I was taking a photograph of her welcoming the Help for Heroes charity cyclist to the town, I asked if I could video the ceremony. She kindly gave her permission, which allowed me to be the first person to film and publish this special ceremony. The Mayor Making Ceremony is a special full council meeting where the new Mayor for the year is voted in. The role is Chairman of the Council with the style of Town Mayor. Mace bearer, David Johnston was the person who made me realise the importance of the video. At the Mayor Making luncheon in the Tufton Arms Hotel after the ceremony he told me that the majority of the people in Appleby have never had the opportunity to attend the ceremony and don’t know what goes on. Video and the Internet have given us all the opportunity to see and learn news things. Publishing the video has opened up part of the civic life of Appleby to all. For the full story follow this link:

Kid's enjoy the fashion for thrift

2010-05-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

My natural instinct for not wasting things has become fashionable in the last 18 months as the credit crunch hit across the board – and the fashion for thrift is celebrated in an exhibition which has started its tour of the north at Dufton Village Hall.

I went along to take some photographs of pupils from Warcop Primary School who had come along to meet the artist Mandy Pattullo and discover more about her work in the Thrift & Thread exhibition. The story is now on the Eden Valley Messenger website for you to read.

It was wonderful to see the kids so enthusiastic about these wonderful items made from things others would throw away. This is a new generation growing up with no shame of second hand or old, and a real appreciation of what they have.

I don’t care if you call my jacket from the charity shop second hand or vintage – to me it is a bargain that I love. I believe I have this view because I was the last of the generation whose parents lived and fought through World War II. My mother, who served as a nurse in the WRAF had trained as a tailoress before the war, and was a dab hand at making coats and jackets from blankets. This was particularly useful in the early 1980s when the blanket coat was fashionable and I was the only one in my school with a trendy coat that really was made from an old blanket.

All my clothes, except my underwear and socks, were made by my mum who cut up her old dresses as well as bought remnant pieces of cloth from Leeds market to make me the latest fashions. We would go around the best shops in Leeds looking at the styles each season, and over a cup of tea she would sketch out the designs I liked and then when hope to run them up on her machine. I never appreciated how lucky I was – a full wardrobe of the latest styles.

I though I’ve never sewn my daughter’s clothes as cloth is more expensive than buying the finished articles today, I do cut up my husbands old work shirts to make patchwork quilts for her bed, and the cover cuts from fitting our curtains from the old house to our new home went into a quilt for our bed.

My husband has called me tight fisted in the past, but I think many more people are coming around to my way of thinking, that making do and mend is a much more satisfying than going out and buying something.

And this exhibition shows that you can make some of the most beautiful things from unwanted materials. And it’s a great place to get some ideas for making your own thrifty pieces.

Thanks to the volunteers

2010-04-30T08:06:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you go out to cover an event, thinking it’s just another meeting to report on – but when you get there if brings a little hope into your life. You discover just how good the majority of people are.

Reading the news everyday – which is an occupational hazard as a journalist – you could start to think that you can’t trust anyone, and everyone is out for themselves.

Watching BBC1’s Crimewatch this week a reconstruction of a violent burglary in the village where we use to live left me feeling vulnerable. I couldn’t recognise the sleepy fellside village as the scene of a such a crime.

These things happen somewhere else, not in your neighbourhood where I often left my back door not just unlocked put open during the summer months.

But a ray of hope that the majority of people are caring, considerate humans came when I went to cover the AGM of Age Concern Appleby.

They run two charity shops in the town and every year donate thousands of pounds to local charities. Everyone works for nothing, as a volunteer.

Today they were giving the Air Ambulance, the Pride of Cumbria a cheque for £2,000 and Jan Hawkins who is the volunteer fundraiser came to give a talk.

The presentation wasn’t until after Jan’s talk so for the first time I listened to her talk about the charity and the service they provide. I was amazed to discover that she and her husband work a 70 hour week for nothing, because they believe in the Air Ambulance, and that all the doctors on the service pay for their own intensive and expensive training to be an air ambulance doctor – then work for no fee, as volunteers. And they have no shortage of experienced GP s ready to help out.

