Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) is urging the public to stay safe in Cumbria’s waters as the weather heats up.   As the heatwaves hit the county, many residents and tourists will head to the Lakes and rivers to cool off. However, the water can be dangerous when safety is not taken seriously. Keep… Continue reading Public urged to stay safe in the counties water amidst heatwaves

A man who had indecent images of children on his devices has become the latest offender to be sentenced after being caught by Cumbria’s Cyber and Digital Crime Unit. Andrew Stopforth, 54, of Flookburgh, appeared before Preston Crown Court today (26 May) following investigations by detectives. His sentencing is the latest to come as a… Continue reading Flookburgh man jailed for indecent images offences

On 24th May, Cumbrian MP Tim Farron has started a petition calling for the bus service which serves the Cartmel Peninsula to be saved. From 20th July, the 530/532 bus service which serves the Cartmel Peninsula will be withdrawn after the bus company Travellers Choice lost the school contract. The bus goes round the peninsula,… Continue reading MP launches petition to save Cartmel Peninsula bus service

859 academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary aided schools will receive a share of £456 million from the Condition Improvement Fund, with over 1,000 projects selected. This new investment will upgrade and improve school and college facilities, providing pupils with safer and warmer classrooms, and more energy efficient school buildings. The Conservative Government announced £1.8 billion… Continue reading Simon Fell MP has welcomed over £450 million in extra funding from the Conservative Government, some of which will be used to upgrade school buildings across Furness

On 25 May 2023 the Government has announced a record investment of more than £20 billion, ring-fenced for the next phase of the national New Hospital Programme, which brings proposals for new cutting-edge hospital facilities for Lancashire and South Cumbria a step closer. In September 2022, the NHS in Lancashire and South Cumbria stated its preference for new hospitals on new sites for both Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary as part of the New Hospitals Programme, alongside alternative partial rebuild options. This followed a comprehensive assessment for deliverability, affordability, value for money, and viability, considering feedback from thousands of patients, local people and staff. Following today’s statement to the House of Commons from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the local NHS welcomes the announcement of two new hospitals to replace Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary as part of a rolling programme of national investment in capital infrastructure beyond 2030. This will also include investment in improvements to Furness General Hospital. The existing Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary sites will remain in place and deliver services to our population until new hospital facilities are opened. What this means for future hospital services needs to be worked through. The local NHS will continue to keep communities involved and provide further updates as more information becomes available. Across the health and care system, NHS Trusts and the Integrated Care Board are working together to improve services and this work will continue. One example of this is the development of one of the eight new national surgical hubs, located at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital. This is an exciting development, which serves people across Lancashire and South Cumbria and is one of a number of recent significant investments on the Chorley site. Further detailed work is underway to assess the viability of potential locations for new hospital builds for both Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary and to develop the required business cases. There is still further work to be completed in this area and additional sites may emerge over the coming period. Further information will be shared in due course. Jerry Hawker, Director of Transformation for NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board and Senior Responsible Officer for Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme, said: “We are delighted to hear that the Government has announced significant new funding for the next phase of the national New Hospital Programme, which brings our plans to offer the absolute best in modern healthcare and address significant problems with the current ageing hospital buildings a step closer. We look forward to working closely with the national New Hospital Programme team to determine the specific allocation of funding for Lancashire and South Cumbria so that we can understand what this means for our local communities.” Kevin McGee OBE, Chief Executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is great news, and we are excited by the opportunities our New Hospitals Programme represents for the people of Lancashire and South Cumbria. Although the timing has changed, we welcome having clarity on both the timescales and the funding involved. Being able to build new hospitals on new sites will be truly transformational, giving us the freedom to design our services and facilities around the needs of our patients, future-proofing services for the next generation.” Aaron Cummins, Chief Executive of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our New Hospitals Programme is a key priority for all partners across the local NHS, which is moving on at pace. This once-in-a-generation opportunity will be a huge contribution to our recovery as a health and care system after Covid-19, bringing new facilities and much needed investment into our patch for the benefit of patients and colleagues.” Kevin Lavery, Chief Executive of NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said: “The New Hospitals Programme gives us a real opportunity to achieve our ambitions for being an exemplar health and care system by transforming the way we work across our hospitals in Lancashire and South Cumbria. This transformation will enable us to improve quality, safety and patient experience for our whole population and have a positive impact for our NHS staff, who undertake incredible work to support our communities every day.” You might also like Get in touch Our hospitals Parking and facilities Services A-Z Visiting times Wards A-Z

A new programme to support heritage work in Barrow will launch next month. ‘Barrow’s Heritage – Micro to Mighty’ will see Westmorland and Furness Council award grants of between £200 and £3,000 to groups and organisations to support heritage-related projects. The programme will also pull together a ‘Local List’ of heritage assets in Barrow to… Continue reading Programme will celebrate and support Barrow’s heritage

Police are investigating a boat fire which occurred on Walney Promenade, Barrow-in-Furness. At 9:37pm on Thursday 18 May 2023, police were notified by Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service that they attended a boat fire. Police are asking for any witnesses or anyone who can identify any suspects to come forward.   Anyone with information relating… Continue reading Local Appeal – Boat fire which occurred on Walney Promenade, Barrow-in-Furness

On Sunday 14th May on St Luke’s Street in Barrow two vehicles were involved in a collision beside the Co-op. The collision occurred at 7.02pm. The vehicles involved were a Peugeot 5008 and an unidentified small white van, similar to that of a Caddy-type vehicle. Police are appealing for witnesses and the driver of the… Continue reading Local Appeal – St Luke’s Street in Barrow two vehicles were involved in a collision

May’s Operation Sceptre in Cumbria saw more than a dozen schools visited, dozens of stop and searches carried out five arrests for knife-related offences, as well as more than 70 blades handed in as part of the week-long amnesty. Operation Sceptre, is a national campaign which takes place twice a year, supporting the work the… Continue reading Op Sceptre: School visits, test purchases and knives handed in during amnesty week

Dogs Trust warns that a lack of training is leading to a rise in dog behaviour issues, as the charity receives 18,000 requests to take in pets so far in 2023 The charity says huge numbers of owners are considering putting their dogs up for adoption Almost a third of owner-surrendered dogs are now due… Continue reading Dogs Trust warns lack of training is leading to a rise in dog behaviour issues