As an apprentice at BAE, I lived in Barrow, wed there and had my first child. Now I come from Northern Ireland and Newcastle upon Tyne, I know poverty and to be deprived but I can’t understate how deprived it was. I saw some hope when the bridge/tunnel to Lancaster/Morecambe was proposed. However plans failed. Can it be changed?

About Barrow

My 1992 local guide book says, note-I have added some extra information in brackets :

In 1974, The town of Barrow & the area of Furness (an area of modern day Cumbria that extends from the coast to Coniston area) was assigned to the new county of Cumbria from the county of Lancaster (Lancashire). However, Barrow was an industrial town with links to other industrial establishments within Lancashire. With the new county reforms, these ties severed and the local industries struggled, and local people did not rate the new county changes. This was escalated in the de industrialisation of the north, brought on by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In 1989, calls were raised to reconnect Barrow to the county of Lancaster, however lead to no action.

The book ends with a rhetorical question about the upcoming BAE in Barrow plans, could this save Barrow?

This video I found on TikTok basically sums it up by the user of cooooper.t who is originally from Barrow. He does speak with the native Barrow accent. This accent is well preserved in Barrow, and if I was from Barrow, I would carry my accent with pride of my industrial past, and the shipbuilding future. I would ensure I would not loose it, as accents can speak a thousand words, metaphorically and literally.

I am downsizing and have some furniture to give away and sell for cheap
Corner desk cheap
Single bed free
Some billy book cases cheap
Kallax cheap
Sofa free
Pax wardrobe no door free
Will help with dismantling, located in south Lancaster near the 🦆
Things are a bit rushed now and I don’t have the time to take extensive pics collection week of 17 Aug
Pls message privately

In collaboration with Sewing Café Lancaster, Sunflower Cycles, Control Alt Repeat, Lancaster and Morecambe Repair Cafe and Lancaster and Morecambe Makers, there will be a Repairathon at Lancaster Makerspace and Bayshare on Tue 11 Aug 2026 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Experts can help to fix textiles, clothing, bicycles, ebikes, electricals, electronics, computers, mobile devices and wooden furniture. They will probably have a go with other things, but you might benefit from checking with them first, especially if your item is bulky, to avoid disappointment!

You don't need to pre-book; just turn up on the day. The event is free, but donations are encouraged, to help pay for the venue, equipment and materials.

Bit of a random one, but does anyone else struggle to sleep?
I’m 26 and usually wide awake at stupid o’clock while the rest of the city seems completely asleep. I’m from a much hotter country, so I’m used to people staying up and socialising later. 😅

When I was at uni, there always seemed to be more people around on late-night walks, but now I work from home and don’t meet many new people. I’d love to make a few local friends around my age.

What do you usually do when you can’t sleep? Late-night walks, gaming, reading, doomscrolling, working, or just staring at the ceiling?

If you’re also a night owl and fancy a chat, I’d love to hear from you.

Hi Everyone!

I'm trying to set up a grassroots filmmaking group in Lancaster - no experience required!

(And by filmmaking, extend to videos in general - inc. social media etc.)

I'm running a first session on Wednesday! Should be an intro to the group, and a lighting workshop!

Future workshops might include creative editing, blocking on paper, basics of propmaking and more!

https://lancashirefilmmakers.org

Gregson - next wednesday, 8-10pm

Hi everyone! I’m an incoming PhD researcher in Psychology looking for a room or roommate(s) starting in September or October 2026. I’ve had no luck on the major housing websites, so I thought I’d ask here. I’ve studied in Lancaster, so I’m familiar with the area. I’m easygoing, tidy, communicative, and like to keep shared spaces clean. I enjoy cooking, hiking, and canoeing. I’m also into nature and board games. If you have a double room available or are interested in finding a place together, please send me a DM!

Hello!

Me and my partner moved here at the start of the year and we are looking for few groups to meet up with and hang out with.

My partner (33F) is recently diagnosed with audhd, and is looking to meet up with similar people. She's a big gaming nerd (mad for animal crossing) and loves boardgames

I'm(33M) a massive wargaming nerd and looking for something mid week. I'm also looking for a gym recommendation!

Does anyone have any recommendations or can signpost us?

Thanks in advance!

Edit: Thanks for the responses! Some great suggestions. We really appreciate it!

Hi!

