The Roundup
Making news in Kirkby Stephen...
27 February
People in New Zealand may soon be adopting Kirkby Stephen as their favourite English town - the extraordinary tale of Kerry Hurst's potential deportation has caught his nation's imagination. Click here to see what the New Zealand Herald makes of it all ...
Looking good
The fresh tarmac has been laid around the Market Square, so that’s just about it for the Enhancement Programme, as negotiated with the County Council. It’s been a long project commencing with the initial negotiations with our Parish Council who have done an amazing job of trying to get the best scheme possible on the parsimonious budget that was imposed.
There have been problems along the way, but
when aren’t there, and we
now have spanking new paving in many areas including the Market Square
- which also had its cobbles re-laid - and two electricity points, one
in the Cloisters which have themselves been enhanced.
What else … a new bus shelter and cycle racks and lots of new street lighting, and it all works!
Wallet Warning! Don’t forget that the parking bays are newly painted ready for the two-hour parking restrictions at Easter.
Congratulations to the Parish Council and everyone who has worked hard
on this project, As for Cumbria County Council - can we now have some
more money to finish the scheme? -AS
New bankers
We are of course, all ‘bankers’ now, being the new owners of Northern
Rock, so why not go the whole hog. If you would like to own the
impressive Barclays Bank building in Kirkby, it’s being sold at
auction. The upstairs large apartment that has been beautifully
renovated is also for sale privately. -AS
21 February
Play Station
If there's one event that has captured plenty of positive attention in Kirkby recently, it's the opening of Platform 3 Play at the Station Yard. There can't be a local child who hasn't been introduced to its wonders by now,
Why's it going well? Because the slides are great. Or so my
four-year-old tells me. His mother says it's because ex-Kirkby Stephen
Primary School teacher Judith Bowman's (pictured) new venture is well
planned and the kids love it - and she's met every other mother she
knows there, so the gossip is probably galactic. We'll have a feature
on Platform 3 on the site asap. -TR
Congratulations KSGS
The pupils at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School are a bit too old for Platform 3, but they're having a good time too, at least according to Ofsted.
The Office for Standards in Education delivered its verdict on KSGS
after a recent inspection and, splendidly, graded head David Keetley's
school - and that means its staff and pupils too - as 'outstanding'.
It means the school sits proudly among the top ten to 13 per cent of
secondaries in the country. It's a fine reward for the hard work that
is making KSGS ever more popular - as witnessed by this tale in the Westmorland Gazette .
Things should only get better; as well as delivering top quality
education on the school campus, Mr Keetley is intent on developing a
strong bond with the University of Cumbria . That should add even more value and opportunities to the education our children are getting. -TR
Dirty dogs
Dog fouling has become a hot topic in the town recently, with community
police office Roly Earl reporting some unseemly 'vigilante' behaviour
against a few dog owners in Kirkby.
It strikes me that there's a better way to deal with the issue, and
making a reasoned contribution to Eden District Council's new dog
control order proposals is probably nearer the mark. Click here to find out how to have your say . You've got until March 7 to join the debate. -TR
Planning
There's a plan for a new hot food takeaway in Market Street, and a few
other bits and pieces from the the area going through Eden District
Council right now, click here to see the latest applications.
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