Elected Mayor of Copeland

31/03/2023

The Final Curtain

Today is my last as Mayor Of Copeland and my last day of working 43 years on from leaving School. I am now retired and looking forward to what will hopefully be a life of leisure.
From beginning work at 16 on the construction of Pond 5 at Sellafield and over 32 fabulous years in Financial Services working in every part of the U.K. I have had some great experiences and met and worked with some fantastic people many of whom are incredibly talented and successful.
The last 8 years I have had the honour and privilege to serve the people and the Borough of Copeland as the Elected Mayor which has been a fantastic experience and the people I have worked with there have been superb. Politics certainly has its challenges but I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and it has again presented me with the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and have experiences you would not normally encounter.
In retirement I will fondly reflect on some great times and some great successes during my journey through my working life and be thankful to all the fantastic people I have worked with and for, they have left me with some fantastic memories.
I will certainly miss the day to day interaction with the people I work with but am very much looking forward to the joys and freedom of retirement. It’s been a long journey and my thanks to everybody who has in anyway been part of it and made it so fulfilling and enjoyable.

14/03/2023

There’s not long left to have your say.

We’re currently running a public consultation on our new Local Validation List which will determine the level of information needed to accompany a new planning application in Cumberland, from April 1.

This list will reflect recent changes in planning legislation, policy and guidance to ensure best possible practice.

The proposed draft Local Validation List is open for public consultation until March 17.

Find out more and read the draft proposal at https://www.copeland.gov.uk/local-validation-list

08/03/2023

Our new cross has been installed in Trinity Gardens, Whitehaven. It replaces the former cross and marks where the Holy Trinity Church, built in 1715, once stood.

The former cross was removed earlier this year as the wood had rotted beyond repair.

The fencing is in place as we’re currently extending our memorial wall. The extension will provide space for 60 new, locally sourced, sandstone memorial plaques which can be purchased to commemorate lost loved ones.

For more information on our commemorative plaques email [email protected] or call 01946 598305.

07/03/2023

Are you in tourism or hospitality?

With colleagues at Carlisle City Council and Allerdale Borough Council, we’re hosting another Tourism Breakfast Briefing on March 21.

The event is at the Old Fire Station in Carlisle, from 9.30am until noon.

You’ll hear from all three councils, and get updates on projects, events and organisations relevant to this sector. There’s even a free breakfast.

Find out more, and register, here: https://businessallerdale.co.uk/tourism-breakfast-briefing/

07/03/2023

The borough of Copeland is to be celebrated in an exhibition at The Beacon Museum.

The event, which runs from March 10 - 26, looks back at Copeland council’s 49 years, and marks the transition to Cumberland Council on April 1.

Celebrating Copeland includes video interviews with staff, leaders and councillors, and has memorabilia, photographs and other artefacts.

As we approach a new era in local government, we thought it right to reflect upon all the achievements and challenges of the last half century.

This exhibition celebrates Copeland’s staff and councillors, and the fantastic communities of our borough.

On April 1, Cumbria’s six district councils and the county council will be dissolved. Two unitary authorities will be formed. The area formerly covered by Copeland will join Allerdale and Carlisle to become Cumberland Council. Eden, Barrow and South Lakes will become Westmorland and Furness Council.

All council services, including those of Cumbria County Council, will then be delivered by Cumberland Council.

Celebrating Copeland runs in the Light Gallery of the museum, and is included with the normal ticket price.

03/03/2023

When I was elected Mayor of Copeland looking after those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged in our community has been at the top of my agenda.

The creation of our Social Inclusion team, and seeing first hand the difference they have made has been one of the highlights of my term in office.

These dedicated officers work tirelessly to bring people together to address social issues and inequalities. They have had such a positive impact on the lives of so many in Copeland.

The team work with other council departments and partner agencies to deliver warm wellness hubs, food pantry’s, friendship and support groups and much more.

In this video they explain what they do, in their own words.

03/03/2023

Our officers are having a fantastic time creating a community forest with school children at Rosebank, Hensingham, today.

In the coming years, it will provide a place for wildlife to thrive, whilst reducing the effects of climate change and providing natural solutions to mitigate flooding and drought.

Around 400 trees will be planted as part of a programme to create up to 150 hectares of woodland across Cumbria.

Today’s session is run in partnership with Cumbria County Council and Cumbria Woodlands.

