Emily Parsons portfolio 2019

Emily Parsons’ Portfolio


EMILY PARSONS
Ashbridge, Stockdalewath, Dalston Cumbria, CA5 7DP
☎ Landline: 016974 76731 Mobile: 07793 222778 ✉ E-mail: [email protected]
Employment History:
Audience & Content Editor Newsquest Cumbria March 2012 to date
(formerly CN Media)
♦ Starting as a senior reporter, I have been promoted to Audience and Content Editor, deputising for the editor in their absence.
♦ Responsibilities include: managing a diverse team of reporters; liaising with external agencies; dealing with HR issues and training; responding to complaints; team diary management; strategic project planning; managing content placement and development; campaigns; web content and digital analytics analysis; design and layout of news and web pages; cross-department liaison; and team building.
♦ I have excellent writing skills and the ability to bring clarity and sensitivity to difficult or complicated topics and complex figures.
♦ Changes within newspaper practices mean I now have responsibility for laying out and designing the pages of our newspapers, using both our newspaper CMS and inDesign (part of Adobe Creative Cloud).
♦ I lead the newsroom’s digital side, ensuring content is updated regularly, social media feeds are utilised effectively and training the newsroom to become more digitally aware. This includes the use of appropriate images and video on the websites and social channels, with a new focus on the emerging trends including Instagram stories, Twitter moments etc. I set the tone, style and agenda of our social media offerings and have introduced best practice.
♦ Representing the organisation at public events, hosting an election hustings, meeting dignitaries, local organisations, schools and community groups.
Freelance Journalist & PR Jan 2011 to March 2012
♦ I worked as a freelance journalist and PR officer full-time before joining CN, and now carry out freelance work alongside my existing role.
♦ Titles I regularly wrote for included the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, the Times, the Evening Standard, the Scottish Daily Record, the Mirror and the Sun as well as numerous national magazines and websites. I also provided freelance cover regional titles including Cumberland and Westmorland Herald and Times & Star.
♦ PR work included working with Cumbria Tourism, both on its destination and bespoke divisions. Working on campaigns, liaising with publications and businesses to maximise publicity, writing press releases, advising on strategy.
♦ Writing a range of articles for a London-based magazine agency. Taking stories from conception to the finished article and pitching them to magazine editors.
♦ Working with an American start-up web design company to help them re-evaluate their marketing approach, identify their audience and launch a new product.
♦ Providing marketing and comms support to a start-up charitable enterprise.
News Editor Newsquest Essex Oct 2007 to Dec 2010
♦ I began as crime reporter before being promoted to deputy chief reporter and eventually news editor leading a large team of reporters across print, digital and social media channels.
♦ Alternately acting news editor in charge of the Echo and its three titles or the Gazette and its two titles. Co-ordinating the team of news editors, liaising with the chief reporters, subs and the editor over page layouts, story placement and story development.
♦ In charge of staff holiday management, allocating stories, diary management and forward planning.
♦ Senior crime reporter, sourcing exclusive stories from across Essex by building up a trust and rapport and relationships with contacts.
♦ Top exclusives include breaking the story of the former Essex schoolgirl raped and murdered in New Zealand and interviewing her parents; the Polish rapist who was wanted for armed robbery in his home country; and the police officer who dialled 999 after spotting the “beast of Essex”.
News Reporter Evening Standard Dec 2006 to Oct 2007
♦ Worked to three tight deadlines a day, filing stories under pressure.


♦ Followed up breaking news stories, and fast-thinking to take them forward for the next edition of the paper.
♦ Travelled across the UK to follow breaking stories.
Shift Reporter Press Association Nov 2006 to Dec 2006
♦ Part of a large dynamic team, working across all genres of news and features. ♦ Reacting quickly to breaking news, thinking on my feet and being flexible.
Senior Reporter Essex Chronicle Series July 2004 to Dec 2006
♦ Starting my journalistic career as a trainee reporter and qualifying as a senior reporter.
♦ Creative thinking and implementation of campaign ideas, including cross- department liaison.
♦ Attend and report on key events and incidents including council meetings, breaking news stories and high-society events.
Work Experience:
Education:
GCSEs: English Lit (A*), History (A*), French (A*), English Lang (A), Chemistry (A), Biology (A), Maths (A) Latin (B), Physics (B)
Chelmsford County High School for Girls, Chelmsford
Sep 1996 to June 2001
♦ Political Unit of ITV West Country and ITV Midlands, including sitting in on an interview with the then Prime Minister Tony Blair.
♦ Sunday Times Magazine.
♦ Times Higher Education Supplement.
Skills:
Interests:
NCTJ Pre-Entry Exams – Harlow College September 2003 to June 2004 NCTJ National Certificate of Examination April 2006
News editor traineeship - Newsquest Essex Senior management training - Newsquest Essex Journalistic web uploading - Newsquest Essex
Knowledge superuser (content management system) - Newsquest Cumbria June 2018
Social media and digital marketing training - Newsquest Cumbria Accredited Advanced Diploma in SEO - Ongoing
French speaking; 110wpm shorthand; Microsoft Office; inDesign; PhotoShop; Desktop Publishing involving QuarkXPress; Kompozer; SEO; digital photography; videography; LinkedIn management; Facebook live; Facebook analytics; Google analytics; Tweetdeck; WordPress; blogging; and video conferencing (Skype).
Voluntary work - including Rose Castle Foundation; Marie Curie daffodil appeal; Carlisle Youth Zone mentoring scheme; Animal Concern Cumbria, Kilngate; and Oak Tree Animals’ Charity.
International affairs and human rights - following the campaigns for people such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and on a more local level, I helped fight for justice for John Armstrong.
Experiencing new cultures - travelling to new cities and countries, embracing their culture, learning their history.
Running - testing my personal limits with an ultra-marathon endurance challenge; and running half marathons.
Interacting online - I wrote a blog for my endurance challenge; I have more than 1,200 followers on social media e.g. Instagram, Twitter etc.
Other - a voracious reader; enjoy baking and experimental cooking; currently knitting (badly); a budding vegetable gardener; and a keen crafter.
References:
References on request


Rose
 Castle
 Articles


News
1st April 2016
New donor may prove the saviour for Rose Castle
By Emily Parsons
Rose Castle
0 comment
A NEW donor could provide the lifeline needed to help campaigners buy an historic castle.
The future of Rose Castle had been in doubt since the Church Commissioners – which owns the Grade II-listed building near Dalston – rejected two separate offers by a specially-created foundation to buy it.
Despite the setback, the Rose Castle Foundation has continued to try to secure the building from which it takes its name.
The Cumberland News last year revealed how an overseas millionaire had agreed to buy the castle for the foundation but his offer was twice rejected and the commissioners eventually opted to try and sell it on the open market.
Nine months later and it is still for sale, with a price tag of almost £3 million.
•


The Right Rev Bishop James Newcome, one of the leading lights in the foundation, has now revealed there is fresh hope that it could still be bought by them and turned into a religious centre of international importance.
“We are in touch with a new donor,” he said.
“We found him [and got in touch] and he is quite excited by the prospect.
“We are now also looking at grants and possible match-funding.”
Bishop James continued: “The commissioners know we are still interested and are keen for us to put in another offer in due course.”
Despite the arrival of a second donor, the foundation has not finished its discussions with the original millionaire, and are keen to continue to work with him in the hope of securing his involvement in their future.
Rose Castle was home to the bishops of Carlisle from 1230 to 2009.
The foundation wants to build upon its heritage and transform it into an International Centre of Reconciliation, and the idea has already received the backing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
It is made up of six trustees – chaired by Bishop of Carlisle plus Sarah Snyder, a non-executive director, and the Rev Canon John Libby as chief executive.
Although homeless, the Rose Castle Foundation has continued to go from strength-to-strength, with Mrs Snyder combining her work with it with her new job as director for international relations for an organisation call Religion for Peace, at the United Nations.




The Rt Rev James Newcome Bishop James explained: “The work she’s doing with the UN is working very well with the Rose Castle Foundation work, and obviously the contacts she’s developing is hugely encouraging.
“As and when we get the building, there will be lots of work to do in it: lots of people are asking us for help, including one or two governments.
“There are middle eastern leaders working together for peace, all under the auspices of the Rose Castle Foundation which is flourishing.
“It really is a global thing.” The Church Commissioners first announced its intentions to sell Rose Castle in September 2011.
But, after a public outcry and a petition with more than 2,000 signatures, it agreed to give the Friends of Rose Castle two years to come up with the money to buy it.
That time limit was extended again following the formation of the Rose Castle Foundation, but in February last year they said they had “so far not received a viable offer” from the foundation and so put it on the open market.


News
2nd September 2016
Iconic castle saved after five-year battle
By Emily Parsons
•
Rose Castle
An historic Cumbrian castle will reopen its doors as an international centre of peace and reconciliation.
The sale of Rose Castle sparked concern among locals and historians, who feared it may be bought by developers.
The 13th-century property was the home of the Bishop of Carlisle until 2009.
In 2011 Church Commissioners decided it was simply too costly to maintain the building and announced their intention to sell.
The Rose Castle Foundation was formed several years ago, and has been working to buy it with the intention of using it as a base for an international centre of reconciliation and peace.
This week the sale was completed, including the castle, gardens, a farmhouse, cottages and 65 acres of land.


The Rose Castle Foundation is a charitable organisation chaired by the Bishop of Carlisle, the Right Reverend James Newcome, and Professor David Ford, Emeritus Regius Professor of Theology at the University of Cambridge.
Its founding director, Sarah Snyder, lives in Bassenthwaite and has recently been appointed as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Adviser for Reconciliation.
The foundation addresses misunderstanding and builds bridges between individuals and communities experiencing conflict.
Bishop James said: "We are thrilled our plans for Rose Castle are reignited following very generous donations to enable the castle to be purchased. Our heartfelt thanks go to those who have invested in this historic building and in our vision.
"There has been a lot of hard work and detailed discussion in recent years to enable us to get to this point. We recognise there has been a real groundswell of support in Cumbria for what we want to achieve and for this we are very grateful.
"We also know that the coming months will be equally busy as we look to develop our plans for the building while also growing new ways in which we can offer opportunities for communities to come together to explore channels of reconciliation and peace."
Sarah added: “The world desperately needs experienced reconcilers, trained to transform conflict and build lasting peace. Such work must start at the community level – bottom up, not top down – if it is to be sustainable.
“All too often it appears that religion and religious differences are a cause of conflict, but in fact the vast majority of people of faith long for peace.
"Governments and the United Nations increasingly recognize the vital role of religious leaders and their communities in transforming conflict."
Joseph Cannon, chief surveyor to the Church Commissioners, said: "Rose Castle served the Church of England for centuries.
"No longer a suitable base for the Bishop’s ministry, it is a suitable home for faith-based reconciliation and we wish the Foundation every success in its work."
Janet Queen, head gardener, will continue her long-term care for the gardens.
The foundation has a new website , for anyone hoping to find out more about it.


News
8th September 2016
Meet the caretakers of Rose Castle
Owen and Georgia May outside Rose Castle
The new 'caretakers' of a Cumbrian castle have spoken of their honour at taking on the task.
Georgia and Owen May, both 22, are in the process of moving into the Chauffeur's Cottage, in the grounds of Rose Castle, near Dalston, after it was bought for the Rose Castle Foundation.
The young couple will be the first port of call for visitors to the former Bishop of Carlisle's residence, as Owen is project manager for Rose Castle Foundation.
The foundation last week saw its dream take the first steps towards becoming a reality, after a benefactor bought the castle for its use as an international centre of peace and reconciliation.
It was set up as a charity more than two years ago, hosting conferences and conflict resolution work, but its long-term goal was always to be based out of the building from which it takes its name.
•


Owen, a theologian who has just graduated from Durham University, said: "I'm going to be hosting a few fundraising events here at Rose Castle and elsewhere and sourcing alternative lines of income for Rose Castle.
"I have some experience of reconciliation work and I am excited to be involved in this project."
His wife Georgia has another year left at university, but is looking forward to spending her weekends and holidays at the castle.
"Part of us being on site will just be to welcome people," she said. "I am committed to Durham two days a week, but collectively Owen and I are the face of Rose Castle.
"We want to give it more of a family feel.
"It's so exciting because for us everything has changed. We knew this [reconciliation and conflict resolution work] was something we wanted to devote our lives to long-term, but to have graduated and be able to immediately take it on is something we couldn't imagine."
Owen added: "For us it is a tremendous privilege to be able to jump on board this at such an early stage, and we are very excited about what the future holds."
Eventually the foundation's events will be held with participants staying in the castle, but until it is refurbished they will instead attend for day sessions and then stay in local accommodation.
For more information, visit the Rose Castle website .


