April 1973

POOLEY BRIDGE - The death occurred of Miss Eda Dixon, Cracoe Close, Pooley Bridge, who, up to their retirement, helped her brother, Charles, in his pharmacy business in King Street, Penrith. As a young woman, she was a good tennis player and ladies’ captain of the Penrith club.

July 1973

BARTON - The Rev. J. M. How, vicar of Barton for 14 years and rural dean of Penrith since 1960, was leaving to become vicar of Kirkby Lonsdale with Mansergh. Keenly interested in music, he started the choir at Barton church. His wife, Anne, was the daughter of a former archdeacon in India.

May 1974

POOLEY BRIDGE - Ron Barry, the Irish jockey living at Pooley Bridge, took the title of National Hunt champion for the second successive year. He rode for the Greystoke-based trainer, Gordon Richards. Ron finished the season on the injury list through colliding with the wing of a hurdle in a race at Perth.

December 1974

TIRRIL - The racehorse, Forest King, “hosted” a party at the King’s Head Hotel, Tirril — and drank champagne with the rest of the guests! The horse, which belonged to Mr. Ken Hogg, Glendowlin, Yanwath, had made a triumphant return from its first win, as 11-to-8 odds-on favourite at Leicester. Guests included the jockey, Kevin Gray, and stable girls. It was reckoned that more than £1,000 had been won by local supporters of Forest King, which was bred in the village by Mr. Ken Tuer, at Thorpe.

January 1976

EAMONT BRIDGE - The death occurred on New Year's Day, at the age of 81, of a well-known personality, Mr. Harrison Ware, Grenard House, Eamont Bridge. He was a former railway worker and also worked in the grocery department of Penrith Co-operative Society. He was survived by his wife, eight sons and two daughters.

June 1976

POOLEY BRIDGE - Friends and former colleagues were shocked by the sudden death, at the age of 40, of John Michael (Mike) Barnard, who was the policeman at Pooley Bridge for ten years before he took early retirement to launch a business venture in the village. In partnership with Mr. T. J. Allen, he opened a marine and sporting business, Lake Leisure Sport and Marine, and was enthusiastic about its progress. He was a former commodore of the Ullswater Yacht Club. His wife, Mary, a son and a daughter survived him.

September 1976

POOLEY BRIDGE - Pooley Bridge horsewoman Barbara Allen made her debut at Hickstead and claimed a championship in a nail-biting finish. Mounted on her 16hh horse, "Ben-jo", Barbara, of Park Foot, gained victory over the All-England jumping course - although she had an agonising wait before the timekeeper said her winning margin was half-a-second!

November 1976

ULLSWATER [POOLEY BRIDGE] - Francis Coulson, the co-owner of the Sharrow Bay Hotel, Ullswater, was one of five chefs chosen by Egon Ronay to prepare a meal with the aim of persuading the French that the British could cook. He was contributing the sweet, an old Regency syllabub, to the meal, which was to be served at Maxims Restaurant in Paris.

POOLEY BRIDGE - Film star Paul Newman, television announcer Robert Dougall and the brother of the Emperor of Thailand were among 22,000 people who visited the new information centre at Pooley Bridge.

January 1977

TIRRIL - The death took place of a former Penrith businesswoman, Miss Hilda Sim, who specialised in prams and other items for babies and small children in her shop in Corn Market. She was born at Tirril, the youngest of eight children of Mr. and Mrs. John Joseph Sim.    

July 1977

TIRRIL - A farming family escaped from their burning home - thanks to the barks of the pet Corgi, Sally. Mr. George Strong, his wife Ella and their two daughters got out of the farmhouse at Low Brow, Tirril, through bedroom windows. The fire broke out in an unoccupied bedroom. Penrith firemen spent two hours at the scene.

POOLEY BRIDGE - Pooley Bridge teenager Barbara Allen, Park Foot Farm, and her seven-year-old gelding, "Ben-jo", qualified to compete in two events at the "Horse of the Year" show at Wembley. She worked on her father's farm and caravan park, though every spare minute was spent in training herself and her mount.

May 1978

POOLEY BRIDGE - Villagers of Pooley Bridge, Ullswater, were fighting a plan to control holiday traffic with double yellow lines. "People will drive straight through if they see yellow lines and we stand to lose a lot of passing trade," said Mrs. Joan Cooper, of the Treetops shop and snack bar. A 126-signature petition was being sent to Cumbria County Council.

August 1978

EAMONT BRIDGE - Mr. Stanley Griffiths, Skirsgill Lane, Eamont Bridge, who died at the age of 58, named his bungalow home "Anzio", after the spot in Italy where he lost an arm through injury during the war. He worked as an agent for the Prudential Assurance Company and, later, as manager for Beacon Poultry Farms, Eamont Bridge. He was a one-time secretary of Penrith Gala.

October 1978

Sockbridge and Tirril parish council, meeting under the chairmanship of Mr. J. Moffat, was told that Dutch Elm disease had been found in the area. Several trees were to be destroyed.

PENRITH - Taylor's fish and chip shop, in Queen Street, Penrith, changed hands after 45 years, as Peter Radcliffe and his wife, Jacqueline, from Pooley Bridge, were taking over. A picture showed Mrs. Marian Dixon, battering one of her last fish before retiring. With her on the picture were other members of staff - Mary Henderson, Betty Kellet, Doreen Ellwood, Doris Watson, Martha Helme and Harry Davidson. Harry was also retiring after 50 years in the fish and chips trade, originally in Davidson's shop in Angel Lane. 

July 1979

SHAP - Shap magistrates commended Det. Sergt. Keith Davidson and Det. Con. Colin Jackson for their smart work in tracing two north-east men who stole a speedboat, boat trailer and outboard motor from Pooley Bridge.

October 1979

PENRITH GALA - The curtain fell on Penrith Gala, an event which used to be one of the leading sports gatherings in the Lake District. Originally organised by friendly societies, like the Druids, Oddfellows and Foresters, the gala faded out in 1911, after a heavy financial loss, but was revived in 1949 by the Beacon Wheelers Cycling Club and held on the football field up to 1959, when it was moved to Pooley Bridge, with hound trails and a fell race added to the program. The end of the gala was blamed on "too many counter-attractions".

January 1980

EAMONT BRIDGE - Villagers of Eamont Bridge were considering a direct approach to the Postmaster-General in a bid to have their public telephone kiosk re-opened.  Eight months had passed since the box was damaged by a reversing lorry and the parish council had written four letters to the GPO, all without result.  Local people had to travel two miles to Yanwath to the nearest alternative public telephone.