They fly staggering distances and are responsible for helping boost the country's population; a pair of breeding ospreys are home on Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve.

With three eggs now monitored by volunteers from the Cumbria Wildlife Trust it's hoped 2023 will be the 10th year running that osprey chicks have successfully hatched at the wetland nature reserve near Witherslack.

As you'll hear in the next edition of the podcast with Alasdair McKee, a Cumbria Wildlife Trust volunteer and RSPB northern local group officer, the birds are flourishing.

It's one of the region's most famous rivers; the Lune rises in Ravenstonedale and flows over 50 miles to enter the Bay at Sunderland Point.

With much debate about the quality of our water the Lune Rivers Trust, an environmental charity,  works to conserve, protect, rehabilitate and improve the rivers, streams and watercourses of the catchments comprising the River Lune throughout its entire course and all its associated tributaries in Cumbria, Yorkshire and Lancashire.

In this episode hear how Harry Potter is used to inspire the naturalists of the future.

With much debate about the quality of our rivers and lakes, we'll be hearing from a charity who are using innovative ways of working to look after the catchment area of a river that passes through three counties before flowing into the Bay.

Subscribe for free now to hear this and over 70 editions of the Morecambe Bay Podcast.

The clocks may well go forward this weekend but one prominent Morecambe Bay timepiece is missing.

Morecambe's Clock Tower is without its famous faces which are undergoing specialist repair work.

They are being refurbished by the same company that has just carried out a major project on the nation's best known clock.

So how does Morecambe's clock measure up by comparison?

I've been behind the scenes at the Cumbria Clock Company.

One of the best views of the Bay can be had from Arnside Knott.

The hill between Silverdale and Arnside is an amazing vantage point looking south and west across Morecambe Bay and north to the Lake District.

But as well as a brilliant walk, it's environmentally important for increasingly rare species and needs careful management.

Volunteers make up a big part of efforts to nurture nature. I joined a recent work party to meet those who make time to help and hear what difference their labours are making.

If you'd like to volunteer, you'd be very welcome!

If you’re interested in volunteering with the National Trust in Arnside and Silverdale, please email: [email protected]

As one of the oldest literature festivals in the country, LitFest has attracted a variety of audiences since 1978.

This year the theme of the event is 'exploring the past, creating the future with authors Cynthia Murphy and Frank Cottrell-Boyce among an impressive guest list.

All events in Litfest 2023 are free, whether in-person or online.

The Poetry Collaboration project this year is called “From Source to Sea” and celebrates the rivers of the region with the event led by Cumbrian author and poet Katie Hale.

Hear from organiser Dr Natalie Sorrell Charlesworth and Katie Hale in this edition of the podcast. 

Plans for Morecambe Bay to host a film festival are being drawn up with organisers confident the event will lead to celluloid success for the area.

Already 300 short films from producers based in 43 countries have been submitted for The Bay Film Festival which will be held at the end of October.

Students from Lancaster University are involved in curating the films and it's hoped the event will be start of a long term association.

Anna Kumacheva, an award-winning filmmaker, lecturer and PhD student at Lancaster is the co-founder and coordinator and says the event won't just be limited to Morecambe.

Subscribe for free now to hear the full podcast. 

Morecambe is about to become a regular feature on TV as the hit crime drama The Bay returns to ITV.

Set in the town, its creator Daragh Carville is based in Lancaster and in an earlier edition of the Morecambe Bay Podcast explained where the idea came from together with the challenges of becoming a successful drama writer.

In this edition we hear from actor Daniel Ryan who plays DI Tony Manning in the drama and gain an insight into his career together with his genuine love for Morecambe.  

ITV's hit drama series The Bay, based in Morecambe, returns to our screens next week.

It's the fourth series of the production created by Lancaster-based writer Daragh Carville. You can hear him discuss the programme in an earlier edition of the Morecambe Bay Podcast.

DI Tony Manning is played by actor Daniel Ryan who explains how his association with Morecambe has made a lasting impression.   

Subscribe for free now to hear our full conversation in the podcast which comes out on Sunday 5th March.