Latest news with #Cumbria
BBC News
7 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
No WiFi is 'health barrier' for Cumbrian ethnic minorities
A lack of wi-fi to use translate services to access basic health care services is one of the major barriers affecting ethnic minority communities in north and west Cumbria, according to a new Faisal Solkar told Cumberland Council's health and wellbeing board that "language barriers and trust issues" has lead to an overuse of accident and emergency among ethic minority Health Needs Assessment: Ethnic Minorities 2025 report also listed perception of care, navigation and awareness issues, service availability and service accessibility as other barriers. Dr Solkar, who carried out the research, said: "Language remains a significant barrier in health care." The report also stated the maternal mortality rate in black and mixed ethnicity groups was three times higher than in white communities. The five core recommendations in the report were: Improve communication and information accessExpand interpretation servicesRequire ethnicity data collection across all health and social care settingsIncrease access to preventative careAdopt patient-centred approachesIn addition, there were three supporting recommendations which were to introduce multi-lingual booking systems, provide digital access support and strengthen community engagement, the Local Democracy Reporting Service response to language barriers, Colin Cox, the council's director of public health, customer and community wellbeing, said the latest generation of iPhones had simultaneous translation apps."We've got that technology available to us and we've got to be investing in it," he Elaine Lynch suggested a pilot scheme could be introduced at a Carlisle medical practice to help tackle language noted the report and agreed the communication and translation pilot should be explored further. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Times
9 hours ago
- Times
A spectacular seven-mile walk over the Lakes' soaring Scout Scar
A t the Lake District's southeastern corner, the limestone escarpment of Scout Scar rises abruptly above the Lyth Valley, a line of white cliffs that's stark against the softly green pasture and woodland. Alongside neighbouring Cunswick Scar, it is one of Alfred Wainwright's Outlying Fells, with a quiet drama distinct from Cumbria's more famous summits. From Underbarrow Road a neat path climbed through scrubby hawthorn and young ash. Higher up, a break in the trees revealed a surprise view over wooded Whitbarrow to the Furness Fells, Windermere hidden in the folds of the hills. At the top, the full length of the precipitous scarp stretched ahead, Morecambe Bay shimmering in the distance. We made our way along the edge, detouring up to the Mushroom shelter, a local landmark built in 1912 for the coronation of George V. Away from sun or rain, it's a delightful spot to pause and take in the views: west to the jagged tops of Coniston and Langdale; north to the rolling Sleddale and Bannisdale fells — more of Wainwright's outliers; east to the Howgills.
BBC News
11 hours ago
- BBC News
Whitbarrow caravan park plans prompt road traffic fears
Fears over "dangerous" traffic levels have been raised by residents opposed to plans for a 100-caravan holiday park on the edge of a national Paul Consultancy has submitted plans for the development on agricultural land near Whitbarrow Farm between Penrith and Keswick in highlighted concerns about unsustainable levels of congestion and potential risks from increased traffic on narrow Lake District submitted in support of the application to Westmorland and Furness Council claimed the surrounding roads were "good and provide quick and easy access" to the nearby A66. If approved, timber-clad caravans would be installed on a 10-hectare parcel of pitch would have space for two cars and plans include a cycle hire hub to "encourage sustainable transport in the local area", which is close to the C2C cycle route. 'Struggling to cope' Jenna Trelease, who was among the residents objecting to the plans, said: "The narrow road cannot support that amount of traffic."The increased traffic not only results in potholes but is dangerous to local pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders."Roy Noble, who lives nearby, said the road needed "a lot more passing places".Another resident said she was concerned about the site being too close to the Lake District National Park, which was "already struggling to cope with the amount of people visiting each year".The company behind the plans said the site could be used "more intensively", with up to 350 caravans, however it chose to keep the proposal to 100."[This] is more in keeping with the local area and the ethos of the proposed site," the firm said. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Full list of 43 shops and banks vanishing from British high street forever in July – is your local closing?