In a world driven by money, isn’t it good to know that highly skilled professionals pay to become part of the voluntary team who save lives.

Jan has to raise £75,000 per month to keep the Pride of Cumbria, the biggest and fastest air ambulance in the country flying. And last year Cumbrians donated £1.5 million to the life saving charity.

Every Wednesday we published the lottery results for the Air Ambulance in the Eden Valley Messenger and The Lake District Messenger. If you would like to support the Air Ambulance by joining their lottery or would like more information about the service click here.

To read the full story about Age Concern Appleby’s AGM log onto the Eden Valley Messenger website now..

Go west

2010-04-29T05:17:00.001-07:00

Launching The Lake District Messenger and my work providing public relations support and media training now takes me beyond the beautiful boundary of the Eden Valley, across Cumbria.

And it is amazing how dramatic the changes in landscape – and weather some days are in this county. As I drive along the A66 to West Cumbria I feel honoured that I can do this for my living.

Taking to business people in West Cumbria you see a true determination to keep on going. This is an area which has felt the economic ebbs and flows not just for decades but centuries.

The Lake District was one of the first industrial areas of the world. It’s mining for slate as well as coal, and its involvement in the export industry – including been a main exporter of slaves as well as importer of spices and coffee, made it a very wealthy area.

Today the docks don’t see big cargo ships leaving, but there is action here. I was surprised by how much was going on at Workington docks as I went to attend a meeting with a client.

And as one industry declines another expands – and engineers are using their skills to meet the needs of a new business. West Cumbria has many specialists in mechanical engineering. Where their customers of the past have been the steelmakers, today and tomorrow it will be the nuclear industry.

With the backdrop of the lakes it is a place that has been cut off by geography over the generations, but maybe West Cumbria, with its wind turbines and nuclear industry is set to be the new power house of the UK in the 21st century?

Just messing about on the river

2010-04-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

The sunshine has brought out the best in people. After such a long, hard winter it is a real tonic to feel the warmth on your face, and as I walked into Appleby to take a photograph of a donation to the Appleby-in-Westmorland Society, I saw so many young lads making the most of the wonderful spring weather.

To read the news story about the society, click here.

As I walked over the bridge into the town it was packed with youngsters with buckets of worms, fishing. And as seasoned fishermen and women walked past they gave as few hints and tips on where to aim their line. No Wii or computer game can replace the thrill of getting outside and trying to pick your wits against the fish in the Eden, as these young lads had discovered.

And next to the river for the past three days the youngsters have been getting their white on and playing cricket.

Anyone who accuses the young people of Eden of been anti social, time wasters should take a walk through Appleby on a sunny day – or any day - and see the majority of children and teenagers at play – doing what their parents, grandparents and great grandparents did for fun at their age along the banks of the River Eden.

News and views in the palm of you hand

2010-04-25T13:14:00.001-07:00

Everyday new technology provides me with the opportunity to learn a new skill. And there's nothing more exciting in life than doing something new for the first time .
And you are reading a first now - my blog written on my iPhone.
My husband says this new piece of tech is like an umbilical cord. Where ever I go the iPhone goes with me. It's a newsroom in the palm of my hand - and more.
I'm learning Spanish via a blog, rediscovering the classics via audibooks, tracking my spending on a finance app, reading the news on the web, listening to music in the car by plugging it into the sterio. Are there no limits to my handful of tech?
Now I can update my blog, and put the bad spelling down to iPhone typos (the keys are so close together I can't help these little errors).
Developing new tech skills is easier than learning to spell!

Discovering the attractions on your doorstep

2010-04-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

The great thing about being a reporter is that you get to go to the places you always meant to visit, but never got around to. And today I went to a great hidden visitor attraction, the Watermill at Little Salkeld.