News
29th October 2016
Could Cumbria provide the solution to a world at war?
By Emily Parsons
•
See all 5 photos
0 comment
THE Foreign Office could use a Cumbrian castle as its base in the north.
The revelation came as Rose Castle, near Dalston, opened its doors to the public for the first time in seven years.
Speaking to crowds who turned out for a tour around the Grade I-listed building, the Bishop of Carlisle, the Right Reverend James Newcome pledged that the doors would now remain open.
The Rose Castle Foundation finally secured ownership of the building last month, thanks to the generosity of two benefactors.
It has been trying to buy it for several years, after the Church Commissioners announced it was putting the building - the Bishop of Carlisle's former residence - up for sale.


The foundation was inspired by the beautiful castle, and was formed to address misunderstanding and build bridges between individuals and communities experiencing conflict.
Founding director Canon Sarah Snyder has already held conferences around the world in the name of the foundation, but the purchase of the building means it will finally have a home.
Speaking at the open event, Bishop James said: "We are working with the Foreign Office, who are very interested and very enthusiastic about the possibilities here.
"They have a place they use in the south [of England] but have nowhere in the north."
Mrs Snyder continued: "For years the Foreign Office said 'we don't do religion, we just do politics'.
"In those places [of conflict] they don't separate religion from politics.
"This week I was at the Foreign Office, speaking to them about this issue and they said 'we hear what you're saying - we need to bring the faith leaders to the table'.
"This is a major step forward."
Thanking the local residents, faith groups, charities and others who attended Sunday's open afternoon, Mrs Snyder said: "We are thrilled so many locals are coming in, because they've been coming here for years and haven't been able to for the last few.
"This has been a house of prayer for 800 years and it is open to people of all faiths, and to people of none."
"We see what we are doing as a partnership with the local community," Bishop James continued. "I think the decision by the Church Commissioners that the Bishop of Carlisle should not live here was pretty controversial, and quite a lot of people were quite upset by that at the time.
"There were huge concerns as to what would happen to Rose Castle - would it be a hotel or country club?
"The fact we've been able to procure it for the church to be used in this way for something which has such obvious benefit - not just for the local community but by the wider community around the world - is something everybody is welcoming."


There are similar centres of peace and reconciliation in both the UK and around the world, but very few have the capacity to host residential courses.
Rose Castle is therefore in conversation with global organisations, in the hope that eventually it can act as a world hub.
However, before such events can be held, vital refurbishment work must take place.
From the routine maintenance of the historic building, to the basic work needed to make it habitable, the foundation is in need of money.
Anyone with fundraising ideas, who wishes to 'sponsor a room' or can even offer their skills, is urged to get in contact with project manager Owen May, who lives in the castle's Chauffeur's Cottage.
For more information or to get involved, visit rosecastle.foundation or email [email protected]


News
17th June 2018
Plans to transform former Bishop of
Carlisle's residence into international
centre take step forward
By Emily Parsons
Plans to transform the former Bishop of Carlisle's residence into an international centre of reconciliation have taken a major step forward.
The Grade I-listed Rose Castle was sold by the Church Commissioners in July 2016, following a fierce battle by local residents and supporters from around the world to prevent it being sold for housing.
The Rose Castle Company (RCC) worked tirelessly for several years to buy the building and 67 acres of land, with the intention of offering it for use by the Rose Castle Foundation (RCF) for reconciliation work.
It has received backing from high-profile leaders, including the Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
•
See both photos


A planning application has now been submitted to Carlisle City Council to transform the castle, based near Dalston, from the former Bishop's residence to a mixed use conference centre.
The foundation wants to bring together religious communities in conflict, emerging leaders and those at the heart of community relations to work together on finding peace through reconciliation work.
It is led by Canon Sarah Snyder, advisor for reconciliation to the Archbishop of Canterbury, while the Right Reverend Bishop James Newcome, Bishop of Carlisle, is one of the chairmen of the foundation's board of trustees.
A statement by the foundation, submitted as part of the planning application, explains the foundation's aim: "One of the ways in which RCF works is by bringing people together under one roof, thus breaking the formal barriers to reconciliation by facilitating face-to-face engagement across lines of division.
"Participants are encouraged (wherever possible) to share the same space, experiencing the benefits of dialogue, positive interaction and harmonious coexistence.
"Rose Castle with its own history of conflict over the years, when it was a border fort on the dividing line between England and Scotland, is an ideal place to bring people who are experiencing conflict today to spend time together under one roof.
"The intrinsic beauty of the buildings and the tranquillity of the landscape are a nourishing setting for delegates and guests, as RCF can attest from previous experience of running courses at the castle."
The Rose Castle Company will operate on a not-for-profit basis, with all money made being ploughed back into the castle and estate – allowing the foundation to focus on its reconciliation work.
When not in use by the foundation, the company aims to open up the castle for other events, to help fund its continued maintenance. Suggestions include letting the space to other parties, special interest groups, legal mediation weekends, conferences and possibly bed and breakfast.
Public access to the castle – including monthly history tours, community carol concerts and other events – are also planned to continue.
Mrs Snyder told The Cumberland News: “We are so excited and incredibly grateful to be able to share this good news about the refurbishment of Rose


Castle, which will not only transform and appropriate this beautiful space into a home for our local, national and international programmes but will also open new doors for our growing number of projects with the local community and local schools.
"Until the castle is ready to welcome guests in Spring 2020 we are continuing our work across Cumbria, up and down Britain and overseas and are looking forward to building our staff team over the coming year, training up locals for the various roles that will be opening up.
"We want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us from the moment the vision for Rose Castle as a sanctuary for peace and reconciliation came into fruition - this is a moment of celebration for all of us as community.
"It feels so right to see Rose Castle restored in a way that is respectful of it’s rich history whilst also looking forwards and outwards so that this special place can once again open it’s doors and be of service to our community, both locally and globally.”
The plans for Rose Castle have the support of both the city council and Heritage England.
The application proposes that a detailed listing building application will be submitted in early July, with work beginning in early 2019 and the first guests hoping to stay in the casle in spring 2020.
The multi-million pound project to transform the building into a 21st century space will retain all of the castle's stunning original features, but bring the living quarters up-to-date including adding en suite bathrooms.
Work will also be undertaken to remove asbestos, update the wiring and heating systems throughout the building, update the kitchen, repair the roof and other general repairs.
Detailed planning applications for the bedroom and bathroom adaptations and kitchen will be submitted later.
The biggest change to the fabric of the building and grounds will be the proposed installation of a lift between ground and first floor levels – as the castle is currently inaccessible above the first floor for disabled visitors – and a new parking area near the farm.


Raising the funds needed for the project is already underway, but RCC has confirmed that the project as a whole has been underwritten by an unnamed "generous benefactor".
A spokesman for Haysom Ward Miller architects added: "The refurbishment of the castle will bring employment to local contractors and RCF plans to train local people to facilitate the peace and reconciliation work so this new use of the building will be a benefit to local Cumbrians.
"The proposed use maintains the Christian Heritage of the site dating back over 800 years."




Campaigns


Tuesday January 22, 2019 www.newsandstar.co.uk 85p (68p for subscribers)
Working to tackle 21st century poverty
A CALL TO ACTION: Lynsey Buckle, development manager at Carlisle Youth Zone
Picture: Stuart Walker
ZONING
IN ON OUR
FUTURE
On the frontline with the team helping to support children in Carlisle: Pages 4&5


4 / NEWS & STAR
SPECIAL REPORT
newsandstar.co.uk Tuesday January 22, 2019
Twitter: @newsandstar facebook.com/newsandstar
Poverty does
Come and join us
CARLISLE Youth Zone is an incredible facility offering unique experiences
to all young people regardless of background – there’s nothing else like this in Cumbria, it’s a very special place.
Open six nights a week and during school holidays the Youth Zone is a safe, fun place to hang-out, meet new people and try new things.
Designed entirely on the needs of young people, they use exciting activities to engage individuals and address serious issues.
They help the city’s young people achieve personal, social and educational growth enabling them
reach their full potential in society. They focus on the relationship and
conversations we build between a youth worker and young person, building on resilience in young people as well as providing a safe place
to engage in not only life changing experiences but fun, informative, social and educational opportunities.
Fun, laughter, opportunities and friendship are all synonymous with Carlisle Youth Zone, but within the sea of smiles there are a number of young people who are falling between the gaps and need a lot more help and support.
Contrary to common belief, child poverty is a 21st century problem. In Carlisle, the youth zone is taking steps to tackle it - and want more people to join them. Today we launch an eye-opening series looking
at the true reality of poverty in Carlisle, and those people making a difference. Roger Lytollis reports
ZONING
IN ON OUR
FUTURE
LYNSEY Buckle speaks pas- sionately about the struggles facing many Carlisle children. “Poverty doesn’t look like Oli- ver Twist,” says Lynsey, the development manager at Carl- isle Youth Zone. “It comes with smartphones and trainers.”
Behind a facade designed to hide its existence, poverty lives on in the Border City.
A study last year by the End Child Poverty coalition said that 22.5 per cent of children in Carlisle live in poverty. Youth zone workers frequently see the symptoms.
Some children who attend are so hungry they take half-eaten crisp packets from bins.
Some girls are missing school because they cannot afford sani- tary products.
Some children look years younger than they are through malnutrition.
One 15-year-old had never left Carlisle until they were taken on a youth zone trip.
“We have young people who may have nothing to eat,” says Lynsey. “They’re not purchas- ing anything in the café but they’re eyeing up what other people have on their plates. When a half-eaten bag of crisps gets dropped in the bin, they have it.
“Some of the young people in the Junior Club [ages seven to 12], I’m often shocked at their age. To use the word malnutri- tion sounds a bit dramatic. But it does affect children’s growth if they’re not getting what they need. You see young people who are quite often poorly. You hear about them not going to school. Recently I saw a young person who was 11. I thought they were eight.
“Some volunteers were talk- ing about how young girls these days don’t have access to sanitary products. I couldn’t imagine that would be an issue. I started talking to youth work- ers. It’s more common than you would think. Period poverty is happening across the city. You hear about girls not attending school. No girl should be think- ing ‘Should I go to school to- day?’”
For some young people in the Senior Club [ages 12-18], hygiene is an issue.
“They come regularly wearing the same clothes because that may be the only bit of brand- ed clothing they’ve got. They couldn’t possibly be seen wear- ing anything else.
“The lads, they’re not neces- sarily the most fragrant at the best of times! But if you haven’t washed all week it’s going to be difficult if no one wants to sit next to you at school, if you’re not invited out with people.”
These are sobering images for those who assumed that child poverty no longer existed in Britain.
Lynsey stresses that the youth zone, on Victoria Place, is open for all young people, pulling from every community and school with no segregation.
“Every week 1,500 kids come through the doors,” says Lyn- sey. “Of course not all of them are living in poverty. The major- ity are from supportive homes where mum and dad are looking out for them and want what’s best for them.
“As with any community, there’s an element who are struggling. In the 21st century things like poverty are hidden. It’s not necessarily Third World poverty. But in one of the rich- est countries in the world we shouldn’t have children who aren’t eating.”
As well as making young peo- ple miserable here and now, pov-
erty can turn their lives in the wrong direction.
“These things quickly isolate young people and make them give up. It worries me that they will segregate themselves as not being good enough. If they don’t feel accepted by the community at large, if they can’t keep up with the Joneses, they fall out of favour with society. If that happens they’re going to look for family and community else- where. It’s why some young peo- ple look to antisocial behaviour, crime, drugs.”
The vast majority of youth zone attendees are well behaved. Staff are trained to look out for those who may be embarking on an unhealthy path.
“Our youth workers are at the coal face,” says Lynsey. “We pride ourselves on everything here being about prevention. It’s
When a half eaten bag of crisps gets dropped in the bin, they have it.
far easier to inspire a young per- son away from the wrong life- style than get them out of that if they’re already in. We want to help young people have those conversations. ‘I’m struggling - help me.’
“It takes time and persistence. That’s what our youth work- ers are here for. When kids first come here, it’s for fun and the fa-
The Vision
A safe and fun environment where the potential of young people is developed and fulfilled.
Strategic pillars – or how it will get there
The Youth Zone will work with others to:
■ Provide excellent universal and targeted youth provision, informed by and in partnership with our young people.
■ Achieve financial sustainability.
■ Invest in our team (staff, volunteers and board) to help them achieve their potential and the CYZ
■ Confirm CYZ as a valued and essential resource throughout the Carlisle community.


