Congratulations, Pat!...your book about Botcherby`s past could be a blueprint for Botcherby`s future!
The Botcherby area of Carlisle said goodbye at the weekend to its historic Magpie Inn which closed its doors- hopefully, not for ever.
The Magpie is losing money for the brewery that owns it, but it may re-open in the future as a community pub.
The campaign to save the Magpie as a community pub is being supported by Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation through its Botcherby community group, Botcherby Forever.
The group is very much involved in local history and keeping alive memories of past days in Botcherby. Many of these memories are centred on the Magpie.
The memories are being put together in a book by local author, Pat Hitchon who has been attending Botcherby Forever meetings for the last few months collecting the memories.
About thirty Botcherby people up to now have offered help with memories of such places as Botcherby Home, Durranhill Convent, St Andrew`s Church and, most surprisingly, the time Botcherby was the location of the first Carlisle Airport.
Pat`s book is to be called Botcherby- a Garden Village and looks back to the time the area was transformed into a council estate.
Members of the group hope that Pat`s book, with all its happy memories, will help to build a better image of Botcherby after all the bad publicity of the past.
“It`s lovely to have something nice done for Botcherby for a change” is a sentiment often expressed at Botcherby Forever meetings when Pat`s book is being discussed.
Pat herself got something nice at the weekend from her planned book. She was awarded a £1000 Hunter Davies bursary for budding Cumbria
The Federation and Botcherby Forever have enjoyed helping Pat. We send our warmest congratulations on a well-deserved award.
And we hope that in any plans for Botcherby in the future, the happy memories which Pat is putting together in her book will lead to a better appreciation of the golden years in Botcherby ….. when it was still a garden village !
The next meeting of Botcherby Forever is on June 20 at 12 noon in the Healthy Living Centre, Number 2 Botcherby Avenue
Information about the Federation is contained in the first entry of
this blog, dated March 25.
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