Latest news with #WilliamWordsworth
ITV News
2 days ago
- ITV News
Fears for future of Cockermouth's Wordsworth House as National Trust undertakes review
A Cockermouth business organisation says it fears for the future of Wordsworth House, amid a review of the attraction by the National Trust. The childhood home of the famous Romantic poet William Wordsworth, one of Cumbria's most iconic landmarks, could be facing an uncertain future due to low footfall. The National Trust, which has managed the site for 180 years, says it's undertaking a review of how the house and garden can "offer the most benefit to visitors and the residents of Cockermouth". Suzanne Elsworth, from the Cockermouth and District Chamber of Trade, says the National Trust need to do 'something different'. She said: "It would be a huge blow. Cockermouth is very much on the up, and we work very hard to attract people here to eat, drink, shop and explore - we want to keep that going. "Wordsworth House and Gardens is one of our main tourist attractions in Cockermouth, and we want it to stay as open as possible for the good of the town. "It needs to be part of the fabric of Cockermouth, to give people a little bit different, perhaps think a bit more creatively about how it could be run and the offer it makes." Markus Campbell-Savours, Labour MP for Penrith and Solway, launched a petition because he "wasn't satisfied that the National Trust were being clear on what their intentions were". He added: "We had a lot of people contacting our office extremely concerned that they were looking to limit access to it, and our view is we should be improving access, not limiting it. "I think there are some people in this community who feel there is a bigger vision for this building that they could do a lot more to make it commercially viable. "It is a huge asset to the town. Cockermouth has one of the best main streets in Cumbria, and the Wordsworth House is an absolute gem amongst it - this needs to be saved. "It's people like Wordsworth who put the Lake District on the map, and it's that vision that brings people here every year. It's hugely important to our tourist economy; this is part of that story... it will be a real shame to lose it." In a statement, a National Trust spokesperson said: 'Wordsworth House and Garden is not closing, and the community will play a key role in shaping its future. "We are currently undertaking a review of how the house and garden can offer the most benefit to visitors and the residents of Cockermouth. At the moment, the house has a comparatively low number of visitors and if it remains open as a pay-for-entry experience will continue to lose significant amounts of charitable money. "Our proposals aim to increase access, share the Wordsworth story more widely, and explore new uses for the space. "These plans would see the garden, which is the most popular area, take on a more central role for visitors next year while we consult with the town council, chamber of trade, businesses, residents and visitors to shape a sustainable, community-focused future for the house, with a new model in place by 2027."
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Take The First Step Towards Rapprochement
Friendship Day Just a few days ago, i finally decided to send a hand-written card to a friend of mine with whom i fell apart years ago on a trivial issue. I was thinking of reconciliation with him for quite some time, but it was too late. As fate would have it, i got his sister's mail that my friend passed away a couple of years ago. Alas, i took so long to forgive him and couldn't do it when he was alive. Our 'noble' gestures lose their significance when they occur long after an unpleasant incident has taken place. "Though man is vindictive, he's forgiving too. He wants to forgive but waits for an opportune moment. And here he makes a mistake. That moment may come, but the person he wants to forgive may not be there anymore, leaving no option but to repent." William Wordsworth's didactic letter to his sister Dorothy serves as a reminder to people like me who want to forgive or say something to someone but wait for the appropriate moment. Human life is too short to harbour any grudge against anyone. The moment we feel that we've made a mistake or hurt someone, we must ask for forgiveness , because no one has seen tomorrow. This life, which seems so fair, is like a bubble blown up in the air. Like all transient things, even an ill feeling is evanescent. If friendship , or for that matter, any relationship, doesn't last forever, so does enmity. Why do we hesitate to ask for someone's forgiveness? This is an act that must be executed the moment it strikes one, and wholeheartedly at that. Jesus forgave those who crucified him. One of the persons torturing the Arab mystic Mansoor al-Hallaj whispered into his ear and said that he never wanted to be a part of such a ghastly act but was helpless. He asked, "Will you and Allah forgive me?" "My friend, you've already been forgiven," said the mystic and died. Man is always in a dilemma. The essential and inherent goodness in him gets snowed under by a host of conflicting emotions. Mirza Ghalib said, "Hai aadmi bajai khud ek mahshar-e-khyal/Hum anjuman samajhte hain, khilwat hi kyon na ho," - this creature we know as man is one big chaos of desires and thoughts. Even when lonely, he is never alone. For, in his breast, lies hidden a tumultuous crowd. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Senior Living Homes in Tizi Ouzou May Surprise You Senior Living | Search Ads Undo Clinical psychologists have found an uncanny behavioural attachment between two individuals. They've concluded that the moment one wants to forgive someone, the other person also thinks alike. This is CG Jung's Universal Synchronicity or Pervasive Telepathy. So, go ahead and do it without further delay, shelving your ego and vanity. A rose given during life is better than orchids on the grave. Never forget that the bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. Isn't forgiving in time the most sublime act? Rather than spend life's fleeting moments in recurrent and recrudescent rancour and recrimination against someone, we all must strive to take the first step towards rapprochement. We must stoop to conquer and bury the hatchet. Urdu poet-lyricist Qateel Shifai aptly said, "Humne hi apni ana' mein unki parwah na ki/Woh toh baahein phailaye khade the humare intazaar mein" - my ego didn't let me reach out to him/He was more than willing to embrace me. Do it before it's too late. Authored by: Sumit Paul International Day of Friendship is on July 30 Why Arjun Was Chosen: The Untold Secret of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 3
