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Westmorland & Furness Council – ‘One Tree Per Resident Project’

In response to the climate and biodiversity crises, Westmorland and Furness Council want to help our communities to plant one tree, or one metre of hedgerow equivalent, for every resident. This means planting a quarter of a million trees over a five-year period.

Trees have various benefits for climate, biodiversity and communities, such as:

  • absorbing and storing carbon
  • providing shade and shelter
  • increasing biodiversity and enhancing landscapes
  • capturing air pollution and improving air quality
  • improving water quality
  • reducing soil erosion
  • reducing flooding risk

How to get involved

There are many different ways in which you can help reach our aim of planting 250,000 trees. If would like more details or want to tell us how many trees or hedgerows you have planted so we can count them, please contact us.

Free Trees for Residents: We are giving away free tree saplings as part of the ‘One Tree Per Resident Project’.

Who Can Apply: You can apply on behalf of:

  • you – as a resident
  • schools
  • town and parish councils
  • landowners
  • community groups

Trees and Hedge Packs: You can apply for multiple saplings. Larger planting schemes will be assessed for feasibility. Tree species and numbers are subject to availability.

Tree species: There are 10 species of tree in the scheme.

  • Crab Apple – Small gardens, pot-friendly, moist, heavier soil, pollinators and birds.
  • Field Maple – Medium to large gardens, moderately moist, wildlife and autumn colour.
  • Guelder Rose – Small gardens, pot friendly, moist, fertile soil, berries for birds (otherwise toxic)
  • Hawthorn – Small to large gardens, moist to dry soil, wildlife.
  • Hazel – Small gardens, pot-friendly, moist soil, not waterlogged, wildlife and nuts.
  • Juniper – Small gardens, pot-friendly. Dry, well-drained soil. Wildlife, berries for birds (otherwise toxic)
  • Rowan – Small gardens, pot-friendly. Light, moist soil. Berries for birds (otherwise toxic)
  • Silver Birch – Medium to large gardens. Moist, well-drained soil. Wildlife, light canopy.
  • Whitebeam – Medium to large gardens. Dry to moist soil. Birds.
  • Yew – Small gardens, pot-friendly. Dry to moist soil. Evergreen, berries (all parts of the tree are toxic)

Pick the trees suitable for your planting area. Some are suitable for pots if managed. Read advice on how to pick the right trees to plant, and how to plant them on the Woodland Trust website

How to Apply: Before you apply, you’ll need to know: Your chosen tree species and the What3Words location of your planting site.

Applications will be open until 30 November 2025, but may clsoe early subject to demand. Please note hedge packs are not currently available due to high demand.

Apply online by clicking here.

If you need an accessible version, please contact us by email, or visit one of our offices or libraries.

Contact us: We’re keen to hear from you if you:

  • are interested in linking as a partner
  • would like to get involved, or have any suggestions about how to get involved
  • want to record your tree planting under the ‘One Tree per Resident Project’.
  • have any questions about the scheme

Please get in touch by email: futuretrees@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk.

Partners: Our current partners include:

  • Forestry Commission
  • Lake District National Park
  • RAISE Community Forest
  • Ullswater Catchment Management CIC
  • Woodland Trust
  • Yorkshire Dales National Park

Progress: To date, we have planted 41,544 trees which is 17% of the total needed to achieve the goal of ‘One Tree per Resident’. This planting has been delivered by council teams, supported by the Community Orchard and Micro Woodland initiatives funded through the Coronation Living Heritage Fund.

Our key partner, Raise: Cumbria Community Forest, has also played a vital role in delivering additional planting schemes..

Thermal Imaging 2025-2026

Free Thermal Imaging For Arnside Residents

Sustainable Arnside is once again offering this FREE service to people interested in understanding the areas of their home that could potentially be insulated better and, in the long run, save money – which is most likely, all of us!

Thermal imaging can identify cold spots in your home, such as draughts around windows and doors, missing and defective insulation, water ingress, damp, and cold bridges. It can indicate both quick fixes as well as areas that require professional advice, giving the opportunity to make your home warmer, healthier, cheaper to heat and lower your home’s carbon footprint.

The thermal imaging camera detects the heat emitted by objects and shows it in a colour-coded way – the colder areas are shown in blue and the warmer ones in red.

