A Lake District Christmas

Tuesday 16 December 2025

Alan Cleaver and his wife Lesley Park conjure up the spirit of Cumbria's Christmas past with a look back at some of the customs and traditions of yesteryear including Eskdale's Christmas carol, delivering the Christmas post, snow pancakes and a Christmas ghost story. Alan is the author of the book A Lake District Christmas.

Speakers: Alan Cleaver & Lesley Park

George Moore of Whitehall in Cumberland: Merchant and Philanthropist

Tuesday 27 January 2026

A exciting account of a Cumberland farm lad who became a wealthy Victorian entrepreneur and benefactor, who to this day remains largely unrecognised for his generosity and achievements.

Told from the perspective of a family connection.

Speaker: Nigel Entwistle, BDS, MSc., MFDS RCS, MBA

About your speaker:

Nigel was born in the British colony of Kenya and enjoyed his childhood in newly independent Nigeria. Graduating from the University of Dundee as a dental surgeon he practiced in Whitehaven before emigrating to Newfoundland in Atlantic Canada. He returning to the UK with his wife to bring up his family of three children, working in a variety of NHS positions before being recruited to work with the Government of St. Helena in the South Atlantic. In 2003 he returned to the northern hemisphere to work in the Channel Islands before taking up lecturing posts with the Universities  of Liverpool and Central Lancashire and a teaching fellowship at Leeds University. He has most recently worked with the General Dental Council in a dento-legal capacity before retirement to Ravenglass.

As an amateur historian, living in St.Helena gave Nigel the opportunity to visit many of the locations of Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile first hand, to visit his grave site and even the chance to drink wine from Napoleon’s own wine cooler. His other historical interests include local Roman history and he has a family connection to the history of George Moore of Mealsgate, Cumberland.