Cumbria stories you might have missed this week

6 days ago

News image — Teenagers Oliver and Theo ran 18.6 miles (30km) for charity

Supplied Oliver and Theo standing in front of a sign that says "Carlisle, Drive Carefully". There is a grey car in the background driving on the road. The pair are standing to the side of the road on grass. They are both wearing dark blue tops with a circle symbol on them and a red heart inside. They both have dark brown hair. — Teenagers Oliver and Theo ran 18.6 miles (30km) for charity

Mysteriously big Roman shoes going on display, trains returning to a historic route and Lioness Georgia Stanway appointed MBE - here are some of the stories that made headlines in Cumbria this week.

Big Roman shoes to go on display

The Vindolanda Trust Dr Elizabeth Greene wearing a black T-shirt and blue gloves with sunglasses hanging from her top. In her hands are the sole of a large black shoe. — The largest shoe found was 32.6cm (12.8in) long

Huge shoes discovered at a Roman fort are to be put on public display in Cumbria next month.

Archaeologist Rachel Frame said 34 shoes were dug up at the Magna Roman Fort in Northumberland in 2025, eight of which were at least 30cm (11.8in) long - the equivalent of a UK size 13 to 14.

Ms Frame said some of them will be exhibited at the Roman Army Museum in Brampton from 7 February.

Teens run for heart project

Supplied Theo, Oliver and Jacob standing outside Carlisle Castle with their arms around each other. It is a grey day and there are standing on green grass. They are all wearing black shorts and dark blue tops with a circle symbol on them with a red heart inside. They all have dark brown hair. Jacob is wearing sunglasses. — Theo, Oliver and Jacob came up with the idea for the run during class

Three teenagers have raised more than £1,000 for a heart initiative by running more than 18 miles between Penrith and Carlisle Castle.

Jacob, 15, ran the distance of a marathon between the two points, whereas his friends Oliver and Theo, who had done little training before, ran 18.6 miles (30km).

Jacob said his friends, both 16, had been powered by donuts.

More trains on historic route

Avanti West Coast/PA A train running along the Settle to Carlisle railway line over the Ribblehead Viaduct. The stone viaduct with its many arches is surrounded by rolling green land with fells in the background. — The Carlisle to Settle line will celebrate 150 years of carrying passengers in 2026

West Coast Main Line passengers crossed a historical and scenic route for the first time in more than a decade.

Thursday's Avanti West Coast 07:54 GMT service from Wigan was its first to run on the Settle to Carlisle Line while repairs and refurbishments take place on the usual route.

The 73-mile line is renowned for its picturesque views across the Yorkshire Dales and the North Pennines via the Ribblehead viaduct.

The route is usually only used by Northern trains operating between Leeds and Carlisle, but Avanti is using it as a diversion while work to replace the Clifton Bridge takes place over the M6 near Penrith.

New Year Honours for Lioness and scientist

Ian Allington Georgia Stanway, who has brown hair, in a blue blouse wearing a necklace. She is smiling and holding a certificate declaring her 'Freedom of the Town' award. — Georgia Stanway was recently also awarded the Freedom of Barrow-in-Furness

Lioness Georgia Stanway, 26, from Barrow, nuclear scientist Claire Gallery-Strong, 54, and cinema proprietor Charles Morris, 75, were among those from Cumbria named in the New Years Honours list.

They were all appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Ms Gallery-Strong, a founding member of Women in Nuclear which aims to tackle the industry's gender balance, said she was "absolutely overwhelmed".

Cinema proprietor Mr Morris, from Lindale, Grange over Sands, said it was a "great honour" to be recognised for his work.

See who else from Cumbria made the list here.

Seagull-proof sacks ditched for fortnightly wheelie bins

Three wheelie bins, two black and one green, in a back lane. — Along with the wheelie bins in Carlisle, households will move to fortnightly collections

Thousands of households will ditch seagull-proof sacks and instead use wheelie bins and move to fortnightly waste collections.

Cumberland Council said the majority of households in Carlisle already had wheelie bins but a small percentage still used the sacks which were introduced in 2014.

From March, households that can accommodate the bins will change to fortnightly collections, with the local authority organising information sessions in January.