Cumbria stories you may have missed this week

Barrow's missing Dock Museum sign was found in Bangor years after going missing

From a missing sign turning up across the Irish sea, to cancelled festivals and teenagers locked in a play park - here are some of the stories from Cumbria you may have missed this week.

Fight to get free 'life-changing' drug almost over

Macaulay, 10, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)

The family of a 10-year-old with a muscle-wasting condition has said it is outrageous that they have to fight for access to a free drug to slow its progress.

Givinostat was conditionally approved in December to help slow the progression of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), but was was only available in Leicestershire and Swansea due to local NHS budget arrangements.

The North East trust treating 10-year-old Macaulay, from Penrith, said it was "finalising arrangements" to make it available, after his family said they had spent months campaigning.

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Missing museum sign found across Irish Sea

Mr Smith and his daughter intend to return the sign in person

A dad and his daughter made an unusual find while on a walk along the coast - a lost sign for a museum on the other side of the Irish Sea.

Jonny Smith and his seven-year-old girl spotted what they thought was a bit of wood while walking at Bangor in Northern Ireland.

After an internet search, they realised it was a sign belonging to The Dock Museum in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

"I'll be using those sign writers again, it's in good nick," joked museum manager John Irving.

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Fans' refund frustration over cancelled festivals

Wannasee cancelled 10 festivals across England after days of speculation

Ticket holders have spoken of their disappointment and frustration after a number of festivals were cancelled - including one in Cumbria - leaving people hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

Wannasee Penrith was among a series of events officially cancelled following days of speculation.

Organiser Wannasee Ltd said it was "not able to continue" with the events and was in discussions with liquidators. It advised people to contact ticket providers or card issuers for refunds.

Ticket provider Skiddle said its "repeated requests" to organisers to release the money for refunds to be processed had gone "unheard".

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'Social media doesn't show you trauma of mountain rescue'

Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team had 110 call outs last year

A rapid increase in the number of call-outs that mountain rescue teams receive have sparked fears they may reach breaking point .

Social media shows the "nice bits" of walking in the Lake District, Matt Neilson says.

"You don't see the trauma and the bodies that we have to carry off when it goes wrong," he adds.

In 2023 there were 61 call-outs, and in 2024 that soared to 110, with the team's patch including the hills around Ullswater, Helvellyn and the notorious Striding Edge.

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'Reckless' youths get trapped in play park

Police said the time emergency services spent on the rescue "could have cost lives"

A police force has criticised a group of teenagers who had to be rescued from a children's play park when they hid from staff.

Cumbria Police said it was called to the new Shiver Me Timbers site in Maryport after three youths "purposely evaded staff at closing", and wasted more than an hour of emergency service time, "which could have cost lives".

Stephen Ashworth, from Maryport Town Council, said the council "trusts that the parents of the perpetrators would explain to their children the recklessness of their actions".

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