Local News

Wellbeing Coaches from Lancashire Mind work with young people aged 10–18 and help them identify life-style goals and barriers to those goals and teach them how to make choices to improve their mental wellbeing.

Supporting the district’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and investing in projects that help to build a sustainable and just local economy are at the heart of Lancaster City Council’s budget for 2021/22.

Foster carers are being sought in the North Lancashire area including members of the LGBT+ community who may be unaware they are eligible.

The Local Government Boundary Commission wants to hear what residents and organisations think about their local area. A ten week consultation on the proposals will run until 03 May 2021.

Young people from Lancaster and Morecambe are taking part in a new Digital Arts Festival alongside professionals including an actor from Channel 4’s hit drama, It’s A Sin.

A letter signed by nearly 100 leaders, academics and educators urging the Government to provide funding for Eden Project North in its forthcoming Budget has been sent to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Anyone aged 65 to 69 who has not been vaccinated is now being urged to respond to their recent invite to get their life-saving coronavirus vaccine at one of the more than 7 vaccination centres and 9 pharmacy-led sites across Lancashire and South Cumbria

A second man who was injured in an incident in Bolton-le-Sands has now sadly died. Craig Peck, 43, suffered serious injuries while carrying out building work at an address on Church Brow on Monday, February 8th.

A final chance for people to have their say about a blueprint for the Canal Quarter in Lancaster has just started, with the launch of a six-week consultation.

Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) is set to host an online workshop next week, which will see some of the world’s leading academics join forces with senior representatives from Facebook, Google and Ofcom in a bid to improve social media policies and practices.

As more children are finding it difficult to access online learning, Laptops for Kids aim to help as we hear about their most recent donation of tech to a local school.

ITV has confirmed that a third series of The Bay is to begin filming in the spring. It has also been confirmed that Morvan Christie who plays DS Lisa Armstrong will not be appearing in the new series.

Lancashire County Council last week agreed a shortlist of options for an ambitious new transport strategy for Lancaster city centre. Selections were made based on feedback received in a consultation in late 2020.

Lancaster City Council is set to implement a new grassland management strategy that will see changes to the way grass is cut in parks and public spaces across the district.

Mental health charity Lancashire Mind is urging over 50s interested in returning to work to take advantage of Lancashire’s Age of Opportunity project.

Lancaster’s 42nd Annual Literature Festival returns on the 12th – 21st March 2021 with a bit of a twist! Having had to cancel the 2020 festival due to Covid, Litfest has bounced back with an innovative and totally online programme, full of events, activities and ideas, that will be accessible to more people than ever before.

Walkers will be able to experience the thrill of tackling one of the region’s most stunning strolls and raise money for people dealing with cancer, this summer.

The next step of a major consultation to help shape proposals for the Bailrigg Garden Village (BGV) has been launched.

Businesses in Lancaster have voted yes to renewing the city centre’s Business Improvement District (BID). The successful ballot means that the Lancaster BID will remain in position until March 2026,

During their online AGM held today (Friday 12 February), Chair of the Board of Trustees, Joanna Young, reported that in 2020 Morecambe Bay Foodbank delivered 38,196 five-day food supplies to local families.

With half term approaching next week, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is urging anyone, who is able under government guidelines to visit the coast to stay safe. The charity is urging people not to take any unnecessary risks that may put extra pressure on emergency services.

People aged 70 and over who have not yet been vaccinated against Covid and who would like to be are today being asked to contact the NHS to arrange a jab.

A man in his 20s has died and another man has been airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries after the roof of a house they were working on collapsed.

A community consultation is now underway into plans for a new slave trade memorial in Lancaster. For the first time in 150 years, a memorial will be installed in the Priory churchyard where the grave of the Rawlinson slave trading family was daubed with red paint last spring.

A local 4 year old girl Olive has managed to capture local hearts with an online pledge of support for children who are less fortunate. Olive is just 4 years old and goes to Christ Church Primary School in Lancaster.

Detectives are appealing for information following an arson attack in Morecambe. Police were called by Lancashire Fire and Rescue around 11.55pm on Wednesday, February 3rd to a report of an incident in Beecham Street.

More than a hundred computers will be loaned to children struggling to access online learning during lockdown, thanks to West End Morecambe Big Local (WEM). The £27,000 worth of support will provide 110 computers to pupils of Sandylands and West End primary schools.