Tuesday January 22, 2019 newsandstar.co.uk NEWS & STAR / 5 Twitter: @newsandstar facebook.com/newsandstar SPECIAL REPORT
not look like Oliver Twist
We got to hear about young people who from the
age of eight were feeling rejected by society and feeling left behind
SUPPORT: Lynsey Buckle, development manager at Carlisle Youth Zone
Stuart Walker
ment priority was for children in poverty but every session has a mix of all children, not just those we think need it most.
“We provided breakfast, lunch and dinner, and some- thing fun every day. In that time we got to hear about young people who from the age of eight were feeling rejected by society and left behind.
“A 15-year-old hadn’t been on a train or even left Carlisle. How does that happen? How does a young person never go and see a farm or a zoo? If you’ve grown up like that, when you’re older you might feel bitter and resentful, feel- ing like you missed out.
“Our worry is, if that’s what young people as young as eight are feeling, what hap- pens when they’re 12 or 14 if they still have those feelings? I’m always inspired to see the support young people get from mixing with their peers.
“While youth workers can intervene, the value of friend- ships and having experiences together is what makes the dif- ference, and everyone wins.”
■In tomorrow's News & Star: Youth Zone helps transform lives
cilities. There’s a big challenge to talk about issues. It’s about the young person having trust in our youth workers. It’s the simple things, like asking how their day has been and actively listening over many weeks or months.
“We can’t wave a wand. But coming here keeps them safe. And we can do something about those problems.”
Behind its visible activities such as sport, drama, and arts and crafts, youth zone staff quietly help struggling young people in a variety of ways. “When we see there’s an issue at home we always contact par- ents,” says Lynsey.
What kind of response does that bring? She pauses. “Mixed. A lot of the time it’s quite emotional. For a lot of families, being able to talk to somebody about what’s go- ing on... they’ve been trying to hold the pieces together for so long. Other times there’s a lot of denial. Other times it’s anger.
“Sometimes disadvantage comes about through lack of opportunity. Parents are work- ing hard to pay the mortgage and buy food. Perhaps they’re not in a position to prioritise leisure activities like learning
to swim and buying cinema tickets. Children aren’t going to parties - everything costs money. When young people are opting out they’re being left behind.”
The youth zone has limited resources but it can advise families on such things as us- ing food banks and making food go further. Some young people who are eligible for free school meals do not have them.
“Because of a feeling of shame, sometimes parents or children themselves are not getting the things they need.”
The youth zone provides practical support in numer- ous other ways. “All our girl members are welcome to ac- cess our sanitary products for free, courtesy of Dodd and Co accountants.
“When they heard about period poverty they were shocked. Within 24 hours they turned up with everything we need, and they’re still provid- ing that. They are co-ordinat- ing local businesses to help supply hygiene products to the youth zone on a monthly basis so that girls can access what they need.
“Last summer holiday we had a holiday club to support 125 young people. The recruit-


6 / NEWS & STAR newsandstar.co.uk Wednesday January 23, 2019 SPECIAL REPORT Twitter: @newsandstar facebook.com/newsandstar
Battle to tackle hunger and poverty is one we all share
In day two of our special report
into Carlisle Youth Zone and its life- saving work, Roger Lytollis speaks to Lynsey Buckle about what you
Hcan do to help the city’s youth.
undreds of Carlisle children are living in poverty, without enough food or sufficient access to
sanitary products.
A recent study by the End Child
Poverty coalition said 22.5 per cent of children in Carlisle live in poverty.
These findings are echoed by staff at Carlisle Youth Zone on Victoria Place. The youth zone works with about 1,500 young people a week from a wide range of backgrounds.
The News & Star revealed yesterday that some are so hungry they take half-eaten crisp packets out of bins. Some girls are missing school because they cannot afford sanitary products.
Lynsey Buckle, the youth zone’s development manager, is in charge of fundraising. She knows that the impact of child poverty can last a lifetime. The physical discomfort may fade but some emotional scars never heal.
“Whether young people are feeling hungry or suicidal, or they’re worried because mum and dad are splitting up, it’s isolating,” says Lynsey. “It can feel like they’re the only one suffering and no one cares.
“We see young people who
feel alone. A third of the people who come to the youth zone are either from one of Carlisle’s more deprived wards, in the care system or referred to us.
“The majority of our young people wouldn’t have a clue about who is struggling. Things like poverty and hunger are a source of great shame. If you said, ‘Hands up who hasn’t eaten today?’, nobody would put their hand up.
“To think about Carlisle and the fantastic community we’ve got here - to then imagine there’s children out there at home with empty cupboards who haven’t eaten that day. Who feel they’re falling behind through no fault of their own.
“I think everybody would
want to support them, whether through the youth zone or another charity or the food bank.
“Be aware there’s a problem. A bit of kindness goes a long way, like giving a few cans a week to a
food bank or sanitary products in a donation box.
“It’s very difficult to be a young person in the 21st century. In society now, you can’t be falling behind. You’ve got to be perfect. All that stuff costs money. It’s not just financial. It’s mental health as well.”
Lynsey speaks of some children feeling bitter and resentful. This is caused not only by lack of food. Lack of other support at home, such as help with education, breeds frustration.
“A youth worker a couple of years ago was working with a group that were in danger of exclusion from school. It shocked me, the number of young
people who can go through the education system and not be able to read or write.
“The child’s priority is not to have to read or write in class. They sit back and keep quiet or they create trouble. Perhaps that’s easier than to admit they can’t read or write. If your
I’m in awe of our youth workers, it’s amazing to see the difference
a positive relationship can make
parents don’t value education or you’re allowed to come and go as you please, by the time you leave school it’s difficult to fit into society.”
Youth zone staff look for signs that children may be heading
in this direction, such as them being very quiet or aggressive.
“There are reasons why
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Lynsey Buckle is calling on Carlisle to take a stand and change lives
ZONING
IN ON OUR
FUTURE
children behave that way. Young people who are aggressive: there’s a child there. They’re frightened and backed into a corner. Or that behaviour has been learned.
“It supports them. I’m always amazed when children of junior age range turn up on their own. They might have walked some distance to get here. That tells us we’re doing something good in their lives.
“Teachers have a huge class to look after. They’re not going to see every issue.
“I’m in awe of our youth workers. A few of them get quite emotional when they take stock of what they’ve talked about with young people. Not often: they try to detach themselves. But it does take a toll.
“We are privy to a lot of things, because we have that relationship and that trust. We hear of awful stories where children have fallen between the gaps.
“We attract young people who are on the fringes. Home’s not necessarily a nice place for some of them. Some would be here every night if they could.”
If it’s considered necessary,
youth workers have meetings with families, schools and social services. Lynsey stresses that whatever problems a young person might be having can be cast aside in the youth zone.
“When they walk through the door here, they don’t necessarily know anyone. They have a second chance to make a first impression.
“One of the things we see is young people who are being bullied at school. At school, those nicknames might stay with you for the rest of your school years.
“The youth zone is completely different. It can be based around the activities you’re interested in. You might be bullied at school because you like singing and dancing. Here you can embrace those interests instead of being embarrassed by them. What used to be the thing that made you a target is now the thing to celebrate.
“Young people sitting in their bedrooms are being bullied online. They’re going from house to school, school to house, in fear. The youth zone becomes this warm hub where everyone is welcome.
“We see people who come
to us as bullying victims gain confidence and self-esteem. The youth zone gives an opportunity to be themselves.
“Every young person that goes out of here with a full belly, has
a laugh, makes new friends: that’s a young person on the right track.”
A group of young people in foster care see the youth zone as home. Lynsey was bemused when she realised that on Saturday nights, despite all the facilities
at their disposal, they wanted to just order a pizza and watch X Factor.
“I thought this was crazy. But they’re 12 young people who don’t have family. They used
to call it their family night in. The youth zone becomes this backdrop where kids can connect and feel safe.
“Our mission statement is ‘A safe and fun environment where the potential of young people is developed and fulfilled.’ The word ‘safe’ comes first because that’s the most important thing.”
“A big melting pot” is among Lynsey’s descriptions of the youth zone. She has a fond and vivid memory from her first night here of two little girls


Wednesday January 23, 2019 newsandstar.co.uk
Twitter: @newsandstar facebook.com/newsandstar
NEWS & STAR / 7 SPECIAL REPORT
‘I was groomed
once but didn’t
report it because
people would’ve
said I wanted it’
Girl was smoking and drinking, aged 13
by Jenny Brown [email protected]
ALEXANDRA suffers from depression and social anxiety.
She was groomed, started drinking and smoking cannabis at a young age and became involved with a dealer.
A fragmented family life resulted in her leaving home when she was 11 and she moved in with her grandparents.
“My step dad used to say children should be seen and not heard.
“It did feel like my mum had chosen her boyfriend over me and at times I felt really alone,” said Alexandra, now 18.
“I used to go get drunk and stay out with my friends all
the time. Ninety per cent of my friends are a lot older than me, I started smoking, started smoking weed too and I became close with a dealer.
“Not having my dad in my life affected me. I always wanted a male role model in my life.
“I think that’s why I liked dating older lads, because they looked after me.
“I was groomed once. I met this guy he was really full on and it made me feel uncomfortable.
“But I didn’t report it because people would have said I wanted it. I’ve just avoided him ever since.”
Alexandra continued: “I’m
a stress head. I suffer from depression and social anxiety. Big groups and intense situations make me nervous.
“I won’t talk to strangers. It’s that bad I won’t even order food in McDonald’s and have to get my friends to do it for me.
“I can’t talk to other people about this. I can’t even talk
to strangers over the phone, like phoning the doctors for an appointment scares me.”
When she was 13 Alexandra and her friends decided to go to Carlisle Youth Zone. It was cold outside and they wanted somewhere to go.
That was the turning point for her.
She used to drink to have fun but has since realised she can have fun without alcohol and feels the youth zone is a safe place where someone will listen.
Alexandra has been supported by team leader Matt Williams and Emma Rogerson, the centre’s development coordinator.
“The youth zone is a place where you don’t have to let anything bother you and you can just float around, play music and have fun,” she said.
“[Emma and Matt] are never too busy. It’s good that someone actually cares and they make the time to listen to you.
“Since coming to the youth zone, I’ve cut down on drinking and I’ve gone from smoking 10 fags a day to just a few. I feel like I’m taking steps to help myself get better.
“I know that I can come to the youth zone because it’s safe and fun and there’s always someone to talk too.”
playing together.
“They were putting sequins
on shoes. One went to a private school. The other; her mother couldn’t afford the 50p fee that night. Where else could they be playing together? Nowhere but the youth zone.”
Behind the statistics about child poverty lie hundreds of lives. Difficult early experiences will ruin some of them. Lynsey and her colleagues are desperate to rescue as many as possible, ideally with the help of an entire city.
“We have a chance to work with young people and give them aspiration and ambition, rather than feeling they’re on a scrapheap and that’s as good as it gets.
“We’ve got so many opportunities in this city. Businesses that are growing. Recruitment drives. Why don’t young people see that might be their future? If they’re putting themselves down because of something we can do something about, surely we can make a difference?
“If I was feeling disadvantaged I’d want to live
somewhere like Carlisle. The child poverty figure is too high. But it’s a manageable figure. There are enough charities, voluntary groups and businesses that want to help and make that change.
“If that 22 per cent was in Manchester or Liverpool, you’d probably shrug your shoulders and say we can’t do anything about it. But this is Carlisle.
“We have a strong, powerful community. If anywhere can take this on and truly make a difference, I believe Carlisle can.”


