Woman finds picture of Cumbrian family in Derbyshire charity book shop

Darley Cook, who lived in Cumbria for over a decade, now volunteers at a National Trust book shop following her move back down south in 1999.

Whilst working in the shop, Darley came across a black and white photograph of people receiving British Empire Medals at a ceremony.

The picture had a Cumberland News copyright stamp on the back, alongside the handwritten words 'When father was presented with his B.E.M. at the Viaduct Hotel 1968'.

There was also a page from a diary with the Tuesday space saying:  'AGM  N.U.T.  Hill Top Hotel 7.30 pm'. and on the Saturday is written: Sheffield Wed 2  Carlisle 2.

The diary entry which was found alongside the picture in the book. (Image: Supplied)

Speaking about finding the photograph, she said: "I volunteer now that I have retired at a National Trust property called Kedleston Hall. I volunteer in the second hand book shop, and one day a customer picked up a book of second hand poems off the shelf.

"They brought it over to me and said, 'look what I have found in the back of this'.

"It was a photograph and a page from a diary. I said, 'gosh what a fun picture' - and when I turned it over it said 'Property of the Cumberland News'.

"I couldn't believe it... I said: 'That's Carlisle, I used to teach there and live up there'."

Ms Cook moved to Cumbria in the early 1980s living in Caldbeck and teaching at a number of schools in the area, before taking on a job at Belle Vue Primary School in Carlisle for a number of years, where she was affectionately known as Mrs P (Pickavance) by her pupils.

In 1999, she moved back to Oxford but still has a deep affection for Carlisle and Cumbria. Talking about finding the picture she said: "I have always loved being a teacher but the best teaching years for me were up in Cumbria at Belle Vue school - it was just the most terrific school to teach in.

"I have always loved Carlisle. I have just got this real affection for it, so anything to do with Carlisle always brings a bit of happiness to me, so when I saw it was the Cumberland News I was over the moon."

Darley is hoping to reconnect the family of people in the picture to the photograph, which she believes has a special importance to someone in the county.

She said: "I hope some relative or family of those people will say: 'Gosh that's my auntie or that's my grandma'.

"I think most of the people in that photograph will have died by now, but I think it's quite an important photograph because not everybody gets the British Empire Medal and I imagine one of those gentlemen on the photograph got that medal."