Latest news with #Furness
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Lake District mosque protesters are racist, says Labour MP
Lake District residents campaigning against the construction of a new mosque have been criticised as racist by a local Labour MP. Police were called as protesters, who support and oppose the new development, clashed on Saturday outside the building site for the controversial £2.5m mosque. Demonstrators holding placards with messages reading 'Muslims welcome here' were met with protesters holding Union flags with messages reading: 'No to the mosque' and 'Not racist! Just patriotic!'. Michelle Scrogham, a Labour MP for Barrow and Furness who attended the counter-protest, responded to the objections by saying: 'There's absolutely no place for racism in Cumbria.' She added: 'The comments that plague the social media pages constantly don't represent the people of this area. 'The people of this area have always been incredibly welcoming. We've had immigration on a mass scale for many, many years. 'Anybody that wants to come here and say you're not welcome, they're wrong. It's just utterly wrong.' Construction of the South Lakes Islamic Centre, situated in Furness, Cumbria, started in January this year. The centre will be the only masjid within a 50-mile radius, serving both the local Muslim community and visiting tourists. The group said the space would cater to the 40 to 50 practising Muslim doctors at Furness General Hospital and their families. Protests have previously taken place on the site, with both sides of the debate shouting at each other across the road last month as the anti-mosque group waved the Union flag. Paul Jenkins, who organised a counter-protest on behalf of Furness Stand Up To Racism, said: 'The protest against the Islamic Centre does not speak for the majority of people in Dalton or Furness. 'The majority of our people here are from Furness, including Dalton. We celebrate our multicultural, multi-faith community and defend the right of the Islamic Centre to be here.' Henry Goodwin, a demonstrator, said: 'There are five British values, which include tolerance of other people's faiths and beliefs. 'We're standing up for proper British values.' Opponents have criticised the development, saying it is not needed in Furness, although those demonstrating against the mosque refused to speak to reporters on the ground. Residents have previously voiced their concerns over social media about the construction of the mosque, calling it an ' absolute monstrosity '. Another said: 'Absolutely disgusting… total blot on the landscape … totally unwelcome … how on earth has this been passed in planning?' One other resident said: 'There goes the beautiful Lake District – with a huge building plonked there.' Planning approval for the mosque was granted in Dec 2022 after 30 objections were raised.
Daily Mail
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Protest outside the construction site of a controversial £2.5 million mosque sees police called as rival factions clash
Police were called to a protest outside the construction site of a controversial £2.5million mosque as rival factions clashed. People gathered around the building site of the three-storey South Lakes Islamic Centre in Furness, Cumbria, on Saturday. Demonstrators holding placards with messages reading 'Muslims welcome here' butted heads with protesters waving Union Jack flags with messages reading 'No to the mosque' and 'Not racist! Just patriotic!'. A local Labour MP, who attended the protest, slammed anti-mosque protesters as racist. Construction on the mosque started in January this year with those behind the ambitious plans claiming it will be the first mosque in the South Lakes area of the Lake District. Standing opposite the anti-mosque protesters, Paul Jenkins, who organised a counter-protest on behalf of Furness Stand Up To Racism, said: 'The protest against the Islamic Centre does not speak for the majority of people in Dalton or Furness. 'The majority of our people here are from Furness, including Dalton. We celebrate our multicultural, multifaith community and defend the right of the Islamic centre to be here.' Local Labour MP Michelle Scrogham, who was first elected in July last year, also attended the counter-protest. She said: 'I am here because there's absolutely no place for racism in Cumbria. The comments that plague the social media pages constantly don't represent the people of this area. 'The people of this area have always been incredibly welcoming. We've had immigration on a mass scale for many, many years. 'People that moved here in the 1800s - they weren't from round here - this town is built on immigration. 'The number of people who have moved here for jobs and work and settled with their families and nothing has changed at all. 'Anybody that wants to come here and say you're not welcome they're wrong. It's just utterly wrong.' Demonstrator Henry Goodwin said: 'There are five British values, which include tolerance of other people's faiths and beliefs. 'We're standing up for proper British values.' Amy Heild said: 'I had a look for some quotes from the Quran and the Bible. 'In both religions I found lots of examples where they are advocating for peace and tolerance of people's different faiths and religion, and looking at how God would look favourably on people that support people outside of their own faith and the human right to dignity in their own beliefs.' A local Labour MP, who attended the protest, slammed anti-mosque protesters as racist Those demonstrating against the mosque refused to speak to reporters on the ground. Planning approval for the mosque was granted in December 2022 after 30 objections were raised. Opponents have raised concerns about the development, saying it is not needed in Furness, while supporters say the centre would provide a much-needed place of worship for hundreds of Muslim families living in the area. Earlier this year, representatives from the South Lakes Islamic Centre said construction had been delayed due to negative television coverage. In a YouTube video, a representative said: 'The concrete, which was supposed to come this week, has been delayed because of the GB News coverage. 'It's just the challenges we face; it's a difficult area to build, but we are progressing very quickly.'
