Real people real services

They say everyone is famous for fifteen minutes. And Des Youngman, a resident at Greengarth Residential Home in Penrith, enjoyed his moment in front of the camera recently when the county council featured him, along with Deanne Wharton, a carer at Greengarth.  

“Together we can” is all about highlighting the people that work hard to provide the best possible county council’s services, and some of the people in Cumbria that use them. Real people with real stories. Real people like Des.YourCumbria joined Des on one of his weekly trips out with Pat Scott, a Community Support Worker. We jump in the car at Greengarth, where Des has lived for around five years, and head towards Ullswater, one of Des’s favourite places for a trip out. 

“It’s beautiful here,” says Des, as we stand on the end of the peer looking towards the Ullswater Steamer crossing the lake. “I used to work on ships as a radio operator back when I lived in Australia,” said Des, who spent his childhood in Australia, and still has touch of the accent. “We used to send the SOS signals, and I was keen on amateur radio – my call sign back then was G3ULY, which stood for Golf, 3, Uncle, Loves, You!”, says Des, with a chuckle. 

After a coffee, we take a rest at a bench on the shore of Lake Ullswater, and Des comments on how he used to work as a Life Guard on Bondi Beach in Australia: “We worked in pairs back then, and patrolled the shoreline. The surf was extremely powerful, and the waves could knock small children over as they played at the water’s edge.”

As we talk, it’s clear Des has led a remarkable life. He’s lived and was educated in Australia, had a Yorkshire mother and father from New Zealand. “I can pick between about three nationalities, depending on how I’m feeling,”says Des. Upon moving to Cumbria, Des lived in Culgaith and worked at the old 14 MU RAF base in Carlisle. In later years he drove the Fellrunner bus in the local area. He’s also been a Parish, District and County Councillor.

As we turn to leave, it’s clear Des really looks forward to his weekly trips out with Pat. He speaks highly of all the staff at Greengarth, and clearly enjoys his Friday visits to some of Cumbria’s most beautiful places. “Friday is the best day of the week for me,” says Des, “A beautiful place and fish and chips for dinner!” 

Pat helps Des into the car, and as he lowers himself into the seat he jokes: “I might be 81, but I’ll always be a Youngman.”