Megan Gilmore

Local campaigners and families turned out in force to protest after Cumbria County Council announces plans for Millom School pool to be demolished. 

Over 100 members of the public took to the site of the local secondary school on the 15th of September. Campaigner, Jenny Brumby, said, “We are fighting a losing battle with County Council, so do we just sit down or get up and fight?” The group is led by a local group that also fought to save the local hospital.

The site had been closed for a year after the county council declared the building to be a health and safety hazard and unfit for use. In recent weeks, there have been proposals submitted for the demolition of the swimming pool, which have been opposed by angry members of local campaign group.

Millom suffered a loss of one child per year, due to drowning, which promoted the school children of Millom School and families, so the town wouldn’t suffer any more deaths. The pool was used by local school children for swimming lessons before it closed a year ago. 

In a recent statement, MP Trudy Harrison said that the pool was a “crucial local resource for decades. However, the pool has been past its best for a long time.”

The closure has meant that school children cannot go ahead with their compulsory swimming lessons and will have to travel a 90-minute trip, to Barrow-in-Furness or Whitehaven,  to fulfil the swimming time that they need. The National Curriculum states that all schools should provide swimming instruction in either Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2.

The group have engaged in flyer dropping and in July 300 to 400 people gathered in the Beggars Theatre to discuss the plan of action for the pool. Jenny brumby says, “Cumbria County Council ignored us, so we took the conversation to the media.” She continues the statement by saying that Cumbria County Council are “very disappointing and very disrespectful.”

The student union is a democratic run organisation that aims to provide a great experience for all students.

It may look like a well-run ship on the outside but what is it like behind the scenes? The student union is held together by three main presidents – George Coombs, Olivia Bowers and Steph Foxton. George Coombs, who has recently started his second year as the Students’ Union President, tells us what it’s like being in charge of the buzzing student hub.

Being the student union president gives you the platform to drive change. The role gives you a chance to push forward causes you believe in, in Georges’ case, this was environmental change and change in support with students regarding mental health. The role also gives you a chance to interact with students from a range of backgrounds.

George first got involved in the union back in 2015. “In my first year, which seems like 10 years ago now, I had a good relationship with Laura Jackson, who was the student union president at the time, and I got involved in sports,” he says, “seeing the relationship between the student body and the president, made me realise it would be such a good experience.” A big advantage of this job is being able to make lasting friendships with like-minded people. During his time at university, he studied fine art.

The Students’ Union presidents get votes in on their manifesto and their objectives. Three main points for George were environmental and sustainability events and better support with students regarding mental health. Part of his manifesto was to make sure students had a wide range of activities over semester one and two.

When asked what his perfect day would be, George said “an ideal day would be engaging with students and being their main point of call.” A big part of George’s job is communicating with the student body. He says, “The best days include gathering feedback and speaking to relevant staff members to see how we can change things.” Communication is vital in a well ran establishment, so George and the Student Union make sure students know what’s going on in the Student Union and he always reaches out to the student body by using their voice and ideas to better the Union. We can always count on George.

Having such an important role in the student body, you need to be organised and George is just that. “A bog-standard day would be cracking on with my objectives, planning for future events and speaking to students,” says George. However, he then goes onto say “it’s very eclectic and it can be all over the place, it just depends on the day.” No two days are the same and that is what makes the role interesting and it keeps you on your feet.

You may think the job is all positive, however, you can never switch off. He can’t even walk down the street without being recognised. George says “even though I technically work Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, You can’t really clock off. I’m not just George, I’m the student union president.”

In a generation where social media is a major part of our day to day life, George explains how he can’t even get a break on the weekends from messages. “especially when Facebook is a main point of call”. He says: “I have to check my professional Facebook on the weekends, when I really shouldn’t.”

Even if he can’t have a break from being George the Student Union President, he doesn’t see this as a negative. He says: “I wouldn’t see this as a negative, it sometimes just gets difficult when you can’t clock off. It’s amazing to actually engage with students and if they want to speak to me all the time, it’s almost like I’ve done my job properly.”

There is no doubt George loves his job. Throughout my chat with him, he showed me there are more positives than negatives. He says that he is “making people’s lives ten times better with the work you do.” That must feel pretty amazing.

