Letters: Cumbria's plea – stay local and save the NHS

Whilst it may be tempting to go out for a scenic drive in the Lake District, now is the time to stay home, look after one another and play your part to make sure that Cumbria is ready for the return of visitors when it is safe to do so.

As part of the lockdown guidance, one of the few reasons you can legitimately leave your home is to exercise. If you are leaving your home for exercise WE NEED YOU TO STAY LOCAL. This also gives people the chance to stay local and shop local – supporting many of your local essential businesses that are still able to open.

Infection rates in Cumbria are currently very high and by staying home and staying local for exercise we can all do our bit to help protect Cumbria’s residents and its communities.

With such iconic wintery scenes across the Lake District National Park, it may be tempting to travel to a favourite beauty spot for your daily exercise - but we are asking you to help us all by following the national rules and commit to staying local. We’re fortunate in living in Cumbria in that we are surrounded by many outdoor spaces on our doorstep, so why not explore the beautiful parks and walks close by and while you’re out support your local shop by shopping local.

With lockdown back upon us we are so sorry we can’t welcome you right now but we can’t wait to see you back to enjoy COVID-safe experiences across the whole of Cumbria, including the Lake District, when restrictions are lifted. In the meantime, please do continue to plan ahead, book ahead and give yourself something wonderful to look forward to. If you were due to visit in the next few weeks, do get in touch with your provider to arrange a new date. visitlakedistrict.com

Everybody in Cumbria, both business and public sector, are now actively planning and preparing for the return of visitors when the time is right and doing everything possible to ensure that they will have a safe and enjoyable time when it is the right time to reopen for business.

But for now – if you have to leave home for essential reasons - please stay safe and stay local.

Signed by the following community leaders

Lyn Simpson, Chief Executive at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust;

John Lawlor OBE, Chief Executive, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HS Foundation Trust; Members of Parliament John Stevenson (Carlisle); Dr Neil Hudson (Penrith and the Borders); Trudy Harrison (Copeland); Mark Jenkinson (Workington); Simon Fell (Barrow and Furness); Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale); Gill Haigh, managing director, Cumbria Tourism; Richard Leafe, chief executive, Lake District National Park; Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland; Pat Graham, chief executive, Copeland Borough Council; Sam Plum, chief executive, Barrow Borough Council, and leader Coun Ann Thomson; Andrew Seekings, chief executive, Allerdale Borough Council, and deputy leader Coun Mike Johnson; Coun Giles Archibald, leader, South Lakeland District Council, and chief executive Lawrence Conway; Coun John Mallinson, leader, and Jason Gooding, chief executive of Carlisle City Council and and interim chief executive, Eden District Council; Coun Virginia Taylor, leader, Eden District Council; Jo Lappin, CEO of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership and chair of the Business and Economic Response and Recovery Group; Peter McCall, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria; and Chief Constable Michelle Skeer, Cumbria Constabulary.

Who closed our mines?

As an ex-miner I’m delighted that the Woodhouse mine in Whitehaven has finally been given the green light.

But whilst watching the ITV Border local news on Friday evening, there was an interview with Copeland MP Trudy Harrison regarding the Government leaving the decision on the mine to Cumbria County Council..

In her interview she stated: “It’s morally indefensible to say that it’s OK to mine coal in Australia, and then import it across the waters. It’s economically ludicrous to do that to our country,” and then went on to quote the employment and economic benefits and investments to mine coal here at home.

I found this totally hypocritical as it was her party, the Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher, who closed all of our coal mines, for the very reason she calls morally indefensible and economically ludicrous.

It was Mrs Harrison’s own party that put thousands of miners on the dole and wrecked families and communities. Do your homework, Trudy, and look at the history of your own party.

SIMEON SCOTT

Egremont, Cumbria

Change of views

Referring to the letter relating to nuclear waste disposal (The Whitehaven News, January 6), would it be fair to deduce that – given his change of mind – the half life of Mr Knowles’s principles is approximately three-and-a-half years?

MIKE RODGERS

Whitehaven

Is any energy emission-free?

In his letter (The Whitehaven News, December 30) Mr Roy Ivinson talks about zero-emissions energy for West Cumbria, but is there such a thing?

Nuclear power stations require huge quantities of steel and concrete, which have a carbon footprint to manufacture and thus emissions.

Some electric cars are badged as “zero emissions”, when really what this means is they are not producing exhaust emissions as they are driven. There are, though, still emissions from tyres and braking on the road and emissions from wherever the electricity they use is produced. And the batteries used to run these cars require metals mined from across the globe, some involving child labour and environmentally unfriendly processes. So are these zero emissions?

Wind turbines use steel and other materials all of which have a carbon footprint, so they’re not zero emissions. A biofuel power station in Yorkshire uses fuel shipped from places like Brazil, Canada and the US into the UK, whereas the coal plant it replaced used locally- mined coal – which is more environmentally friendly?

So are we being misled about what “zero emissions” really means?

ANDREW PAYNE

Workington

Fitter in February

This February, we’re asking people across Cumbria to keep up the new year motivation by signing up to take part in Diabetes UK’s first ever FakeAway Feb.

Challenge yourself to swap processed foods and takeaways for healthier alternatives throughout February, while raising vital funds for diabetes research. With Diabetes UK by your side to provide advice, support, and most importantly, delicious recipes, FakeAway Feb is here to kickstart your home-cooking journey. When you sign up, you’ll get access to our online community where members can share cooking tips and tricks, as well as access to our FakeAway Feb Toolkit – where you can download your free meal planner.

It’s simple – one month, totally homemade. Sign up to FakeAway Feb today, and kickstart your journey to a healthier you.

CLARE HOWARTH

Head of the North of England at Diabetes UK