A familiar voice in local radio is returning to the North Lancashire airwaves at Beyond Radio.

A new cashless way to help homeless people in the Lancaster District has been launched. Residents wanting to help make a real change to the lives of rough sleepers can now do so via the new Lancaster District Street Aid scheme and the wonders of technology.

St John’s Hospice Wills Fortnight returns Monday 8th – Friday 19th February 2021 and you are invited to make a new will or revise their existing will as part of their annual 'Wills Fortnight' 

A pandemic hasn’t stopped The Dukes from bringing laughter to people living with dementia in North Lancashire, and a new festival to celebrate this achievement and reach even more people takes place online this February.

The NHS has now offered the Covid-19 vaccine to residents at every eligible care home with older residents across Lancashire and South Cumbria.

Lancaster City Council has approved plans for a new family support centre at St John's Hospice. The decision was made at a meeting of the council’s Planning Regulatory Committee on Monday (February 1).

Morecambe Liberal Democrat Councillor, Jim Pilling, has written to Morrisons, owners of the former Frontierland site, demanding action over the current state of the Morecambe promenade eye sore.

Sports fans are being given the chance to own a one-of-a-kind pair of silver boxing gloves signed by Tyson Fury as part of an online charity auction of unique and luxury items.

A motorist had his car seized whilst breaking lockdown rules on a trip to the Lake District trip, for not having any insurance for two years.

‘Walk Your Way to Defy Dementia’ which launched this week is encouraging local people to sign up and take part in a virtual walk from the 22nd to 28th of March.

Children seeking support at a local charity will soon be able to combat COVID isolation with a stroll down a virtual Morecambe Prom with their friends thanks to an innovative new digital project.

A very special box which could change lives has been delivered to young people in North Lancashire. Change in a Box is a technology-free resource offering a combination of stories, arts and crafts to encourage and enable positive social change.

A new initiative across North Lancashire aims to 'close the digital divide' and tackle the issue of a lack of IT equipment in the home for those families who are home schooling.

Local residents who use electric scooters on public roads are warned they face prosecution as at present they are not legal for use on roads.

The Rev Canon Chris Newlands conducts his final service at the Priory on Sunday, January 31, after 11 years as Vicar of Lancaster.

A Morecambe barber has thanked a big-hearted local tradesman for a fantastic gesture during devastating times for his business. Kywan Mohammadi of K1 Barbers got some free help from electrician Jacob Hughes from Zebra Electrical.

A new, large vaccination centre at Lancaster Town Hall is set to go live this week, along with additional community pharmacy sites in the district.

More Music, Lancaster Priory Church and Lancaster City Council are working together to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD), the annual event which gives an opportunity to remember all those whose lives were destroyed by the Holocaust, Nazi persecution, and the subsequent genocides.

As the rollout of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history continues, local residents due to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at home are being urged to protect themselves from fraudulent activity.

The Mental Health Family Hour, originally launched in April 2020 to support families in the first lockdown, kicked off again today (21 January) with an episode focusing on young people’s mental health.

Do you know someone who has been a hero for you over the last year? Then why not nominate them for Lancaster's Superhero.

ITV's Police drama set in Morecambe was released yesterday (20/01/21) and according to reaction on social media was a big hit.

Lancaster City Council and its partners continue to make significant progress in encouraging some of the districts most vulnerable residents to take up the help on offer and stay off the streets

Police have issued a public warning about persistent Covid breaches at Heaton Road flats.

Over the next 36 hours persistent and at times heavy rain means there’s a risk of flooding for low lying land and potentially flooding to properties in our area.

Lancashire County Councillor John Fillis, is calling for cross party support in Lancashire following the decision by government to cut £39bn from the Transport for the North Budget (TfN), of which £105m was supposed to develop a Smart Ticketing system that would cover all means of public transport similar to that of the “Oyster Card” in London.

A programme of online community conversations around the Eden Project North proposals for Morecambe has been opened for registration today, with the first of the 2021 events taking place on Friday (January 22).

Local cancer charity, CancerCare, has launched a new online social group to help people feeling isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lancaster City Council has thanked businesses for the way they have responded to the latest national lockdown, with a high rate of compliance among affected businesses.

Stretching from Silverdale to Cleveleys a new coastline path is to open after the government gave the go ahead for the development of the project that will give the public greater access to over 50 miles of North West coast.

