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Filipa Lobo Gaspar

Community news reporter for The Mail and The Westmorland Gazette

Former music journalist with a master's in broadcast journalism

The Mail •

Efforts being made to reduce Barrow's high suicide rate

A charity will offer training that enables volunteers to help people having suicidal thoughts.

Every Life Matters is launching a suicide alertness training called 'Orange Button' to work with Ormsgill residents to explore the role that communities can play in a grassroots approach to suicide prevention.

The Orange Button Community pilot launched in Ormsgill (Image: Every Life Matters)

This 3.5-hour training session is aimed at anyone who wants to understand more about suicide, how to know whe
The Mail •

'Visuals from that day still live with me': Man speaks on losing friend to suicide

During Mental Health Awareness Week, Alec Proffitt, from Walney, opened up about losing his university friend to suicide in 1998.

Still today Alec struggles due to the impact of that event when he was in his early twenties.

Although they had grown apart in the months leading up to his death, the incident was a 'massive shock' to Alec.

"Because of the way he tried to touch base and reach out to me, I felt quite guilty about the fact that I hadn't responded more positively to him", said Alec.
The Westmorland Gazette •

Take a look inside Abbot Hall ahead of public opening

Abbot Hall, one of Britain's leading small art galleries, will officially open to the public on Saturday, May 20.

Set in a restored Grade I listed Georgian building on the banks of River Kent, the gallery was temporarily closed in February 2020 to undertake essential renovation work.

The gallery reopens as a place for the community to gather, experience art and be inspired to create.

The first exhibition entitled What is it That Will Last? will be from Scotland-based artist Julie Brook.

Runn
The Mail •

'We expect the numbers to rise again': Marriage rates in Cumbria drop

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed 85,770 marriages in England and Wales in 2020 - a decrease of 61.0% from 219,850 in 2019.

This is the largest annual decrease ever recorded and is the lowest number of marriages recorded since the first full year of marriage records in 1838.

In Cumbria, there was a 62 per cent decline between 2019 and 2020 - above the national average.

Cumbria's marriages were 3,300 in 2019 and 1,258 in 2020.

ONS statisticians put this decrease down to the im
The Mail •

Cumbrian dancer performs with pop superstar at Eurovision

Henry Chatfield, from Barrow, had the opportunity to perform with the singer during the first Eurovision Song Contest semi-final.

The 21-year-old also performed in the second semi-final and the grand final at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.

Eurovision was staged in the UK for the first time in 25 years due to last year's winner Ukraine being unable to host it due to the ongoing war with Russia.

The BBC reported that this year's contest has become the most-watched grand final in history, with
The Westmorland Gazette •

'Life can still be meaningful whatever your age' says nonagenarian woodturner

Roger Busfield, of Bolton-le-Sands, is set for his spring exhibition, running from Sunday 28 to Tuesday 30 May at Hawkshead Market Hall.

Visitors can expect Roger taking turns manning the fast-spinning lathe himself, turning rough logs into delicate craft items in minutes.

He has been a member of the Cumbria Woodturners’ Association since not long after it was founded in 1991.

Roger served 12 years as chairman, only stepping down recently to take up the position of club president.

Roger cont
The Westmorland Gazette •

'I'm far from alone': Woman with ADHD starts group to support neurodivergent people

Rebecca Batstone was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at the age of 50.

Since then, the woman has been trying to find ways to manage her condition.

"It can be quite a devastating diagnosis. I have lived all my life feeling like I was on the periphery. I always felt like a square peg in a round hole," said Rebecca.

"For many of us, this diagnosis is coming around the time of the perimenopause or menopause, largely because the coping strategies we have created thro
The Westmorland Gazette •

Town to 'do pride differently' with first ever pride festival

The festival, billed as 'doing pride differently', will take over the Cumbrian town from Friday July 21 to Sunday July 23, offering a host of activities for people of all ages.

Organisers believe the event will make the most of the natural environment and give people the chance to celebrate pride in an alternative way.

Jamie Hooper, chair of the organising group, said: “One of the things that’s really special about living here is that we have so many fantastic outdoor spaces on our doorstep an
The Mail •

'It's about celebrating people being themselves' - Eurovision superfan attends final

Steve Keith, from Grange, drove to Liverpool to fulfil his life time wish to watch Eurovision's Grand Final at Liverpool's M&S Arena.

After tumultuous months of securing accommodation and getting tickets, the superfan was able to find a place at the final with the release of the last batch of tickets for the contest.

Speaking to Steve ahead of the contest outside the arena, he said: "This is the place I wanted to go for the last 20 years.

"I had problems with the accommodation, I tried to get
The Mail •

Chinese restaurant bosses make improvements after receiving one star hygiene rating

The Diamond Restaurant, on Dalton Road, Barrow, was given the score after assessment on March 23, the Food Standards Agency's website shows.

According to the report, obtained by The Mail under freedom of information laws, 14 concerns were raised to the business needing action in a week.

Bosses at the restaurant said a revisit was imminent and that improvements had been made.

They said: "It has all been redone and resolved. The inspector is meant to come back to give us a reinspection."

Some
The Mail •

Activists hold 'small but effective' protest outside Dalton zoo

Three animal rights activists from Team Tino Animal Rights, Cumbria Animal Rights Action and A Voice for Animals protested at South Lakes Safari Zoo on Sunday.