Anyone is eligible for the home survey. All surveys are carried out by local volunteers in collaboration with Futureproof Cumbria.

The window for conducting thermal imaging is November – as the weather turns colder, through to the end of March – before the weather warms up.

To register your interest or for further information, contact: thermalarnside@gmail.com

To visit the Futureproof Cumbria website, click here.

Bittern Sustainability Conference 2025 – Book now!

Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape and the Bittern Countryside CIC have joined together to host a Sustainability Conference for the National Landscape on the 15th November 2025

The conference will be held at Arnside Educational Institute and will run from 9.30am – 5pm

There will be a morning session with short talks, hearing about what some of the fabulous groups in the National Landscape are doing to fight climate change and help biodiversity.

We’re planning a ‘Power Hour’ where groups are invited to introduce themselves and/or any particular sustainability projects they are involved in.

After lunch, we’ll be having workshop sessions to get us moving and thinking about future plans.

This event is free and open to anyone who is already involved in local climate, sustainability or biodiversity action – or who would like to get more involved.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Places must be pre-booked – please book via the National Landscape’s eventbrite page

Places are limited so please book soon – we will be operating a waiting list so if you’re unable to book, get in touch and we can put you on the list.

If you would like a 5 minute slot in the ‘Power Hour’ to introduce your group, please e-mail Caz Howard at caroline@arnside-silverdale.org.uk or Belinda Barclay at belinda@arnside-silverdale.org.uk directly.

If you would like to deliver a workshop activity please get in touch – we are happy to combine workshop activities, so this could be a very short activity or a longer one!

Hope to see you then!

HealthWatch Public Transport Survey

Help Shape Public Transport in Westmorland and Furness – Public Transport Survey from HealthWatch

Do you face difficulties getting to GP, hospital or other health appointments using public transport? We want to hear from you.

Transport is a recurring issue we hear about at Healthwatch Westmorland and Furness and your experiences could help improve the system for everyone. Wherever the Healthwatch team goes, we hear how difficult it can be to get to medical appointments if you:

  • Don’t own a car
  • Don’t have friends or family available to give you a lift
  • Aren’t eligible for patient transport services

From poor bus connections to high taxi costs, these barriers stop people from accessing the care they need. With Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland Councils developing a new Cumbria-wide mayoral authority – which will have powers over both public transport and health and wellbeing – this project is more important than ever.

What we’re doing

We’re collecting first-hand experiences of travelling to health appointments by public transport (buses, taxis, trains, community transport schemes, plus volunteer car schemes), whether that’s:

  • Primary care (GPs, dentists)
  • Secondary care (hospital)
  • Follow-on care (physiotherapy, rehabilitation programmes, therapy sessions, support groups)

Your appointment doesn’t have to be in Westmorland and Furness as we’re aware many people travel to Carlisle, Lancaster, Whitehaven, Preston, Newcastle and Northumberland for treatment. We’ll combine survey results with case studies and information from engagement events to create a report to take to public transport commissioners and service providers.

Our aim: to make a positive impact on future service provision.

How to get involved

📝 Take our survey: it takes less than five minutes to complete, depending on how much detail you choose to give. To take the survey, click here. Survey closes 31st October 2025.

📢 Share the survey with friends, family, and community groups.

🗣 Invite us to speak at your organisation or group meeting.

Who we want to hear from: We want to gather experiences from anyone who uses (or tries to use) public, community, or volunteer schemes to reach healthcare. In particular:

  • Disabled people
  • Older residents
  • People with long-term health conditions
  • Anyone without access to a private vehicle

Every voice matters, whether your journey has been smooth or difficult.

Why your voice matters – the information you provide will:

  • Highlight real barriers faced by local people.
  • Give decision-makers the evidence they need to make improvements.
  • Ensure transport planning reflects the needs of patients across Cumbria

This is your chance to help shape how transport services work for healthcare access in the future.

Contact us: 📧 info@healthwatchwestfurn.co.uk

📞 0300 373 2820

Healthwatch Westmorland and Furness is a patient voice organisation, listening to what people have to say about their health and social care.

