Latest news with #LakeDistrict
The Guardian
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ending sheep farming in the Lake District is not our aim
Phil Stocker's letter (12 June) defends sheep farming against an attack that doesn't exist. Nowhere in the Guardian article he is responding to (Conservationists call for Lake District to lose Unesco world heritage status, 7 June) does anyone call for 'sheep farming's demise'. Neither the letter I sent to Unesco nor the report that I co-authored, both referred to in the article, call for it either. Instead, we're raising concerns about the Lake District's world heritage site designation, which poses a major threat to exactly the sort of adaptation that Mr Stocker says he wants and that most farmers know is coming. None of the farmers I've spoken to could name a single benefit of being in a world heritage site. Most people won't be aware of the downsides, but for those of us working in conservation, they are obvious. The designation is influencing decisions by the national park authority, which views every element of the park's management through a world heritage lens and puts sheep farming first, often at the expense of rural livelihoods and nature. We are not attacking farming or anybody's culture, and it's a pity that this is how Stocker and many others, including the MP Tim Farron, have interpreted it. For farmers and conservationists to be at loggerheads is madness. Once the dust settles, I hope we will be able to sit down and have some sensible discussion about these issues and how to resolve them. As Mr Stocker attests, farming has played a key role in the history of the Lake District, and it will have a vital role to play in its future, but only if it is allowed to adapt. Removing the world heritage site designation, or amending it to reflect the urgency of the climate crisis, will help that transition to take SchofieldBampton, Cumbria Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Top Gear
a day ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
The new Defender 110 Trophy Edition can scale mountains in yellow or green
The new Defender 110 Trophy Edition can scale mountains in yellow or green Special edition honours Defender's 'history of global adventure'. Take it somewhere exciting, please Skip 7 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Turn on Javascript to see all the available pictures. 1 / 7 Land Rover has revealed a new special edition of its all-conquering Defender better equipped to tackle the hellscape of modern British roads. And maybe the odd mountain. Meet the 110 Trophy Edition. It's a new trim that allows you to conquer the supermarket queue, rutted British highways and byways and maybe even the odd puddle and perhaps a mountain via knobbly tyres and either yellow or green paint. Advertisement - Page continues below Sorry, 'Sandglow Yellow', referencing 'Defenders used on international Trophy-style events', or 'Keswick Green' that apparently 'celebrates rural exploration in Defender's UK homeland'. The Lake District suddenly got a lot more fun. Scared of getting either colour a bit scratched? You can option on some protective film, while standard-fit items include lots of 'Trophy' decals, gloss black 20s that look suspiciously like steelies (yay) on all-terrain tyres, wheelarch protection, a black front undershield and rear scuff plate. There are illuminated tread plates. Leather seats. And a £4,995 'Accessory Pack' that adds even more Trophy to your Trophy. It includes a roof rack, a roof ladder, a side-mounted Carrier Of Things, and a couple of admittedly very cool bits: a raised air intake and mud flaps! Prices start at £89,810 which includes the £5k accessory pack. Where you taking it? Advertisement - Page continues below Top Gear Newsletter Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. Success Your Email*
Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Wordsworth's ‘colonial links' investigated using taxpayers' money
Taxpayers' money has been used to investigate 'colonial links' at William Wordsworth 's cottage. His former Lake District home, Dove Cottage in Grasmere, is now operated as a museum dedicated to the poet's literacy legacy. This legacy has been examined for 'slavery and East India Company histories' as part of a wider effort to alter how Romantic writers are presented. The publicly funded project aimed to address the 'silence and inaction' over Wordsworth's imperial associations at Dove Cottage, which annually attracts around 70,000 visitors. Wordsworth's brother, John, worked for the East India Company and died in the wreck of one of its ships. The colonial research project was carried out in partnership with the Wordsworth Trust, which runs the cottage museum, and Prof Simon Bainbridge, a trustee and academic at the University of Lancaster. A grant of £35,000 from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), a funding quango, was intended to support efforts to highlight the colonial links of famous British writers. The former homes – now museums – of some of Britain's greatest poets, including John Keats, Lord Byron and Samuel-Taylor Coleridge, also collaborated in the decolonising project. Another of Wordsworth's properties in Cockermouth and the home of Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, were also included in the project, which aimed to 'investigate the colonial links of Romantic-period literary house museums'. The network of literary attractions aimed to build on this investigation, moving on to devise ways to present potential colonial links to 'a wider public'. None of the writers had any direct personal involvement with colonisation or the slave trade, apart from Wordsworth, who may have gained from his brother's financial ventures. He did, however, write abolitionist poetry and called abolition an 'enterprise sublime'. Burns sought work on Caribbean plantation as an impoverished young man, before changing his mind, and Byron's aristocratic wealth appears not to have been derived from slavery. Keats was from a humble background and was dead by 25, while Wordsworth's close friend and collaborator, Coleridge, frequently wrote in support of abolition as a young man. The project outline on the AHRC website acknowledged that 'because literary figures inspire reverence and widespread public respect' efforts to link them to colonial wrongdoing often provoked 'public and media hostility'. However, the project, which officially ended in 2024, set out to reveal how the Romantic period's 'literary house museums bear (witness) to colonialism in numerous ways' which 'frequently remain unexplored or untold'. The project sought to create resources for literary museum staff to examine and explain colonial links to the public, but this was abandoned. Prof Bainbridge said: 'The network ultimately decided against creating general resources for writers' house museums to address the issues discussed. 