Kerry Henley, of A Voice for Animals, said the protest was a 'small turn out, but effective.'

She said: "Three of us were there. It will grow in time.

"Regulars have jobs and other commitments but we are determined.

"We are planning to continue fortnightly as long as there are at least two protesters present.

"The police came a coupl
The Mail •

'We won't stop' - Animal activists to hold second protest outside Dalton zoo

Team Tino Animal Rights, Cumbria Animal Rights Action and A Voice for Animals have urged the public to join their protest at South Lakes Safari Zoo on Sunday.

It is the second time this year that protestors are taking action outside the zoo premises.

A Cumbria Animal Rights Action spokesman said: "Any zoo is an archaic and out-of-date form of entertainment. All animals have a right to live in their own habitat.

"How would people feel if they were removed from their home then confined in a sma
The Westmorland Gazette •

Cumbria Pride to host Eurovision Party with cardboard cut-out of Graham Norton

The 67th Eurovision Grand Final will be live streamed from Liverpool to the state-of-the-art cinema at Brewery Arts in Kendal on May 13 from 7:30pm.

There will be photoprops, including a life-size cardboard cut-out of Graham Norton, games, decorations, and prizes including a cash prize for the winner of Cumbria Pride’s Euro-sweepstake.

A special £5 pizza deal will also be available for Eurovision attendees throughout the night. The ticket also includes a preview of BBC Three’s new show ‘I Kiss
The Mail •

Charity offer sessions to promote men's physical and mental wellbeing

Age UK Barrow & District offer a variety of social groups and activities for men aged 55 and over at various centres across the town.

The aim is to offer people who have different levels of abilities sessions to boost their physical mobility, mental health and general wellbeing.

Vickie Martin, Head of Age UK Barrow & District, said that due to the pandemic they saw a 'decline' in older people's mobility, confidence and mental health.

"We witnessed the real effects of long lockdown periods, pa
The Mail •

Eurovision superfan to fulfil childhood dream of watching the Grand Final live

At the beginning of March, Steve Keith, from Grange, told how he made a reservation on September 27 through Booking.com to stay at Dream Apartments in Silkhouse Court on the weekend of the Eurovision final, from May 12 to May 14 - before Liverpool was announced as the host city.

Ten days after the booking he received an email from Booking.com telling him that his booking had been cancelled because of a 'technical error'.

However, his booking was cancelled for the second time without any explan
The Westmorland Gazette •

'We are here for everybody' - Community hub support people since 2015 flood

Every Thursday at lunchtime at St. George's Church in Kendal, a Community Hub offers people soup, sandwiches, cake, fruit and hot beverages.

The hub has been supporting people in town since the 2015 flood after Storm Desmond left people stranded and homeless.

With a short break due to lockdown, followed quickly by handing out bags of food at the church door instead, the group now feeds more than 20 people every week.

Jean Radley, an assistant priest at the church and one of the longest volunt
The Mail •

'The day is a celebration' - Pride event returns to town

Drop Zone Youth Crew’s Furness Pride will take place on Saturday May 13 in Barrow town centre from 11am until 6:30pm.

This is the fourth edition of the event and the second time it is being taken to the streets of Barrow as in the years of 2020 and 2021 the event took place online due to the pandemic.

Each year the pride event has a theme. Last year's theme was community and this year the theme of the event will be harmony.

Cath Corkill, of Drop Zone Youth Projects, said the event was to 'cel
The Westmorland Gazette •

BAE workers elope to Lake District for 'amazing' wedding

Mary Turner, a 28-year-old structural welding team leader at BAE Systems married Jack Culbert, a 29-year-old internal manufacturing team leader at the same company.

The couple met at the age of 11 at Dowdales School in Dalton.

"Jack was funny and quite often in trouble for disrupting the rest of the class", said Mary.

The pair got engaged two days after their daughter was born five years ago, with Mary's younger brother there to witness.

Mary said: "It was a surprise as I didn't think it was
The Westmorland Gazette •

Man diagnosed with bowel cancer urges people take advantage of cancer screening

After a routine bowel cancer screening Harry Jackson received the news he never wanted to hear.

Initially the results were inconclusive and Harry had noticed no symptoms indicating cause for concern.

However, within two weeks he was set for a colonoscopy in Kendal which revealed the presence of two tumours - one at stage 3.

A month later Harry underwent surgery to have his bowel removed which was followed by six months of chemotherapy.

Harry said: “I had no signs or symptoms of having bowel
The Mail •

Community gets together for planting day to improve town centre

Over the course of two days, on March 30 and April 18, members of the public, business owners and the local authority went to Portland Walk and Dalton Road as part of the project to improve the look of the area.

The installation of planters is part of the shared prosperity fund project being undertaken by Barrow BID in partnership with Westmorland and Furness Council, which also included the deep cleaning of the area and artwork installation.

The final aspect of the project has seen Barrow BID
The Westmorland Gazette •

'He came home a man': Cumbrian black belt wins gold at international championship

Competing against athletes from Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, India, Iran and more, the boy from Kendal won all of his fights in his -55kg junior division.

His coach Master Phil James said that due to his 'outstanding' performance the organisers were asked if he could fight in the senior's category.

Master Phil James said: "On his first fight he won his opponent 24 point to 4. On his second fight he won his opponent 27 points to 7 - it was at that point that myself and Jack's parents
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