Aug 4, 2026 · 50 min · 12 segments
Men in West Cumbria are still dying too young and too often in silence. In this conversation with Colin Cox, Director of Public Health for Cumberland, this episode looks at what sits underneath that…
Colin CoxGuest
Catherine WilliamsonHostAnd we've got this sort of mono employer situation with Sellafield, haven't we? That you s- I've, I've always found this duality between, I think it's the second-highest wages in the country because of the distortion factor of Sellafield, yet so many of the challenges you're facing are, are coming from economic, or, you know, I say poverty.
But there are, there's this duality between the wages that are being paid three miles around the bend from where we're sat today, and actually a lot of people that are really fighting to, to, you know, um, economically are really struggling.
I remember when my husband brought me up, and he was bringing his girl home to show his family.
He very wisely started the tour at Hembäck, near Wathbrow Rugby Club, which is beautiful.
And the contrast between that beautiful scenery below Dent and, you know, I think there's, there was four or five pubs in Cleator Moor.
And I, as we drove out again, I thought you've got this contrast between this incredible setting.
So people wake up every day to an extraordinary view, but, you know, uh, the pubs have gone, but you've got the pie shop.
You know, th- there's, there, there is that how do they keep that community bit going.
And so y- uh, you've got this backdrop of beauty, and yet some real challenges.
'Cause I know Cleator Moor, I guess Lisa Birdsall, she was originally from Cleator Moor, and she talks about 26 mem- either family, friends, or people connected to her, uh, taking or attempted their life through suicide.
And Cleator Moor's got a massive problem, hasn't it? And t- and the distortion of the statistics around men and those men attempting to take their life around here is, it...
Um, i- if you look at the whole of Cumbria, if we had the same sort of suicide rate as the rest of the country as a, as a whole, you'd expect there to be about 50 a year.
Now, Cumbria always traditionally, I suppose, had about 60, so, uh, a, a few more than that.
And we've got this sort of mono employer situation with Sellafield, haven't we? That you s- I've, I've always found this duality between, I think it's the second-highest wages in the country because of the distortion factor of Sellafield, yet so many of the challenges you're facing are, are coming from economic, or, you know, I say poverty.
But there are, there's this duality between the wages that are being paid three miles around the bend from where we're sat today, and actually a lot of people that are really fighting to, to, you know, um, economically are really struggling.
I remember when my husband brought me up, and he was bringing his girl home to show his family.
He very wisely started the tour at Hembäck, near Wathbrow Rugby Club, which is beautiful.
And the contrast between that beautiful scenery below Dent and, you know, I think there's, there was four or five pubs in Cleator Moor.
And I, as we drove out again, I thought you've got this contrast between this incredible setting.
So people wake up every day to an extraordinary view, but, you know, uh, the pubs have gone, but you've got the pie shop.
You know, th- there's, there, there is that how do they keep that community bit going.
And so y- uh, you've got this backdrop of beauty, and yet some real challenges.
'Cause I know Cleator Moor, I guess Lisa Birdsall, she was originally from Cleator Moor, and she talks about 26 mem- either family, friends, or people connected to her, uh, taking or attempted their life through suicide.
And Cleator Moor's got a massive problem, hasn't it? And t- and the distortion of the statistics around men and those men attempting to take their life around here is, it...
Um, i- if you look at the whole of Cumbria, if we had the same sort of suicide rate as the rest of the country as a, as a whole, you'd expect there to be about 50 a year.
Now, Cumbria always traditionally, I suppose, had about 60, so, uh, a, a few more than that.
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