Getting positive feedback from the work he does is a big part of the job and why he loves it. He’s recently been talking to the sports clubs and societies about how they could make their student experience better. “For me, the positive feedback really resonates in me and it just makes you think that this job is brilliant, I’m doing a good job as well.”

It can be hard for him to take a break from the job and enjoy himself, however, when George gets free time, he likes to engage in a range of activities. Being from Manchester, he has a strong interest in the Manchester music scene, which include The Smiths. George also said that he enjoys going to independent film festivals with his partner. He also plays badminton competitively. “I am also heavily keen into my exercising. I run quite a bit as well. Doing sport is one of the biggest things I do in my spare time.”

One main aim for George is to make sure all student can voice their opinion. He explains that “It’s really good to be able to represent and support the student body and make sure their voice is heard.” This was a main point in his manifesto and throughout the year he demonstrates this through student experience zones and chances to talk to him one-on-one about your worries and doubts.

George been an asset to the Student Union and student body. It’s been eye opening to learn about his role in the union. As the year goes on, there is no doubt that he will do our university proud and continue to make our university experiences even better than they are now. Every day he continues to be there for us when we need him and listen to us when we need him most. He really is an amazing Student Union President.

The room was flooded with screams and lights as the 4 boys ran onto stage to play their first song. 5 Seconds of Summer recently headlined the o2 academy in Sheffield following a 6-month sold-out tour.

5 Seconds of Summer, which is commonly shortened to 5SOS, are a pop rock band from Sydney Australia. The band was formed in 2012 and consists of lead vocalist Luke Hemmings, guitarist Michael Clifford, bassist Calum Hood and drummer Aston Irwin. Their most recent tour followed their third album Meet You There. Having never seen them live before, I was sceptical whether they would live up to my expectations and they did not disappoint.

The o2 academy is a small venue which is a huge contrast to their last tours where they would perform in a larger venue like arenas and stadiums, when they supported one direction on their tours.  This gave the concert an intimate feel and made me feel more comfortable at my first concert.

The concert was supported by a small, lesser known band called LovelyTheBand, which is an American indie band lead by Mitchy Collins. Their music was a great lead up to the main event. I haven’t heard of this band until I saw them in Sheffield and it was a great first experience. Many bands have a not great band as their support but LovelyTheBandwas not a let-down.

5SOS opened with Babylonand was followed by She’s kinda hot, these songs collectively got the audience hyped and they were a great way to open their set. The set was filled with recent songs and songs that fans love from their old albums. Some of my favourites were Ghost of you, Want you back andShe looks so perfect.

At the end of the set, they came back and sang Youngblood as an encore. This was predictable and not a huge surprise as it was the main song on the album with the same name.

Overall, I had a great experience and both bands did not disappoint. Would I see them again? Absolutely! I would also recommend them to all my friends.

Amateur dramatic group set out to stage show to mark centenary of First World War.

‘Lest we forget’ is being staged at Millom school by Millom Amateur Dramatics Society later this month. Nerissa Nicholas, director of the show, said: “It is an ideal way to show our gratitude and respect with it being the centenary of world war one.”

The show, which is directed by Nerissa Nicholas and choreographed by Danielle Carter, was first staged in 2015 and will return in November 2018 after leaving “a really lasting mark on the cast” says Nerissa. “It’s a real highlighting was also incredibly well received by the town, and created such a buzz last time so we felt that the town would love to see it again,” she continues.

The show will feature classic songs, such as, ‘We’ll meet again’ and ‘White Cliffs of Dover’ and choreography by Danielle Carter. Cast members will be in period appropriate costume. Special effects will also be included to create effective scenes that reflect the trenches and the blitz. Nerissa Nichola said: “I think the main reason we love doing this show is that it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. You’re either laughing or crying and every emotion in-between.”

The production has a fantastic reception when it was first performed in 2015 and received positive reviews from the public and professionals.

The director of the show, Nerissa Nicholas, says “it’s important for our kids to learn about the wars, and to help realise what war does and means for real people and families.” More than 30 children will be involved in the production.

The show will be held over three days from the 21- 23 November in association with the Royal British Legion. Money will be raised via collection box that is circulated every night and the society will also match every donation made by audience members. “The British Legion are also joining us again,” says Nerissa, “We have also asked local ex-servicemen to come along for the finale too and I think that will be really moving.”