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Traffic & Construction

Santa near Kendal in 2026: when to book Tinsel Trains, cruises and Christmas events

Families looking for Santa near Kendal in 2026 have two advance-booking attractions to plan for: Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway’s Tinsel Trains, which go on sale on 4 November, and Ambleside’s Santa cruises on Windermere, released on 1 October. Father Christmas will also appear at Kendal’s Christmas lights switch-on on 27 November, while a Kendal BID grotto is planned for early December.

Culture Castle

Kendal Christmas 2026: four family shows announced — but no traditional panto

Families looking for Christmas theatre in Kendal will find four short productions in Kendal and nearby Bowness, including The Elves and the Shoemaker at Brewery Arts from 19 to 28 December. No traditional pantomime is currently listed for Kendal’s 2026 festive programme.

Community Highgate

Kendal Remembrance Sunday 2026: where to gather for the 11am silence

Kendal will mark Remembrance Sunday on 8 November 2026 with a service at Kendal Parish Church and a two-minute silence at 11am at the war memorial in Market Place. The Mayor will lay a wreath at the same memorial on Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November.

Community

South Lakes Housing earns national LGBTQ+ inclusion status after Kendal Pride support

South Lakes Housing has been awarded LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge Pioneer status after demonstrating work to make its homes and services safer, more inclusive and welcoming. The Cumbria provider signed up to the national pledge in October 2025 and was recognised for resident engagement, staff training, communications, its relationship with Rainbow Roofs and attendance at Kendal Pride.

Business & Openings

Kendal estate agency arm sold as My Property Box expands across Cumbria

My Property Box has acquired H&H Land & Estates’ residential sales and lettings division, bringing the business into Kendal and three other Cumbrian locations while the existing team transfers to the new owner.

Crime & Public Safety Sandylands

Two arrests after stabbing in Kendal’s Sandylands area as police seek footage

A 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl have been arrested after a stabbing in Kendal’s Sandylands area. Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dashcam or doorbell footage to come forward.

Community

Kendal weather forecast: heavy rain today, overnight downpours and a brighter Saturday

Kendal is forecast to have a wet and cloudy day with a 93 per cent chance of rain and a high of 16°C. Thursday should bring a dry daytime pause before heavy rain returns overnight, while Friday looks showery and cooler. Saturday is expected to be the brightest and driest part of the five-day outlook, although unsettled conditions are forecast to return on Sunday.

Sport

Kendal rugby players join Cumbria Rams for major Wooden Spoon fundraising festival

Players from Kendal are part of a strong Cumbria Wooden Spoon Rams squad travelling to Tynedale Rugby Club for Vets Fest 2026 this Saturday, where they will face five opponents in Pool A while raising money for children’s charity Wooden Spoon.

Crime & Public Safety Sandylands

Police appeal after man stabbed in Sandylands, Kendal

A man in his mid-20s suffered non-life-threatening injuries after an assault in Peat Lane, Sandylands, Kendal, on Monday September 21. Police believe the suspect was known to him and say there is no perceived risk to the public.

Traffic & Construction Town Centre

Kendal car park spaces to be widened from next week in bid to make parking easier

Work to widen parking bays at the Westmorland Shopping Centre car park in Kendal will begin on Monday 28 September, with completion expected by late October.

Traffic & Construction

Kendal Leeds Building Society branch set to stay open until at least 2031

Leeds Building Society has pledged to keep its Kendal branch on Stricklandgate open until at least September 2031, with reopening expected on October 26 after refurbishment.

Culture

Kendal Age Friendly Festival to offer free activities, advice and winter vaccinations

A free Age Friendly Festival will take place at Kendal Leisure Centre on Sunday 4 October, giving older residents and other visitors access to activities, live entertainment, community information and health and wellbeing support.

Traffic & Construction Town Centre

Kendal car park bays to widen in Westmorland Shopping Centre overhaul

Relining work at Westmorland Shopping Centre car park in Kendal will begin on Monday 28 September, with parking bays widened to make them more suitable for modern vehicles. The project is expected to finish by late October, although the total number of spaces will fall.

Community Heron Hill

Kendal polling places could change: residents have until 5 October to speak out

Westmorland and Furness Council is reviewing polling districts and polling places across Kendal, with proposed changes affecting venues, boundaries and some residents’ journeys to vote. Comments close on 5 October 2026, ahead of a final council decision in November.

