Copeland Crack

In praise of... village halls

We take them for granted - but village halls have a magic all of their own.

I TOOK part in the photographic exhibition at Santon Bridge village hall last Sunday and it was a delightful - and very English - day out. About 20 photographers crammed into the village hall to exhibit their work and a steady stream of visitors wandered through... [more]

By Alan Cleaver
Published: September 7, 2010

It's all rather alarming

I don't suppose I'm the only person woken up at three in the morning by fire or burglar alarms.

Living in the town centre has its advantages but one or two minor disadvantages - and one of those is hearing a building's alarm go off at 3am. You know that it will be 30 minutes at least before the key-holder is got out of bed and arrives... [more] (3 comments)

By Alan Cleaver
Published: August 31, 2010

You must have a double

"You must have a double" someone said to me the other day. "Cheers" I replied. "I'll have a double scotch".

And now I've got that old joke out of the way (copyright Morecambe and Wise 1932), I'll tell you my double is none other than Drew Pinsky. I can tell you're impressed. But in case you've never heard of him, he is apparently a... [more]

By Alan Cleaver
Published: August 26, 2010

Whose footprint did Robinson Crusoe find on his island?

But before you answer that, let me just get my QI klaxon on stand-by.

Like many people we answered "Man Friday". The question was posed by our usually erstwhile quizmaster Anthony Payne a few weeks ago. In fact so 'obvious' was the answer that we foolishly didn't even check it. But a sharp-eyed reader mentioned it to me the... [more] (1 comment)

By Alan Cleaver
Published: August 25, 2010

Voices from beyond the grave

Something as inconsequential as dying on the Titanic wasn't going to stop campaigning journalist W. T. Stead.

W. T. Stead is a popular topic among us journalists. The great man (1849 - April 15, 1912) was a pioneer of investigative journalism - he saw journalism as "a glorious opportunity of attacking the devil". ... [more]

By Alan Cleaver
Published: August 23, 2010