December started as the season of giving should as a hotel owner offered up one of his rooms to a homeless man.

Sean Readett, owner of The Victoria Hotel in Barrow, felt inspired to offer a helping hand when he read about Lewis Leeming’s story in The Mail.

The 37-year-old worked as a music teacher for more than 16 years before he was left homeless and forced to sleep in his car.

In the hotel industry December was an up and down month as the new Holiday Inn Express opened in Barrow at the start of the month, however, it was announced that Lambert Bridge Hotel in Grange would be closing.

This news came after disappearance of more than £50m of investors’ money in the Carlauren Group.

Emergency services recovered a body from the water at Roa Island just before Christmas.

Paramedics, police and HM Coastguard were called to the scene just before 2pm.

The man was later identified as Jason Goldrick, who went missing from Blackpool Victoria Hospital on the night of November 1, 2019.

CUMBRIANS were urged to stay vigilant to help protect the county’s treasured red squirrel population against a potential outbreak of the deadly squirrel pox virus.

Victoria Bowe, an intrepid woman from Bowness-on-Windermere, embarked on an 18-day trek across the Himalayas to Mount Everest base camp with a party from the charity Prevent Breast Cancer, in memory of her mother. The hikers included Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor and raised £130,000.

A trio of Lake District runners sparkled in the frost as they smashed a host of records in the 100-mile Lakes, Meres and Waters challenge, the Abraham Tea Round and the Winter Bob Graham Round.

Wes Hunter became the newest fell top assessor at the Lake District National Park Authority and said he could not wait to make his first ascent to the summit of Helvellyn.

Cartmel’s picturesque streets and village square were packed for the arrival of Father Christmas as the festive lights were switched on.

Plans were lodged for another major housing development in the north of Carlisle. The proposals tabled for an 86-home estate at Deer Park, Belah, raised concerns amid fears of over-development in the area.

Edan Sargent, aged six, was a VIP for the day at Carlisle station courtesy of Virgin Trains, as part of the firm’s final community fun day ahead of Avanti West Coast taking over the franchise at the start of December.

The original voice of ITV Border Television died.

Clive Champney died peacefully, with his family by his side, on Monday at the age of 90.

Alongside Allan Cartner, Mr Champney was one of the first voices on the new Carlisle-based television station, which launched in 1961.

Conservative John Stevenson was re-elected as the MP for Carlisle once again at the General Election.

Tullie House was named as one of five museums in the north-west to receive a significant grant from the Arts Council England. The museum will receive £83,855 from the Designation Development Fund over three years.

Praise was given at the West Heroes Awards while Whitehaven News reporter Lucy Jenkinson was commended for her shocking Mind story, which revealed the downfalls of the West Cumbrian charity.

Salterbeck man Stephen McCue pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

And completing the year, following months of campaigning, Conservative Trudy Harrison was re-elected as Copeland’s MP, winning with 22,856 votes against Labour’s Tony Lywood, who received 17,040 votes. Allerdale voted for only its second Conservative MP in over a century, electing Mark Jenkinson to represent the constituency.