09-Feb-2007 The cumberland news - Charles is heartened by spirit of rural communities fighting back
The Prince visited two cooperative schemes in Hesket Newmarket and talked passionately about affordable rural housing in Rosthwaite.
He also spoke of his hopes that progress could be sustained.
Despite his hectic schedule the Prince managed to fit in a pint of Great Cockup and a quick game of darts at the Old Crown at Hesket Newmarket - and he won.
It was his third trip to the village as he toured the Old Crown pub and Fellside Stores.
The Old Crown is the only pub in the country owned by a local co-operative and the prince heard how the shop could soon be run in the same way.
As he unveiled a plaque to commemorate his visit, he said: "I was so impressed last time I came by all the progress and community spirit. I do pray that the shop project is a success"
He spent time meeting members of the pub co-operative as well as residents and children from Fell View School in Cald-beck as he walked from the pub to the shop.
Owners of Fellside Stores, Jonathan and Liz Crosland, plan to retire in July and have put the business up for sale.
The Prince also sat in on a meeting of the newly-formed co-operative, which hopes to buy the shop.
Kirstie Whorton, a member of the co-operative, said: "We're putting a bid together and the Prince was interested to hear all about it."
At the Old Crown, the Prince had teamed up with' darts team member Sally Richardson to beat team captain Henry Little and landlady Pat Hawksworth in a game of 101.
Landlord Malcolm Hawksworth said: "It was no fix although it was Sally who got the vital double 12. He threw the darts with some vigour.
He was presented with a commemorative set of darts with the Old Crown on the flights.
Rural affairs minister David Miliband was expected to accompany the royal guest on his visit to the county but he decided to stay in London to be kept up-to-date with the Suffolk bird flu outbreak.
The Prince spoke to farmer Richard Brough, of Matthew Rudding Farm in Hesket Newmarket, about the dairy industry.
When Mr Brough said he had wanted a word with Mr Miliband, the Prince replied: "There is always some blasted thing that gets in the way and they can never come after weeks of planning.
"We will have to write him a long report."
He said he was saddened that the minister had been unable to see flourishing Cumbrian communities.
Just a day before the Prince's visit, the fire brigade was called out to tackle a fire in the chimney of the pub.
Disaster was averted by villager Sue Braithwaite and pub regular David Jackson from Carlisle, who climbed on the roof to put out the flames on Saturday evening.
Mrs Braithwaite met the Prince. She said: "It would have been terrible if the pub was burnt to cinders when the Prince was coming."
Some of the villagers alerted the landlord when they spotted smoke coming from the roof of the pub.
He phoned the fire brigade while Carlisle club boss David Jackson, who ran the Basement, and Sue Braithwaite went for a closer look.
Mr Jackson added: "I took a fire extinguisher from the pub and made my way up and across the roof to douse the flames in the chimney.
"I didn't think about it when I went up on to the roof, but when I got up there with the heavy fire extinguisher in one hand and my feet slipping on the tiles, I realised how dangerous it was."
Stephen Ward and Andrew Sedgwick, of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, also met the Prince, who arrived at Penrith on the Royal Train.
He was welcomed by Cumbria's Lord Lieutenant James Cropper and his wife Susan before he met Eden council's chairman Gordon Savage, his wife Dorothy and council chief executive Ian Bruce. He also shook hands with police superintendent Ian Cardwell and station manager Ann Turner. She said: "We met before and he remembered me."
The Prince also chatted to some pupils from Ullswater Community College. Andrew Fell, 13, said: "He asked us what lesson we were missing. It's PE but we said we didn't mind."
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