Oral health is often overlooked, but it is crucial to overall well-being. The mouth is a gateway to the body, and issues that begin there can affect nutrition, speech, confidence, and even contribute to systemic health conditions. In the past, dentistry has been a “fix the problem” service, with little time and little value placed on education and prevention.

The average age of a first-time buyer in England has risen from 29 to 34 since the mid-1990s, according to new analysis tracking three decades of housing data. The Skipton Group Home Affordability Index, developed in partnership with Oxford Economics, highlights a significant shift in the demographic profile of new homeowners.

Senior lawyers representing millions of WASPI women are preparing to write to the Government citing “multiple legal errors” over their continued refusal to deliver compensation Government lawyers will have 14 days to respond to the pre-court action letter before they risk being hauled back to the High Court for a second judicial review. Campaigners have labelled the Department for Work and Pensions’ compensation stance “irrational and unfair”, describing their approach to affected women as “offensive”.

Bus services across North Cumbria are set to benefit from a range of improvements as Stagecoach introduces its Summer 2026 timetable on Monday 23 March, enhancing connections to and across the Lake District.

To mark the 10th anniversary of a movement that transformed tragedy into action and brought people together across the country, The Jo Cox Foundation has today launched the tenth Great Get Together that will take place from 19–21 June 2026. Ten years ago, the murder of Jo Cox MP shocked and devastated the nation.

Donald Trump recently dismissed Sir Keir Starmer with a barbed remark: the British prime minister, he said, was “no Churchill”. It was a typically Trumpian flourish, provocative, theatrical, designed for social media headlines. Yet by his standards it was almost restrained. He might easily have added, more devastatingly, what Starmer actually is rather than what he is not.

Ever just wanted to knock the hell out of your laptop (or your router!) in frustration? Now you can, as Full Fibre provider Fibrus Broadband launches Cumbria’s first ever rage room.

One of the UK’s largest and most visited attractions, Chester Zoo, is leading a nationwide push to change how weather forecasts are displayed on popular apps - warning that misleading rain icons could be costing some venues up to £137,000 in a single day.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has warned that removing the UK’s tariff exemption for low-value imports could risk pushing up prices, harming small businesses and reducing trade intensity. The government is considering the move after the US removed its ‘de minimis’ exemption. The EU has also said it will do the same and introduce new handling charges for cheaper packages as well.

On the 250th anniversary of the publication of The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith's vision of freedom and competition remains as relevant as ever. A new IEA paper argues that The Wealth of Nations remains one of the most important guides to prosperity ever written, and that Smith's core model has been vindicated by modern evidence.

Last week GLL, the social enterprise which runs Better Leisure Centres in Westmorland and Furness, welcomed Director for Primary Care and Community Transformation and the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme NHS England, Dr Minal Bakhai MBE, to Kendal Leisure Centre.

Men from Kirkby Steven and the surrounding area are being offered the opportunity to get tested ahead of National Prostate Cancer Screening Day at Upper Eden Rugby Union Football Club. Online booking is now open for the event on Wednesday 18 March 2026, which runs from 6pm-9pm and is open to all local men aged 45-69.

The government’s latest Spring Statement failed to include the package of support for pubs that the licensing trade hoped for and indeed in many quarters was expecting. In an interim statement in January 2026, eligible pubs and live music venues received 15% business rates relief for 2026/27, followed by a real-terms freeze for two further years.

Over the last few weeks, we have seen a dizzying array of policy announcements on local government finance – from the final settlement and the outcome of the fair funding review to the takeover of SEND deficits and the new councils receiving Exceptional Financial Support (EFS).

Most people in Cumbria check online reviews before making key purchases, according to new research commissioned by full fibre provider Fibrus Broadband. While traditional word of mouth remains the most trusted source of recommendation, the study highlights how digital platforms are now firmly embedded in everyday decision-making.

Yorkshire leaders, businesses, farmers, food producers, and many more are working with citizens from across the UK to shape a new government Food Strategy. York & North Yorkshire was the second of the What Works Here Inquiries and involved representatives from across the region's food system coordinated by Deliciously Yorkshire. The Inquiries are being led by the Citizen Advisory Council (CAC), a group of citizens from across the UK, who are working with government to understand the way food works in York & North Yorkshire, the challenges for many families in affording healthy, local produce and how national government could help.

Long-distance train operator CrossCountry yesterday welcomed passengers onboard its first refurbished Voyager train - marking a major milestone in a £75 million investment to upgrade long-distance travel across Britain.

A study to encourage more Black men to get checked for prostate cancer, led by a University of Sunderland researcher, has received a funding boost of almost half a million pounds to continue its work on a larger scale.

Lettings experts from Linley & Simpson, Yorkshire, give advice for landlords and renters when it comes to the right to request pets Today, 20th February 2026, marks National Love Your Pet Day – a dedicated day to show some extra love and shower our furry friends with treats.

Savers in the North of England are being urged to shop around for tax-free returns as new analysis reveals a widening gap between the market’s best and worst-performing Cash ISAs. Data from Investec Save shows that while the top 10 one-year fixed-rate ISAs average 4.11%, the lowest-paying accounts on the market offer just 3.15%.

The Bishop of Burnley, Rt Revd Dr Joe Kennedy, has reflected on the vital role of hospital chaplaincy teams, while also sharing how his own recent experience as a patient deepened his appreciation for those who offer spiritual care on the wards.

No credible forecast shows UK oil and gas demand falling to zero by 2050, even under net zero scenarios – oil and gas are essential ingredients in plastics, fertilisers, medicines and modern technology. The 78% headline tax rate is forcing a decline in North Sea production and driving investment overseas, with the workforce forecast to halve to as low as 57,000 by the early 2030s – losing up to 1,000 jobs a month. Replacing domestic production with imports increases overall emissions by around 50% and risks gas shortages on cold winter days as early as 2026/27.

Those words, spoken decades after the Cuban Missile Crisis, are chilling not because they recount a distant danger, but because they remind us how thin the margin for survival once was. For those of us old enough to have lived through 1962, the fear was immediate, tangible, and inescapable. Radios stayed on in the home. Harold Macmillan the Prime Minister, looked very grave - and very old - on the television. There was only one topic of conversation.

New research into the link between longer stays in A&E and mortality rates makes a significant contribution to the evidence about the consequences of overcrowding in Emergency Departments. That’s the key message from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine following a new study on delay-related harm in EDs which was published in the Emergency Medicine Journal (EMJ) today, 12 February.