Barrow Rising

26/06/2026

This work has been funded by Team Barrow, from our Work and Health Fund — we’re proud to be supporting Mind in Furness and their partners delivering important work in our community.

Did you know there is s real link between persistent pain and our amazing brains ? Starting on Thursday 16th July, we will be introducing a new 6 week course in partnership with Barrow Integrated Care Community and "Flippin' Pain". The programme helps us understand pain and how we manage it . If you are 18 or over and are registered with a Barrow GP Surgery and experiencing long term pain, this course might be of interest . Contact details are in our image below.

25/06/2026

📢 Are you an employer in Barrow or South Cumbria?

Join us at the Employer Engagement Event - Work & Health on 16th July at Barrow Town Hall.

WorkWell South Cumbria will be there alongside local organisations sharing practical support to help employers create healthier, more inclusive workplaces.

Come and chat with us about how we can support employees facing health-related barriers to work.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Westmorland and Furness Council Barrow Rising Barrow Park Leisure Centre

20/06/2026

👀 The brand new Visit Barrow leaflet has arrived!

Packed with the beauty, history and vibrancy of our local area, this handy guide highlights some of Barrow’s must-visit attractions, from Furness Abbey to Piel Island and everything in between.

The Barrow BID team will be out tomorrow at Dave Day, sharing copies with the thousands of bikers expected to attend and showcasing Barrow at its very best. Be sure to grab one and discover all there is to see and do across the area!

20/06/2026

Dave Day is here!

🏍 Preparing for a safe and enjoyable Dave Day

Agencies are working together to ensure spectators and visitors heading to Barrow for Dave Day have a safe and trouble-free weekend.

Thousands of motorcyclists are expected to arrive in Barrow today, Saturday, 20 June, for ‘Dave’s Last Ride’ to celebrate the life of Hairy Biker and proud Barrovian Dave Myers.

Agencies including Westmorland and Furness Council, emergency services, National Highways and Barrow BID have met as part of a multi-agency group to ensure the safety of visitors and spectators. They are advising that several routes into Barrow are likely to be very busy during the motorcycle procession on Saturday afternoon and have warned that a number of road closures and diversions will be in place in the town centre.

The route of the motorcycle procession into Barrow will be via the A590, turning left on to Park Road and proceeding to the town centre via Abbey Road, down Duke Street and parking in the Market Street car park at the rear of the town hall. Market Street car park will be closed on Friday for the set-up and will be closed on Saturday to all vehicles except for the bikes taking part in the procession. The first bikes are expected to arrive around 3.30pm.

Barrow BID is managing the main events in the town centre, with grant funding coming from Westmorland and Furness Council and sponsorship from Team Barrow.

As part of the BID’s arrangements, crowd barriers are being placed on some of parts of the motorcycle procession route in the town centre, in areas likely to attract most spectators. Anyone wanting to watch the bikers arriving in town in these areas are being strongly urged to remain behind the barriers for their own safety and the safety of passing riders. Please do not step into the road or try to ‘high-five’ the passing bikers.

The following road closures will be in place in the town centre to ensure the safety of Dave Day riders and spectators:

From 9am to 9pm on Saturday the following roads will be closed to all vehicles (except motorcycle riders in the Dave Day procession):
Duke Street, Schneider Square to Market Street
Market Street (full length)
Lawson Street, Market Street to Cornwallis Street

From midday to 9pm on Saturday the following roads will be closed to all vehicles (except motorcycle riders in the Dave Day procession):
Cavendish Street, Duke Street to Slater Street
Cornwallis Street (full length)
Duke Street, Ramsden Square to Cornwallis Street
Dalkeith Street, Abbey Road to High Street

There are no planned road closures for Abbey Road on the day of the event, but Abbey Road heading into Barrow will be reduced to one lane for all vehicles from Dalton Road junction to Ramsden Square from midday on Saturday.

Signage advising about the bike procession on 20 June is being placed on main routes into Barrow, including along the M6 and A590, in advance of Dave Day.
With so many visitors expected, the multi-agency group is warning it is inevitable that there will be increased traffic and some disruption on local roads, particularly during the afternoon of 20 June when the bike procession arrives.

On the wider road network, there is likely to be congestion around junction 36 of the M6 motorway, with the Dave Day motorcyclists expected to arrive in Barrow mid-afternoon onwards.

Motorists are advised to allow more time for their journeys and to plan ahead. See less

19/06/2026

Team Barrow is proud to be sponsoring BookTastic for a second consecutive year, helping give pupils the opportunity to meet some of the UK’s most celebrated children’s authors and illustrators.

Taking place in Barrow Town Hall, from June 22 – 25, the free festival aims to spark a lifelong interest in reading as pupils get to meet their literary heroes and take home a signed book of their own - for some, the very first book they will ever own.

At Team Barrow, we see the powerful link between a love of reading and our wider ambition: a thriving, inclusive education sector that creates opportunity for all, supports our local economy, and opens clear pathways into fulfilling careers. We want every young person - whatever their background - to reach their full potential and to benefit from enriching experiences and exciting extracurricular opportunities.