Diabetes UK is calling people across our district to sign up to the first ever FakeAway Feb. The charity is challenging people to swap processed foods for healthier, homecooked meals throughout the month of February, to raise vital funds for diabetes research.

The Deputy Chief Constable of Lancashire Police has issued a warning following an increase in breaches of Covid rules in the region.

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust is postponing all non-urgent surgical operations at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI) from today Monday 11th January.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is urging anyone who is able under government guidelines to visit the local coast during lockdown, to stay safe and not take any unnecessary risks that may put extra pressure on emergency services.

During 10 weeks between April and June, Carnforth Town Council requested nominations for all those people who had gone that ‘extra mile’ to help others during the first lockdown due to COVID 19. 90 local residents will be given their awards at an on-line ceremony this week.

The Air ambulance attended the scene of an accident in Torrishome today after the driver of a silver Honda lost control on ice.

Action Fraud has received reports of fake text messages, claiming to be from NHS, instructing people to sign up and pay for the COVID 19 vaccine. Local residents are advised to ignore and report any such messages they receive.

When the pandemic hit last year, a local young man vowed to show his support and started to sell PPE products locally.

Local health professionals are urging people across Morecambe Bay to look after their wellbeing as we enter the latest national lockdown and offer the ABC of good mental health.

A Facebook group which claims to have been organised by students of Lancaster University allege that there are now over 700 students who are willing to withhold rent due to Covid-19 restrictions across the campus facilities.

A new Eden Project Traineeship Scheme will be launched from January 2021 for 16-24-year olds from across Lancashire and Cumbria, placed with local employers.

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) has become one of the first trusts across the country to start vaccinating using the new Oxford AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.

A new initiative between GPs and hospital services aims to help patients waiting for surgery in Morecambe Bay to improve their general health before their operation. Patients seeking a new referral will also benefit.

After the suggestion of further restrictions being rumoured for days and then loosely confirmed over the weekend, PM Boris Johnson has this evening announced new national measures impacting North Lancashire.

Lancashire Volunteer Partnership (LVP) is working with the NHS to support their Covid-19 local vaccination programme across Lancashire and South Cumbria and needs your help.

Following government guidelines, the start of the new term will be delayed by two weeks for many secondary school pupils in the Lancaster, Morecambe and Carnforth district.

As had been rumoured throughout the day (Wednesday 30th December 2020) - health secretary Matt Hancock has just confirmed that Lancashire will enter the toughest Covid restrictions, Tier 4 from midnight tonight.

Drivers and cyclists in the local area are being warned that the current icy road conditions could lead to accidents, particularly on untreated and rural roads.

People with persistent tummy troubles in Lancaster, Morecambe and Carnforth area including diarrhoea, bloating or discomfort in the tummy area, are being urged to get checked for cancer as part of the NHS and Public Health England’s ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign.

Mental health charity Lancashire Mind is running a social media campaign from 2 January to encourage people to focus on the simple things they can do every day to improve their wellbeing.

The M6 was closed this afternoon following a ‘white out’ of hail which resulted in multiple accidents on both the North bound and South Bound sections.

The Carnforth community has pulled together to make sure that some of the area’s youngest and elderly residents have the very best Christmas as Carnforth Integrated Care Community (ICC) will deliver 12 Christmas hampers to the elderly and most isolated residents thanks to a donation of £250 from Carnforth Rotary Club.

With a heavy heart, Lancaster City Football Club have decided to fall in line with the prevailing mood amongst many other clubs in their league and have taken the decision to cancel matches scheduled over Christmas.

Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the local community St John's Hospice have reached their £14,000 target to buy a specialist ‘cuddle bed’, helping people to be closer to their loved ones while they are receiving palliative care.  

The group of fourteen local teenagers, who are aged 14-17, were arrested following investigations into assault following two attacks in Lancaster in October.

Bay Health and Care Partners are urging people in Morecambe Bay to know how to look after their health this Christmas as they offer advice on where to get the most appropriate support.

The Lancaster Literature Festival (Litfest) is set to return between 12th-21st March next year following the disappointment of having to cancel the majority of the 2020 festival due to Covid.

Musicians from Lancaster and Syria will perform a Zoom concert on Saturday 2nd January, organised by Halton Mill and Global Link, to raise money for a centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Lancaster.