8 / NEWS & STAR newsandstar.co.uk Wednesday January 23, 2019 SPECIAL REPORT Twitter: @newsandstar facebook.com/newsandstar
Brave Cory is turning
By Jenny Brown [email protected]
A MOTHER whose little boy was bullied at school said she is fi- nally starting to get her son back thanks to the help and support of Carlisle Youth Zone.
Cory Thomlison was a happy, bubbly child who was looking forward to starting school. But all that changed half way through his first year in reception.
“Name-calling had started and there was one boy in particular who used to push him about a bit and then he would start getting his friends involved” recalled his mum Sarah Thomlinson, 28, of Bowman Street, Carlisle.
“There was one occasion when they circled him and they all pushed him round the circle he just stood there and took it.
“When he came home and told me I tried not to show my emo- tions,.
“The last five years have been awful; just seeing him so with- drawn and upset. He was scared to go to school but then it did get to a point where Cory started fighting back.
“He wasn’t taking it anymore and then that was it, the school just completely washed their hands of him.
“It was Youth Zone who were here, not just for Cory but for me as well.
“I didn’t really know what to say to him and make him feel bet- ter.
“They have not just help my kids, they have helped me mas- sively. They have literally bent over backwards for all of us.
“I don’t think I will ever be able to tell them how grateful I am for what they have done for Cory.”
Sarah continued: “He’s defi-
steps.
Both Sarah and Nathan, as well
as other staff and volunteers at the youth zone have already seen a huge change in Cory’s behav- iour.
“It’s working wonders. That boy is on a mission everyday,” said Sarah.
“I’ve seen a massive difference. He’s like a different boy.
“He skips out the door to school in the morning - he’s at a differ- ent school now - and he’s desper- ate to get here to speak to Nathan.
“He’s still got problems and I think he will have for a while be- cause it was such a long period of his life that he had to suffer.
“I’m not saying that they clicked their fingers and he is to- tally healed but he is getting close and that’s because of the people that work here.
Grateful
“I can’t even put into words how amazing they are there.
“I look forward to coming to youth zone.
“I’m only to here to drop them off but I look forward to having a catch up and filling them in on what’s happened, the achieve- ments Cory has made since the last time we saw them,” she con- tinued.
“I would sing their praises all day long if I could, they’re amaz- ing.
“They are the nicest bunch of people you will ever meet.”
Cory knows he won’t get onto a football team until he has ad- dressed his anger issues and Na- than says that is half the battle.
He’s learning how to walk away from things more.
“He is always saying he’s look- ing forward to it and he doesn’t want to miss that session each week,” said Nathan.
“Even though we can have up and down days still, if he is hav- ing a down day he will respond a bit better when asked to by me or some of the other staff, who in the past he might not have listened to before, which is a good sign.
“He has got the right mindset. He doesn’t want to be where he is. “You can see when there’s been times when he’s been asked to
leave he doesn’t want that. “Afterwards you can tell that he didn’t want it to go that way, but he’s just struggling to know how
to stop it.
“The fact that he doesn’t want it
to go like that is half the battle.” Nathan added: “There are some young people who will be ada- mant that they haven’t done any-
thing wrong.
“Cory wants to get on to a foot-
ball team but knows until he’s re- solved this he can’t, the fact that he’s acknowledged that is mas- sive.”
SAFE HAVEN: The youth zone is somewhere Cory can be himself
FAMILY AFFAIR: Daisy Thomlinson with mum Sarah Thomlinson and brother Cory
Pictures: Stuart Walker
nitely happy now. He wasn’t for a long time, but I can honestly say now, I’m getting my son back.
“It’s amazing.”
Cory, now nine, his sister Daisy,
10, and their eight-year-old broth- er Shay started attending Carlisle Youth Zone 18 months ago and now go three or four times a week.
It was a turning point for Cory
who developed relationships with staff he felt he could open up to, who were there to listen and who haven’t given up on him.
He left his former school and his mum pulled him out of his football team where the bulling continued.
But he had developed anger is- sues and was struggling, often finding himself in trouble.
At one stage, every argument ended in him hitting someone, but now he is beginning to learn how to control his anger.
Cory was paired up with youth worker Nathan Bagnall on the centre’s mentoring programme in September, and they have had an hour-long session every week.
The programme gives addition- al support to young people expe- riencing difficulties. It is goal- orientated builds confidence and self esteem, while addressing the issues a young person might face.
Nathan helped Cory identify a goal he wanted to reach - to get onto a new football team.
He also set Cory a step chal- lenge, to help keep him active and give him a daily goal to see who can be the first to reach 10,000


Wednesday January 23, 2019 newsandstar.co.uk
Twitter: @newsandstar facebook.com/newsandstar
his life around
NEWS & STAR / 9 SPECIAL REPORT
If you want to help Carlisle Youth Zone with fundraising, mentoring a
Have you been helped by Carlisle Youth Zone?
Are you hosting an event in support of it?
Email: [email protected] Call: 01228 612653
TEN-YEAR-OLD Daisy Thomlinson was very nerv- ous when she started attend- ing Carlisle Youth Zone but quickly learned there was a lot of fun to be had.
Thanks to the support of Junior Club team leader Jess Butler she was able to settle in and be herself.
“If Jess wasn’t here then I don’t think I’d actually be coming. She is the most amaz- ing and inspiring person I’ve ever met.
“When I first started at youth zone she was the one who welcomed me in. I didn’t know what I was doing and I helped her do stuff because none of my friends were here.
“I have made a lot more friends, a lot more than I have made in school,” she said.
Daisy is also grateful at how staff have helped her family.
“Since my brother has been getting bullied, quite a lot focused on our family,” she said.
“It made me feel a bit sad at the time but because Jess has been here I have been able to focus a lot more on myself in- stead of my brother.
“He keeps getting really an- noyed and I feel bad for him. Sometimes people annoy him here but now he knows what to do; he just walks off.
“It has made him a lot hap- pier that he’s got someone to talk to. It’s made him feel a bit more comfortable in his own body,” Daisy continued, add- ing she is also a happier per- son than she was when she first started.
“I think mum feels a bit re- lieved because she gets time to herself now we’ve started coming to youth zone.
“She is a superwoman. She walks from our house to Brook Street and picks some- one up from there, walks to Warwick Road and picks someone up from there and comes to youth zone. Some- times she picks more people up.”
When asked what is the best thing about Carlisle Youth Zone, Daisy added: “You get more opportunities to do things than what you would normally have done. Come in, make new friends and just be yourself.
“You don’t have to be some- one who hides all your stuff away, just go to tell someone if something is happening.”
■ In tomorrow’s News & Star: How Carlisle Youth Zone’s mentoring scheme transformed Uwem’s life and how you can get involved.
Youth Zone gave me friends
HAVING A BALL: Sarah Thomlinson loves watching Daisy and Cory have fun and leave their worries behind
Together we can help the young people who need it.
Carlisle Youth Zone Victoria Place Carlisle
CA1 1LR
01228 516280
info@ carlisleyouthzone.org
www.facebook.com/ CarlisleYZ
twitter.com/carlisleyz
CYZ
contacts
young person, volunteering or anything else get in touch, quoting News & Star.


10 / NEWS & STAR newsandstar.co.uk Saturday January 26, 2019
SPECIAL REPORT
Twitter: @newsandstar facebook.com/newsandstar
Brian’s drive to get city’s youth in the right zone
Kingmoor Park owner Brian Scowcroft was determined to give something back to Carlisle. The city’s youth zone is the result, as Roger Lytollis reports
Carlisle has been good for Brian Scowcroft. He wouldn’t say so himself. But the owner of Kingmoor Park -
the business park on the city’s northern edge - has been pretty good for Carlisle.
Brian grew up in Manchester and lives in south Cumbria.
He bought Kingmoor Park in 1999. It now houses more than 100 companies employing 1,500 people.
“It turned out to be a very good project for me,” he says. “I felt I should put something back into the community.”
Brian has done this in numerous ways, not least as the driving force behind Carlisle Youth Zone, and as its president.
The youth zone’s inspiration was Bolton Lads and Girls Club: the innovative youth club which has been running since 1889.
“Friends of mine were involved in running Bolton Lads and Girls Club,” says Brian.
“That was seen as the best youth provision in the country. I’d go along and support it. One of my best friends, Bill Holroyd, was chairman.
“Bill spun off another charity, OnSide North West. His idea was to replicate Bolton around the north west. I said I would like
to get a youth zone for Carlisle. After Bolton Lads and Girls Club, Carlisle was the first.
“At the same time I’d agreed to sponsor the academies here [Richard Rose Morton and Central Academies].
“I saw the opportunity to share the Central Academy’s sports facilities with the youth zone during evenings, weekends and
holidays.”
The academies replaced St
Aidan’s School, Morton School and North Cumbria Technology College.
“They were three consistently failing schools when we took over in 2008,” says Brian. “There was a generally poor standard of education in Carlisle.”
This attempt to raise achievement and aspiration
was the driving force behind the youth zone, which opened in 2011.
Brian also created Kingmoor Park Charitable Trust, which has donated millions of pounds to charities.
“I was focused on causes that support young people and cancer research,” he says. “Because my son Richard died from cancer.
“I focused on young people because of my experience of life. It’s very difficult to influence adults, to change us from our
set views. Children, you can influence.
“Having little to do outside school leads you to get into trouble. I was always getting into trouble, even though I had good parents. If you’ve not got the
INSPIRATION: Brian Scowcroft was the driving force behind Carlisle Youth Zone’s launch in 2011
parents’ support you’re much more likely to get into trouble. “I’m very much aware that I came from a good background
and still got in trouble.
“If I’d had a facility like this
I’m certain I would have made use of it. It’s when you’re hanging around at night with nothing to do. You’ve reached 13 and you don’t want to be in Scouts anymore.”
Seeing so many children having fun at the youth zone, and hearing about lives changed for the better, gives Brian “a massive buzz”.
“I hear about the positive impact we can have on young people’s lives, with people who in some cases don’t have great parental support. The role model aspect too. Adults mentoring them. And now they’re going down the right road.”
One example of a youth zone child’s kindness touched Brian greatly.
“A little girl wrote me a lovely letter when my father passed away. And I know she was having her own issues.”
How did he feel when he read her letter? “Tearful.”
He adds of the youth zone: “It’s a fantastic facility for young people. For those children that need support and guidance, there’s not just the staff. The
Stuart Walker
ZONING
IN ON OUR
FUTURE
fact that the children come from all backgrounds, poor and middle class. They’re all mixing together. Hopefully that in itself is a really positive influence.”
Another four youth zones are due to open shortly in London. Brian is hoping to create a second one in Cumbria.
“I would like to do a youth zone in Whitehaven. It would be on the back of nuclear developments.
I know there’s uncertainty with those at the moment.
“If the necessary projects get developed then there’s the opportunity to transform the communities of Copeland.”
* Hazel Blears, who was Minister for Policing from 2003-6,
is a supporter of Carlisle Youth Zone and a regular visitor there.
She says: “What I really like about the youth zone is the combination of freedom and excitement with boundaries and principles.
“Before I was communities minister I was police minister. I brought in ASBOs and all that.
“One point of youth zones is
to prevent young people from getting to that position by keeping them out of the criminal justice system.
“Once a child is in that, it’s really hard to bring them back. The more we can do to intervene early, the better. It’s common sense - improving lives.”