Find out more at https://www.cumbriawoodlands.co.uk/working-with-partners/woodland-creation/cumbria-coastal-community-forest/

03/03/2023

We now have a special book of remembrance for babies and children at Distington Hall Crematorium.

Families can pay tribute to little loved ones lost by adding the professionally inscribed name of their departed alongside a small illustration.

The book is kept in our Chapel of Remembrance and is available to visit every day, including weekends, between 9am and 4pm.

This new Book of Remembrance is in addition to the existing baby memorial book, where anyone affected by the loss of a child can personally write their own message at any time. This is also kept in our Chapel of Remembrance.

For more information contact our Bereavement Services team at [email protected] or on 01946 598305.

02/03/2023

Work is progressing on the new café at Silecroft beach.

Contractors Roland Hill have been liaising with architect Kieran Gaffney to set out the site footprint.

The 30-seat café is part of our Connecting Cumbria’s Hidden Coast programme, funded by Sellafield Ltd and the Coastal Communities Fund.

Once complete, the building will be handed over to our community partner Whicham Parish Council, which will own the building and oversee the operation of the café.

Find out more here:

WORK on an impressive new beach café at Silecroft will soon begin. Copeland Borough Council has appointed Roland Hill Ltd to carry out the work, and building will begin on February 13. It is hoped the new café and toilets will be ready for use by late September.

28/02/2023

We will be doing a spot of painting, as well as gardening, on Saturday (March 4) at Distington Walled Garden.

Volunteers are welcome to come along from 10am – 12 noon to help us paint arches in preparation for our fruit trees and do some general pruning of the garden.

Fresh cheese scones and warm cuppas will be served as way of thanks.

Everyone is welcome.

28/02/2023

Our new Local Validation List will determine the level of information needed to accompany a new planning application in Cumberland, from April 1.

This list will reflect recent changes in planning legislation, policy and guidance to ensure best possible practice.

The proposed draft Local Validation List is open for public consultation until March 17.

Find out more and read the draft proposal at https://www.copeland.gov.uk/local-validation-list

27/02/2023

Bakers and makers! It's not too late to book a place at our market this Saturday.

Our regular Bakers and Makers' Market takes places in King Street and Green Market, Whitehaven, from 10am until 3pm.

To apply, get in touch at [email protected].

27/02/2023

We are offering financial backing to businesses who take on jobseekers.

The wage subsidy scheme, which the council has successfully run in the past, is available to firms with less than 50 staff. They can apply for up to £3,000 towards wages and training costs for 26 weeks. The new staff must live in Copeland and be unemployed or in receipt of benefits.

This is such a great investment both in our workforce and in the business community. It allows businesses the financial space to train staff properly, and it is giving unemployed people a direct path into the world of work.

High quality staff are a lynchpin in any successful economy. It's great to see this programme moving ahead, and I look forward to seeing the results in our local workforce.

The incentive is part of a programme of work from the Copeland Skills and Enterprise Partnership, led by Copeland Council and supported by a range of businesses and training providers.

The partnership is keen to hear from employers with vacancies. Subsidies for both full and part-time roles are available, but they must offer at least 16 hours' work per week.

Jobseekers will be referred to the scheme by the Department for Work and Pensions or other partner agencies. Successful candidates will also be offered workplace training and mentoring.

The Copeland Skills and Enterprise programme is funded by Sellafield Ltd and Copeland Community Fund, and delivered by Copeland Borough Council.

Employers who would like to find out more should contact Chris Cunliffe, Copeland’s Skills and Enterprise Programme Officer, at [email protected](link sends e-mail).

27/02/2023

AN OPTICAL illusion in an incredible beachside location has been chosen as a landmark artwork for Copeland.

Provisionally titled Your Daylight Destination, Olafur Eliasson and Robert McFarlane’s piece is an elongated pool which, when viewed from a nearby platform, will form a perfect circle. The location will be at or near Silecroft, subject to planning permission.

It has been chosen as the flagship piece for the Deep Time art project – part of Copeland Council’s Connecting Cumbria’s Hidden Coast programme.

It’s fantastic to see this project move forward, and I’d like to congratulate Olafur and Robert on their bold design – it will bring visitors from far and wide to see a unique and large scale piece of art in a stunning location.

We are lucky enough to have breath-taking countryside in Copeland, but public art is another key ingredient in creating attractive places to live.