Local police are warning residents of the district to be vigilant after thieves have been targeting cars in order to steal catalytic converters.

Local arts group Lancaster Arts Partners are asking local residents to support the move to make Lancashire UK City of Culture in 2025.

The Government will provide cash refunds for domestic rail and coach tickets for the previous Christmas travel window between 23-27 December, bought before the change in regulations and guidance that were announced by the Prime Minister on Saturday 19th December.

A new tier of restrictions and changes to Christmas plans announced with many left wondering how they are impacted just days before the Christmas holiday.

A man has today (Friday, December 18) been sentenced after admitting to assaulting a fellow prison inmate who later died.

Vaccinations are underway at Morecambe FC's home ground, Beyond Radio finds out more.

Blood donors in Lancaster are urged to help patient care and make and keep an appointment over the festive period, as NHS Blood and Transplant reveals one in four appointments are currently unfilled between Christmas and New Year.

ClearTrace, based at Lancaster University, has established a new division of the business, ClearTrace Life Science Research which will be launching a range of new products and services, the first of which is the supply of Covid-19 Lateral Flow Antigen Swab Tests to organisations in the UK.

The first local vaccination services run by GPs have started this week, as the roll out of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history gains further momentum.

COVID-19 has led a Lancaster film-maker to take a 21st Century approach to the traditional nativity story this Christmas.

Morecambe Town Council has launched an ‘Adopt an Alleyway’ initiative, enabling residents to nominate their neglected backstreet for a complete transformation.

United Utilities deal with burst water main at Wyresdale Road.

New reseach by addiction support group Action Rehab has highlighted an increase in binge drinking since the start of the pandemic.

Health professionals across Morecambe Bay are encouraging pregnant women to get their free flu vaccination as soon as possible to protect themselves and their babies.

The completion of a major regeneration project in Morecambe devised in 2005, is a step closer, as one of the UK’s leading build-to-rent developers is granted planning approval for its £4.5m Bold Street development.

Local residents are advised that there will be a number of changes to the availability of council services and facilities this Christmas. Details of the changes are listed here.

Carnforth Town Council in partnership with Carnforth Business Network are doing what they can to bring light to the town in the last few weeks of a challenging 2020 and until the end of January.

The first local vaccination services run by family doctors and their teams will open across Lancashire and South Cumbria this week, as the roll-out of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history gains further momentum.

Hundreds of people’s lives will be filled with festive cheer thanks to the new Skerton Christmas project.

Lancaster City Council’s Covid Safe award scheme reached an important milestone recently when it notched up its 100th business.

Carnforth community will remember that for 10 weeks between April and June, Carnforth Town Council requested nominations for the Carnforth Citizen of Merit Awards to recognise all those people who had gone that ‘extra mile’ to help others during the first lockdown due to COVID19. Now it's time to celebrate their achievements.

Volunteers in Lancaster will be among around 1,500 volunteers expected to answer calls for help on Christmas Day.

You are invited to the foodbank this Saturday (December 12) and next Saturday, December 19 to drop off food in a safe and socially distanced way to help put a smile on the faces of children and families this festive season.

Do you recognise this man? Lancashire Constabulary want to speak to him as part of a sexual assault investigation in Morecambe.

Visitors flocking back to one of the district’s most popular attractions are being captivated by the chance of budding amour-plated romance.

Lancaster Priory’s historic clock which has marked time for locals and visitors alike since 1886 is being restored to its former glory.

Normally, at this time of year, many schools have a Christmas Craft Fair and Santa's grotto as a way of raising much needed funds for school projects and to bring a little extra Christmas fun to the kids. 2020 has meant that these and other activities have been put on ice for this year.

The potential of a Unitary Authority with responsibility for the Morecambe Bay area took a step closer recently after receiving backing from councillors across the district.

North West Youth For Eden (NWYFE) is a group of young people from the Lancaster & Morecambe area who have started a campaign to try and persuade the government to give the £70m funding needed for Eden Project North.

More than 400 crates of food and toiletries so far have been sent to Morecambe Bay Foodbank during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the residents of south Lancaster.

Over recent weeks a spate of graffiti has hit the Lancaster City District leaving the City Council with a clean-up operation.

Morecambe residents are being invited to complete a survey which could help shape the future of the town as the latest Morecambe Neighbourhood Plan is being developed.

