The first confirmed sighting of a pine marten in south Cumbria for over a decade has been recorded on a remote camera in Grizedale Forest.

Posted on Thursday, September 29, 2022

Former students with tales to tell of Ambleside’s celebrated Charlotte Mason College are urged to share them in plans to mark the world-renowned educator a century after her death.

Posted on Monday, August 15, 2022

In the wake of a pioneering publication showcasing why farming matters to the Lake District’s iconic landscapes for nature recovery and climate action, a new film follows in its footsteps.

Posted on Monday, May 16, 2022

A lesser-known stretch of England’s rugged North West coast is the inspiration for a new public art commissions programme announced today and launching in spring 2023. The project, supported by the University of Cumbria's Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas, is called Deep Time: Commissions for the Lake District Coast and draws on the varied landscape and rich heritage of West Cumbria, its people and place.

Posted on Wednesday, June 22, 2022

A ‘northern stronghold’ of rare hazel dormice is being created in Lancashire thanks to a partnership of nature and conservation organisations, including the University of Cumbria Back on our Map (BOOM) lottery-funded project.

Posted on Friday, June 24, 2022

Every farmer in the Lake District is set to receive the first publication of its kind setting out why famed cultural landscapes matter in the crusade for nature recovery and climate action. 'What Did Farming Ever Do for Us?', authored by University of Cumbria's Professor of Upland Landscapes Lois Mansfield, will be distributed across the national park’s 1,246-strong agricultural community as it transitions from EU grants for food production to funding for public benefit.

Posted on Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Men at HMP Haverigg, Cumbria's only prison, are at forefront of The Queen’s Green Canopy tree-planting mission. They are working with the University of Cumbria's Back on our Map lottery-funded BOOM project on helping to reintroduce threatened native species to areas around Morecambe Bay and south Cumbria.

Posted on Monday, December 13, 2021

TV presenter Kate Humble is to lead a stellar line-up of speakers for a Lakes-based COP26 event on December 1 that will explore natural beauty in some of the country's most popular and fragile places. It will be hosted by the university's Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas and the People Land Art Culture Ecology (PLACE) Collective.

Posted on Monday, November 22, 2021

A University of Cumbria-led organisation has joined guardians of some of the biggest tracts of protected landscapes on earth in signing a pivotal COP26 statement calling for world leaders to support them.

Posted on Tuesday, November 9, 2021

World leaders gathering for COP26 should be a catalyst for action, boosting ambitious goals to make Cumbria carbon neutral 13-years ahead of government targets. So says University of Cumbria’s Mike Siddall, a key adviser in the county’s drive for business sustainability and CO2 reduction,

Posted on Monday, October 18, 2021

Scientists from the University of Cumbria are part of a new £10.5 million UK programme that will explore how trees can help the UK reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Nationally recognised experts, including senior Defra staff, will be taking part in Farming with Nature, a virtual conference organised by the university's Ambleside-based Centre for National Parts and Protected Areas and taking place this month.

Posted on Monday, May 10, 2021

Cumbrian author Sarah Hall will be working with English LIterature students in her new role as Professor of Practice at the University of Cumbria's Ambleside-based Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas

Posted on Monday, April 26, 2021

The race is on for votes to clinch vital European funding to safeguard universally rare rainforest – in Cumbria.

Posted on Tuesday, March 30, 2021

People Land Art Culture and Ecology (PLACE) is bridging with the university's Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas and linking artists with those who work in and on celebrated but often fragile landscapes. Amid pressing concerns over climate change, habitat declines and post Brexit farming, an ambitious five-year mission aims to be a catalyst for shifting dynamics. The PLACE Collective is inspired by the Lake District’s World Heritage success in celebrating cultural heritage.

Posted on Monday, March 29, 2021

Environment and conservation specialists at University of Cumbria have welcomed the reintroduction of beavers to the county after a 400-year absence and hope the Cumbria Beaver Group project leads to new research opportunities for students.

Posted on Thursday, November 5, 2020

World-famous mountaineer Simon Yates is leading an online interactive panel to explore big questions about some of the country’s best and most loved landscapes. A team of experts will be at the ready to answer crucial queries about our national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty in an evening designed to get to the heart of a raft of issues.

Posted on Monday, September 28, 2020

Nature has become more important to people since the start of the coronavirus lockdown and protecting it a higher priority, new University of Cumbria research has found. A total of 704 adults from across England, Scotland and Wales have taken part in 'Connection with nature in the UK during the COVID-19 lockdown', a study led by Tania Lemmey and carried out in association with the university’s research-led Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas.

Posted on Friday, August 7, 2020

A national charitable body formed to bring fresh thinking on food production, farming and rural community support is set to make important steps forward in Cumbria. The Food, Farming and Countryside Commission’s work in the county is being hosted by University of Cumbria and one of its PhD students will play a key role as the Cumbria inquiry’s coordinator in a far-reaching programme to put some of the 15 recommendations in place.

