On Saturday I visited Penrith for what could potentially be the last Winter Droving festival. The annual event attracts thousands of visitors to the town and the highlight is always the legendary torchlit parade through the town centre with its illuminated paper sculptures. For the record it is very similar to an event in Ulverston when I was working at the North West Evening Mail in the 1990s.

The event epitomises all things Cumbrian: animals, fire, good food and community spirit. But having said that there was a piece on ITV Border last week with the organisers claiming that they might struggle to get funding for it next year so it may be the last one this year.

Having said that I am reliably informed by my Penrith contacts, including the current town’s mayor, that this is the line they peddle every year and yet somehow the event continues so we shall see eh? Having said that it was good to revisit my old patch from when I was at the Cumberland & Westmorland Herald, and I even bumped into a former colleague in the crowd, and I am keeping everything crossed that it will return.

I did chat with the woman in the red waistcoat who had a very distinctive vocal performance and she said that she was “calling to the cows” which seemed to fit with the whole event.

And it was a big test to my new Sony Alpha kit which coped surprisingly well considering the typical Cumbrian downpour.