Irish Examiner
24-07-2025
- Science
- Irish Examiner
Donal Hickey: Small white butterflies — a welcome sight
At last, it seems the recent warm spell, with temperatures hitting just over 30°C, lured out butterflies and bees — a welcome sight on sunny days. Readers have been telling us how they noted, in particular, a sudden profusion of white butterflies... traditionally symbols of happiness, purity, good luck and general wellbeing. They're elusive and flit around giddily, only stopping on flowers and plants for a little while. There are several species of white butterflies and the one people are remarking on is most likely the small white, usually seen in gardens, hedgerows and meadows and normally highly visible in July/ August. I'm looking at one fluttering about right now. In mythology, white butterflies were believed to be the spirits of a dead child or other deceased loved ones letting you know they're in a better place. Small White (Pieris rapae) — these butterflies are often associated with love and kindness. You'll notice pairs flying together — a courting ritual as the male pursues the female. Here again, the white is associated with love and kindness. Unsurprisingly then, folk tradition urges people to make a wish when they see two side by side. There's been a gradual decrease in the general butterfly population since the 1970s and, according to Butterfly Conservation Ireland (BCI), the small white declined by 78% between 2008 and 2024. Reasons given for that include a loss of wild habitat, change of land use, pesticides and the impact of invasive plants. Jesmond Harding: "The rampant weed, Montbretia, is a serious pest species, forming dense bands along hedgerows, eliminating all native herbs that butterflies, moths and other invertebrates require for their life cycles. This problem is increasingly acute, because of the increased relative biodiversity value of our native hedges and associated extended margins." The BCI's Jesmond Harding describes fast-spreading montbretia, now flowering prolifically along ditches, hedges and roadsides, as a 'serious pest'. Calling for the eradication of orange-flowered montbretia, he says it eliminates native herbs that butterflies, moths and other creatures need for their lifecycles. Every garden, big or small; schools, businesses, and public spaces can be used to help butterflies, says the National Biodiversity Data Centre which does regular research. People can, for example, grow plants which provide nectar — the sugary water that gives butterflies energy to fly and find a mate. Ivy is valuable both as a food and provider of hibernation cover, as are honeysuckle, rambling rose and geraniums. Those with bigger gardens are asked not to mow sections as grasses, wild plants and flowers are important to butterfly welfare. A welcome development nowadays is that local authorities are allowing vegetation on road margins to grow, with 'bee friendly' signs popping up here and there, while wild meadows are also becoming a feature of national and local parks. The 19th century English poet, William Wordsworth, captured people's love of butterflies thus: 'Here rest your wings when they are weary; Here lodge as in a sanctuary! Come often to us, fear no wrong; Sit near us on the bough."
BBC News
23-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Fears over future of Cockermouth's Wordsworth House
Fears have been raised over the future of the house where the celebrated Romantic poet William Wordsworth was National Trust, which owns Wordsworth House in Cockermouth, Cumbria, said the attraction was underused and although not being closed permanently, it was consulting on a "new, sustainable model", which would focus more on its Bertram, a volunteer at the house, said she was "really disappointed" and feared it could have an impact on the town's economy, as it was "a major draw".The National Trust said if Wordsworth House remained open as a "pay-for-entry experience" it would continue to lose "significant amounts" of money. Mrs Bertram said the National Trust told volunteers its plans would include a reduction in opening days, the potential for visits to only take place in the garden and proposed staff National Trust declined to confirm it was proposing redundancies at Wordsworth House, but said earlier this month it had announced it would look to cut 6% of jobs across its organisation nation-wide, in a bid to save £26m. 'For everyone, for ever' Mrs Bertram, who had worked at Wordsworth House for six years after a career in the NHS, before becoming a volunteer, said she feared changes would lead to the site's closure."By closing the house the history will have gone from that plot of land and we will not be able to spread the word that Cockermouth was the starting point for the Poet Laureate," the 73-year-old said."It's very sad and I think it will impact on the rest of the town because people just won't come." Joe Murray, co-chair of Cockermouth and District Chamber of Trade, said Wordsworth House was one of the town's main attractions, driving footfall to businesses."We want to work in partnership with [the National Trust] and other organisations, to ensure it remains open to all, at the heart of our town," he added the community had been responsible for saving the building from demolition in 1937, when there were plans to turn the site into a bus station."Today, the Wordsworth House website says the trust wants it 'to be looked after for everyone, for ever'. That's exactly what must happen." The spokesperson for the National Trust said: "Our proposals aim to increase access, share the Wordsworth story more widely, and explore new uses for the space."They added there would be a new model in place by 2027, following a consultation with the community and was born in the Georgian building in the heart of Cockermouth in poems such as The Prelude, the poet reminisces about his childhood in the Mount, in Ambleside, where Wordsworth lived from 1813 until his death in 1850, was recently put up for sale, with descendant Christopher Wordsworth saying it was "harder and harder" to manage the Lake District property from his home in London. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Bangkok Post
