Windermere - Arnside Village

‘The Alan Hull Songbook’ Gig Raises £1565.50 for CancerCare

The recent ‘Alan Hull Songbook’ gig at the W.I. & Village Hall on 11th July raised a brilliant £1565.50 for local charity, CancerCare.

Tony Farren, from Windermere opened the gig with his unique folk style which was very well received. The amazing Dave Hull-Denholm band (Dave is the frontman of popular band, Lindisfarne) played a 95 minute set of some well-known, and some lesser known songs from the Alan Hull songbook, including: Lady Eleanor, Run For Home, Clear White Light and many more, with enthusiastic assistance from the audience who had a great time singing along too.

The gig was a Sell Out, and the £1565.50 was raised from ticket sales, the bar (supplied by JJ Crossfields and run by Sarah & Charlotte who have also been raising money for CancerCare by taking part in events such as the recent Cross Bay Half Marathon), raffle ticket sales with prizes donated with the enormous generosity of local businesses (see below) and the musicians, who travelled from as far away as Newcastle, and played for light expenses only.

The full Lindisfarne band are touring now and visiting several local venues. To find out more, click here

Grateful thanks to the following local businesses for their donated raffle prizes which included: Weekend Tickets to Kendal Calling, Dinners, Wine, Chocolates and Ten Pin Bowling

Kendal Calling
JJ Crossfields
The Silverdale Hotel
The Albion Hotel
Arnside Chip Shop
Bullough’s Londis
The Bob-in Cafe
Holgate’s Holiday Park
Spar Grocers, Milnthorpe
Booths Supermarket, Milnthorpe

Thanks also must go to:

Arnside W.I. & Village Hall for a superb venue with great acoustics, a beautiful garden and a super helpful committee.
Carr Bank Garden Centre for the stage flora.
Chris Kirk of Bay Photographic for the photos
And last, but not least – everyone who bought tickets and came along to the show.

The Alan Hull Songbook 2 — Dave Hull-Denholm

The Hackney & Leigh team celebrating their Award

Local Estate Agent, Hackney & Leigh, does the National Treble!

Local estate agent, Hackney & Leigh, has won three national awards at the prestigious EA Masters Best Estate Agent Guide Awards in London, underscoring the agency’s market-leading performance across sales and lettings.

• Best Sales and Lettings Estate Agency in the UK (6–20 branches)

• Best Lettings Manager in the UK – Jo Thompson, Head of Lettings

• Best Sales Manager in the UK – Keira Evans, Kendal Branch Manager

“We can’t believe it – we’ve done the treble!” said Simon Leigh, Director of Hackney & Leigh, the independent ,family-run Sales and Lettings agency with branches in Ambleside, Arnside, Carnforth, Grange-over-Sands, Kendal, Keswick, Kirkby Lonsdale, Penrith, Ulverston and Windermere.

“This is a truly momentous achievement. I am incredibly proud of our fantastic team and I am delighted for Jo and Keira in particular. These awards recognise the hard work, passion and commitment they devote to delivering outstanding results for our clients.”

The awards were presented at a glittering ceremony at Evolution London in Battersea Park, attended by more than 1,000 estate agents and industry partners.

Each year, the team behind the Best Estate Agent Guide carries out an independent performance assessment of the entire estate agency industry to identify the best agencies in the country, based on marketing, service and results. The top performers are then mystery-shopped to ensure exceptional service levels are achieved and that all the latest marketing techniques are being employed to create the perfect first impression of their clients’ properties.

The process for individual awards included Jo and Keira having in-depth interviews with industry leaders to understand more about them, their values and how they go about achieving the results for their clients. On winning the Best Lettings Manager in the UK, Jo Thompson, who lives near Kendal, said: “I am honoured and elated to have won the award. It is not only a great result for me, but it recognises what a fantastic team I have that supports me.”

The judges said her in-depth industry knowledge was a key factor in their decision. Jo has been in the industry for over a decade, having previously been a manager in the hospitality world. She joined Hackney & Leigh in 2017 and has helped shape and grow the business into what it is today.

Following the presentation for Best Sales Manager in the UK, Keira Evans said: “I am delighted to have won the award, not just for myself, but for my team. Just to be nominated was incredible, but to win was a total privilege. I’m utterly flattered to be recognised for my work in a profession I’m so passionate about, especially given the quality of the competition.”

Commenting on Keira’s win, the judges said she had shown fantastic knowledge of her market, alongside a wonderful empathy for her clients. Keira has worked as an estate agent for ten years, following a successful career as a Sales Manager in the equine industry. She joined Hackney & Leigh at the start of 2022 and has taken the Kendal office from strength to strength.

Peter Knight, founder of the Best Estate Agent Guide and EA Masters, said: “We are delighted to recognise and help celebrate the outstanding achievements of everyone who took home an award at this year’s EA Masters. “They represent the top-performing agents in the UK, setting the benchmark for excellence in customer service, expertise and results. “We congratulate this year’s winners, who continue to raise standards in the industry and truly exemplify what it means to be the very best.”