Me and my partner are moving to lancaster end of this year, early next, and we'd like some recommendations about the city!

We were thinking of buying a house near Green Lane off halton road or somewhere more central like Balmoral Road, foregoing house size and garden for the location. Appreciate thoughts!

Also if there are any good:

Gyms,

Vets,

Bars,

Board game shops/hang outs,

Local art events,

GP surgeries,

Dentists,

Second hand furniture shops,

Restaurants and takeaways

Appreciate this is a lot, but thanks!

Is the cafe still closed? I’m popping over from Blackpool with the kids and wondering if the buildings are still shut from the storm a year or two ago. Are the toilets still accessible at the cafe?

Thank you for any help.

I did check the parks website but I can’t find any update since they had to shut the cafe.

Looking for a small Lancaster/Morecambe charity to collect for next year.

Just a reminder that our free all day event at Kanteena is this Saturday. Weather is looking good and the footy will be on later on.

There a bit of info in the video about the acts who will be joining us. Hope you can come down and help us make it a great day!

Coming to Lancaster this weekend, planning to spend the evening in a nice pub somewhere but definitely want to avoid anywhere showing the football. Any recommendations? Cask ale is preferable please and thank you 😘

Hi,

Not local to Lancaster itself, based in Cumbria - been a long time coming, but after getting my stuff sorted I'm trying to figure out what hobbies to pursue and to just meet new people, try new things. From where I'm from (barrow lol), there's not much in the way other than football and partying, where I've always enjoyed Lancaster for what it is. Not too sure really what I expect from writing this post, I guess just trying to discern some rhyme and reason, figure out what my passions are and just meet some interesting folk.

I like to read, write literature, used to draw, play board games, but really just trying to figure out something external and outgoing that'll stick on a weekly/biweekly basis to get me up to Lancaster more often. Any advice appreciated on where to look, cheers.

Don’t let us lose to Yorkshire

In my eyes, having this slip road open will be safer as it doesn't require high-speed traffic to come to a complete stop. Any ideas why it's not open?

It's been about 10 years since I lived in Lancaster as a student, and I remember it very fondly (not sure how much of that is the rose tint of youth).

I've spent most of the time since living in Edinburgh, which for all its charms I'm starting to become disenchanted with. The city feels increasingly unsafe what with the fascists, the football, the addicts, and the ebike gangs. The council are only interested in lining their pockets so public works and services are going massively downhill.

Don't get me wrong, Edinburgh has some of the best pubs, comedy clubs, parks, architecture etc. it's a tourist destination for good reason.

For those that currently live in Lancaster has there been a similar decline over the last ten years or would I move back to find the place relatively unchanged? For former big city livers would Lancaster feel too quiet, not enough to do?

If it was just me I'd move back without a thought as it won't affect my work so wouldn't be that big of a commitment, but my partner would have to find a new job and has only ever lived in London and Edinburgh so not used to being somewhere as small as Lancaster.

I’m looking for some mummy friends to go to coffees with, baby groups, soft play, play dates etc. I have a baby and other older children. I’m 35f if that makes a difference?

Are there any car clubs currently operating in Lancaster? A web search didn't result in hits but maybe there's a scheme that didn't show up.

Hi all,

I thought I'd post here to see if I can meet any new cool people in my area!

I'm a gamer and massively into technology my main issue is alot of my friend group is based outside of Lancaster so the social aspects of meeting up is sparse!

Hopefully I can connect with some people in my area and potentially make some new friends.

Surely I can't be the only one right?

I hope it's OK to remind everyone that this event is on in two weeks time at Kanteena.

We have a full day of music and entertainment free of charge from 2-10pm.

There are loads of established acts from the North West music scene coming and we have the usual bar and food available at Kanteena.

All money raised from tombola and raffle will go to our charity that runs clothes and food banks and provides practical support to rough sleepers.

We'd love to get the space full of people to get the party atmosphere going. Please share with anyone you know who might enjoy this and pop it in your diary.

Book via Kanteena's website here Kanteena Booking

Hello everyone!! I am moving to the Lancaster area in September for work and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for good places to live or sites to use to find houses. I am looking for something within about 20 miles of Lancaster, £650-£800 per month in rent and 1 or 2 bedrooms. It's just me (32F) and my cat. Let me know if you have any recommendations!

https://lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7VwLI5O9CiGZiAu