Posted on Thursday, July 16, 2020

Taking positive steps to address these challenges, a steering group is being established to oversee the development of a land-based skills strategy and delivery model for Cumbria. Chaired by Christine Knipe, Chief Executive of Westmorland County Agricultural Society and convened by the University of Cumbria, the steering group will include wide representation from across the land-based, rural and education sectors, the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP) and Eden District Council.

Posted on Friday, June 12, 2020

Unless post Brexit policy protects ancient common land dating back to the Magna Carta the system in Cumbria could fail within eight years with significant impact on the Lake District. The stark warning will be shared at a public lecture this month by one of the country’s most influential uplands and common land specialists, Dr Julia Aglionby.

Posted on Monday, January 13, 2020

One of England’s most influential uplands and common ground specialists, with close links to the Prince of Wales, is embarking on a pioneering role at University of Cumbria (UoC). Dr Julia Aglionby said she was thrilled to become a Professor of Practice at a time of great challenge and opportunity, explaining the appointment signaled a sea change for the national organisations she spearheads - and an exciting collaborative future.

Posted on Tuesday, August 27, 2019

One of the country’s leading uplands farming experts has warned a ‘no deal’ Brexit could push significant numbers of hill farmers out of business. Recently appointed a professor and currently director of University of Cumbria’s Ambleside campus, Lois Mansfield’s stark predictions come as she prepares to embark on a major factfinding visit to Japan. Prof Mansfield leaves this week on a prestigious Churchill Fellowship

Posted on Monday, June 24, 2019

Students on a new course are to get an insight into the life of William Wordsworth. The University of Cumbria is teaming up with Rydal Mount, where the poet lived for most of his life, for its new Masters degree in Literature, Romanticism and the English Lakes.

Posted on Monday, June 17, 2019

Geographers from across the northwest are being called to represent the area in a launch event for an internationally renowned institution for teachers. Cumbria and North Lancashire are about to join over 40 branches of the Geographical Association at a critical time for the subject and profession. Spearheading the move for representation is University of Cumbria’s Simon Carr, Geography lead at the Ambleside campus.

Posted on Friday, June 14, 2019

From learning aboriginal techniques of starting fires and having your garden soil samples tested to taking better photos on a smartphone or scaling a bouldering wall, the University of Cumbria’s first Ambleside Showcase is set to provide a day of free fun for families and visitors alike. The Ambleside campus is throwing open its facilities on Saturday, 27 April.

Posted on Wednesday, April 24, 2019

The Foundation for Common Land is delighted that their Patron HRH The Prince of Wales has attended a Summit to encourage cooperation between the cultural farmed landscape and nature conservation in the Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The workshop, held at the University of Cumbria’s Ambleside campus, brought together leading figures from 20 organisations including the National Trust, RSPB, National Farmers' Union, Woodland Trust, Prince's Countryside Fund, and Natural England.

Posted on Monday, April 8, 2019

Upland farming expert Dr Lois Mansfield, director of the University of Cumbria's Ambleside campus, is today unveiled as one of 150 people across the UK to be awarded a prestigious 2019 Churchill Fellowship. She will use her award to travel to Japan to learn about the country's approach to rural development. Churchill Fellowships are awarded to people who are recognised as being ‘uniquely qualified by their real-life experience’ to head overseas to learn about issues affecting the UK.

Posted on Thursday, March 7, 2019

The University of Cumbria’s role as an anchor institution bringing higher education to Cumbria and working across Cumbria’s key sectors was confirmed during a high-level gathering held during graduation week.

Posted on Tuesday, December 4, 2018

A face well known within Cumbria’s tourism industry and an expert in child protection issues are to join the University of Cumbria as professors of practice.

Posted on Wednesday, October 24, 2018

The ‘jewel in the crown’ is how the University of Cumbria’s newly appointed director of the Ambleside campus describes the site in the heart of the Lake District. But Dr Lois Mansfield is no stranger to the historic centre; for 20 years she has worked in higher education in Cumbria most recently as principal lecturer in forestry, conservation and geography based within sight of Fairfield and a host of other sought after peaks.

Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2018

The University of Cumbria is collaborating with three different organisations concerned with the environmental welfare of Cumbria to offer innovative MSc research programmes. The university’s Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas (CNPPA) is offering the opportunity of embarking on relevant, real life study by working with the Friends of the Lake District, the South Cumbria Rivers Trust and Portable Ecosystems Ltd.

Posted on Monday, September 17, 2018

The chairman of the Lake District National Parks Partnership (LDNPP), was pleased with the University of Cumbria’s ‘great ambition’ when he returned to the university’s Ambleside campus after a break of several years.

Posted on Friday, June 22, 2018