The Morecambe Bay Podcast

From stars of stage and screen to the throngs who came to see them over the years how many thousands must have walked through the foyer of Morecambe's Winter Gardens? Yet very few will have looked down to admire the ornate tiled flooring beneath their feet which has suffered wear and tear after decades of use. The good news is a team of craftsman are carefully restoring the tiles. Over a five...

For writer and academic Noreen Masud, flatlands have always been a source of fascination. From the wide, flat field glimpsed as a child from the back seat of her father's car in Lahore to more recent discoveries including the Cambridgeshire Fens and Morecambe Bay. The silver sands revealed during a cross Bay walk made a lasting impression on her and together with experiences elsewhere she reco...

Dan Fox enjoys a fascinating career. A sound artist, musician, film-maker and installation creator based in Ulverston he's responsible for creating stunning soundscapes. This weekend his latest project, a singing drumlin celebration organised with Cumbria Wildlife Trust, takes place at Bowber Head Nature Reserve close to Ravenstonedale. His parents ran the acclaimed Welfare State International...

Angela White, aka The Running Granny, started running when she was 53. Seven years later she set a new Guinness World Record as the Oldest female to run from John O’Groats to Land’s End. She was 60. We met at the Bay Health Festival and discussed her ambition to help more of us to stay in shape in later life. Going for Old is Angela's latest project and it's already prompting some of us to...

Morecambe's Winter Gardens has just been listed in the top three of favourite seaside places and experiences as efforts continue to restore the theatre. It's painstaking work, mainly carried out by a team of volunteers who have helped breathe new life into the seafront landmark. Among them is one of the last apprentices taken on by Lancaster furniture manufacturers Waring and Gillows. His attentio...

They say there's a book in every one of us but a group of enthusiastic writers from Morecambe have gone a step further. The Nib Crib based in the West End have just celebrated their second anniversary of acting as a safe space for novice writers to hone their craft. This weekend we'll be able to see the latest work when In Westendia, a play by Crib members Jim Lupton and Martin Palmer, and...

The latest phase of an arts project which has seen the creation of 120 silk pennants, each depicting a story for every mile of Morecambe Bay has concluded. The project which began this spring has seen over a hundred people get involved to record their stories as part of an epic artwork telling the story of the Bay through the people who live, work or visit the area. Over the Bank Holiday weekend t...

120 pennants, each depicting a story for every mile of Morecambe Bay have been produced. The epic artwork has been seen by thousands of people on Walney, Grange over Sands, Arnside and Morecambe. In a trail for a new podcast about the project, artist Ali Pretty explains how the project called Bay Lines Beach of Dreams has made an impact on her:

120 miles and many, many stories have been brought together about Morecambe Bay in a brand new piece of work. From designs that depict special views in memory of loved ones to the area's world class wildlife, Bay Lines Beach of Dreams is now live and shows off the variety of life and the communities around the Bay as never before. Commissioned by the Morecambe Bay Partnership it's the idea...

It's well known that the area inspires artists and an exhibition which has seen two with very different skills collaborate is now open. Hidden Depths  is the result of a three  year collaboration between Silverdale artist John Baldwin and Heysham poet and writer John Hindle now on at King Street Arts in Lancaster. The paintings are extraordinary: vivid, colourful and memorable and offer a whol...

The sight of 620 silk pennants fluttering on beaches around the Bay promises to be spectacular! This week work to create the artwork that will form Bay Lines: Beach of Dreams moves forward apace as waxing and dyeing takes place at a pop up studio in Grange. As well as those taking part in the work, volunteers are also needed to help create the displays on Walney, Grange, Arnside and Morecambe over...

A new shop has opened in Morecambe aimed at offering help to anyone living on a budget. Based at Emmanuel Church the Living Hope community store sells deeply discounted food as well as donated food completely free of charge. With support from suppliers it's now open once a week but volunteers are aiming to expand opening hours if there's demand. The podcast went to the opening day. For mor...