Business & Openings Fell

Westmorland and Furness house prices reach record £230,449 — but Kendal buyers need a closer look

The average home in Westmorland and Furness was worth a record £230,449 in July 2026, according to the UK House Price Index. Prices rose 7.7% in a year, but the district-wide figure does not represent Kendal alone and sales volumes have fallen.

Sport

Kendal RUFC beaten by Blackburn after second-half collapse in pre-season test

Kendal RUFC were beaten 27-5 by Blackburn in a pre-season match after a closely contested opening period gave way to four further Blackburn tries after half-time.

Business & Openings

Pumpkin picking near Kendal: Lakeland Maze patch opens throughout October

Lakeland Maze Pumpkin Patch in Kendal will open every weekend in October and daily from October 24 to 31, with thousands of pumpkins, farm activities and a café. Other pumpkin patches are also planned across Cumbria for autumn 2026.

Community

Kendal children among those driving England’s highest NHS dental access rate

A record 237,374 children in South Cumbria and Lancashire saw an NHS dentist in 2025-2026, with targeted support including Kendal helping the region achieve England’s highest proportion.

Community

Free Grandparents’ Day festival returns to Kendal with vaccines, health advice and activities

Kendal Leisure Centre will host a free Grandparents’ Day festival on Sunday 4 October, offering exercise tasters, health support, mobility equipment, vaccinations, volunteering information and community activities.

Community

Kendal Morrisons workers’ skydive raises £2,318 for St John’s Hospice

Rachel Latham and Rachael Atkinson, who work at Morrisons in Kendal, have raised £2,318 for St John’s Hospice after completing a sponsored skydive.

Community Oxenholme

160-home Kendal estate approved despite councillors calling it a “disaster in the making”

A planned 160-home estate on steep fields near Oxenholme has been approved, despite objections over road safety, drainage, biodiversity, affordability and the scheme’s viability.

Traffic & Construction

Mobile speed camera vans announced for Kendal and A6 on Saturday

Cumbria police road safety camera vans are due to operate in Kendal and on the A6 between Kendal and Penrith today, Saturday 19 September.

Community

Applethwaite Green care home: refurbishment backed by two-thirds of consultation respondents

Most respondents to a Westmorland and Furness Council consultation supported refurbishing Applethwaite Green Care Home in Windermere rather than closing it. The findings will be considered at Kendal Town Hall on September 23, ahead of a final decision.

Business & Openings Strickland

Kendal claimant count hits 2026 high as Nether ward records sharp rise

The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits across Kendal’s five wards reached 320 in August, matching the highest monthly total recorded so far this year.

Community Oxenholme

New 120-mile Westmorland and Furness Way brings walkers within two miles of Kendal

A new long-distance walking route does not enter Kendal, but its passage through Burneside and Staveley could bring walkers into the town for food, accommodation and travel connections.

Business & Openings Highgate

Kendal Iceland store on Highgate to shut for good this weekend

The Iceland store on Highgate in Kendal will close permanently at 4pm on Saturday, September 19, according to a report by Cumbria Crack News.

Culture

Kendal’s first heritage weekend brings autumn fete, performances and community stalls to Abbot Hall Park

Kendal Town Council is preparing an autumn fete at Abbot Hall Park this Sunday as part of the town’s first heritage weekend, with family activities, local organisations, food and drink, performances and fundraising for two mayoral charities.

Community

Kendal forecast: heavy rain and strong winds before a brighter weekend

Kendal is expected to see heavy showers today and a very wet Friday, with a 95 per cent chance of heavy downpours. Drier weather and sunny spells are forecast for Saturday before rain returns overnight on Sunday and milder, showery conditions arrive on Monday.

Culture

Abbot Hall makes UK first with £30,000 fund to bring emerging art to Kendal

Kendal’s Abbot Hall has been selected as the first UK recipient of the Dasha Shenkman Focus Fund, giving Lakeland Arts £30,000 to acquire a work by an emerging artist from Frieze London’s Focus section.

Community

Crosscrake Community Hub near Kendal marks first year after £250,000 transformation

Crosscrake Community Hub near Kendal is celebrating its first anniversary after a £250,000 fundraising campaign created the venue, which has hosted community groups, businesses and events during its first year.