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THE CUMBERLAND NEWS FRIDAY JULY 11, 2014 NEWS
9
Whisky proves to be toast of show
Showcase: Lakes Distillery
THE county’s home-pro- duced whisky, gin and vodka proved a sell-out success at The Cumberland Show.
The Lakes Distillery, Cum- bria’s very own spirit pro- ducer, showcased its prod- ucts at the show last month – and was astounded at the response.
The show, held at Carlisle Racecourse, is always a high- light in the calendar, uniting town and country.
Katie Read, business devel- opment manager for the dis- tillery, said: “We thoroughly enjoyed our day at the show.
“On our stall in the food hall it was non-stop, lots of visitors sampled The One – the first British-distilled whiskey – and we sold all the stock we had taken.”
She added: “People were also very keen to learn about the background of the dis- tillery, and we even had some join our Founders Club there and then.”
The recent focus on the dis- tillery not only bodes well for sales of the products, but has also led to an influx of vis- itors to its newly opened pre- visitor reception at the dis- tillery’s Bassenthwaite base.
Work at the distillery site is on schedule and production of the Lakes Malt, gin and vodka is set to begin in September.
The proposed visitor cen- tre, which will be a key attraction for the Lake Dis- trict, is due to open in Decem- ber.
To find out more about the Lakes Distillery, visit www.lakesdistillery.com.
Carnival
time to
reflect
THERE was a moment of reflection among the joy at Newton Arlosh Carnival.
Villagers turned out in force to attend Sunday’s annual event.
Fears that roadworks may not be completed in time – which would have stopped the procession reaching the playing field, the usual gath- ering place – meant that organisers took the decision to relocate for the first time.
Pauline Smith and her fam- ily, of Watch Hill, offered their field and a spokeswom- an for the community com- mittee said it was “definitely the right move”.
She added that, while it was a wonderful family day in the sun, the thoughts of all who attended were with Mrs Smith following the death of her son – 37-year-old Russell Long – in September.
Thanks to their generosity I am still alive a decade later
64-year-old tells story as more people urged to donate organs
Apparent rise in injuries at races
BY JULIAN WHITTLE
AN IMPROVEMENT in the reporting system has led to an apparent rise in the number of injuries at Carlisle racecourse.
A report on safety within the county’s sporting grounds revealed four spectators at the Durdar Road site needed treatment at the city’s Cumberland Infirmary in the past 12 months.
Injuries included a bro- ken ankle, broken leg, knee fracture and chest pains.
Other casualties during the year were given first aid by St John Ambulance volunteers for conditions ranging from minor cuts and aches and pains to nose bleeds or dizziness.
The report says: “The increase in the number of injuries from previous years is due to an improved reporting system, which the new management has brought to the ground.”
Elsewhere, nine people were treated for minor ill- nesses or injuries while watching Carlisle United.
The report continues: “Overall, the ground is in good condition with ongo- ing maintenance prevalent throughout the year.
“There have been nine people – eight spectators and one staff member – treated for minor illnesses or injuries during the sea- son ranging from chest pains to generally feeling unwell.
“This resulted in four spectators being taken to the Cumberland Infirmary by ambulance as a precau- tionary measure.”
£100,000
off price
of hotel
BY STAFF REPORTER
PROSPECTIVE hoteliers can save a cool £100,000 off an Appleby business.
Agents acting for the Tufton Arms Hotel have announced that the price tag for the 22-bed Grade II- listed building has dropped from £1.2m – to £1.1m.
Located in the 16th-cen- tury market town, it is the first time the business has been on the market for 25 years.
Nigel Milsom, from the hotel, said: “The Tufton Arms has always had a sub- stantial wine list – mainly because of mine and my father’s love of wine.
“This interest led me to investing in wine and building up both the hotel’s and my own private cellars.”
At the rear of the prop- erty there are two private flats, for sale with an ask- ing price of £150,000 each.
John Holland: In 2003 he was told t he had just 10 months to live
BY EMILY PARSONS
JOHN Holland owes his life to the generosity of an Irish- man – and the family who chose to donate his organs.
In 2003, the now-64-year-old was told by doctors that he had just 10 months to live.
He had been battling a rare liver disease known as pri- mary sclerosing cholangitis. It is unknown what causes it but it can be hereditary.
As his health deteriorated John, of St George’s Crescent, Stanwix, Carlisle, was warned his only hope of sur- vival was a liver transplant.
The former RAF 14MU worker became more and more unwell but thankfully, two months after being placed on the waiting list, he had his transplant.
“It took me quite some weeks before I was able to put pen to paper and write to the donor family,” John told The Cumberland News.
“I just said thank you, and tried to offer them reassur- ance that my liver hadn’t failed because of drink or drugs; I was just unlucky.”
He has spoken out as part of Transplant Awareness
Week, which aims to raise awareness of the shortage of organ donors.
In 2012 The Cumberland News launched its Promise Life campaign in memory of Botcherby youngster Mackenzie Wealleans.
He died just days before his second birthday after his par- ents endured an agonising two-month wait for a life-sav- ing heart transplant which never came.
Promise Life aims to explore all aspects of the issue of donation, and encourage more people to sign up to become donors.
More than 5,000 people in north and west Cumbria answered the call but more people are still needed to sign up.
The issue of organ dona- tion this week received back- ing from a higher power
Support: The Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev James Newcome, right, with Anthony Clarkson, of NHS Blood and Transplant, view the ribbon
when the Church of England made a visible display of its support.
Carlisle Cathedral was wrapped in a giant red ribbon – the first time a cathedral has ever been adorned in suchaway–aspartofthe fleshandblood campaign.
This unique initiative aims to encourage church congre- gations to see blood and organ donation as a part of their regular giving.
The Very Rev Mark Boyling, Dean of Carlisle Cathedral, said: “For cen- turies generosity has been a
central theme of the church and of Carlisle Cathedral.
“Extending our under- standing of such generosity to include blood and organ donation has the potential to tangibly transform the
giver and the receiver. It is a real privilege for us to host this event on behalf of the fleshandblood campaign and we look forward to seeing its impact in the coming months.”
In Cumbria 28 residents have died due to the shortage of organs in the last five years. There are 61 people waiting for a transplant.
email [email protected]
From a life-saving transplant to cycling for GB team
ANOTHER liver trans- plant patient is continuing to ensure he is living proof of the difference a trans- plant can make.
John Leveson, from Langwathby near Penrith, also suffered from primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare liver disease which attacks the immune sys- tem.
He was diagnosed in 2007 and by the end of 2009 his body was shutting down with no hope of a cure except for a liver trans- plant.
Thankfully, a man in London made the difficult decision to donate his wife’s organs – and save John’s life.
Since then, the deputy chief executive of Cumber-
BY EMILY PARSONS
land Building Society has spent every day ensuring he is “worthy” of that liver.
He is now a transplant games competitor and was in Austria last month with the GB cycling team.
Four Britons took part in a three-day event, riding from Innsbruck to Lake Garda in an event organ- ised by the Italian Trans- plant Cycling Team.
John said: “In early August I have the cycling events at the British Games, which are qualify- ing events for the 2015 World Games in Argenti- na.
“And then later in August it’s the European
Games – in Krakow this time.
“My wife Anne and the girls are coming along to that one so the girls can, for the first time, see dad rac- ing for the GB team.”
He added: “I remember, after my transplant, com- ing to terms with what it would mean to live with a transplant.
“One of the issues would be foreign travel, due to being away from our won- derful NHS and the poten- tial problems of travelling with all my drugs. I had therefore resigned myself to never again leaving the UK.
“Getting into the GB Transplant cycling team has proved how wrong I was.”
John Leveson: Resigned himself to never leaving UK again but is now competing abroad
Help to make the grade
ADULTS looking to improve their maths or English grades are invited to an information evening.
Netherhall and Beacon Hill Adult Education Centre is holding an enrolment evening at Netherhall School, Maryport, from 7pm on Monday, to offer more information to anyone interested.
It runs 30-week courses with English taught in Aspatria and maths at Maryport, but they are typically booked up well in advance of the start date.
Susan Eastwood, centre manager, explained: “Last year we received a lot of enquiries in September from
people desperate for a place on the course, but we had to turn many away as we were full.
“This year we are giving people a chance to come along and register their interest early and have the chance to meet the tutor and find out more about the course and whether or not they feel ready to join it.”
Classes take place for two hours, one evening a week. It is free to anyone over the age of 19 with less than a grade C at GCSE.
To book a place on the enrolment evening, call 01900 815765 or email [email protected]
HOW YOU CAN HELP SAVE A LIFE
To join the register online, visit the NHS Blood and Transplant website www.organdonation.nhs.uk/how_to_become_a_donor/registration/consent.asp?campaign=2206 Alternatively, to download an organ donor register form, that you can post to NHS Blood and Transplant, visit www.cnnewmedia.co.uk/locker/ns/pdf/OrganDonorForm_2206.pdf




marketing
 and
 comms


New Global Social Media Site Launched For Sports Fans
A SMALL Sarasota-based company is at the heart of the world’s newest social media phenomenon.
Fanoptic officially launched on Saturday, May 20, bringing together sports fans, players, coaches, sponsors and teams in a way never before seen online.
It was the brainchild of NFL agent Jesse Foreman, from Orlando, and made a reality by the digital business solutions company Web Jarvis.
Jesse, chief executive of Global Sports Entertainment, explains: “I wanted somewhere you could find your sports news easily - not searching for a five second glimpse hidden between a cat video and a photo of somebody’s breakfast.”
Fanoptic offers users of all ages the chance to chat about the latest signings, react to injuries, share news, and debate the merits - or otherwise - of your favourite players.
The entire concept is completely new, and is possible only thanks to the determination and dedication of Tristram Allen and Justin Reasoner of Web Jarvis.
Tristram, 28, explains: “Jesse had the idea for a brand new social media concept dedicated to sports, but to make it a reality we had to design and build it from scratch.
“We wanted it to be like the Facebook of the sporting world.”
It has been a four-month labour of love for the Web Jarvis team, with designers and programmers working determinedly from their base off Fruitville Road to bring Fanoptic to life.
“There have been some tough days,” admits 27-year-old Justin, “when we spent hours perfecting one small part of the site.
“Watching it come together has made it all worthwhile though. It’s been the biggest project for Web Jarvis to date, and has excited us about the other possibilities out there.”
Tristram and Justin created their first website about two years ago, continuing to create websites alongside their other businesses.
Their success led to the need to employ more staff until, in September, the business partners decided to focus all their efforts on Web Jarvis - a move which has already proven to be a success, with Fanoptic showing the talent and determination of these Sarasota guys.
Page 1 of 2


Jesse says: “I’m pretty picky, but Web Jarvis have been fantastic. They managed to turn the dream I have had for nine years into a reality. Everything I asked for has been created exactly as I envisioned it.
“I am so excited about Fanoptic and what it will bring to the sporting world.”
Fanoptic may have only officially launched today, but it has been trialled by 30 handpicked users for several weeks to iron out any bugs.
The key for its creators is that it is not just for Joe Public: sports stars themselves are signing up, with Cleveland Browns’ Austin Reiter among the first to create his own profile.
“Rather than interacting with a fan page on Facebook, people can connect directly with athletes’ personal profiles,” Jesse, 30, says.
“This is about creating one sporting world, whoever you are. We want soccer dads discussing their daughter’s team, alongside baseball fans raving about the Red Sox.”
As if all that wasn’t enough, Fanoptic users can even get money for chatting about sport.
Users of the site get points for every interaction they have, from liking a news point to sharing a comment. At the end of the first year, the user with the most points will walk away with $5,000 cash.
For more information or to get involved, visit www.fanoptic.com ENDS
NOTE TO EDITORS:
For all media enquiries or to set up interviews with Jesse, Tristram or Justin, please contact Emily Parsons by emailing [email protected]
Web Jarvis is based in Sarasota and offers tailor-made digital business solutions. For more information about Web Jarvis and the services it offers, visit www.webjarvis.com
Page 2 of 2