Many of us enjoy a walk but for Martyn Howe, walking has almost become a way of life. He's passing through Morecambe Bay as part of a mission to walk around the English coast - all 2,400 miles of it! Martyn's met some interesting characters an has also been inspired to take part in the Beach of Dreams project too. I met him as he walked through Silverdale on the latest leg of his oddysey....

Living in Fleetwood has presented the town's artist in residence with a wealth of inspiration. For 12 months, Tina Dempsey is based at The Mount and is looking forward to spreading the word about the town. After living here for 18 years she says the community is Fleetwood's strength and is determined to do her bit to publicise the area through her art. As well as the town's rich histor...

120 miles and many, many conversations later, artist Ali Pretty has concluded her week-long walk around Morecambe Bay. From Fleetwood in the south to Walney in the north, she passed through Glasson Dock, Lancaster, Sunderland Point, Heysham, Morecambe, Silverdale, Arnside, Grange, Ulverston and Barrow. The purpose of the walk was to encourage people living around the Bay to adopt a mile and take p...

Morecambe Bay is home to a wide variety of communities and a new project could well uncover whole new stories and issues that are relevant around the Bay. That's one of the aims of Bay Lines, Beach of Dreams which begins a new phase this week. Artist Ali Pretty whose previous work includes flag making at the Morecambe WOMAD festivals is leading a series of walks around the Bay, all 120 miles....

A three year project to document the fishing industry around Morecambe Bay through pictures has gone on display in a setting just a stones throw from one of the area's best known but most remote locations. The Mission Heritage Centre at Sunderland Point is home to a stunning collection of images taken by photographer Tessa Bunney . Called Going to the Sand , it 's a record of an industry t...

The Seagull Cafe based at More Music, Devonshire Road in Morecambe has become a welcome addition to events aimed at the over 60's in the town. Originally set up under the Singing for Health project it's now appealing to a wider audience whose reasons for attending the weekly sessions vary widely. Each Tuesday musicians lead the singing and whether you can hold a note or - like me - can jus...

Morecambe Bay is known for it's stunning birdlife including the regular return to the area by a pair of breeding ospreys. In winter they are in west Africa but each spring the pair independently fly thousands of miles to Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve near Witherslack. Hopes are high that 2023 will be the tenth year the pair will have raised osprey chicks on the Bay and volunteers at the Cumbria...

They fly staggering distances and are responsible for helping boost the country's population; a pair of breeding ospreys are home on Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve. With three eggs now monitored by volunteers from the Cumbria Wildlife Trust it's hoped 2023 will be the 10th year running that osprey chicks have successfully hatched at the wetland nature reserve near Witherslack. As you'll...

It's one of the region's most famous rivers; the Lune rises in Ravenstonedale and flows over 50 miles to enter the Bay at Sunderland Point. With much debate about the quality of our water the Lune Rivers Trust , an environmental charity,  works to conserve, protect, rehabilitate and improve the rivers, streams and watercourses of the catchments comprising the River Lune throughout its enti...

With much debate about the quality of our rivers and lakes, we'll be hearing from a charity who are using innovative ways of working to look after the catchment area of a river that passes through three counties before flowing into the Bay. Subscribe for free now to hear this and over 70 editions of the Morecambe Bay Podcast.

The clocks may well go forward this weekend but one prominent Morecambe Bay timepiece is missing. Morecambe's Clock Tower is without its famous faces which are undergoing specialist repair work. They are being refurbished by the same company that has just carried out a major project on the nation's best known clock. So how does Morecambe's clock measure up by comparison? I've been...

One of the best views of the Bay can be had from Arnside Knott. The hill between Silverdale and Arnside is an amazing vantage point looking south and west across Morecambe Bay and north to the Lake District. But as well as a brilliant walk, it's environmentally important for increasingly rare species and needs careful management. Volunteers make up a big part of efforts to nurture nature. I jo...

As one of the oldest literature festivals in the country, LitFest has attracted a variety of audiences since 1978. This year the theme of the event is 'exploring the past, creating the future with authors Cynthia Murphy and Frank Cottrell-Boyce among an impressive guest list. All events in Litfest 2023 are free, whether in-person or online. The Poetry Collaboration project this year is called “Fro...