Cumbria stories you might have missed

The Paddington Bear statue in Penrith. Paddington is sitting on a wooden bench holding a marmalade sandwich. He is wearing a red had and blue raincoat. The bench is next to a flower planter and outside a shop.John Bowness/BBC

The Paddington Bear statue in Penrith is the only one in Cumbria

A facial reconstruction of a 900-year-old skull, a hospital ward closure and news that a Paddington Bear statue is to stay another year.

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

Woman's face reconstructed from 900-year-old skull

The early reconstruction of the face of The Kendal Woman. She is a middle-aged woman wearing a dark turban and she has blue eyes.Face Lab/Liverpool John Moores University

Scientists rebuilt the Kendal Woman's face using computer technology

Scientists have recreated the face of a woman from her 900-year-old skull unearthed during flood management work.

Skeletons from 14 bodies were found buried at Holy Trinity Kendal Parish Church in Kendal, Cumbria, when the Environment Agency (EA) started work on a flood management scheme in 2022.

Scientists at Liverpool John Moores University used computer technology to reconstruct the first image of what one woman might have looked like, which is currently on display at the church until later.

Although most of the skeletons were crushed because they had been beneath the churchyard wall for centuries, the woman's skull was in good enough condition for the reconstruction.

  • Find out more about the facial reconstruction here

Hospital ward closure branded a betrayal

Josh MacAlister standing outside Yewdale Ward. He has short brown hair and a neat beard. He is wearing a light blue shirt and dark jacket. There is a sign for the ward on a wall behind him.Supplied

Josh MacAlister says people in west Cumbria have been let down by the loss of the Yewdale Ward

A decision to close an acute mental health ward without re-running a public consultation is a "betrayal", an MP has claimed.

The 16-bed Yewdale Ward at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven has shut, with services transferred 40 miles (65km) away.

Josh MacAlister, who represents the Workington and Whitehaven constituency, said the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) was ignoring the findings of an independent report calling for it to review the process it followed.

However, CNTW said it felt staging another consultation was unlikely to lead to a different outcome as worries would remain around safety and staffing.

  • Read more about the ward closure here

Sex offender chemical castration pilot expands

A male prison officer standing in uniform, with his hands behind his back and his back to the camera. He's standing in a narrow corridor between two rows of cells with light green doors.PA Media

The government had pledged to widen the existing pilot to 20 prisons

Chemical suppressants for sexual offenders will be trialled in north-west and north-east England as part of efforts to cut reoffending, the justice secretary has said.

The government had pledged to widen the existing pilot in four prisons in the south-west to 20 prisons following recommendations from the independent sentencing review to explore its use in May.

The medication limits "problematic sexual arousal" and restrains offenders who could be a risk to the public, David Lammy said.

The expansion means about 6,400 sex offenders will be able to access medication alongside psychological treatment to help change their behaviour and crack down on crimes such as rape, grooming and assault.

  • Read more about the chemical castration pilot here

Paddington statue to stay in town for another year

The Paddington Bear statue in Penrith pictured from behind its head, looking out to the town. The bear is sitting on a wooden bench holding a marmalade sandwich. He is wearing a red had and blue raincoat. The bench is next to a flower planter and looks out to the shops.John Bowness/BBC

Paddington has been credited with boosting marmalade sales in Penrith

A statue of the beloved Paddington Bear is to stay in a town for another year after boosting visitor numbers.

More than 20 benches of the children's character were temporarily placed in towns across the UK ahead of the launch of the film Paddington in Peru, including one in Penrith, Cumbria.

It has now been announced the Penrith statue will stay put for the next 12 months.

Joanna Fozard, of Penrith Business Improvement District (BID), said the character had brought visitors and money to the town, as well as boosting marmalade sales.

  • Read more about the Paddington statue here

Our 'letters to heaven' box in daughter's honour

Ivy, a small girl, sits on a table smiling at the camera. She has glasses and curly, light blonde hair tied back in a white bow. She is wearing a peach coloured, furry gilet with a black ribbon tied around it, and a white, long-sleeved top with black ribbons on. Michelle Milton

Ivy passed away suddenly earlier this year

A couple whose daughter died suddenly have installed a post box at a cemetery to allow people to send "letters to heaven".

Michelle and Stephen Milton, from Egremont, Cumbria, wanted to give others grieving something creative and comforting, after losing their four-year-old daughter Ivy, earlier this year.

The white post box at Egremont cemetery is being managed by Egremont Parish Council and is designed for anyone experiencing loss to place letters, birthday cards, poems and pictures inside.

Mrs Milton said: "Ivy would be proud of what we have done and she'd love to use the post box as well, she loved to draw pictures."

  • Read more about the "letters to heaven" post box here

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