What an interesting place to go. Nick and Anna have lived there for over 30 years and are one of the village’s main employers, running the traditional watermill that makes the four that they use for their baking demonstrations, classes and sell in the café and shop.

It is amazing to see the power of water in action. It just begs the question why don’t we make more of water power.

I have been at the Watermill to make a video to release for the National Mills Weekend next month. Once the video is uploaded to the Messenger sites I’ll let you know through the blog. But in the mean time, if you live in the Eden Valley or are coming to Cumbria for a break, make the effort to visit Little Salkeld Watermill near Penrith.

On the open weekend, May 8-9 they are holding mill tours and bread making sessions (including two for bread machines).

The wonderful thing about this mill is that everything works as it did when first build, centuries ago – and we can learn a lot about sustainable energy and making the most of the resources we have at hand here.

It’s an interesting and tasty day out on my own doorstep.

It's good to cover the good news

2010-04-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Whenever there’s a slow news day I take a walk into Appleby and visit the Tourist Information Centre to see if there’s anything coming up that I may have missed – but also because it’s when you are out and about you find the real human interest stories.

I just took my car into the local garage and walking back I was given a couple of stories that you’ll be reading about next week – such as how an Appleby business woman is expanding and opening a second shop.

I was delighted this week went I called into the TIC to discover they had been visited by a secret shopper working on behalf of the North West Development Agency – and they had achieved top marks of 100 per cent for their face-to-face service and in the 90s for the online and telephone guidance.

Every time I call in they greet me with a big smile and a cheerful “Hello” and it’s good to see people getting the recognition they deserve for going that extra mile – click here to read their news story.

But sometimes the stories come to me – via my hairdresser this week. She was cutting my hair and telling me about her nephew who is in the RAF and is spending his leave doing a 1,000 charity bike ride in aid of Help for Heroes.

He was given a heroes welcome in Appleby at the weekend. Click here to see the news story. But it is only when you see such a lovely young lad that you realise the price we pay for war. He had been inspired to do the cycle after visiting his friend who had been injured in a bomb blast in Afghanistan.

This was Appleby’s opportunity to give recognition not only to Dominic who was doing the cross country cycle, but to all the other servicemen and women service on our behalf across the world – and the town did a great job. The Mayor Elect, leaders of the Air Training Cadets, the Royal British Legion and many more came to support him.

Here’s Dominic Murray on his cycle challenge in Appleby met by the Mayor Elect, his mum, aunty, cousin, grandfather and grandmother.

You can help him raise more money by going to his Just Giving Page.

Recycling the news

2010-04-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Many people ask where the news comes from, and a majority of it is through media releases, sent out by businesses, charities and organisations – such as our local District Council who yesterday sent me an email about Green Week.

A media release, some cynical people may say, is a piece of propaganda. A story written from one side only – and to others it is an advertisement selling an organisations ideas. But for me it is the starting point for a story.

You have the first piece of information and you use your judgement to see if there is a need to get a quote from an opposing view point to turn the media release into a balanced news story.

There wasn’t much to say about the Green Week email from Eden Council. They say how they are aiming to reduce the districts CO2 emissions et cetra. But we must remember that it isn’t the council doing all the recycling, it is we the householders.

I hate Wednesday evenings because I have to put out the recycling for the curb side collection. They won’t take cardboard or plastic so that piles up until there’s enough to fill the card and is transported to the town recycling centre, which is usually full, so it comes back home again for a another few weeks.

I think we should use the earth’s resources wisely, and I don’t like wastes. But why should senior citizens, like my neighbour who is in her 80s have to push and kick a green box full of heavy newspaper, cans and bottles to the curb side. I have difficulty carrying the box.

If health and safety say it is too much for a strong, healthy cleaning engineer, or bin man as they use to be called, to carry the box to the collection vehicle, how is it okay for my neighbour and everyone else.

I remember as a child watching the bin men coming to take the metal dustbin from outside our house on their backs and throwing the rubbish into the bin cart before coming back up the path and replacing the bin where it lived. My parents paid less council tax then and got a better service. Why can’t the bin and recycling collectors do that today?

