news archive
june-dec 2008
09/06/08 Shap's skeleton in the closet, or should that be a skeleton in the chapel? police are today investigating after a human skeleton was discovered underneath the former methodist chapel by building workers. Developers have plans to build apartments on the site of the chapel and the discovery was made as builders dug test holes for the new development. A source on the site said "he probably fell asleep during one of the vicars sermons and no one noticed" police have stationed a 24 hour guard on the chapel in case the victim tries to escape.
11/06/08 police have today stood down their 24 hour guard at the methodist chapel when it was decided that the skeleton would not be escaping as he had no legs .
15/06/08 A teenager was badly injured when the motorbike he was riding was in collision with a car outside the chip shop,the injured youth was treated at the scene before being airlifted to hospital. The incident reinforces local concerns about traffic problems in the village ,which the police won't acknowledge exsist.
19/06/08 planning permission was granted by eden district council today for the redevelopement of the methodist chapel,work will be commencing in the next few months ,barring any more skeletons !
19/06/08 planning permission for the new medical centre was deferred by eden planners .
25/06/08 more skeletons found in shap's closet !!yet more skeletal remains have been unearthed in shap this week,this time on another building site about 30 yards from the first discovery. a source said "you can see more skeletons in shap ,than on a catwalk during london fashion week "
04/07/08 eden planners today turned down plans for the much needed new medical facility .
07/07/08 work starts today on the refurbisment of the public toilets,work is expected to take 10 weeks .
11/07/08 shap medical practice is urging the people of shap to contact eden district council to voice their support of the new medical centre.
17/07/08 eden district council today did a u turn on the planning application for the new medical centre mainly thanks to the flood of support from the people of shap in the last week.
23/07/08 comedian frank skinner was in town today,doing the c2c walk ,he stopped at the hermitage and dined at the greyhound hotel where he was warmly welcomed by the building fraternity (chip!!)
24/07/08 film crews spent time in shap this week filming for the beeb ,expect nick bellas on a tv screen near you soon !!
31/07/08 the greyhound hotel is from today under new ownership,keith and derrick bade farewell to their staff and regulars last night after 8 years.
12/08/08 the police have responded to points that i have brought up with them regarding traffic problems in the village,speeding ,parking etc. they inform me that august has been designated a european wide month of speed enforcement and as such the speed limit will be rigorously enforced in accordance with government guidelines,
19/08/08
01/09/08work on the public toilets is progressing slowly and there is no chance of them being finished in the original 10 week time frame,expect work to carry on until at least the end of september.
06/10/08 newly updated history section on the m6 -see history page (if anyone has any photos ,please let me know)
09/10/08 new page on the website on the railway through shap, see index (again anyone who has any photos please get in touch )
12/10/08 as expected the new public toilets are nowhere near completion despite e.d.c's assurances.
16/10/08 some people might have noticed the poor state of a lot of the public footpaths in the area,(copy hill -keld road ,sandy lane etc), when asked about this ,david gibson of cumbria county council informs us ,that cumbria has suffered from years of neglect,with 7500km of rights of way and no set policy of maintenance,but now with new staff and funding,things have changed and are starting to go in the right direction. To help the council with this people can report any concerns they have about rights of way, to him (contact details on contact page) .
20/10/08 steve huddart of eden district council informs us that the contractor working on shap's new public toilets has said that work would be 95% complete by last weekend,( the same contractor who told e.d.c they would be finished the week before!!) so your guess is as good as the councils as to when they will be open. Is it any wonder that the new squares development in penrith is such a shambles ,when we have a council who have no idea when work is planned to finish on such a small (but expensive !!) job like this.?
21/10/08 more from bill and fred on the laal bit crack page !!
21/10/08 the date for next years three rings of shap has been announced (13/06/09)-see whats on page for details
27/10/08 the developers of shaps methodist chapel site have decided on the name " red gables" for the development
28/10/08 I have been told some people have been struggling to access the website recently, i think i've sorted a few technical glitches and all should be ok again now.
28/10/08 theives have been very active in shap this week targeting several properties in the early hours of tuesday morning ,thieves also stole a quantity of items from shap co-op on monday evening between 19.00 and 19.30, the two thieves who didn't have local accents , were smartly dressed men one of whom was bald and anybody with any information or who might have seen these scumbags or anything else suspicious should get in touch with the police (numbers are on contacts page).
30/10/08 The new date for the opening of shaps new toilets is now monday the 3rd of november (but you might have to keep your legs crossed a bit longer,the way eden district council are dragging it on !!)
01/11/08 there is a new page on the website from today ( news feature ) ,every so often an in depth news story will be featured ,to start with we feature the saga of the fight to save shaps public toilets.
04/11/08 good news ! the long awaited toilet refurbishment is now complete and the toilets will be open on thursday 06/11/08 .
14/11/08 the thieves who targeted shap co-op recently returned again this week for second helpings but were thwarted by staff who alerted the police ,but as far as we are aware the police have not yet followed this up and these men are still free to steal at will .
16/11/08 shap's football teams continue to have mixed fortunes ,the first team are struggling in the first division, losing every game so far. but the reserves are in a good 3rd position in the 2nd division thanks to their unbeaten start to the season.links to full results and table can be found on sports &leisure page.
18/11/08 Thieves were again active in shap last night ,again breaking into properties and getting away scot free , its becoming a worrying trend.
01/12/08 Following the recent burglaries and thefts in the village, police are appealing for the public to contact them with regards to any suspicious persons or activity that anybody witnesses as and when this is happening ,(the contact details for appleby police can be found on contacts page) .the police admit to being ineffective due to the remoteness of the area !!.
02/12/08 Shap has yet again been the coldest place in england in the last few days , apparently its cold enough to freeze a dogs eyebrows !!
05/12/08 the weather is playing havoc with the football fixtures in the area ,which will prevent shaps teams continuing with their recent good form, the reserves lie 2nd in division 2 with 20 pts and the first team 12th in div 1 after picking up their first point of the season at coniston recently, ( pictures from the reserves recent game against wetheriggs res are on sports page along with links to fixtures and tables).
06/12/08 workers at hansons shap beck quarry face a bleak christmas with job cuts looming in the next week.
14/12/08 thieves have again been active in the area in the past couple of weeks, a litter bin was stolen ( why?) from the layby south of the greyhound, also thieves ransacked mosedale cottage causing damage and stealing several items, anybody with any information should contact local police.
15/12/08 there has been an increase in the amount of flytipping in the village recently, with several items being dumped at the recycling centre,anyone who sees this happening should contact eden district council.
30/12/08 according to the met office the temperature in shap since yesterday afternoon has been at its highest at - 4.1 ( yes thats minus 4) and at its lowest at -9.1 (minus 9 !! ) at 08.00 this morning , but we were also the sunniest spot in the north west in the last 24 hours . so thats all right then !!. (you can check out the weather for shap by going to the met office - http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/nw/shap_latest_weather.html
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