We’re proud to support initiatives that invest in our young people and help ensure every child has the chance to thrive.

17/06/2026

It was fantastic to see so many organisations come together recently at the Town Hall for this special Team Barrow event. A huge thank you to everyone who attended and continues to make such a positive difference in our community.

Attended by more than 120 people, the day was a true celebration of the incredible work delivered by local voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations, and the real impact being made in improving people’s lives across Barrow.

Through the Social Impact Fund and Work and Health Fund, we’re proud to support this vital work - and even prouder of the lasting difference it creates for local people.

We were also honoured to mark the renaming of the Strategic Priorities element of the Social Impact Fund to the Sue Johnson Impact Fund, recognising Sue’s remarkable legacy and her dedication to supporting young people and families.

Most importantly, the event created space for meaningful conversations, sharing good practice, and building new connections—strengthening the partnerships that make our community thrive.

Thank you again to everyone involved. Together, we are making a real difference.

16/06/2026

We are pleased to announce that we will be the headline sponsor for Saturday’s third – and final - Dave Day.

The hugely popular ride out in memory of Dave Myers takes place on Saturday when thousands of motorcyclists are expected to make the pilgrimage to Barrow

Our friends Barrow BID are working with Westmorland and Furness Council to ensure bikers can arrive in the town centre safety, as well as providing toilets for visitors and the locals who come out to see the bikes.

The council had already pledged a £10,000 grant to help towards the costs, with Team Barrow – the partnership between Government, BAE Systems and Westmorland and Furness Council, providing headline sponsorship.

Andrew Bennett, who has recently been appointed Interim Chief Executive of Team Barrow, said: “Dave Day has become a huge event for Barrow, loved by locals and providing an opportunity to showcase the town at its best to visitors from all over the country.

“It is important the town celebrates Dave’s life and the contribution he made to our community – and we are proud to be sponsoring the event again this year.”

Paul Hodgson, Manager of Barrow BID, said: “We are really grateful to Team Barrow for their sponsorship of this year’s Dave Day. An event of this scale and popularity requires lots of organisation and Team Barrow’s generous contribution will help ensure the riders and the local community have a safe and enjoyable day.”

12/06/2026

This week health and wellbeing professionals gathered in Barrow for a dynamic training event led by national campaign Flippin’ Pain.

The session — funded as part of Barrow Rising’s Work and Health fund — explored the science behind long-term pain, which affects approximately 30-50% of people in the UK.

The training tackled misconceptions that can make it hard to know what to trust, and what to try, as well as highlighting how a deeper understanding of pain science can be game-changing, reshaping not only how individuals and professionals think about persistent pain, but also how they respond to it.

“Supporting people who live with persistent pain can be tricky,” said Clare Paling, Public Health Project Officer Westmorland and Furness Council. “But making sure our professional teams have the latest understanding of pain can make a huge difference. We hope this is the first of many opportunities we can get teams together to talk about persistent pain.”

Mind in Furness and Barrow ICC are also working in partnership to deliver ‘Flippin’ Pain Together’, a 6-week programme to support people to better understand their pain which launches this July.

For more information on the sessions email [email protected]

09/06/2026

A Stitch Different Community Interest Company (CIC) is one of the recipients of a grant from our Work and Health Fund.

They are using some of the funding to bring Sleep Champion Training to Barrow.

A Stitch Different is working with The Sleep Charity, this training is a CPD accredited sleep support programme for anyone working with the public, community organisations, or employers seeking to better support staff wellbeing and workplace health.

This is a one-off FREE opportunity to access high-quality, clinically proven sleep advice and practical strategies.

Date: Friday 9th October 2026
Time: 10am - 4pm
Venue: The Bridge, Portland Walk, Barrow-in-Furness

The Ability & Sleep Hub Westmorland and Furness Council The Sleep Charity

To register your interest for the Sleep Champion Training please complete the form below.

Thank you for your interest in our Sleep Champion Training. Please complete this form to register your interest in our upcoming workshop. In partnership with The Sleep Charity About this workshop: This is a CPD accredited sleep support programme for anyone working with the public, community organisa...

08/06/2026

Team Barrow is really happy to be supporting this fantastic and worthwhile event 👇

🌟 Mind in Furness is proud to announce the launch of Thrive at Work - a new partnership programme helping organisations across Furness create healthier, more supportive workplaces.

Delivered in partnership with Citizens Advice Barrow, St Mary’s Hospice and Carer Support Furness, Thrive at Work offers free workplace wellbeing training, resources and support covering mental health, carers, bereavement and financial wellbeing.

📅 Join the FREE launch event on 9 June to meet the partnership team and discover how your organisation can get involved.

🔗 Book your place: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/thrive-at-work-launch-event-tickets-1989658772950
🔗 Free monthly workshops: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/thrive-at-work-workplace-wellbeing-workshop-tickets-1989660871226

Together, we can create workplaces where people feel supported, valued and able to thrive.