Stories from Cumbria you may have missed this week

14 December 2025

News image — Sarah Perry, from Cockermouth, was the sole finisher of a 47,000ft hill challenge

David Miller Photography A woman with brown hair tied back is wearing a purple waterproof jacket, black three quarter length leggings and purple and pink trainers. She is running down a hill which is mostly brown earth with patches of green grass — Sarah Perry, from Cockermouth, was the sole finisher of a 47,000ft hill challenge

We introduce you to the sole finisher of a 47,000ft (14325.6m) hill running challenge, the international search for a pub's mascot and why Lake District National Park chiefs are bacing a speed exemption for Donald Campbell's Bluebird.

Here are some stories from Cumbria you may have missed this week.

Pub's missing badger mascot Bertie returns home

Cumbria Police The stuffed badger Bertie wearing a Christmas hat and some tinsel around its head. It is at a pub table with a sign saying reserved for the Badger Bar staff party. — Bertie the Badger was at the head of the table in the White Lion Hotel when he went missing

A pub's badger mascot that went missing when it accompanied staff on a Christmas night out has been returned.

Staff from the the Badger Bar in Rydal in the Lake District took their beloved Bertie the Badger with them to the White Lion Hotel in Ambleside on Monday, but sadly he disappeared.

The mascot was reported stolen and Cumbria Police issued an appeal to trace him - and his disappearance was picked up by international media, including reports in the United States.

Read more about the return here

'Assault appeal decision sends devastating message'

Family Handout Jaysley Beck smiles at the camera in her camouflage army uniform. She has her brown hair tied back in a ponytail — Jaysley Beck took her own life after she was sexually assaulted by a senior colleague

The mother of a teenage soldier says the decision not to review the sentence of a former Army sergeant who sexually assaulted her daughter is an "insult" and sends a "devastating message".

Former Warrant Officer Michael Webber, 43, was jailed for six months after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting Gunner Jaysley Beck at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in 2021. Ms Beck, 19, from Cumbria, later took her own life.

Complaints were made to The Attorney General's office asking for a review under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme, but this has now been rejected.

Read more about what Gunner Beck's mother said here

Runner is sole finisher of 47,000ft hill challenge

David Miller Photography A picture of several runners standing in the rain in the dark, with head torches on. The main focus of the picture is a woman with a purple waterproof on and a head torch. Her hood is up and she is laughing — Sarah Perry chose to skip breaks and ignore her wet socks

A challenge that saw 24 entrants attempt to run 56 laps up and down The Wrekin in Shropshire saw only one person finish.

The Hill challenge, the first time it has been held in five years, has a total ascent of 47,000ft (14325.6m) and runners had to complete the distance, which totalled 160 miles (257km) within 48 hours.

Sarah Perry, from Cockermouth in Cumbria finished in a time of 47 hours and one minute, and was the only person left in the race.

Read more about Sarah's achievement here

Meet 'superstar' Happy, the deaf-blind pup

Meet Happy, the deaf-blind pup.

The 22-week-old "joyous and determined" dog came into the BBC Radio Cumbria studio to show how disabled animals make "fantastic pets".

Caroline Johnson, vice chair for charity the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes, says they can "bring so much to your family".

Despite not being able to see or hear, Happy's handler Rosie says he can "do everything all my other dogs do".

Lake chiefs back Bluebird speed limit exemption

Getty Images A close-up image showing Bluebird running on Loch Fad. It is a blue craft that looks like a cross between a boat and a plane. It has a tail fin and its pilot can be seen through a clear canopy. Spray is rising up behind it. — The restored Bluebird last ran on Loch Fad, on the Isle of Bute, in August 2018

Donald Campbell's Bluebird will run again at speed on the lake where the record-breaker lost his life almost 60 years ago.

Lake District National Park chiefs have permitted the restored craft to be run above the speed limit of 10mph (16km/h) next May.

The hydroplane was destroyed on Coniston Water in January 1967 when Campbell crashed as he attempted to push his own water speed record past 300mph (480km/h).

The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) was told the event would enhance the legacy of a man who was "a hero for millions of adults and children".