Tell the Council to keep Grisedale Croft.
This is the single most important thing you can do, and it takes a couple of minutes. Westmorland and Furness Council's consultation closes on Wednesday 19 August 2026. Say, in your own words, that Grisedale Croft should stay as proper local care in Alston — no downgrade, no move away, no closure.
The quickest way to be counted — email your view straight to the consultation team:
The button opens an email already addressed and written for you. It is quickest in your own words, so please add a line about your own connection where the brackets are. If you would rather not use the button, the address is care.consultation@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk and the team can be reached on 0300 373 3301.
Or respond on the Council's consultation page
The Council's consultation page hosts the online survey, where you can choose your preferred option and add your own comments, alongside the supporting documents. A response there counts towards the formal result. There is also a short leaflet, prepared by Alston Moor Parish Council with local residents, explaining the options and what to write.
Letters carry weight.
A short, personal letter from a resident is hard to ignore — councillors must take up casework from the people they represent, and written views count in the consultation. The more people who write, the clearer the strength of feeling on the Moor.
Not sure who represents you? Find and write to your councillors and Member of Parliament by postcode through WriteToThem, a free service from the charity mySociety.
This takes you to WriteToThem, where you choose who to write to and send your message. You can also go to WriteToThem directly.
Ask further afield, too
If you have family or friends who live elsewhere — children, grandchildren, old friends — ask them to write to their own Member of Parliament as well. The more constituencies that raise Grisedale Croft, the harder it is to set aside. WriteToThem works for any postcode in the United Kingdom, so they can use the same box above.
Or start from a draft
Choose who you would like to write to. Each draft opens in a window where you can edit it, add your own experience where the brackets are, then copy it or open it in your email app.
Your ward councillors
Cllr Mary Robinson and Cllr Michael Hanley, for Alston and Fellside.
Cabinet & decision-makers
Cllr Patricia Bell, the Cabinet Member for Adult Care, and senior councillors.
Your Member of Parliament
Markus Campbell-Savours MP, Penrith and Solway.
What to write about. The two strongest points to make in your own words are: that displacement of frail residents away from Alston Moor would cause real harm — long winter journeys, fewer family visits, end-of-life care away from home; and that the 2018 NHS commitment, made when the in-patient beds at the Ruth Lancaster James Cottage Hospital were closed, was that residential beds at Grisedale Croft would be used for intermediate care. That commitment is on the public record. The Council and the NHS should honour it together.
After you have written, tell us
Once you have written to anyone — a councillor, your MP, a friend's MP — please let the Working Group know. It helps us keep track of where the campaign is heard, avoid people doubling up, and follow up where it counts.
And if you know someone who could help — a journalist, a broadcaster, someone in public life, or anyone with a platform who might lend their voice — please tell us through the same short form.
Come and be counted.
There is a public meeting about Grisedale Croft on Alston Moor. It is a proper sit-down meeting, not a drop-in, and a full hall sends a clear message. Please come, and bring people with you.
Public meeting · not a drop-in
6.00pm
Thursday 16 July 2026
The Town Hall, Alston
This is about care close to home. Local people need to be seen, heard and counted, and a full hall is hard to ignore.
Bring your support. Bring your story. Bring your neighbours.
Drop-in sessions
The Council is also holding shorter drop-in sessions, where you can see the proposals, ask questions, and be helped to complete the survey on paper or online.
- Wednesday 1 July, 2pm to 4pm — Alston Library.
- Monday 20 July, 11am to 1pm — Alston Library.
Alston Moor Parish Council has also authorised its own public meetings in Alston, Garrigill and Nenthead; dates will be announced here, and to the mailing list, as soon as they are confirmed.
Dates can change. The Council keeps the current list on its consultation page.
Tell us what you heard.
If you went to one of the Council's drop-in sessions, the Working Group is gathering an accurate record of what residents saw, what they asked, and what they were told in reply — including photos if you took any.
It takes a few minutes. Everything is held confidentially by Alston Moor Parish Council, only the Working Group sees it, and nothing is published without your consent. The more accounts gathered, the clearer the picture of what residents are being told.
Spread the word.
Word of mouth is one of the strongest things we have. If you know people on the Moor — or with family on the Moor — please pass on the address of this site and a short note about what is happening, and ask them to respond before 19 August.
A short note you can use:
Westmorland and Furness Council has opened a public consultation on the future of Grisedale Croft, the only residential care home on Alston Moor. It closes on 19 August 2026. Please add your voice: no downgrade, no move away, no closure. You can read more, respond, and subscribe to updates at alstonmoorhealth.org.
Share your family's experience.
If you, or someone you know, needed residential, nursing, respite, or rehabilitation care on Alston Moor in recent years — whether or not the person ended up at Grisedale Croft — the Parish Council would like to hear from you.
Westmorland and Furness Council has framed the consultation around the home's current low occupancy. The case the Parish Council is making is that occupancy is low because people who needed those beds were placed elsewhere, or did not have a placement found at all. Each individual account helps demonstrate that real need.
Most questions on the form are optional — even partial information is useful. Names can be withheld. The information will be held by Alston Moor Parish Council and used only for the campaign to keep Grisedale Croft open. If recalling the events is difficult, please answer only what feels comfortable.
The form takes around five to ten minutes, and most questions are optional. You can fill it in here without leaving the page, or open it in its own window →.
Prefer paper? Download a printable version of the form (PDF) → Completed forms can be returned to Alston Town Hall, or handed in at any of the three Post Offices on Alston Moor. Please mark the envelope or completed form “Grisedale Croft evidence — confidential”.
Prefer Google Forms? Open the form on Google Forms → The online, paper and Google versions all ask the same questions.
Stay in touch.
The quickest way to follow the campaign is to join the mailing list. We send short updates as the consultation progresses, when public meetings are scheduled, and when there are practical things you can do to help. We do not share your details and you can unsubscribe at any time.