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Cumbria stories you might have missed

Cumbria Wildlife Trust A grey seal pup. The pup is fluffy and white and is leaning over on its back. It rests on blue grey cobbled stones. Cumbria Wildlife Trust
The first pup of the season at South Walney Nature Reserve was counted in late August

From a memorial to a murdered Victorian teenager to a school saved from closure after a £180,000 funding appeal, here are some of the stories from Cumbria we have reported over the past week.

Lasting legacy for murdered Victorian teenage girl

The ballad of Lucy Sands Facebook A black and white, very grainy portrait of Lucy Sands. She is wearing a hat and Victorian clothing, including a white lace collar. The ballad of Lucy Sands Facebook
Lucy Sands was 16 years old when she was murdered in 1881

A memorial tree has been planted on an estate where a murdered teenage girl was found 144 years ago.

Lucy Sands went missing on her way to meet friends in Workington in 1881. The 16-year-old's body was discovered under a pile of cobbles, three months later.

Her murder attracted worldwide attention but memorials, including a tree planted where she was found and a gravestone, have vanished over the years.

Councillor Michael Heaslip, said he hoped the tree planted in Northside by Workington Town Council, would ensure the teenager would be remembered "for years to come".

'Statue would remind me of my husband's death'

Wendy Pleasent Wendy Pleasent. She has grey hair in a bob and is wearing glasses, a polo neck jumper and sheepskin-type gilet. She is standing by the road which leads to a new roundabout where the statue is due to be placed.Wendy Pleasent
Wendy Pleasent said seeing the bull statue would bring up the trauma of her husband's death

A woman whose husband was trampled to death by cows says she may be forced to move if plans for a bull statue near her house go ahead.

Wendy Pleasent, 73, from Wreay near Carlisle, said she was horrified when she heard Cumberland Council planned to place the statue on a new roundabout near her home.

Malcolm Flynn died after being attacked by the cattle while walking with a friend on a footpath near Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland in 2020. His widow said seeing the statue "will bring back the trauma for me every day of my life - I won't be able to avoid it".

Cumberland Council said the sculpture was designed to celebrate agricultural heritage and was "never intended to cause personal distress".

Record number of seal pups as breeding season ends

Cumbria Wildlife Trust Dozens of grey seals lying on a beach at South Walney Nature Reserve. The seals are brown and white and the sea is a bright turquoise colour. There are brown seaweed and blue rocks on the beach.Cumbria Wildlife Trust
Cumbria Wildlife Trust has special permission to fly drones at South Walney Nature Reserve

A record number of seal pups have been counted at a nature reserve as the breeding season draws to a close.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust said at least 14 grey seal pups were born at its South Walney Nature Reserve near Barrow from late August.

The trust said that it had been a "really early season" this year with more than 563 seals counted at the site between September 2024 and March 2025.

Alex Wright from North West Wildlife Trusts said it had been "really special" and was "amazing to have them here in Cumbria".

School 'saved from closure' after £180k fundraiser

Hunter Hall School Almost a dozen boys and girls run across a grassed area in front of Hunter Hall School. They are wearing maroon blazers. The school building is an ornate two-storey structure painted white and has a grey roof.Hunter Hall School
Almost 80 pupils currently attend the fee-paying Hunter Hall near Penrith

A private school says it has been saved from closure after it reached its target to raise £180,000 in donations.

Hunter Hall Preparatory and Pre-School, in Penrith, said more than 50 families faced losing their school because of the introduction of VAT on school fees.

Headteacher Paul Borrows also said the loss of charitable business rates relief and an increase in employer national insurance contributions meant the school was facing closure by Christmas.

The government said ending tax breaks for private schools would raise £40m a year more than initially expected "to help fund public services, including supporting the 94% of children in state schools to achieve and thrive".

Moment earthquake shook homes in north-west England

A photo of Silverdale in Lancashire. The picture shows some houses and the outside of a pub and some cars on the road.
Tremors were felt within 12 miles of the epicentre which is believed to be Silverdale in Lancashire

A 3.3-magnitude earthquake rattled homes in north-west England on Wednesday, the British Geological Survey reported.

The tremor, which struck shortly after 23:23 GMT, was felt across Lancashire and the southern Lake District, including the towns of Kendal and Ulverston, within 12 miles (19 km) of the epicentre which is believed to be Silverdale in Lancashire.

Nikki Maddox, who runs the Blossom Bird coffee shop in Silverdale said she thought her roof was caving in when the tremors started.

"I had just climbed into bed and I heard this enormous rumble. It shook the whole house, it was very, very terrifying," she said.

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