• An investigation is underway after five people were forced to flee a Lancashire house fire. The blaze broke out at the property on Keswick Road in Lancaster just after 12.05am on Sunday. The Lancashire Eveing Post reports five adults inside the house managed to escape but were left suffering smoke inhalation. Full Story here
• The Lancashire Evening Post reports former Bishop of Lancaster Ian Harland has died aged 76. He was Anglican bishop in Lancaster from 1985 to 1989 before becoming Bishop of Carlisle, where he remained until his retirement. He died over Christmas in a hospice near Bradford.
• Four local heroes were rewarded for their hard work in the community in the New Year Honours List, including Garstang Fairtrade pioneer Bruce Crowther who was awarded an MBE for services to Oxfam and to Fairtrade. Find out who else was honoured on the Lancaster Guardian web site.
• Staff at Lancaster’s Woolworths store which has now closed, had their spirits lifted by some Good Samaritans. The Lancaster Guardian reports NUT members at Morecambe High School wanted to show their solidarity with the 35 staff who’ve been made redundant so their representative, Sam Ud-din, took in a letter and a donation.
• Music, poetry and drama will be blended together by a couple known the world over for their music in a bid to bring the diverse communities of Lancaster and Morecambe closer. Lakeland Today reports Morecambe library will throw open its doors on Tuesday 13th January for a performance of selected scenes from Rainbow Beach – the musical brainchild of Nanette Welmans and Russ Courtenay. Tickets for the library event, which takes place at 2pm, are £2.50 and are available from Morecambe Library. For more information about the project, music and the people involved log onto www.rainbow-beach.co.uk.