'The issues proved too complex to produce such group resources; rather, the emphasis as the network developed was on museums reflecting on the issues discussed in relation to their own specific contexts. 'The museums are committed to resourcing public knowledge about the past, including on this topic.' He added: 'The issues and ideas discussed may inform the work of the Wordsworth Trust going forward but this will be a matter for their own future reflection.' The re-examination of the Romantics comes following a broader drive to present the colonial connections of famous figures, particularly following Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, which has dragged writers into frequent rows. In 2021, the National Trust released an audit of properties linked to colonialism and slavery, which included the Sussex home of Rudyard Kipling, and another Wordsworth property, Allan Bank. The British Library also undertook work in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests to address any links to slaver y among the literary figures represented in its collection.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bowness's Royalty Cinema reopens with red carpet welcome
A historic cinema has reopened with a red carpet welcome after being taken back to its art deco Royalty, in Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District, closed last summer after its then-manager decided against renewing his lease, due to falling customer closure temporarily brought an end to an association with the town going back to the with one screen rather than three, the venue will also stage theatre, comedy and musical events as it widens its offering. Mark Naunton, who has taken over the running of the Westmorland and Furness Council-owned building with his business partner, Bryn Tyson, said Saturday's relaunch followed "five months of working flat out".A sold-out audience of 380 people attended the grand reopening night on Saturday."We've got a real passion for what we're doing. It's been intense, but we could see the light at the end of the tunnel as things came together." Mr Naunton said: "Our ethos was to take the building back as close to how it was in the 1920s as we could."I think we'll be able to offer something people want to see. Hopefully word will spread."We don't have a magic button to push to attract all the holidaymakers who come to Bowness, but we're looking to get onside with the local community."The opening night saw a Beatles tribute band headline, with a supporting set by Barrow band The Naked new owners replaced the outdated and inoperable gas heating system with a new air source heating and air conditioning council said it would also install solar panels to further improve the energy efficiency of the venue was previously managed by Charles Morris, who had held the role since told the BBC last year he had been subsidising the Royalty from the profits of his other cinemas in Yorkshire as customer numbers fell, and revealed he was sad to be bringing his involvement with the venue to a Naunton paid tribute to those efforts, adding: "We wouldn't have had the opportunity without Charles." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Controversial Hawkshead petrol station plan approved
Controversial plans for a petrol station and shop to open in a rural village have been given the go-ahead, despite Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) has given permission to James Hall & Co to build on land at Bragg Field in Hawkshead, near included concerns that the development would be too close to nearby homes about 65ft (20m) away, economic impact on the village and pollution.A LDNPA report said the issues were "finely balanced", but planners were "not convinced" the Spar shop and petrol station would cause more disturbance than the current car park on site. Initial plans by Hall & Co had attracted more than 40 objections and after they were amended to take into consideration some of the concerns, a further 30 were received by the Christopher Stewardson said he believed there were enough petrol stations in the surrounding area."This is just promoting a modern gluttonous need for amenities," he added the plans showed a "total disregard" for the residents of the nearby Bragg Field Cottages, who would have petrol pumps "less than 50m from their kitchen window". Hanne Crank, another objector, said she feared people would just "fill up and go", instead of visiting Hawkshead and its businesses."It is highly likely that the effect will be an economic disaster for the village as the current shops will be adversely affected," she amended plans, however, also received 11 letters of support, with people highlighting the benefits of more amenities and the potential positive impact on the village's Whitworth said the development would be an "asset", serving locals and visitors alike."It would save a 12-mile round trip on many occasions," he LDNPA's report said the site's current use as a car park meant residents of Bragg Field Cottages "already experience vehicle movements throughout the day"."I recognise that vehicles using the car park are typically likely to remain for relatively long periods of time compared to those visiting the shop or petrol station, and therefore vehicle movements are likely to be greater as a result of the development," the report added: "Moreover, there is likely to be more activity in the evening than is currently the case."The plans were approved with a condition that the shop would only operate between 07:00 and 22:00. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