Westmorland and Furness Council Logo

Westmorland & Furness Council Waste and Recycling Harmonisation

Following a Community Consultation that began in November/December 2024, these are the decisions based on the results of the consultation in which almost 3000 people took part – either by completing a survey and at in-person or online events. Further consultation will be required for the decision on whether or not to charge for garden waste collections. This will be included in the Budget Consultation, and a decision will be made by Full Council in February 2026.

What we want to achieve:

The proposals now agreed for future waste and recycling collections in Westmorland and Furness have been independently assessed against the following key criteria:

  • Reduce waste, increase recycling, and provide an improved service for our residents. To achieve .this, we have said that we want to create a single waste and recycling service for the whole of Westmorland and Furness.
  • Consistent Service – ensuring everyone receives the same services across all areas.
  • Improved Performance – making it easier and simpler for residents to waste less and recycle more.
  • Public perception – aligned with resident feedback from the ‘Community Conversation’ engagement, trial schemes and Options Consultation.
  • Carbon Impact – reducing the carbon impact of the service and contributing to the council’s net zero ambitions.
  • Strategic Fit – complies with Government legislation and Council Plan ambitions.
  • Achievability – difficulty implementing, considering things like costs/savings, available resources, need to buy new vehicles, containers etc. and how long will it take

We want to deliver collection services that make it easier and more convenient for people to recycle more and waste less, and that are more reliable, cost-effective and better for the environment.

What has been agreed

At a meeting of Cabinet on 9th September, councillors agreed new harmonised waste and recycling service arrangements for the whole of Westmorland and Furness. The following was approved:

  • Collections – The roll-out of an in-house waste and recycling collection service. This means that in the future, all collections will be delivered by council teams.
  • General Waste – Fortnightly residual (general) waste collections, using a 240-litre wheelie bin. Collections would be the alternate fortnight to recycling collections.
  • Recycling – Fortnightly recycling collection service using 2 x 180-litre wheeled bins. One wheelie bin will be for plastic, cans and glass and one will be for card and paper. Collections would be the alternate fortnight to residual waste collections.
  • Bespoke service arrangements will be looked at for any residents/communities that cannot adopt wheelie bins
  • Green Waste – No decision has been made on charges for garden waste and all options (no charging, partial charging and full charging) are still being considered. Any charges that are introduced for garden waste would be harmonised for the 2026/27 financial year and any proposed changes to fees and charges will be presented for approval, as part of the budget report, to Full Council early in 2026.

The first changes to collection services are expected to begin rolling out in the next few months, but the full implementation will take some time to complete.

W.I. & Village Hall

W.I. & Village Hall Fundraising – Phase 1 Completed, Now For Phase 2

Thanks to the amazing generosity of the people of Arnside and beyond, phase one of the urgent ​works needed on the Hall roof are now completed and is now watertight. All the support received is very much appreciated by the Hall Trustees.

Funds are now needed to start Phase 2 which includes works strongly advised by a recent ‘Condition and Greening’ report. These aim to make the Hall a more energy-efficient, sustainable space while also reducing operating costs and the environmental impact, ensuring that the Hall continues to be a vital community hub for the people of Arnside – meeting today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges, and a sustainable space for generations to come. The Hall is now almost 100 years old, and, as with all older buildings, there comes a time where work is needed to make it viable for the future. For the Hall, that time is now!

Project Objectives:

  • Cut energy costs by minimising heat escape through doors and windows
  • Enhance the comfort and usability of the Hall for the community
  • Reduce the building’s carbon footprint, aligning with sustainability goals
  • Preserve and respect the Hall’s heritage while implementing modern solutions

This will be achieved by:

  • Upgrading insulation in the ceiling
  • Installing internal insulation
  • Replacing badly fitting external and internal doors
  • Reduce heat loss through windows by installing thermal blinds
  • Upgrade the lighting

The overall costs of these improvements is estimated at £35,000 to £40,000.

So please continue to help and support us while we try to future proof the W.I. and Village Hall and ensure the Hall continues to be a vital community hub for the people of Arnside and for generations to come.

Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape

Arnside & Silverdale Grants Fund

This is a small, local grants fund administered by Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape and the Arnside/Silverdale Landscape Trust and aimed at supporting projects which provide a public benefit and are directly related to the landscape.

These projects could be focused on the history and heritage of the area, nature recovery or helping people get out and enjoy and appreciate this special place.