MEDIA COVERAGE OF FANOPTIC
Media coverage of the launch of Fanoptic to-date - and still to come is Tristram Allen’s interview on Suncoast News Network in Sarasota, scheduled to take place the weekend of Sat/Sun May 27/28.
http://www.tampabaynewswire.com/2017/05/24/local-company-launches-new-
global-social-media-site-for-sports-fans-57968


http://www.nfldraftdiamonds.com/fanoptic/


https://www.941ceo.com/articles/2017/5/22/sarasota-tech-company-
helps-launch-new-social-media-site


heraldtribune.com Sarasota firm creates sports social media site
A new social media platform for sports fans has been created by a small Sarasota-based company, Web Jarvis.
Fanoptic, which launched in late May, was the idea of NFL agent Jesse Foreman of Orlando.
“Jesse had the idea for a brand new social media concept dedicated to sports, but to make it a reality we had to design and build it from scratch,” said Tristram Allen, 28, a co- founder of Web Jarvis. “We wanted it to be like the Facebook of the sporting world.”
The Web Jarvis team of designers and programmers worked on Fanoptic for four months at their office off Fruitville Road. “There have been some tough days,” said co-founder Justin Reasoner, 27, “when we spent hours perfecting one small part of the site. Watching it come together has made it all worthwhile, though. It’s been the biggest project for Web Jarvis to date, and has excited us about the other possibilities out there.”
Allen and Reasoner created their first website about two years ago and started their web design and marketing company. “I’m pretty picky,” Foreman said, “but Web Jarvis have been fantastic. Everything I asked for has been created exactly as I envisioned it.


Web Jarvis Launch Press Release INSERT DATE
For immediate release
AS START-up businesses go, finding yourself behind the world’s newest social media concept - led by an NFL agent no less - may not be standard procedure.
But that was just how it went for Tristram Allen and Justin Reasoner. Since starting Web Jarvis 10 months ago, the pair have been so busy they haven’t even had time to officially launch it.
“We made our first website a couple of years ago,” Tristram explains, “and it had a profound effect on the owner and his business and was immensely rewarding.
“We created a few more websites and then in September we decided to try our hand at making it a business and have never looked back.”
Now, with their team of five, Tristram and Justin offer a host of custom-made digital business solutions, from web development and design, to blogging and social media.
Among the successes the Sarasota-based company can already lay claim to is the recently launched Fanoptic website: a dedicated social media forum for sports fans, entirely designed and created by the Web Jarvis team. Its creation has already caused a stir among media, sports and web design agencies across the US.
Tristram, 28, says: “It’s been an incredible success already. We always knew it had potential, and with Jesse Foreman behind it we hoped it would help capture people’s imaginations.
“It’s been really exciting to be behind something so innovative and fresh, and has hopefully proven how capable we are.”
From small businesses starting out to large enterprises looking to expand, there is no job Tristram believes his team cannot do, as they walk each client individually through their requirements, tailor- making each website or logo to the customer’s needs.
While the biggest success so far may have been a nationwide phenomenon, Web Jarvis - members of The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce - actually has its sights set on a far more modest level.
“The world of the web can be a confusing place,” Tristram admits, “with websites throwing technical jargon around and bamboozling you into something which you don’t understand.
“We pride ourselves on the fact we speak your language: this is a partnership between us and the customer, and we need to make sure we understand each other to get it right.”
Page 1 of 2


Justin continues: “Our passion is ensuring that every business has a respectable online presence: everyone rushed to get online so quickly, that when the hype calmed down they didn’t know where to go and we were left with a world of very similar, templated websites.
“Your website is your shop window, and we want to make sure it not only draws people in, but also shouts about who you are.
“We take the time to talk to our clients and come up with a design that is as unique as they are.”
With so many companies shouting about what they can do for customers, Web Jarvis has taken a step back, and looked at what businesses in Sarasota county need.
It has devised a tailor-made start-up plan for both new businesses and those looking to step into the digital world for the first time. This offers everything from a custom-designed website and business email address, to Google analytics and search engine optimization best practices.
As part of its work to help young entrepreneurs, Web Jarvis recently offered to work with Jake Bennett, winner of the Sarasota Young Entrepreneurs Academy business start-up competition.
The 14-year-old was awarded $1,300 for his saltwater trolling lure company, Firecracker Lures, and immediately said he hoped to spend the cash on a website.
Tristram says: “While Jake’s winnings would allow him to get a company to build him a template site, we were so inspired by his determination, Web Jarvis wanted to offer him a free custom-built site to really give him the best start with his fledgling business - and allow him to spend his winnings on something else he needs.
“We are hoping to sit down with Jake in June, so watch this space.”
It is not just new starters who can benefit from the experience of the team at Web Jarvis either, as Justin and Tristram recognise that sometimes businesses need a fresh approach. They have a series of tools, suggestions and techniques to give a site a new lease of life, increase customers and grow the business.
Web Jarvis has its sites firmly set on establishing itself within Sarasota county - before taking on the world.
Page 2 of 2


hard
 news
 articles


HILL HILL
Monday,November20,2017 (64pTOSUBSCRIBERS) 80p
SHINING STARS SHINING STARS
CLIMB CLIMB
Clint sends Blues into the top half
PAGES 37-40
PAGES 8&9 POP HEROES LIGHT UP CARLISLE
EXCLUSIVE JAIL CELL INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE JAIL CELL INTERVIEW
Death
HELL INSIDE INDIAN BY EMILY PARSONS IN INDIA
MY YEARS OF
probe:
Woman
charged Full story: Page 2
PRISON
Helping
in Evie’s
memory Hospital boost: Page 3
newsandstar.co.uk
IMPRISONED former soldier John Armstrong has revealed the true horror of conditions inside an Indian jail, as the campaign to free him steps up. From being drugged and beaten, to rat infes- tations and near starvation, he says he is in a living nightmare.
FULL STORY: PAGES 4&5
CUMBRIAN: I’VE BEEN BEATEN UP, CUMBRIAN: I’VE BEEN BEATEN UP,
DRUGGED AND DECLARED INSANE DRUGGED AND DECLARED INSANE


" www.newsandstar.co.uk LOCAL NEWS Ne!s " Star Monday, November 20, 2017
NEED TO
KNOW




WEATHERWATCH Moln Tues
Weds Thurs
WEATHER UPDATES ON
NEWSANDSTAR.CO.UK
Today: Mostly cloudy in the morning with patchy rain, heaviest across Scotland and Northern England. In the afternoon, it will remain largely cloudy with rain at times. Breezy in the north.
Tonight: A cloudy night with patchy rain and drizzle. In Scotland there will be mostly heavy rain with the occasional lighter spell. For central and southern areas it will be cloudy and misty with rain at times. A mild night with temperatures well above average for this time of year. Moderate westerly winds
UK Outlook: Mild but unsettled through Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be wet for most of Tuesday with some patchy rain, heaviest in Scotland and Northern England. Wednesday will have a mostly dry but cloudy start becoming wetter through the day with moderate winds.
LATE CHEMISTS
CARLISLE: Asda, Kingstown, 9am-9pm; Sainsbury’s, Bridge Street, 7am-11pm; Tesco, Rosehill, 8am-8pm.
COCKERMOUTH: Boots, 56-58 Main Street, 8.30am-6pm; JWW Allison & Son, 31 Main Street, 9am-5.30pm.
KESWICK: Boots, 31 Main Street, 9am-5.30pm; Co-op Pharmacy, 25 Main Street, 9am-5.30pm; JN Murray, 17 Station Street, 9am-5pm.
MARYPORT: HS Dobies, 29 Curzon Street, 9am-5.30pm. AF Norman, 55 Senhouse Street, 9am-5.30pm.
PENRITH: Morrisons In-store Pharmacy, Brunswick Road, Mon-Wed 8am-8pm; Thurs/Fri 8am-9pm. Sainsbury’s Pharmacy, 1 Common Garden Square, 7am-10pm.
WHITEHAVEN: Morrisons, Flatt Walks, 8am-8pm; Tesco Bransty Row, 8.30am-5.30pm.
WIGTON: Co-op Pharmacy, Wigton Health Centre, Southend, 9am-6.30pm; Well Pharmacy, 14 King Street, 8.45am-5.30pm; Well Pharmacy, Wigton Medical Centre, South End, 9am-6.30pm.
WORKINGTON: Asda Pharmacy, Dunmail Park Shopping Centre, Maryport Road, Mon 8am-11pm; Tues-Fri 7am-11pm; Boots, Murray Road, Mon,Tues,Thurs, Fri 9am-5.30pm, Wed 9am-8pm; WGourlay, 25-27 Oxford Street, 9am-6pm; JH Sandham, 64 Harrington Road, 9am-6pm. JH Sandham, Oxford Street, 9am-5pm; FC Whelan, 72 John Street, 9am-6pm; JS Urwin, Seaton, 9am-6pm.
HIGH TIDES
Where it began: A film called The Chennai 6: A Miscarriage of Justice tells how the six were arrested on board the Seaman Guard Ohio
The water was so rank
didn’t wash – so they Cumbrian beaten up and drugged in mental hospital
EMILY PARSONS
IN CHENNAI, INDIA
AN EX-SOLDIER has revealed how he was beaten, drugged and locked up in a mental hospital in the worst experience of his four-year hell to-date.
Rat infestations, unbear- able heat and near starvation are daily battles for the #Chennai6, six Britons – including one Cumbrian – cur- rently serving a five-year sen- tence in Puzhal Prison, Chen- nai, India.
They were among 35 men convicted of illegally possess- ing firearms in international waters, charges they have vehemently denied since day one.
Last year Joanne Thomlin- son, from Wigton, spoke of her brother’s terrifying ordeal at the hands of Indian prison guards when he was wrongly accused of being insane.
OVERPOWERED
For the first time, former Paratrooper John Armstrong has admitted just how bad the situation truly was.
“It has been the toughest part of the four years,” the 30-year-old told the News & Star. “I was alone outside, fending off more than 10 guards and prisoners trying to drag me into a bus from inside the prison.”
He was overpowered, event- ually being taken to a hospital for the mentally ill, where he was injected with unknown drugs, hooked up to a drip and given daily medication.
The nightmare begins: A film entitled The Chennai 6: A Miscarriage of Justice features John Armstrong as he was brought ashore
TODAY
Silloth.............12.17am(7m) &12.31pm(7.2m) Workington...
....................... 12.05am (9.2m) & 12.22pm (9.4m) TOMORROW
Silloth........... 12.49am(6.8m) &1.05pm(7.1m) Workington...
....................... 12.39am (9.1m) & 12.55pm (9.3m)
Kept in touch: John Armstrong and sister Joanne Thomlinson
“In a way I’m extremely he admits, “because they
day they gave me a phone to call home, so that was a relief for my family and me.”
Confused and scared, John was horrified when he later learned the reason behind his insanity ‘diagnosis’. He said: “The hardest thing I had to hear was that some of the prisoners, prior to me being taken away, were informing to the prison superintendent that I was not washing regu- larly. In reality I have an aller- gic reaction to the water that’s supplied to the prison – which is not surprising as it’s full of worms and very slimy.
“Let’s suppose even if I had gone insane, you certainly wouldn’t liaise with the prison authorities to deal with me.
“After all that has happened
to all of us here, I find it awful that there is an informer amongst ourselves.”
For his sister Joanne, 32, it is the fear of it happening again which preys on her mind. “The Foreign Office lodged a com- plaint,” she said, “but we have never had a response.
“It was the same year they were convicted and it was like going back into the unknown all over again. We had ques- tions about the medication being given to him and what was in the drip, but we have never been given the answers to that.”
The mum-of-two added: “It’s the most scared for John we’ve ever been, and he refers to it as the worst thing that’s ever happened to him.”
DAY 1 OF OUR SHOCKING SERIES OF REPORTS INTO LIGHTING UP TIMES
lucky I was able to spit all my 10 tablets daily back into a cup without the doctors noticing,”
observed me taking the pills. “There were good people in the hospital, as nearly every
GOT A STORY? Call our newsdesk on 01228 612665 www.newsandstar.co.uk
High security: Joanne Thomlinson and Yvonne MacHugh at Puzhal Prison
Tonight .................................. 4.31pm to 7.25am Tomorrow ............................. 4.30pm to 7.27am


