Many of us will be looking forward to a well-earned day of rest and recuperation next week as May Day approaches.

May Day is, of course, a public holiday usually celebrated on 1 May or the first Monday of May.

So what better time than now to take a look through over archives and take a meander down memory lane to mark the weird and wonderful ways the first day of the month of May has been marked by Cumbrians over the years!

We see a wide range of different events in today’s gallery.

From charity events, heroic selfless individuals to thrill seekers and more, it is clear that many over the years have felt compelled to try something new or make a difference on this day.

Today we remember when the heroic Mark Reay from Belle Vue Carlisle, competed in the ‘Back O’ Skiddaw’ 70km Bike Sportive at Keswick Mountain Festival in 2015, raising money for charity after having been diagnosed Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2011.

We also see a day of historic significance in the region in the form of the commemoration of The Rev Elizabeth Jackson, from Tallentire, who was one of the first women priests to be ordained in 1994 on May 1, all those years ago!

And, as there seems to be a running theme throughout today’s set of pictures, we see some of the region’s biggest adrenaline junkies taking part in a range of thrill-seeking events which would not be for the faint hearted.

We see school pals climbing against the clock at the Wave Centre, Maryport, 2013 and Cumbria natives representing the region in such high profile events as the Isle of Man Moto GP as well as the Supermoto British Championships, held in our region down the years.

In this wide-ranging set of pictures, the fun and sense of community so often found in Cumbria is most definitely to the fore.

For those featured, today’s images will be nice reminders of enjoyable events and a momento of some fun times with friends and family.

As ever, we would love to hear your recollections of these days!

Please do get in touch...