What region of earth is not full of our sorrow?
The eyes of the nation homed in on Egremont as the funeral of Bill Barker became the leading story in the BBC's 6o'clock News on Friday 27th November. They were united with us not only in grief but in deep respect for a man who had died putting the safety of others before his own as he went to the aid of a motorist in danger on a bridge that was on the point of collapsing, and for the amazing dignity of his family.
His wife, Hazel, said,
"We as a family have been overwhelmed by the support, messages and condolence and tributes we have received.
It is so comforting to know that Bill touched the lives of so many and you only have to look around you today to see how much of an impact Bill's death has had."
On the very day of the funeral Bill's son, Simon, had written to us asking us to draw attention to the donation page he has just dedicated to the Great North Air Ambulance in memory of his father. If you would like to give to a life saving charity dear to the heart of Bill while he lived and to Simon, go to
www.justgiving.com
and search 'Simon-Barker'. As we write only a few hours later, £395 had already been donated.
The Rector of Egremont, Rev'd Richard Lee, spoke from his heart when he said,
"Family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and those who knew him from afar have come together united in grief for the loss of someone special." He described the warmth of the family he had visited while Bill was still alive, with everyone talking at once, including the parrot.
Detective Constable Rooney spoke of "the warm, loving welcome that everyone gave me," in a house with a menagerie of animals.
Chief Constable Craig Mackey said,
"Today is a very sad day.
"Cumbria Police has lost a dedicated and committed officer who spent 25 years serving the community of Cumbria.
"He was clearly more than just a police officer, and the thoughts of everyone in the constabulary are with Hazel, his four children and family and friends."

A the hearse left the church, bearing the coffin draped in the Union Jack with Bill's helmet and his police number arranged in flowers, the hundreds of people watching broke into spontaneous applause expressing their admiration and gratitude.
The Prime Minister had spoken of Bill as "a very heroic, very brave man" doing his duty and setting the safety of the people he served above his own.
During the previous week we had received messages from as far apart as Ayrshire in Scotland and Hove on the Sussex coast.
Andrew Burn had written in an email,
"Amid deep concerns for all the suffering and difficulties in Cumbria, I was especially upset to learn of the death of PC Barker from Egremont in the terrible rainstorms of last week. He was evidently a man motivated by determination to prioritise the wellbeing of others.
How would it be if, in remembrance of and respect for PC Barker's selfless desire to put others' wellbeing first, the new Workington bridge, from where he died so tragically, could be called 'The Barker Bridge'?
I feel the new bridge, if named in PC Barker's honour, could better serve as a geographic reminder for our present people, and to the generations to come, of the events of this November..
May God bless and comfort PC Barker's family and the Cumbrian people."
Margaret Ficken, writes:
"The radio has just given out the news about PC Bill Barker, and I feel so sad. It would have been his birthday tomorrow, his 45th, and he has four children. This is an absolute tragedy."
We have received similar messages from many others, including Norman Waddington, in Featherstone, and Barry Coidan, from Walthamstowe.
We feel sure there will be others  who wish to share their thoughts and memories of Bill.  If you are one of those, please send those thoughts to:
 egremont2@aol.com
 or Egremont Today, Waverley, Grendykes, Egremont, CA22 2JS

Donald Eaton has spoken to us with great respect for Bill. "He has sometimes warned me, but he was doing his duty and he was always fair," he said.
Alan Clements thought poignantly of Bill's family on the day that would have been his 45th birthday. Alan had been standing on the South Street bridge at 4am on the morning of the storm with the crew of the fire brigade, when the thought struck him, "Is this safe?" The bridge has since been closed, not because any structural damage has been detected but as a precaution. Alan's experiences is a further reminder of the dangers faced routinely by members of the emergency services at times of crisis.
All of these responses are written in a desire to share a sorrow, but also in respect, admiration, even relief that we have found an answer to those cynics who believe that humanity is driven only by narrow self interest
"What can we do to help?" is a question many people are asking. It is possible to make donations at the nearest branch of Cumberland Building Society, or on line through through the website of the Cumbria Community Foundation:
www.cumbriafoundation.org,
for the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund,
or the CFM Radio website
for a fund to help children in nearby towns like Cockermouth who are facing a bleak Christmas after the destruction of their homes.
www.cfmradio.com/Article.asp?id=1596740&spid=35726,

Egremont Today will be sending its own contribution.

