The Morecambe Bay Podcast

Dementia is one of the biggest health and care challenges facing society today.

As people live longer, more families are affected by dementia, with around 850,000 people in the UK currently living with the condition. Behind every diagnosis are relatives, friends and carers looking for support, understanding and connection.

That's why an innovative project in Morecambe Bay is making such a difference.

Called Fore Get Me Not Golf, the programme uses golf to bring together people living with dementia and their carers in a relaxed, welcoming environment where friendships can flourish. At Heysham Golf Club, monthly Dementia Cafés are helping to build a supportive community, reduce isolation and show how sport can benefit wellbeing as well as physical health.

As you'll hear, the success of the programme in Morecambe Bay is attracting attention, with hopes that this inspiring model could be adopted by golf clubs and communities across the UK.

Marianne Barraclough is the executive director of More Music, the community music and education charity based in the West End of Morecambe. As you'll hear, it's an organisation that appeals to young and old and has great track record in getting people from all walks of life involved. Marianne tells us why she wanted the gig, shares her musical background and reveals how she still keeps her hand in today.

BTW the team have got a busy few weeks coming up:

Dare! Young children and their families can swim with the silver fish, peer through telescopes, ride the tide and take a leap, with a newly-created musical experience on 20 & 21 February at More Music in Morecambe at 10am, 12pm & 2pm.

Girls Can is a free two-day workshop over the weekend of Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th March for girls, young women and non-binary people aged 12–19.

This feature-length episode of the podcast features a conversation with someone from the Bay who has spent over five decades at sea in a variety of roles.

I've been talking to Tony Cowell who first went to sea when he was just 3 years old!

He's seen the sea at its best and worst during a career that has taken him from skippering some of Fleetwood's best known fishing boats to serving as lifeboat coxswain.

While he is still chair of RNLI Fleetwood he's just retired as captain of the Fleetwood to Knott End Ferry, a post he held for two decades.

Much loved - and much missed; Eric Morecambe would have been 100 years old in 2026.

Plans are afoot to mark his contribution to the world of comedy.

But did you know as well as delighting millions with his performances and pursuing birdwatching as a hobby Eric was also a keen artist?

It's one reason why the man behind the Morecambe Bay Art Fair is keen to mark Eric's life.

Artist Anthony Padgett has been explaining more about the ideas that are gaining momentum (read more and keep in touch here).

We met - where else - at the statue of Eric!

The Morecambe Bay Podcast will be recording a series during Eric's centenary year. If you'd like to get involved get in touch.

[email protected]

We're back - with a new series of fascinating people to meet from all around the Bay!

Kicking us off is a chat with Chris Barlow, singer songwriter and a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education (with a Geography specialism) at the University of Cumbria.

We've spoken before about his band Hiroshima Twinkie in an earlier episode but this time he tells us how a collaboration with year 6 pupils at Sandylands Primary School in Morecambe has resulted in a song that's a guaranteed earworm!

Sunset Over Morecambe Bay has just come out and with royalties being split between the band and the pupils who wrote it, it's maybe an ideal Christmas present?

Enjoy the song and our conversation with Chris.

Notes:

Check out the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqbLx3hVVWM

The song's available here: https://hiroshimatwinkie.bandcamp.com/track/the-sunset-over-morecambe-bay?fbclid=IwY2xjawOuk11leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeV9AiPHb-Mj6hAP8nFjP5cVAxJ7MadRzos1FrwL6Qv5Ww4KkR__2JMvJnEvI_aem_OhxlQNJhICVywxhV8KUAMA

Here's something a little different from the podcast for you.

This is the sound of a walk I recorded at Leighton Moss, the RSPB's reserve near Carnforth, specifically from the main entrance to Causeway Hide.

Hear the wind passing through the reeds and trees as they lose their leaves. Even an unexpected low-flying jet couldn't spoil the soundscape which I hope maybe transports you there!

We walk in, take a few pictures which I'll share on social media, and then head back out.

If you like it, there may be more and in the meantime check out https://radiolento.podbean.com/ which inspired me to try this out.

It's taken 2 years of painstaking work but a historic Morecambe Bay fishing boat is about to return to the Bay.

The Morecambe Bay Prawner Trust acquired the 130 year old Spray after it faced an uncertain future.

Built in Arnside, the sturdy wooden craft was built to handle the dangerous waters, rushing tides and strong winds of Morecambe Bay.

I've been given a look around the boat by trustee and skipper Robin Ashcroft who shares his hopes for its' future.

Spray was built by Crossfields of Arnside and her history and restoration will be covered at this year’s Crossfield Conference, run by Arnside Sailing Club on Saturday 22nd November 2025.

Every picture tells a story and it’s certainly true when it comes to a photography project quietly gathering momentum in Morecambe.

It’s the idea of  creative Johnny Bean.

He’s capturing pictures of people who make a difference in Morecambe.

From tap dancing pensioners to fishermen, hairdressers to the town's member of Parliament and everyone in between; characters who make the town what it is.

Johnny is recording images for posterity and to chart how the town is changing.

We met up - near arguably the town’s most famous son ! to talk more about Morecambe Faces.

https://johnny-bean.blogspot.com/

Bikers from across the UK descended on Barrow on the longest day to mark the second Dave Day to be held to mark the life and work of the Dave Myers who hailed from the town.

Hairy Biker Dave has a loyal following and his wife Lili is continuing to raise awareness as well as money for cancer care and other good causes.

Over 20,000 bikers came to Barrow today with people lining their routes from London to south Cumbria.

I've been meeting a few of the well wishers as well as some hairy (and not so hairy!) bikers.

This is a gem!

A recording of the sights and sounds of Morecambe made over 40 years ago has been shared publicly for the first time since it was produced.

Sounds of Morecambe and District was a cassette made by a small team led by Peter Mason-Milward in 1981.

As well as the sounds of Marineland, go karts at Heysham Head and the Harbour Band Arena it also featured interviews with some of the stars of the day who visited the area. They include presenters Pete Murray and Isla St Clair along with Colin Crompton, the comic whose routine took aim at Morecambe in TV’s The Comedians.

Using recording equipment from Lancaster and Morecambe Hospital Radio where Peter was chairman, the result is an extraordinary audio archive of the resort in the 1980s.

Isla St Clair had the honour of switching on Morecambe illuminations in 1980 and told Peter about her love for the town. Meanwhile Colin Crompton said his jokes about Morecambe as ‘a cemetery with lights’ and a place where ‘they all turn out to watch the bacon slicer’ were taken too seriously by tourism staff and on the tape admits the town is ‘not bad.’

The cassette was produced as an audio postcard of the area with around 150 sold by Peter and his colleagues to tourists staying at hotels around Morecambe.

We met up recently with his wife Cath to listen back to Morecambe over 40 years ago.

1' the laughing clown

1'30" Pete Murray

4' Peter explains where the idea came from

5'50" Memories of working with Eric Morecambe

7' Top interview tips from Eric!

10'30" Isla St Clair switches the lights on

12'30" Colin Crompton

15' Gypsy Lee

16' Peter explains how people gave time to the recordings

16'30" Marineland

17' Heysham Head

19' Wrestling on the Central Pier

19' 30" The sand train to Heysham