ULVERSTONIANS who are proud of the l'il town with the big heart' are likely to be shocked by a dismissal' in a leading holiday magazine, reports Daniel Orr.

In the March edition of Holiday Which? an article on the Lake District says simply that "Ulverston is a down at heel town."

Ulverston, which marks the start of the Cumbrian Way, and is also well known for its colourful year-round festivals, has recently become a Fairtrade town and, as the birthplace of one of the world's greatest comics, Stan Laurel, is well-known across the globe.

"We are working our socks off trying to get visitors into the town and I think the council should write to the editor asking them to justify this slur," Coun Phil Lister told a meeting of Ulverston Town Council.

But Claire Lilley, a senior researcher at the magazine, said: "On the whole the article was very positive about the Lake District but that is the whole point of our independence, we do make judgements that people do not always agree with."

For story in full see March 16 Westmorland Gazette.