20-07-2025
- General
- Bangkok Post
The loveliness of a flying beetle
The recent cricket match between England and India at Lord's was reportedly briefly delayed by a swarm of ladybirds which were bothering the players. It is believed to be the first recorded instance of "ladybirds stopped play". More importantly, swarm is not the correct term for these flying beetles. The collective noun for ladybirds (ladybugs for our American friends) is a "loveliness". You only have to utter "a 'loveliness' of ladybirds" to appreciate its poetic potential and it even has a William Wordsworth feel to it. Ladybirds are one of the more attractive species in the insect kingdom with a reddish colouring and three spots on each wing. I recall my father telling me to treat ladybirds with respect as they were "good for the garden". Apparently they eat pests like aphids and creepy crawlies. It prompted me to look at some of the more unusual collective nouns for a gathering of creatures. One that caught the eye was "shrewdness" of apes. They acquired the description as an acknowledgement of their intelligence. Jellyfish are common to Thai coastal waters and when they get together they are known as a "smack" because when they sting it resembles the pain of a strong smack. So beware, there are a few nasty ones lurking in the shallows. A gathering of Thailand's national animal, the elephant, is commonly called a "herd" but alternatively a more refined description is a "memory" of elephants. Incidentally, when Australia's kangaroos get together it is called a "mob", which seems a trifle unfair. Ask the owls Fans of Thailand's celebrity pygmy hippo "Moo Deng" may be interested to learn that when there is a gathering of hippos the collective term is a "bloat", a reference to their bloated appearance. Some of the terms are self-explanatory, including a "tower" of giraffes. I particularly like a "flamboyance" of flamingos. Perhaps the most appropriate collective noun is a "parliament" of owls. You get the feeling that there are many parliaments around the world which could learn a lot from those wise old birds. Fly away home There is a nursery rhyme Ladybird, Ladybird that like many such rhymes has a dark side referencing 16th century priests in England being burnt at the stake. Of course as children we were not aware of the uncomfortable history. There was a small overgrown plot near my house and in the summer it attracted a host of ladybirds, or rather a "loveliness". Children were told it would bring good luck if you placed a ladybird in your hand, made a wish and blew it away while reciting the rhyme, which went something like this: "Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home/ Your house is on fire and your children are gone/ All except one and her name is Ann/ And she hid under the frying pan." I don't recall it ever bringing me any luck. Lady Bird Readers will be aware that America's First Lady from 1963–69 was known as Lady Bird Johnson, wife of US president Lyndon Baines Johnson. Her first name was Claudia but when she was at a young age a nursemaid referred to her as being "as pretty as a ladybird" and the nickname stuck throughout her life. It remains unclear whether the nurse was referring to a bird or the ladybird beetle as Americans usually called the beetle a "ladybug". Nonetheless when she was resident at the White House every US citizen knew her as Lady Bird. Lady Bird became a passionate conservationist and loved the outdoors. Her message "where flowers bloom so does hope" inspired a lot of people. Dry nicknames Most nicknames for US First Ladies are fairly straightforward, but there are a few that require some explanation. Sarah Polk, wife of the 11th president James Knox Polk, was known as "Sahara Sarah". Her disapproval of alcohol prompted White House receptions to be termed "as dry as the Sahara desert". Possessing similar views on booze was Lucy Webb Hayes, wife of president Rutherford Hayes. Hence her nickname, "Lemonade Lucy". President John Tyler's wife Julia was very stylish and had a presidential look about her and became known as "Lady Presidentress". Another First Lady who had a strong presence was Florence Harding who was known as the "Duchess" owing to her perceived influence over husband Warren. Rosalynn Carter was nicknamed "The Steel Magnolia". Although she looked as fragile as the flower she was very strong and resilient. Sycamore justice Readers familiar with the Sycamore Gap case in England will probably have seen that the two men found guilty of illegally felling the iconic tree were given four-year jail sentences on Tuesday. The 150-year-old tree was located in Northumberland next to Hadrian's Wall and stood out as the solitary tree in a natural dip in the hills. It was a photographer's dream with its striking silhouette becoming familiar to people around the world. There is not much more to add to this sorry episode except that it is still not clear why they committed such a senseless act. The judge dismissed pleas that it was just "drunken stupidity" and put it down to "sheer bravado" noting that the pair seemed to have enjoyed their subsequent notoriety. The prosecution had earlier termed it "the arboreal equivalent of a mindless mugging" which summed it up nicely.
