It’s that time of year where the finalists from the Cumbria Life Awards have been announced. I’ve been through the nominees and pulled out just a few of my favourites. You can vote for your winners here. You only have until SUNDAY 10th AUGUST 2025 to submit your votes! These are just some of my top picks…

Sandpipers, Arnside

Nominated for Best Café or Coffee Shop 2025

I go to Sandpipers a lot, probably at least once a week. It’s a beautiful café on the front at Arnside, overlooking the River Kent estuary and the viaduct. As their tagline goes: delightful views and bangin’ brews. They couldn’t be more right. The café is cosy and comfortable, and always has a friendly atmosphere. They’re also dog friendly, which a big plus for me, as I usually get to cuddle at least one dog when I go in there!

My favourites from the menu vary depend on what mood I’m in, but a regular staple is the American-style pancakes with blueberries, greek yoghurt, and almond flakes, drizzled with honey. Yum! If I’m feeling a bit naughtier I’ll go for the bacon and maple syrup option with the pancakes instead. The pancakes are always fluffy, and there’s an ample helping, which always sets me up for the day ahead. I’d also recommend their sausage rolls when they’re warm from the oven, as they’re equally delicious. The coffee is great, and mum recently discovered they serve iced vanilla matcha (with oat milk or otherwise), which has recently become a favourite of hers.

Holker Hall & Gardens, Cark-In-Cartmel

Nominated for Best Tourist Attraction 2025

I’m a frequent visitor to Holker Hall & Gardens. I love going there at different times throughout the year to see how the gardens have changed and evolved throughout the seasons. It’s brilliant to go in May when all of the rhododendrons are in bloom. Holker is famous for it’s rhododendrons, and if you wander around in May you can see why – the flowers are amazing, and the colours are beautiful. In late June/July the roses in the scented garden come out, and I love to sit and just take in the beautiful smell. Every year there is a different colour scheme in the scented garden and I love to see what they’ve planned.

Of course Holker also has it’s Spring Fair (you can read about this year’s here), and the most popular Winter Market for Christmas Crafts and Street Food in Cumbria (I’ll be attending this later in the year!)

RSPB Celebration Wood at Wild Haweswater

Nominated for Fundraising Feat of the Year 2025

The RSPB Celebration Wood at Wild Haweswater raised over £150k in order to expand an area of naturally temperate rainforest, to raise money for the RSPB’s restoration of Wild Haweswater, and to help residents and visitors reconnect with natural Cumbria. This was done by creating a “Celebration Wood,” which allowed visitors to plant a tree to celebrate an occasion, or to memorialise a loved one, whilst expanding on the edge of Naddle Forest.

Rainforest and Cumbria aren’t two ideas that normally fit together in one’s mind, but in fact it is one of the last enclaves of “Celtic Rainforest” in the UK. This uniquely special habitat is absolutely teaming with life, including lichens, mosses, fungi, and ferns, not found anywhere else. At one time large swathes of the UK would have been covered by this rainforest, but much of it was cut down throughout the centuries to make room for grazing animals/providing materials. It is essential that what is left is protected, not just from human activity but from invasive species such as wild rhododendron which crowds out the native species.

The other two nominees in the fundraising category also very much deserve mentions as extremely worthy causes. The first is Guide Over Sands Trust who bring 1000s of visitors to Morecambe Bay every year to walk across the sands with a trusted guide, sometimes running walks of up to 500 people at a time. The walks raise money for a variety of local causes. The other nominee in the category is the Kirkby Lonsdale Fire Disaster Recovery Appeal which was launched after a fire devastated parts of Kirkby Lonsdale in December 2024. The fund was established to provide aid for those who had experienced hardship because of the fire, with the entire community pulling together to support the town through the crisis.

There are many many other worthy nominees this year in the awards and this list is in no way exhaustive, it’s simply some of my picks. Which are your favourites from the list? Where should I visit and feature next?

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