Review of the Year: Here's what made the headlines in Lancaster & Morecambe in 2022

By Gayle Rouncivell

Published 30th Dec 2022, 08:00 BST

Updated 30th Dec 2022, 09:27 BST

It’s been a busy year of ups and downs as we finally came out of the worst of the Covid pandemic and remembered what ‘normal’ life was like again.

Here we look back at some of the more memorable stories that we covered across the Lancaster district during 2022.

The close-knit community of rural Roeburndale was left in shock after a man died and several others were left injured when a vehicle and trailer plunged into a river after a bridge collapsed. Eleven people were in a Polaris Ranger and trailer at the time of the incident. Sadly, Brian Harwood, 73 and from Penrith, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
In other news, Lancaster City Council gave the green light to ambitious plans for the Eden Project North development in Morecambe.

1. January

The close-knit community of rural Roeburndale was left in shock after a man died and several others were left injured when a vehicle and trailer plunged into a river after a bridge collapsed. Eleven people were in a Polaris Ranger and trailer at the time of the incident. Sadly, Brian Harwood, 73 and from Penrith, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. In other news, Lancaster City Council gave the green light to ambitious plans for the Eden Project North development in Morecambe. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

Crowds gathered in Williamson Park as news spread that the latest season of hit TV show Peaky Blinders was being shot. The Ashton Memorial was the backdrop for some indoor scenes of the award-winning British crime drama. And while the production team asked the public to keep away as part of its Covid safety protocol, lorries used for transporting the crew and equipment could still be spotted from a distance by passers-by, who gathered in the rain hoping to spot a star or two.

2. February

Crowds gathered in Williamson Park as news spread that the latest season of hit TV show Peaky Blinders was being shot. The Ashton Memorial was the backdrop for some indoor scenes of the award-winning British crime drama. And while the production team asked the public to keep away as part of its Covid safety protocol, lorries used for transporting the crew and equipment could still be spotted from a distance by passers-by, who gathered in the rain hoping to spot a star or two. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

Lancaster mum Tanya Mulesa was reunited with her beloved gran after the 83-year-old made a gruelling journey to escape war-torn Ukraine. Natalia Anufriieva travelled 10 hours by lorry from her home in Rivne, in the north of Ukraine, to the border with Hungary. There she waited a week for her visa to be approved before she was able to take a bus to Budapest, where she was reunited with Tanya and the pair could fly to safety in the UK.
In other news, tributes were paid after World War Two hero and great-grandad Jack Bracewell passed away peacefully at the age of 99. Jack, who lived in Morecambe with his daughter Lynne, was a driver in the Royal Army Service Corps and was part of the D-Day landings at Gold Beach on June 6 1944.

3. March

Lancaster mum Tanya Mulesa was reunited with her beloved gran after the 83-year-old made a gruelling journey to escape war-torn Ukraine. Natalia Anufriieva travelled 10 hours by lorry from her home in Rivne, in the north of Ukraine, to the border with Hungary. There she waited a week for her visa to be approved before she was able to take a bus to Budapest, where she was reunited with Tanya and the pair could fly to safety in the UK. In other news, tributes were paid after World War Two hero and great-grandad Jack Bracewell passed away peacefully at the age of 99. Jack, who lived in Morecambe with his daughter Lynne, was a driver in the Royal Army Service Corps and was part of the D-Day landings at Gold Beach on June 6 1944. Photo: Daniel Martino

It was annlounced that a £1m fundraising campaign was to be launched in a bid to save the beautiful Ruskin’s View in Kirkby Lonsdale. Access to the popular beauty spot, which was painted by Turner, had been closed since September 2021 when a technical survey suggested the imminent danger of landslip. Cumbria County Council has responsibility for the footpath and took the decision to close it for health and safety reasons when the forecast for bad weather threatened further erosion. However, Kirkby Lonsdale Town Council owns The Brow which is where many people sit to enjoy the view, and they were faced with the prospect of having to raise the £1m to pay for work to help stabilise the area.

4. April

It was annlounced that a £1m fundraising campaign was to be launched in a bid to save the beautiful Ruskin’s View in Kirkby Lonsdale. Access to the popular beauty spot, which was painted by Turner, had been closed since September 2021 when a technical survey suggested the imminent danger of landslip. Cumbria County Council has responsibility for the footpath and took the decision to close it for health and safety reasons when the forecast for bad weather threatened further erosion. However, Kirkby Lonsdale Town Council owns The Brow which is where many people sit to enjoy the view, and they were faced with the prospect of having to raise the £1m to pay for work to help stabilise the area. Photo: s