Cumbria stories you might have missed this week

The medical school hopes graduates will stay in Cumbria to address its specific health issues

A new medical school hopes its students will stay in Cumbria to help with a doctor shortage, train stations are to be improved after a disabled man was left stranded, and waving goodbye to Percy, the baby red squirrel being looked after by a family.

Here are some of stories from across Cumbria you might have missed this week.

Horse killed in collision with crowd

The incident happened at Cartmel Racecourse (library image)

A horse died after colliding with spectators during a race, injuring two people.

It happened at Cartmel Racecourse on Bank Holiday Monday.

The racecourse said the horse went into the group of racegoers after it suffered a "sudden heart-related condition".

The horse, named Wbee, received veterinary attention but did not recover, the racecourse confirmed.

• You can read more on this story here

Woman rescued after 33ft mobility scooter fall

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team recovered the scooter after rescuing the woman

A woman in a mobility scooter was rescued after falling backwards almost 33ft (10m) down a forest slope.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team said the woman was with a friend, also on a scooter, at Latrigg, in the Lake District, when her brake failed last Sunday.

A spokesperson said: "Miraculously she was unharmed as she was fortunate enough to end up in the footwell area between the seat and handlebars."

• There is more on this story here

Medical school's push for new county doctors

Pears Cumbria School of Medicine has welcomed its first cohort of students

Students at a new medical school are being encouraged to stay working in the county after their studies so patients are no longer sent "hundreds of miles away" because of a lack of staff.

Pears Cumbria School of Medicine (PCSM) welcomed its first cohort of 58 students earlier this week for a course that was designed to address a shortage of doctors in the county.

The school said the region's doctor staffing levels were significantly below the national average despite the county suffering from critical health inequalities.

• You can read more on this story here

Station improvements after man left stranded

Doug Paulley was left stranded at Appleby station when his accessible taxi was cancelled

Train stations are set for accessibility improvements after a disabled man who was left stranded while travelling took on a legal battle.

Stations at Appleby, Ulverston, Hexham, Settle, Bridlington and Thorne North - all operated by Northern - required wheelchair users to change platforms by crossing the tracks with staff assistance, or to use a taxi to travel to the other platform.

Disability rights campaigner and frequent rail passenger, Doug Paulley, was left stranded at Appleby station in Cumbria last year, when Northern cancelled his pre-booked accessible taxi and no staff were there to help.

Northern said it had already made changes to some stations, with the others in line for improvements.

• There is more on the improvements here

Toilets to close over 'costs and abuse'

The public toilets in Milnthorpe are not well-used, the parish council says

A village's public toilets are to close due to "regular abuse" and spiralling maintenance costs.

Milnthorpe Parish Council said the decision to shut the facilities at The Square from 1 September was difficult and had "taken several months to make".

The annual net costs of about £10,000 are currently being met through council tax and council reserves, it explained.

• Read more about what happened here

'Releasing our baby squirrel into the wild'

A red squirrel kitten that was rescued by a Center Parcs ranger at Whinfell Forest, near Penrith, has been released back into the wild.

Percy has been raised by a Cumbrian family for eight weeks after he was found at the bottom of a tree by Connor Brown.

The family built obstacle courses throughout their house so he could learn to live in the trees, as Harry Hansen found out.