With the expected world-famous annual Gurning Championship and Kendal-based festival Lakes Alive taking place in September, there were plenty of unexpected surprised thrown into the month to keep Cumbria on its toes.

In the south of the county, St John’s Church on Island Road, Barrow, began September with a fundraising appeal after one of its windows had been destroyed during a freak storm in what the church warden Matt Clark called an ‘act of God’.

The church had been attempting to raise £6,000 to cover the repairs bill and by early September had raised almost £2,000.

Up in the north, a fire ravaged Scalesceugh Hall, an Edwardian Mansion near Carlisle, which was in the process of being transformed into luxury homes and apartments.

Multiple firefighters from across the north of the county turned out to tackle the flames, including seven engines, an aerial ladder platform, a water bowser, unimog (multi-purpose vehicle) and joint incident command unit.

A solar park the size of four football pitches was given the go-ahead to be built on a Carlisle industrial park, with permission being granted by Carlisle City Council.

Executives at Kingmoor Park said the development will be a further boost to the estate, feeding its private energy supply.

Over in the west, crab apples and gurning was on the cards for the entire community, with the famous World Gurning Championships being held on the evening of the annual Egremont Crab Fair.

Winners included now-17-time winner Tommy Mattinson, who, after taking a break last year for health reasons, was thrilled to come back to reclaim his title, and Claire Spedding-Lister, who won in 2013 and then has held the title since 2015.

There were 33 entries in the junior section, which saw entries from all over West Cumbria and further afield, with 11-year-old Summer Dawson, of Kendal, taking the crown.

And it was a joyous occasion for Cumbrian writer and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg, as he spent the month celebrating after getting married on a beautiful Lake District day at Bassenthwaite.

Lord Bragg of Wigton married his partner Gabriel ClareHunt at St Bega’s Church, and the service was conducted by Lord Bragg’s daughter Marie-Elsa Bragg, who is a priest.

Celebrations continued, as Allerdale’s bin chaos came to an end after being suspended for two months.

The borough council took the decision to suspend collection of plastic, cans and glass as well as garden waste from July 8 to allow the authority’s struggling contractor FCC Environment to prioritise household waste collection, after they missed thousands of bin collections.

While others were dancing in celebration, tributes poured in for much-loved teaching assistant, Michelle Davidson.

Tragically, the mum-of-two died at Eden Valley Hospice in Carlisle on September 12, nine months after being diagnosed with cancer.

Michelle wanted to help children in impoverished countries, and rucksacks filled with pens, pencils and stationary were donated in her memory.

Whitehaven Coastguard hero Paul Pater was also mourned by friends, family and the community.

The life-saving volunteer saw action at some of the biggest disasters to ever hit the area, and he was described by his family as their ‘hero’.

Mr Pater, who died suddenly aged 62, was a key member of the coastguard for more than 30 years and was involved in the Lockerbie disaster, the sinking of the Solway Harvester and the Cockermouth Floods.

Major plans for a multimillion-pound business park at the northern gateway to Kendal were unveiled by one of the Lake District’s longest established car dealers.

The “exciting” proposals could see Rayrigg Motors and its 40-strong team relocate from Windermere to a five-hectare field off the A6 Shap Road.

Alongside his Kia car dealership, managing director David Smith is planning a business park, which he says could potentially provide employment for 300 to 400 people in the town, at an overall cost of £5 million.

Egremont’s flood defences received a £1.6m boost, as the town was named as one of 13 projects across England which will benefit from a share of £62 million.

The news was welcomed by those living in the town, which has been swamped by water several times over the last few years, and Egremont councillor Mike McVeigh said he was “absolutely delighted” with the news.

Kendal Farmers’ Market celebrated 20 years of supplying quality Cumbrian produce to customers with some very special guests.

Adults and children alike were able to meet livestock and baby chicks, while a cow-shaped jigsaw showed them which cuts of meat came from which part of the animal.

Millie the “middle-aged” bearded dragon was rescued and placed in the care of devoted new owner Amy Dobson, who discovered Millie’s health problem.

The friendly dragon had a broken back due to a vitamin D deficiency – a common problem with domestic dragons who are not cared for properly.

With the help of Sellafield apprentice Sarah Lewin, a “life-changing” wheelchair was created, and the news went national, featuring on ITV Border News.

While schools typically re-open their doors to pupils in September, the county were treated to new schools opening up for the first time.

The opening of a new school was welcomed in style as a town turned out for a day of fun and festivities.

Years of planning and fundraising were celebrated at the new incarnation of Sandside Lodge School in Ulverston.

The school caters for pupils aged between two and 19 who all have learning difficulties.

Also supporting children with their learning was the swanky new Cumbria Academy for Autism in Lillyhall, Workington.

The specialist school, with 32 pupils, will take youngsters from primary school through their GCSEs, and was founded by one of the governors, Lynne Thornton, who saw a gap in the provision for pupils with autism and started working to open the school.

Thousands of visitors as well as local residents from across the county and beyond descended on the towns and villages of South Cumbria and Eden to watch the excitement and drama of the Tour of Britain unfold.

Covering 173 km, riders started stage four of the tour from Gateshead, near Newcastle, and roared their way across County Durham to then pass through Brough, Kirkby Stephen, Kirkby Lonsdale and Sedbergh, to finish in the heart of Kendal.

It is the second consecutive year Cumbria has been chosen to cohost the race, but Kendal held a special place in the tour, having previously hosted a stage in 2007, 2013 and 2016 when more than 10,000 spectators packed the town to see a dramatic finish up the steep town centre route.

The month rolled out to a close on a bizarre note after Barrow man Bill Murray reported having woken up from a routine operation to find he was missing a testicle.

The move allowed The Mail to further shine a light on the urology services at University Hospitals Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, who called an external review into the services this year.

This exclusive formed part of a sweeping investigation by the paper that ended up being nominated for a regional journalism award later on in the year.

Kendal ended the month on a disheartened note, as it was announced the Christmas lights switch-on would not be held this year.

The annual festive lights ceremony was a much lower key affair due to problems of funding and finding appropriate venues, and Kendal Town Council said the decision was made “despite strenuous efforts” to hold the event.

Up in the north, a rainbow sea flooded the streets of Carlisle for the annual Pride event.

People of all ages from all over the county joined the celebration of acceptance, which marked the 10th anniversary of Cumbria Pride.