The piece will also be a driver for tourism – I am sure people will come here to experience our coast in this unique way, and also discover the delights of this ‘secret’ corner of the county. The hope is that local businesses will see a boost from this attraction, and all the other investment we’ve delivered as part of the Connecting Cumbria’s Hidden Coast project.

Situated in the tidal flats, Your Daylight Destination combines earth, sky, and sea in an expansive outdoor art attraction.

It comprises a series of rings mounted on stands, a circular platform, and a large elliptical steel basin. Visitors will stand on the platform and view the artwork through the rings. The steel basin will stretch 30 metres into the beach, between the high and low tide lines. At high tide the basin will be submerged and the water collected will remain once the tide has gone out. The resulting pool will mirror the sky, a perfect circle when viewed from the particular angle of the platform.

Your Daylight Destination’s artist, Olafur Eliasson, said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to realise this contemplative artwork for Copeland. In a sense, it is a humble reflection of what is already there - the beach, the water, the sky, the plants and animals - reframed within a space that invites self-discovery in a deep-time perspective.”

Robert Macfarlane said: “Collaborating with Olafur and his team on this project has been a mind-bending pleasure. Having spent eight years writing Underland - a book exploring human and geological 'deep time'- I've hugely enjoyed applying some of this thinking to the creation of our artwork, especially in the context of a landscape and region that I've known for four decades now."



The piece was chosen from submissions by four internationally acclaimed teams. The judging panel, which chose Olafur's design unanimously, included:

Irene Rogan - artist and local resident
Gary McKeating, Head of Development and Community Corporate Affairs, Sellafield Ltd
Nick Hayhurst - Head of Planning and Place, Copeland Borough Council
Aldo Rinaldi - Curator and producer, Deep Time
Claire Lilley - Director, Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Rhian Harris - Director, Lakeland Arts
Maria Percival, Relationship Manager Visual Arts North, Arts Council England
The piece, along with several other artworks, has been commissioned by Copeland Borough Council as part of Deep Time: Commissions for the Lake District Coast.

In addition to the landmark piece, there will be seven new permanent artworks in different locations, a series of new pieces of writing, and an artists' residency programme.

The artists

Born in 1967, Olafur Eliasson grew up in Iceland and Denmark, founding a studio in Berlin in 1995.

He has exhibited in major museums around the globe, and created many celebrated public art pieces and buildings.

Eliasson is also a professor at the Berlin University of the Arts, and led a five-year experimental programme in arts education.

Robert Macfarlane is the best-selling author of books including Mountains of the Mind, The Old Ways, Landmarks and Underland. Copies of The Lost Words have been donated to all primary schools in Cumbria. His work has been translated into 30 languages, and adapted for film, stage and television.

Macfarlane won the EM Forster Prize for Literature, and is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he teaches. He was drawn to collaborate on this project because of his interest in human mark-making in landscapes, and his family links to west Cumbria.



The Deep Time arts programme is part of the wider Connecting Cumbria's Hidden Coast (CCHC) scheme, and celebrates Copeland's ecology, history, industry and beauty.

CCHC is funded by Copeland Borough Council, the Coastal Communities Fund, Sellafield Ltd and Arts Council England.

24/02/2023

Our Mother’s Day afternoon tea at Distington Walled Garden is selling out quick.

On Saturday, March 18, we’re offering a scrumptious afternoon tea for £20 per person (including fizz) at our garden café, in partnership with Lakes College.

Enjoy your tea in tranquil surroundings and treat yourself to a manicure for £5.

Takeaway afternoon teas can also be purchased at a price of £18, which includes a small bottle of prosecco.

Don’t miss out! To book a place call 01946 598305 or email [email protected]

23/02/2023

We will be taking part in the ‘Talk n Tidy’ event in Millom tomorrow (Friday, Feb 24).

Our officers will meet in the car park on Lancashire Road at 1pm.

Everyone is welcome to come along and have a chat with our team and representatives from Cumbria Police, Home Group and Cumbria County Council.

Litter pickers will be provided.

23/02/2023

Do you run a hospitality or tourism business?

We’d like to invite you to our next Tourism Breakfast Briefing, held in partnership with Carlisle City Council and Allerdale Borough Council on March 21.

You’ll get updates from all three councils, and lots of other industry partners.

The event is at The Old Fire Station in Carlisle and will run from 9.30am until noon. To find out more, or reserve a place, click here: https://tinyurl.com/32r77sx4