Hawkshead Parish Council asks for £16,600 cash boost

Hawkshead Parish Council wants to spruce up the village with new welcome signs

A Lake District parish council has asked for cash to boost a "tired and rundown looking" village with links to author Beatrix Potter.

Hawkshead Parish Council wants £16,600 from Westmorland and Furness Council to help rejuvenate the village.

The parish council wants to spruce it up with new welcome signs.

The grant application has been recommended for approval and will be considered by the South Lakeland locality board on 18 October.

A report, called Destination Hawkshead, said that since the coronavirus pandemic, businesses in the village had struggled and are reporting a 20% decrease in takings.

It also said the village had lost its post office and only had two pubs, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The village is scoring in the highest indices of rural deprivation nationally in terms of access to services and homes, and [it] is looking tired and run-down, needing more care and investment," the report said.

Hawkshead is located between Coniston Water and Windermere.

Boost tourism

The village's Beatrix Potter Gallery, which displays the author's original artwork and manuscripts, is currently closed for repairs and the National Trust has not yet announced when it will reopen.

The project to spruce up the village is a partnership between the Lake District National Park, Hawkshead Parish Council and Westmorland and Furness Council.

The plan also includes getting new planters, an extensive programme of weeding and new cycle racks.

The Lake District National Park Authority has donated £1,000 to the project for a new leaflet detailing local businesses and the location of short-stay car parking, in a bid to boost tourism.