MAJOR retailers and banks will close several stores for good this month as the high street continues to face difficulties. The closures come as UK businesses continue to faced increased costs alongside a decline in footfall. Changes in this year's budget, including an increase in employer National Insurance contributions and energy and rent costs have piled on pressure for companies. As a result, some retailers have been forced to make drastic changes to remain competitive. This includes hiking prices, reviewing expansion plans and reducing the number of stores they have. Here is a full list of the shops and banks we know are shutting in July 2025. The Original Factory Shop The discount high street chain closed nine shops in June after previously warning it would have to shut some 'loss-making' locations. This comes after the discount chain began to struggle in recent years. And now the retailer is now set to close its location in Staveley, Cumbria on July 12. The private equity firm Modella bought The Original Factory Shop in February and has since launched a restructuring effort. This was carried out in an effort to renegotiate rents at 88 The Original Factory Shop stores across the country. Modella also recently bought Hobbycraft and WHSmith's high street shops. Co-op Faces Uncertain Future: 34 Stores at Risk Amid Financial Struggles Iceland The supermarket chain will close its store on Rose Street in Inverness on July 12. There will no longer be any Iceland stores in the Scottish city, with the closest located in Aberdeen. This move will come just weeks after Iceland shut down its Margate branch. The retailer has not yet confirmed the reason for the sudden closure but it has been completing a broader reshuffle of its operations in recent months. This is part of an effort to adapt to shifting consumer habits, cost pressures, and the growing demand for convenience and online shopping. Why are retailers closing stores? RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis. High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going. However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024. End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker. It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date. This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023. It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns. The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker. Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations. Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes. Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." Poundland After a series of closures in the past few months, Poundland is set to shut down its location in Deepdale Retail Park in Preston on July 5 and another store in Newquay on July 30. Gordon Brothers, the ex-owner of Laura Ashley, purchased the business from Polish owner Pepco Group for £1 after a downturn in trading. The new owners are asking the court for permission to close 68 stores and negotiate lower rents on others. Up to 82 more stores are potentially at risk of shutting down in the future. However, before the sale was agreed, Poundland had already planned to close 18 stores, with the July shutdowns among the last to be confirmed. New Look The famous fashion retailer is set to close another location at the beginning of July. Hamilton, Scotland will see its New Look store permanently pull the shutters on July 1. The move comes after the shop announced it would be closing nearly 100 stores in the coming months. A New Look spokesperson said: 'Our store in Hamilton is set close on July 1. We would like to thank all of our colleagues and the local community for their support over the years. "We hope customers continue to shop with us online at where our full product ranges can be found.' Santander Santander is set to close 38 branches next month after announcing locations were struggling due to the increase in online banking. A statement on the Santander website reads: "We last did a major review of our branches in 2021. "Since then, many of our customers are choosing to use Mobile, Online and Telephone Banking more, and branches less." The Santander locations set to close in July are: Armagh July 1 Bognor Regis July 14 Borehamwood July 1 Caernarfon July 7 Camborne July 7 Colne July 14 Colwyn Bay July 24 Crowborough July 23 Cumbernauld July 7 Didsbury July 8 Exmouth July 15 Falmouth July 21 Farnham July 29 Felixstowe July 16 Hackney July 15 Hawick July 24 Herne Bay July 8 Hertford July 29 Holloway July 14 Honiton July 14 Kirkby July 22 Malvern July 2 Market Harborough July 1 New Milton July 28 Pudsey July 28 Rawtenstall July 15 Ross-On-Wye July 30 Ruislip July 7 Saltcoats July 21 Seaford July 14 Shaftesbury July 23 St Austell July 8 St Neots July 30 Stokesley July 31 Strabane July 23 Tenterden July 7 Tottenham July 8 Wishaw July 22
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Flimby boys collect 600 signatures to improve playground
Two boys who describe their local playground as "broken, boring and full of graffiti" are campaigning to have it Ethan, and Kaelan, 13, have been knocking on doors and asking people to sign a petition calling for Flimby Playground in Cumbria to be have collected almost 600 signatures and plan to take their petition to Cumberland council said it welcomes suggestions on how to improve its play areas and will meet with the boys to discuss how it can help put their plans into action. Speaking to BBC Radio Cumbria, Ethan said: "We want some better stuff that's not rusty, and some more stuff for the older [ones] and little ones."If we put an AstroTurf football pitch [in the park] then the children of Flimby could use it to play football on. "Then, if it is winter and raining, Flimby rugby team can use it too." Kaelan's mother, Nicola, said news of the boys' campaign work had "spread through the village"."Flimby is a very, very tight community. We all know each other and we all speak about each other's children," she said."I work at the local school, and I have had people come up to me and tell me how proud they are of the boys." The campaign has won the support of Labour's Josh MacAlister, MP for Whitehaven and Workington, who said he had written to Cumberland Council asking for "funding to be allocated for investment in the park"."I'm hopeful of a positive response from the council, and to make it a fantastic playground for local children and young people of all ages once again," he Council said it maintains dozens of play facilities and does all it can to make them "welcoming and safe sites to visit"."We will soon be meeting up with the youngsters from Flimby to see how we can support putting their plans into action," a council spokesperson said. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
