Step back in time as Cumbria celebrates local history month

History hunters across the county will have a chance to delve into the past next month as part of Cumbria County Council’s library service Local History Month. Libraries across the county are organising events throughout May to give people the opportunity to discover the undiscovered in Cumbria with dozens of exciting events and exhibitions taking place as part of the annual historical extravaganza. Local History Month is a national event with the aim of increasing awareness of local history and promoting history in general to the local community. Full details of the events taking place during Local History month are available from local libraries.

Cllr Gary Strong, Cumbria County Council's Cabinet member for libraries and archives, said "In Cumbria we have a great appetite for local history and years gone by and it's clear from the volume of events for this year's local history month that libraries are playing a key role.

"It is also an ideal opportunity for people who haven’t paid a visit to their local library for a while to pop in and see some of the exciting new services that are now available and stoke their interest in local history."

In Barrow local historian, Bill Myers will be giving a talk on 'Olympic Dreams and Furness Sporting Stars' at Barrow Library on Wednesday 2 May at 7pm.

There will also be ancestry taster sessions in the following branch libraries:

• Ulverston Library 9am to 1pm on Monday 14 May
• Dalton Library 10am to 1pm on Monday 21 May
• Askam Library 10am to 1pm on Tuesday 22 May
• Barrow Island Library 2pm to 4pm on Monday 28 May

Anyone interested must contact the branch libraries directly to book places - or to have their names put on waiting lists if the sessions prove as popular as they usually are. There will also be a wide variety of local history related displays in the libraries throughout the month.