Students and apprentices at Lancaster & Morecambe College (LMC) are the amongst the latest local beneficiaries of the Banks Lyons Memorial Trust (BLMT), who have awarded the College a generous grant to support learners who are unable to access remote learning opportunities, due to lack of resources.

Lancaster City Council has launched a new campaign to encourage people to support local businesses this Christmas.

A doctor who works for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) has been honoured as ‘Doctor of the Year’ in the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) Awards 2020.

A Christmas Charity Auction with a wealth of fantastic lots will be launched by Bay Hospitals Charity on Friday 4 December.

Local people are invited to complete a survey about how COVID-19 has impacted upon people's routine and online activities, crime and their perceptions of it.

With many retailers and businesses now reopening, Lancaster City Council has employed new Covid-19 Information Officers to support the safe return of shoppers to the high street.

Staff at Heysham power stations have donated £16,000 to Morecambe Bay Foodbank, after deciding to forgo their usual on-site Christmas lunches.

There were travel disruptions this morning along the Bay Gateway following a bus fire, shortly after rush hour fire crews were called to assist a Stagecoach Bus which had caught fire from the rear of the vehicle.

Your support is needed as local business chamber urges locals to sign a petition for support of Eden Project

Local event company adapts following Covid to launch a new board game

Lancaster City Museum has teamed up with Lancaster and District Art Society (LADAS) to create an online advent calendar, sharing a different artwork on the museum’s Facebook page every day in the run up to Christmas.

Plans for a food hub are being cooked up in an effort to tackle food poverty in the West End of Morecambe.

Artists chosen by local young people to celebrate equality, fight racism and make positive change will be displaying their work across Lancaster from November 27.

The NHS is issuing an urgent plea to blood donors in Lancaster to make and keep an appointment to donate in December to help ensure hospitals can continue to treat patients over a potentially challenging winter.

North Lancashire to enter Tier 3 - effective from 2nd December 2020

Sunak: "I will be very happy to meet and discuss ambitions for this project."

Parents and guardians of young children in Morecambe Bay are being reminded that children aged 2 and 3 years of age are entitled to a free flu vaccine this winter.

Two community spirited women from Westgate in Morecambe have big plans to make Christmas in their community truly memorable this year.

Members of Headway Lancaster and Morecambe Bay have taken on the challenge to raise much needed funds by designing their very own Christmas and any occasion cards this year.

Grants are now available to support businesses affected by the Lancaster district’s move into additional Covid-19 restrictions.

Carnforth Town Council are delighted to have been honoured by the High Sheriff of Lancashire for its work in the community during the coronavirus pandemic.

​​​​​​​Morecambe Bay has won funding in an international competition to rid plastic from its shores.

​​​​​​​Students from across Cumbria will be able to access information, advice and guidance at an upcoming further and higher education virtual opportunities fair.

The Eden Project has submitted a business case for £70m of UK Government funding to help make Eden Project North in Morecambe a reality.

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) is delighted to have launched a new £2.5 million operating theatre at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI).

Trading Standards and Police Licensing conducted in a search in Morecambe this morning.

Since the Prime Minister announced a second lockdown, and an extension to the furlough scheme, Citizens Advice has seen a huge surge in people searching for information on their national website.

A new online gift voucher shop for Lancaster and Morecambe Bay has launched, aimed at encouraging residents to buy their Christmas presents from independent local businesses this year. 

It may be that many businesses and individuals turn to selling items online in the run up to Christmas. But beware, there are fraudsters out there who want to take advantage of this and Action Fraud is warning people selling items online to be on the lookout for criminals sending fake PayPal emails.

A Morecambe gallery is awash with paintings that should brighten even the dullest of days.

From Wednesday 11 November, people in Morecambe Bay who need urgent NHS care are being asked to contact NHS 111 either online (visit 111.nhs.uk) or by phone (dial 111) before they decide to walk in to the Emergency Department (A&E).

CancerCare’s annual Santa Dash will this year swap the streets of Lancaster for networks of cyberspace as the event goes “virtual” this Christmas.

Lancashire County Council has launched a campaign to recruit more care workers to support older people and adults with disabilities, during the coronavirus pandemic this winter.

An outline proposal to create a new unitary authority around Morecambe Bay is to be submitted to Government.