Ne!s " Star Monday, November 20, 2017 LOCAL NEWS www.newsandstar.co.uk !
NEWS
BRIEFING
Assault probe
WHITEHAVEN: A man was left injured after being assaulted outside a takeaway.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, in the doorway of the Chicken Hut in Duke Street.
It happened at about 2am on Sunday, November 12. A witness appeal was made only yesterday.
The victim, a middle-aged man, suffered injuries to his left eye.
Anyone who witnessed the attack should call police on 101.
Microchipping
CARLISLE: The city council has teamed up with The Dogs Trust to offer free microchipping for dogs.
A Dogs Trust Community Event will be held at Morton Community Centre today, between 11am and 3pm.
In addition to free microchipping, the Dogs Trust will also providing a free ‘check your chip’ service, free health and training advice for dogs and free basic dog health checks, including nail clipping.
It became a legal requirement for all dogs to be chipped as part of legislation in April 2016.
newsandstar.co.uk
and horrible that I
said I was insane after fellow prisoner acted as informant
Campaigning: John’s sister Joanne Thomlinson, far right, joins protesters marching through London calling for action be taken to free the #Chennai6
Who are Chennai 6?
JOHN Armstrong, 30, is one of six Britons, known as the #Chennai6. The others are Billy Irving, Ray Tindall, Paul Towers, Nick Simpson and Nick Dunn.
They were all working as maritime security guards – or pirate hunters – for the Ameri- can company AdvanFort when they were arrested on board the Seaman
Guard Ohio, alongside the other 29 crew members, in October 2013.
After seven months in jail, they were released on bail and the charges were later quashed, rul- ing them officially free.
However, Q Branch – the section of the police which led their prosecu- tion – appealed that deci- sion and, 18 months later,
the case finally went to court.
In January 2016 the 35 men were convicted and sentenced to five years. An appeal was lodged the following month, and fin- ally heard in November 2016. There is still as yet no decision on that appeal but last week the Supreme Court said the judge should give his ver- dict within 14 days.
IN TOMORROW’S NEWS & STAR
HOW THE FOREIGN OFFICE HAS ‘FAILED’ IMPRISONED MEN
ABUSE OF CUMBRIAN FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE IN INDIA
PUZHAL Prison, about an hour’s drive from Chennai itself, is surrounded by high walls and barbed wire.
The guards are armed with rifles and bayonets which appear to date from decades earlier, as they stand at every gate and checkpoint.
For John, it is a living hell.
It has no air conditioning to ease the heat in summer, and floods during the rainy season – causing poisonous snakes to flee their burrows and posing a real danger to the inmates.
The former painter and decorator, who worked with his dad, also called John Armstrong, has tried to give
an insight into life on the inside.
“I wake at about 6am, and go to sleep at about 10pm. I spend the day walking around outside,” he said, “and sometimes do running and I also read a little.
“Iusedtogoandseeoneof my friends in another block, but I became one of the only prisoners to be banned from seeing another prisoner, as they deemed him ‘very dan- gerous’. As I’m living next door to murderers, I’m not so convinced a guy on a nar- cotics case poses much risk.”
Pressed on the conditions, John described them as a liv- ing nightmare.
Misery: The Central Prison
“They’re bad. To a local national, who is not aware of sanitation, they are probably very good, but for a foreigner it is literally a hell hole.
“The toilet and showers
have not been cleaned or emptied in months,” he said.
“Plastic is always burning beside the rooms and there is an infestation of rats.
“At the moment – during the rainy season – it’s relatively cool, but when the sun is out it reaches 40C. There is no way of cooling down, as even the water is hot on those days.”
The prison has three units: the remand block, the convict block, and a separate women’s block. It houses up to 2,500 prisoners, including a high security unit – where the six Britons are being held.
Yvonne MacHugh, fiancée
to Scottish pirate hunter Billy Irving, told the News & Star: “There’s a guy in there who stole a baby, raped the baby, and then murdered the baby. That’s the kind of men they’re in there with.
“Our men, they’re not criminals, they’re not bad people. They’ve done abso- lutely nothing wrong and they’re still being forced to basically socialise with mur- derers and rapists and child killers. It’s disgusting.”
Outside the prison gates, beside the entrance, is a shop that sells items made by the inmates of the prison.
The shop is called Free- dom.
‘The toilet and showers have not been cleaned in months’


"
www.newsandstar.co.uk LOCAL NEWS News ! Star Thursday, November 23, 2017
NEED TO
DAY 4 OF OUR SHOCKING SERIES OF REPORTS INTO
KNOW



WEATHERWATCH Fri Sat
Sun Mon
WEATHER UPDATES ON
NEWSANDSTAR.CO.UK
Today: There will be showers across muchofNorthernIreland,Scotland, Wales and northern England, some turningwintryparticularlyonhigher ground.Forcentralandsouthern Englanditwillbeafineanddrydaywith spellsofsunshine,butcloudingoverfrom thewestlaterintheafternoon.Abreezy day for many.
Tonight: Showers continuing across parts of Northern Ireland, western Scotland and north-west England, some wintry, mainly over hills. Heavy rain will affect southern counties of England. Drier for the rest of England, eastern Scotland and Wales, with clear spells. Winds easing apart from in the far north.
UK Outlook (Friday and Saturday):
Quite chilly on Friday with showers over Northern Ireland and western regions of Scotland. Otherwise, bright spells for most with light westerly winds. A similar day on Saturday with bright spells and large areas of cloud. Showers continuing in the west and north of Scotland, with brisk northerly winds here.
LATE CHEMISTS
CARLISLE: Asda, Kingstown, 9am-9pm;
Sainsbury’s, Bridge Street, 7am-11pm; Tesco, Rosehill, 8am-8pm.
COCKERMOUTH: Boots, 56-58 Main Street, 8.30am-6pm; JWW Allison & Son, 31 Main Street, 9am-5.30pm.
KESWICK: Boots, 31 Main Street, 9am-5.30pm; Co-op Pharmacy, 25 Main Street, 9am-5.30pm; JN Murray, 17 Station Street, 9am-5pm.
MARYPORT: HS Dobies, 29 Curzon Street, 9am-5.30pm. AF Norman, 55 Senhouse Street, 9am-5.30pm.
PENRITH: Morrisons In-store Pharmacy, Brunswick Road, Mon-Wed 8am-8pm; Thurs/Fri 8am-9pm. Sainsbury’s Pharmacy, 1 Common Garden Square, 7am-10pm.
WHITEHAVEN: Morrisons, Flatt Walks, 8am-8pm; Tesco Bransty Row, 8.30am-5.30pm.
WIGTON: Co-op Pharmacy, Wigton Health Centre, Southend, 9am-6.30pm; Well Pharmacy, 14 King Street, 8.45am-5.30pm; Well Pharmacy, Wigton Medical Centre, South End, 9am-6.30pm.
WORKINGTON: Asda Pharmacy, Dunmail Park Shopping Centre, Maryport Road, Mon 8am-11pm; Tues-Fri 7am-11pm; Boots, Murray Road, Mon,Tues,Thurs, Fri 9am-5.30pm, Wed 9am-8pm; WGourlay, 25-27 Oxford Street, 9am-6pm; JH Sandham, 64 Harrington Road, 9am-6pm. JH Sandham, Oxford Street, 9am-5pm; FC Whelan, 72 John Street, 9am-6pm; JS Urwin, Seaton, 9am-6pm.
HIGH TIDES
TODAY
Silloth.......... 1.57am (6.3m) and 2.14pm (6.5m) Workington 1.48am(8.7m)and2.03pm(8.8m) TOMORROW
Silloth............... 2.34am(6m)and2.54pm(6.2) Workington 2.24am(8.4m)and2.42pm(8.5m)
LIGHTING UP TIMES
Tonight .................................. 4.27pm to 7.31am Tomorrow ............................. 4.26pm to 7.32am
Time out: Yvonne MacHugh, 29, from Glasgow, outside Meenakshi Temple
Travel weary: Joanne Thomlinson rests in Dubai between connecting flights

We’dcomeforjust The women behind the men: Joanne Thomlinson and Yvonne MacHugh give an emotional interview to Emily Parsons about love, loss, faith and never giving up hope
mosquito bites and fear T
“You’ve got to see them, to give them that cuddle, to keep that bond and show them there’s people out there who love them and would do any- thing for them. And we lit- erally would.”
“You forget you’re in the prison and where you are,” Joanne added, “and you just have a conversation like you’re anywhere, and that’s completely worth it. It’s worth everything.”
FILTHY
With the incredible high of a prison visit, comes the crash- ing low of once again leaving the country – and leaving their men in filthy, rat-in- fested conditions.
“Every day is tough. Walk- ing out that door with the bars, seeing John and Billy standing there with the bags and walking back off to the cell... it’s not nice but you think ‘I’m gonna see them tomorrow’,” explained Joanne, her voice catching.
“But on the last one when they walk off it just goes through your head, ‘when am I going to see them again?’.
“You just don’t know. We have no idea.
“The prison is right on the flight path and John says they see the planes taking off.
“It’s just so cruel to think we’re flying right over their heads and they deserve to be home. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be.”
wo mums have revealed how they have battled sickness, exhaustion,
to fight for their loved ones. Several times a year Joanne Thomlinson and Yvonne MacHugh have packed their bags and set off on a 5,000-mile journey halfway around the world, in a bid to be there for six British men incarcerated
in an Indian jail.
Known as the #Chennai6
after the prison they have been locked up in for the past 22 months, the men are all Armed Forces veterans fight- ing to clear their name.
They were all convicted of illegally having guns in Indian territorial waters – des- pite having all the relevant licences for the firearms.
Their ordeal began back in October 2013 but their plight would be little-known were it not for the dogged determi- nation of their families back in the UK.
INJUSTICE
Among those leading the fight are Joanne, Yvonne and a third woman, Lisa Dunn. Lisa’s brother Nick is also locked up in Puzhal prison and the trio have made a for- midable team in the face of Indian injustice.
The most recent visit, last week, saw Joanne and Yvonne travel together, flying through the night before heading straight to the Deputy High
Why is John in jail?
JOHN Armstrong, 30, is one of six Britons, known as the #Chen- nai6. The others are Billy Irving, Ray Tindall, Paul Towers, Nick Simpson and Nick Dunn.
They were all working as maritime security guards for the American company AdvanFort when they were arrested along- side the other 29 crew in October 2013. After seven months in jail, they were released on bail and the charges were later quashed, ruling them officially free men. But the police appealed and, 18 months later, the 35 men were convicted. Their appeal was heard a year ago, with the verdict on Monday.
Fighting force: Yvonne MacHugh and Joanne Thomlinson outside Puzhal Prison, in Chennai
Commission for prison papers and then on to the jail.
Jet lag, torrential rain, unbearable heat and mosqui- toes took their toll on both woman but Joanne especially.
Despite this, she says she would do it again in a heart- beat.
“It’s worth all of that, just to be able to go into the prison and see John and see how he’s doing and hopefully it’s worth it for him too,” she said.
“He’s got contact with his family and hopefully that will make it easier when he gets home as well, that he’s seen us as regularly as possible.
“Even though it is exhaust- ing and stressful coming out here, it’s completely worth any of the negatives.
“And actually, me being sick in the night and being a bit tired from the flight is nothing compared to what those men are going through.
“I woke up with no air-con- ditioning on and I was sick. They wake up like that every single day and they just have to cope with it.
“They put me to shame really.”
Negotiations by the British embassy with the prison, mean UK visitors can now
apply for a two-hour visit, Monday to Friday, offering them potentially five visits a week. It was not always like this though.
Yvonne explained: “We used to do all this – the flying, jet lag, heat – and we only got one visit. We’d come out here for one visit, for one hour.
“We now get five visits for two hours each, which for any normal person seems like nothing but to us it’s amazing.
“The fact you can maintain a relationship with someone, be that your brother, your friend, your husband, your son, whatever.
IN TOMORROW’S CUMBERLAND NEWS
Cumbria raises more than rest of UK combined to help men’s fight for justice