We welcome applications of up to £4,000, and applications are now open.

To find out more information about the fund, visit the website by clicking here.


Emergency Closure Silverdale Road

Emergency Road Closure: Silverdale Road, Arnside – 7th-27th July 2025

An emergency road closure has been put in place by United Utilities Water because of the likelihood of danger to the public, due to a burst water main.

This notice will be in force for a period of up to 21 days from 7th July 2025, as and when the relevant signs are displayed. It is anticipated that the restriction will be required for 21 days.

Please see below details of the extents of the restriction(s) and any alternative route(s) which may be in place, the relevant legal notice can be viewed here and a location plan clearly showing these extents can be found here.

Location: Silverdale Road, Arnside, from a point approx. 115 metres south west of its junction with The Meadows, extending in a south westerly direction for a distance of approx. 100 metres.

Alternative Route: A suitable alternative route will be signed and made available via the unrestricted sections of Silverdale Road, Cove Road, Park Road, Ford Lane, Cold Well Lane, Black Dyke Road and Briery Bank. A way for pedestrians and dismounted cyclists will be maintained at all times.

N.B Passage for Emergency Vehicles will be maintained where required for the duration of this restriction.

Should you have any queries in relation to this temporary Order please contact the Highways Hotline by calling 0300 373 3306 or via the Westmorland & Furness Council website, quoting the reference TTROW/15836

Westmorland & Furness Council Parking Services Review

Westmorland and Furness Council is reviewing parking services throughout their area, and would love to hear from you.

This is your opportunity to join the community conversation on parking in the region and shape the future of parking in
Westmorland & Furness

Tell us what you think is working, and what isn’t. What would you like to see improved? Your insights will help us deliver parking services that better meet the needs of our communities.

Why should I get involved?

  • Reflect local priorities and climate goa
  • Make parking easier and more consisten
  • Support local people, businesses and town centres

The survey should only take a few minutes to complete and will help shape service in the future. To access the survey, click here.

Participation is completely voluntary and you may stop the survey at any time. Responses will only be used by Westmorland and Furness Council (or its appointed partners) for analysis and service planning purposes

All responses will be confidential and used only to help improve parking services in Westmorland and Furness.
No personally identifiable information will be collected unless you choose to provide it. All data will be stored securely and reported in a way that does not identify individual respondents.

28478 WFC Parking Survey2Download

Planned June Closure of promenade and Silverdale Road

Information About the Forthcoming Closure of Arnside Promenade/Silverdale Road Mid to Late June

**UPDATE 17/7/25** Westmorland & Furness Council have informed us that, all being well they should be able to finish up the last section of resurfacing and then the relining during the Friday night shift (18th July 2025), but, if not, then this may roll over to Monday night. We will keep you posted as to any further delays.

Information has been received regarding the upcoming resurfacing works scheduled to take place on the Promenade and Silverdale Road. Advanced warning signs are already out around the village advising of a commencement date for the works of 19th June for 17 nights, however, due to poor weather, the resurfacing programme is now running slightly behind. The new commencement date for the works is Monday, 23rd June, however it is possible that this date will move further back if poor weather continues to cause delays with the programme. We will be informed of any further changes.

The works are estimated to take up to 18 shifts to complete (weather depending) and the extent of the resurfacing bed is highlighted in red on the attached plan.

In order to undertake the works safely and in compliance with current health & safety legislation, a full road closure will be in effect between 6:30pm and midnight each shift. Works will not take place over the weekend.

Access for emergency services and residents/businesses will be allowed when possible and if safe to do so. In order to keep disruption to the public as minimal as possible the works will be phased. Currently the contractor plans to commence works at the Ashleigh Court end of the site and close off a shorter section, complete this then head west, working in several shorter sections along the promenade and then up Silverdale Road; however, this may change but again, we will keep you updated.

A signed diversion route will be in place (via Briery Bank and Black Dyke Road) and letters to local businesses and residents fronting onto the closure should be received next week. The letters will contain contact details for the resurfacing contractor and the traffic management contractor, and residents are free to speak to any of the marshals on-site whilst the works are in progress to discuss any specific access arrangements etc.

The above dates are indicative, and are subject to change due to overrun of the programme/poor weather conditions etc, but we will be kept updated.