My neighbour paid a hefty price for the recycling, a broken leg when her garden waste wheelie bin pulled her over on the steep driveway. How many more people have pulled their backs, slipped a disk or fallen carrying these badly designed recycling bins?

So while the Council celebrates the great work it is doing to make the world a greener place, they should remember it is us that’s doing all the hard work.

The news story about Green Week in Eden is now available on www.edenvalleymessenger.com

News is a sign that you're getting old

2010-04-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

When our daughter came home and told us she was learning about John Lennon in history I saw my husband’s face wince.

He remembers seeing the Beatles before they were famous during the lunch hour performances in the Cavern, and he reported on John and Yoko’s “Sleep-in” protest. This wasn’t history but something that happened just a few years ago.

It was the same for me watching Ashes-to-Ashes on TV, set in the 80s. It didn’t seem old fashioned, but normal.

Our daughter was laughing at how we could remember things from history, like the miners strike, the Falklands war and Margaret Thatcher when references were made in the show.

But it was a shock to her that the Brownies that come to the pack I help out with would think her old because she can remember 9/11, and going to primary school with the bodies of sheep and cattle piled up when foot and mouth hit this area.

She stopped laughing when I told here all these things had happened before they were born.
It seemed to put everyone in their timeline.

Then she just said: “And I will tell my children how I watched the first television debates for a General Election”. Exactly, we said.

News may be all about today, but it certainly puts us in our historic place tomorrow.

All the time in the world - in a traffic jam

2010-04-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

It doesn’t matter which wasy I leave Appleby on route A66 I hit road works and a traffic jam at the moment. It always catches me by surprise – even though the first thing I do at 6.45am every morning is check the Highways Agency updates to report on the Messenger websites.

I can tell other people to remember to add extra time to their journeys and forget it applies to me.

But the upside of being stuck in traffic in Cumbria is that the view is a million times better than the daily commuter crawl into Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds or any other big city.

Sat in my car I can sit back and take a few minutes to take in the beauty of the Eden Valley, before the lights turn green and we are back to the normal pace of life.

While in traffic today I had the chance to really take in the beauty of the daffoidils that were planted and the entrance and exit to every town, village and hamlet after foot and mouth. It would make Wordsworth smile to see his favourite county ablaze with the yellow flowers. What a greeting for visitors and what a refreshing site for all us locals.

My new philosophy when trying to turn back time in a traffic jam, panicing that the people I’m going out to interview will have gone by the time I get there, is to enjoy the few minutes of stillness that a traffic jam brings.

And the couple were still there when I arrived, having just renewed their wedding vows on their 50th wedding anniversary on board their own Love Boat in the Atlantic. Here's a photo of them in their Kirkby Stephen garden. To read their story visit www.edenvalleymessenger .

Websites hit by human virus

2010-04-18T08:47:00.001-07:00

Launching one daily news website is understandable; launching two is just making life difficult for yourself – but very rewarding.

To celebrate keeping my head above water with the www.edenvalleymessenger.com for a whole year, I decided the anniversary should be marked in style with the launch of a second daily, news website www.thelakedistrictmessenger.com .

April 8 seemed as good enough a date as any – and so far away on January 1. But with a last minute holiday in Spain for Easter the return was more a baptism of fire. Just three days to get everything up, running, and ready to go live.

This deadline addition I have ensured I would be ready for anything on April 8 – even my husband coming down with a mystery virus that has kept him off work since the day after the Lakes Messenger was launched.

It’s not the virus that’s prolonged everything, but his reaction to the antibiotics. Not the first or second type but third edition. Now he is constantly showing me more red hives. He is getting better though. The swelling on his face has gone down, and he can see out of both eyes now. He doesn’t look quite so much like the star of The Singing Detective anymore.

But we’ve got through it all and kept the news going out every day.

Whatever will next week bring?