Egremont's Rector, Rev'd Richard Lee, has sent us the following moving and eloquent reflection on those terrible floods:

‘Bridges’

Like so many good things around us – we take them – Bridges - for granted and forget their importance, value and worth, despite that in our language, literature and history their centrality has been revisited so many times.
 At school we sang ‘London Bridge is falling down...’ over and over again. In Advertising for a popular snack – we ‘bridged that gap with C......’s Snack’. In matters of faith the Papacy inherited and proclaims the imperial priestly office of Pontifex Maximus (The Greatest Bridge Builder that Christ is between God and Humanity). ‘Bridge over Troubled Waters’ (Simon and Garfunkel) in its cadences and words still moves us to thought and action for peace and reconciliation. The War Time histories of the horrors of the ‘Bridge over the River Kwai’ and ‘The Bridge Too Far at Arnhem’ , capture our thoughts about the importance our bridges hold in terms of what nations will do to control and cross them. Yet conversely the beauty of the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ in Venice can move many to tears as did the destruction of the exquisite ancient bridge joining one side of the city of Mostar (Former Yugoslavia) to the other, epitomised the sheer cruelty and moral destructiveness of civil conflict and war.
 To hear the roll call of destruction, and then see the collapse of these symbolic keystones in our lives can have a very unsettling and disproportionate affect upon us. In the same way that people were drawn to observe the fascinating power of our swollen rivers, so they were appalled to witness the utter destructiveness of the swollen floodwaters.
 Cockermouth and a trail of other major Cumbrian centres lie emotionally and physically flattened. Cumbrians know the harshness of their weather and the dangers of our beautiful yet rugged county and share a rugged disregard for hardship and dismiss despair. Yet this time it reached out and affected so many and then took the life of a good man, doing his duty and safeguarding the lives of others. No wonder we are taken aback and caused to ponder the values we place upon our lives, our homes and the many things we take for granted. For one family there will be a key stone missing from their lives forever and no amount of reconstruction and compensation can bridge that gap. What may make it bearable are your prayers, your practical support, offered now to communities and individuals alike that says to everyone that in your fears and your pain you are not alone, your grief is shared and your anxieties are real will be listened to. So if we can walk with you and offer our strengths in your weakness then we can come through this difficult time strengthened in our fellowship and our communities can be renewed and strengthened for the future.
 A prayer for those who put themselves at risk for the welfare of others, bridging gaps and rekindling hope.
 Almighty God, by whose grace we are called to positions of responsibility and trust bless, we pray you, all members of our emergency services. Inspire them to courage and wisdom, courtesy and faithfulness: by saving, supporting and comforting others they may also serve you and so become strengthened and more worthy of their calling; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen"

Appalling Suffering

There has been appalling suffering in Cockermouth where almost all the shops on the Main Street have ben devastated, and many of our friends have ben left homeless so close to Chistmas.    Egremont was extremely fortunate to escape without any widespread damage. You can see from our photographs just how close the river came to the top of the bridge arches at 7am on Friday morning and the extent of the raging torrent.  See also dredging work under way in June, removing rubble from under the arches.  This almost certainly saved Bridge End from inundation. 

"What can we do to help?" is a question many people are asking.  It is possible to make donations at the nearest branch of Cumberland Building Society, or on line through through the website of the Cumbria Community Foundation:
www.cumbriafoundation.org
the CFM Radio website
http://www.cfmradio.com/Article.asp?id=1596740&spid=35726,

Egremont Today will be sending its own contribution.

This nifty little grubber cleared debris from under the bridge last June.	The river at 7.30am on Friday 20th November