News ! Star Thursday, November 23, 2017 LOCAL NEWS www.newsandstar.co.uk !
ABUSE OF CUMBRIAN FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE IN INDIA
5 charged
with drug
offences
BY NICK GRIFFITHS
FIVE people have been charged following a drugs operation carried out in the wake of the seizure of cocaine worth £210,000.
Detectives from Cumbria’s serious and organised crime squad made a number of charges after search warrants were executed in and around Carlisle. The operation took place in the last few days.
The class A drugs were seized on Saturday. Raids
Sleep zone: Yvonne and Joanne rest en route from Glasgow to Chennai
Tense wait: Joanne, left, and Yvonne at the High Court buildings in Madurai
onevisit,onehourwere carried out yesterday, at first charged with possess-
Religious belief: Joanne Thomlinson, left, and Yvonne MacHugh light a candle
world, because you don’t know how people are going to react.
“You think that when he comes home – because it’s obviously a mistake – you don’t want people thinking that that’s the kind of industry he was involved in.
“So I turned to the priest and it was the best thing I did, because he was someone I knew wouldn’t say anything to anyone else but would listen to me and it helped.”
Joanne echoed that: “I’ve always gone to church and I’m in the church choir at Wigton. When John was convicted, I didn’t have time to keep up with it but I’ve started going back again now.
“It is something that’s helped me and I know it really helps my mum as well, having her faith.”
Even in India, as the pair waited desperately for news from the court in Madurai, they sought solace in the Meenakshi Temple.
Yvonne said. “Just praying to someone and hoping that some- one is going to listen to you, it’s just something else that will give you a wee bit of hope. Without hope, you’ve really got nothing.”
Grand design: Inside the temple in Madurai, India Hope and prayer give families comfort

Seeking solace: Joanne at the Meenakshi Temple, in Madurai
“I was brought up very relig- ious and went to mass every Sun- day, and then I lost my faith a wee bit, and stopped going and started to question it,” explained Yvonne.
“When all this happened, I didn’t know who to speak to – because Billy got done for having illegal firearms. It’s not exactly something you want to tell the

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Gate keepers: Meenakshi Temple
THE British men imprisoned in India have turned to religion, as they search for anything to help give them hope.
Joanne said: “We went to a Catholic school, we weren’t Cath- olic – not everyone at the school was – but we were always brought up that you knew all the Bible stories and went to church with the school.
“Since he’s been in prison though, John has read the Bible all the way through – two or three times. And it’s not just the Bible.
“Sister Catherine, who John wrote to, has got some friends who travelled over to Chennai and took a priest in. They prayed with John and said a prayer over his head and I think he really found that helpful and uplifting.”
Yvonne said: “Billy’s the exact same. He was kind of against religion in a sense, he just thought it was a bit of nonsense. But he has also found it helps.”
It is not just the men who have found religion to be a comfort; both women admit their faith has helped them through tough times.
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confirmed the force.
Alan Hudson Williams, 69,
ing cocaine with intent to supply. They appeared before a magistrates’ court and were remanded in custody.
Scott Sutherland, 25, of Shawk Crescent, Thursby; Matthew Scott, 24, of Lingy- close Road, Dalston; and Jason Hill, 20, of Hawick Street, Shaddongate, Carlisle, have been charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Trial speeches
A JURY in the trial of four schoolboys accused of raping a 15-year-old girl has begun hearing closing speeches. They each deny two rape alle- gations, and further deny an additional sexual assault in Workington on January 3.
of Derwent Street, off Wigton Road, Carlisle; and Matthew Payne, 44, of Stanhope Road, off Wigton Road Carlisle, were
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Defiant message: Kathryn Elliott, left, and Hannah Cockburn, two of the University of Cumbria graduates on their way
to Carlisle Cathedral yesterday STUART WALKER
Rain on parade: Week of University of Cumbria graduation ceremonies
EXCLUSIVE BY EMILY PARSONS In Chennai, India
A FORMER soldier imprisoned in India has sent a defiant mess- age to those in power, insisting he will never give up his fight for freedom.
Speaking from prison, John Armstrong, 30, told The Cumber- land News: “I am not afraid of what is to come.
“The only thing they have taken from me is my freedom, but they have failed to succeed in taking anything else.”
The ex-paratrooper was speak- ing just days before he is set to learn whether he will be forced to spend another two-and-a-half years in the hell hole of Puzhal Prison, Chennai, for crimes he insists he is innocent of.
The Wigton man is one of six Britons – collectively known as the #Chennai6 after the city where they’re imprisoned – fighting for their freedom.
They and 29 other crew members on board the Seaman Guard Ohio were arrested in Oc- tober 2013, eventually being con- victed of illegally possessing guns in Indian territorial waters – despite having licences issued by the UK Government.
After 22 months in prison – and more than four years trapped in India – they will learn on Monday whether an appeal against their conviction and five- year jail sentence has been suc- cessful.
Speaking exclusively from his prison cell, John admitted that when initially arrested he never imagined the nightmare that would follow.
“To begin with I never believ-
Before and after: John Armstrong has been held in India for four years
INSIDE TODAY
STUDENTS refused to be defeated by downpours as they stopped their graduation day becoming a washout.
Hundreds have braved the el- ements in Carlisle this week as University of Cumbria cer- emonies have taken place at the city’s cathedral.
Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu – the institution’s chan- cellor – was among the digni- taries there yesterday, where a number of special honours were presented to recognise tremen- dous academic achievement.
And those there eager to cel-
BY KELLY PATTISON
ebrate years of hard work weren’t prepared to let rain, which has caused chaos across the county – closing schools, roads and railways – get in the way.
Graduate Kathryn Elliott even sent a defiant message about the elements with her “rain, rain, go away” umbrella.
A warning has been issued that rain could be replaced by ice today.
Graduates’ big day: Page 3 Weather chaos: Page 5
ed I’d still be here after four years,” he said. “But then as time went on, and seeing how the sys- tem worked, I knew this was going to happen.
“There was no hope when we were all out of jail, with the charges dropped, and still not allowed home. I could see how it was going to go.”
The case has drawn global at- tention, as the British men are all Armed Forces veterans – many having completed tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. They later moved into maritime security, working to protect sailors and merchant vessels from the danger of pirates.
John’s sister, Joanne Thomlin- son, has helped spearhead the campaign to free the men.
Speaking about Monday’s ver- dict she said: “We have no idea what lies ahead of us, but all we can do is hope and pray that John and all of his 34 colleagues are allowed to come home.
“If the verdict doesn’t go the way it should, we will dust our- selves off and keep fighting.
“We’ve promised we won’t give up until these men are home with their families where they belong.”
Special report from Chennai – and Wigton’s support for cam- paign: Pages 6 and 7
PAGE 4
GET YOUR KICKS ON ROAD RACE NUMBER 66
P8
Police reviewing two forensic cases
Shoppers line up in dark for Black Friday bargains
BY NICK GRIFFITHS
MORE than 25 criminal cases from Cumbria have been reviewed in the wake of poten- tial data manipulation at two forensics labs.
Police chiefs have confirmed the county force was one of those affected by an inquiry into sites in Manchester.
The majority of the Cumbrian cases have been given the all clear after being examined to see if they needed to be tested again forensically. Two are still being reviewed.
The county’s most senior in- vestigator, Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Slattery, confirmed the details as the fall- out continued nationally.
Across the country, scores of prosecutions have been dropped and several convic- tions hang in the balance.
Ten thousand potential cases of data manipulation were identified.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said forensic tests across 42 police forces, in- cluding from rapes and murders, were being consider- ed possibly unreliable – and needed re-examining.
Det Chief Supt Slattery said: “Cumbria Constabulary have

The Cumberland News Price £1.40
Reassurances: Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Slattery
used the laboratories concerned in 27 cases. We have reviewed all of those cases ... we are still awaiting decisions in relation to two of those cases. In all of the others, it has been determined that no further testing is required.”
Three-quarters of the cases nationally needing re-examin- ing were traffic offences, such as drug driving. Retests have so far found no impact on sexual offence cases, violence or murder, the NPCC said.
Cumbria Police have declined to disclose the nature of their cases featured in the reviews.
BY PAM MCCLOUNIE
BARGAIN hunters are expected to be out in force today as shops slash prices for Black Friday.
Shoppers in Carlisle are ex- pected to queue in the dark from early this morning to get their hands on bargains, with many electrical items expected to be hugely discounted at stores like Currys and Argos.
On Black Friday, shops’ prices plummet for 24 hours in an attempt to get people splash- ing the cash in the run-up to Christmas. The day earned its name as it’s often the day shops ‘move into the black’ – meaning they have enough money to cover their costs.
And it works – as customers often queue for hours to get their hands on the best bar- gains.
But while the day is a big cash generator for large and multi- national businesses, it’s often hard for smaller, independent businesses to offer such deals.
Jane Coulthard, who owns Jiggery Pokery on Fisher Street, Carlisle, is offering a Black Friday deal for the first time in six years.
She said: “There’s no doubt about it – it is difficult out there and competition is everywhere.
Discount: Jane Coulthard of Jiggery Pokery is offering an incentive

SPECIAL REPORT
Universal credit: A cold and hungry Christmas?
You have my freedom, but
nothing else
rise by 4%
next year
BY JENNY BROWN
HOUSEHOLDS across Cumbria look set to pay more council tax next year.
Cumbria County Council has proposed increasing its share of the bill by four per cent as it aims to slash a further £70m from its budget in the next five years.
Members of its ruling cabinet are deliberating how to meet the huge financial challenge. They propose a 1.99 per cent increase, while the Government has al- ready introduced the ability to apply an additional two per cent precept to help fund the rising costs of adult social care.
Under the proposals those liv- ing in a Band D property would pay an extra £51 in council tax in 2018/2019.
The council launched its budget consultation and is urg- ing members of the public to sub- mit their views – on whether it should apply its 1.99 per cent rise this year or not – before January 8.
Since 2011 the authority has al- ready made savings of £214m.
Every one per cent increase in council tax generates £2m of in- come and for the last three years the authority has agreed to in- crease it by almost 2 per cent.
It accounts for about 57 per cent of the council’s budget.
Proposals for a new vision for the council and outcomes for the people of Cumbria were also dis- cussed.
Deputy leader Ian Stewart said his authority needed a fresh ap- proach: “The ongoing financial pressures on the public sector re- main difficult and challenging.”
Imprisoned John ‘will keep fighting’
“This week has been difficult. The weather has had a big im- pact.
“Many of the high street stores will have had their 20 per cent days planned last year.
“I decided to do mine this week, offering 20 per cent off today.
“It will be interesting to see what impact it has.
“I don’t want to be like the high street and cheapen our
brand but I do want to reward our customers.”
Shops aren’t the only busi- nesses offering deals, with a number of restaurants getting in on the act too.
CN Group, publisher of The Cumberland News, also has Black Friday deals operating.
Big Matt’s Sandwich Shack on Fisher Street closes its doors today before re-opening in the new year as something different.
In-depth probe: page 12
Budget: Cumbria County Council deputy leader Ian Stewart
Council
tax could
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