Recycled

As my regular reader will know, The Westmorland Gazette cartoon is always greatly interested in the doings of the local council. This is fair enough. As I pay them council tax, I feel it is only fair that they provide me with an income in return. It’s all part of the circulation of money which has helped make capitalism the astounding success we see today.

Recent council doings have included a couple of wheezes which have proved useful to a cartoonist. These include a plan to close down local waste recycling centres and a campaign to remove A-Boards from our pavements.

But locals have not been amused. A petition was compiled. People Had Their Say. The result being that the council has backtracked on both these schemes and they are either “in consultation” (i.e. Keep quiet about it until everyone forgets about them and we can pretend they never happened) or “we are actively looking for viable alternatives” (which translates as: Do nothing).

Elsewhere in this week’s newspaper, two lads in Grange-over-Sands have set up as ghost-hunters. Next week, I’m hiring a daily Mail investigative journalist to track down the fairies at the bottom of my garden.

Here are the ideas for the cartoon. A few of them recycled, in the spirit of the stories. To discover which made it onto the front page, visit my website from Thursday afternoon.

Snowboard

As snow settles on the Lake District, turning it into a winter wonderland (© WaltDisney) the thoughts of residents turns to one thing: Grit. Or the lack of it on the roads.

Elsewhere, geese are being culled, A-boards are being banned and new chairman is being parachuted into a failing NHS Trust. 

Yes, it’s all the news that’s fit to print in this week’s soaraway Westmoreland Gazette and therefore grist to the cartoonist’s light blue Studio 33 Derwent pencil.

Below are the cartoons with which I confronted my editor. Did he choose the right one? Only you can decide - add your comments below and then check out my website after midday to see if you were correct and whether you're the winner of this week’s star prize.*

“That should get round the A-board ban.”

“It’s our allocation of grit from the Council.”

“I came in as a patient but by the time I got to the head of the queue I’d qualified as a doctor.”

“As you’re a member of the NHS Trust, this is my prescription.”

“The new NHS Trust chairman certainly means business.”

* there isn't one

Sensitivity

People in the Lake District are a sensitive bunch. Blood pressures rise at the brief mention of a number of topics. But apparently that now includes T-shirts.

A shop in Kendal has had to place a placard in the window reading: “Warning. The police have received repeated complaints our Tee’s are offending public decency. We have no wish to offend anyone. If you are of a sensitive disposition. Please do not look in our window.”

Frankly, I think I’d be more likely to be upset by the misappropriation of the apostrophe. I think Ill write a letter to the paper.

Elsewhere in this week’s thunderingly-good Westmorland Gazette, there are stories about affordable housing, a cull of Canada geese and A-boards on pavements. The grist of the regional cartoonist’s mill (and I have no idea what that means). No Big Cats but Radio 4’s Today programme is making up for it, as I type, with a long piece about a Mystery Cat in another part of the country. Our Big Cat must have bought a day return rail ticket.

Here are the six sketches with which my editor was confronted yesterday. Look closely and see if you can spot which one made it to today's front page. You can check if you were right by visiting my website.

“Welcome to the club.”

“People get upset when we go out together.”

“I was on my way to visit his shop when I fell over his A-board.”

“Dear 2^nd home owner - enjoy your holiday, we’re enjoying ours in your London home.”