Looking back at what you have done since 2000

A nice thought but this is West Cumbria, where it seems that every person with at least an ounce of buoyancy will 'celebrate' the New Year by jumping into the nearest area of freezing cold water.

They do it for charity usually but that does not mean it isn't madness.

Just look at the photos from our recent archives of the people taking part in the Allonby "Dook", the annual swim to raise money for Maryport Inshore Rescue - and you can feel the chill.

A delightful photo from recent years - 2019 in fact - shows families enjoying the skating rink at Curwen Hall in Workington.

Not only does it look so much fun and so Christmassy, but this is a man-made rink which means it is safe.

With the recent tragic death of the four young boys on a Solihull lake, it seems necessary to point that out.

We have our babies, of course. They, along with the Christmas babies, are always a cause for celebration - although they might not think so in later life.

It must be a bit annoying to try and celebrate your special moment when most of the rest of the world are celebrating something completely different.

As the grandmother of a Boxing Day baby, I have discovered that the best way to handle it is to give him an 'official' birthday like the late Queen, so we celebrate in July.

The only small problem is, that by Boxing Day July was a long time ago and the July birthday present long forgotten!

We have featured a photo of the late Florence Mulgrew celebrating the turn of the Millennium with her family in Maryport.

Florence was known throughout the town and beyond, as a dancer, a dance teacher, a stalwart of the carnival and as a woman of faith who travelled to Lourdes on many occasions.

As this photo shows, she was also always up for a good party.

It is hard to believe we are nearly a quarter of the way through the new Millennium and hard to know where the years have gone.

And on that note, all that is left is to wish you every happiness for 2023.