BBC News
19-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Windermere Gateway development gets £12m for roads and housing
A major project planned for a popular town has received more than £12m worth of funding to deliver roads and housing needed for its Windermere Gateway Project involves the transformation of the Orrest Head Farm site, within the Lake District National Park, for tourism, employment and housing objections, plans were approved and now it has received a £9.95m grant from Homes England to deliver highways works, with an additional £2.5m from Westmorland and Furness Council to build affordable leader Jonathan Brook said the grant would allow it to deliver affordable homes in "one of the most unaffordable areas" of the area. He said it was a "complex project, with many interdependent parts"."It will pave the way for a significant number of affordable homes in one of the most unaffordable areas of Westmorland and Furness, particularly impacted by second homes and short-term holiday accommodation, which puts further strain on housing provision for local residents," he project, which is being built on land owned by the National Trust, aims to tackle traffic flow, redevelop Windermere's railway station, build homes and provide employment opportunities. It forms a partnership between National Trust, the Lake District National Park Authority, Westmorland and Furness Council and housing developer Urban Splash, which, the council says, will work with a registered social housing provider to bring forward affordable include 242 new homes on the site, with 133 proposed to be affordable following the £2.5m grant from the council's Affordable Housing council says the homes will be made available for permanent occupancy - not second homes or holiday lets. Further details are set to be confirmed in an outline planning application, due to be submitted by Urban Splash later this year. The £9.95m Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land Funding from Homes England will go towards highways works for the project, which were approved by the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) development control committee in documents submitted to LDNPA said works to the A591 and Thwaites Lane would "unlock" the council said if the application for housing was not granted, then the Homes England-funded highways works would not proceed. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Westmorland and Furness Council scraps discounts for homebuyers
A council has scrapped the need for housebuilders to provide discounted homes to first time buyers on new housing and Furness Council has dropped the First Home Statement which gave buyers a 30% discount on their first home.A report by the council said the scheme did not fulfil its housing objectives, in part due to the area's ageing Democrat councillor Judith Derbyshire said the scheme "undermines our goal for local housing needs" and was "narrowly targeted". The council's involvement in the scheme was first adopted by the former Eden District and South Lakeland Councils in 2022, according to the Local Democracy Reporting the newest version of the National Planning Policy Framework removed the need for local authorities to require first homes to be built on new developments. Westmorland and Furness Council's two key housing objectives are to grow the supply of affordable and available housing and to provide services that reflect the needs of its as more than 70% of adults in the area are older than 40, the council said most residents already own their own home and did not benefit. Instead the council intends to rely on the pre-existing Discounted Sale scheme, which allows eligible people to buy homes at a lower rate than the market said it was a "more flexible and inclusive scheme" which would apply to everyone "whether they are first time home buyers or not".She said scrapping the First Home Statements would lead to "no financial implications" because of the Discounted Sale scheme. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Man Loses 110 Pounds With 1 'Simple' Change After Breaking Chair in Public Place
For years, Simon Furness lived on a steady diet of takeout, sugar, and late-night orders from his phone. Weighing 350 pounds, the 57-year-old from Northwich, England, battled type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and depression. But it wasn't a health scare that finally pushed him to make a change It was a broken chair. Daily Mail reported that in October 2024, Furness was sitting in a dentist's office when the chair beneath him gave out, sending him crashing to the floor and injuring his hand on the twisted metal. 'I felt terrible and disgusted,' he said. 'It was a real wake-up call.' Until that point, Furness's eating habits were out of control. His regular order included a special curry with fried rice, a massive portion of chips, and often a starter—on top of daily staples like half a loaf of bread, cans of soup, candy, kebab meat, and a full pizza. He estimates he spent around $150 a week on takeout alone. 'I didn't go to bed for three years,' he said, describing how he slept upright in his chair because of his health issues. 'All the money I had was going on food.' He tried dieting before—Weight Watchers, Slimming World—but nothing stuck. That changed when he signed up for a meal delivery service, Mindful Chef. For the first time, something clicked. 'It's just been a total diet change,' he said. Breakfast is now fruit. Lunch is a salad wrap. Dinner is a healthy, balanced meal. Gone are the massive portions and constant takeout orders. Eight months later, Furness has lost 112 pounds, and he's not done yet. He's aiming to hit around 220 pounds, a goal that feels within reach for the first time in years. But the biggest win? Getting his life back. He's no longer a spectator in his own story. 'I'm doing proper things like a granddad should do,' he said of spending more active time with his seven grandchildren. 'I'm loving it.'Man Loses 110 Pounds With 1 'Simple' Change After Breaking Chair in Public Place first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 16, 2025
