My posting of March 2nd, 2010 told the story of how armed policemen surrounded the Riverside Hotel and arrested a gunman, after disabling him with a Tazer. We have since been told that after being challenged the gunman reached for his gun and might have been shot dead by the waiting marksmen if he hadn’t fumbled, giving the police enough time to deploy the Tazer.
The gunman was Thomas Hayes, who appeared at South Lakeland Magistrates Court today and pleaded guilty to the following charges: possessing an imitation firearm in a public place.

As related earlier, our manager, Helen Clark displayed exceptional courage and presence of mind and she received the following commendation from the police, ‘I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you and your staffs’ assistance with the incident that occurred at the Riverside Hotel on Tuesday 2nd March 2010. Your staff stayed calm and did exactly what we asked; without alerting the suspects – thus keeping the vicinity safe for customers, themselves, our officers and potentially other members of the public.’

Helen had been keeping an eye on the villain because she suspected him of making off with £180 in tips when he had been in the hotel with two friends the previous day. It turns out that it was one of the friends who had filched the tips. The tips have been returned and the the culprit was let off with a caution.

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The girls from the Riverside, pictured here, created a sensation at the Cumbria Tourism awards where they were one of three finalists for “Hotel of the Year”. Stuart Maconie, the host, couldn’t keep his eyes off them and there’s no doubt he would have awarded them the first prize if it had been his choice, if only, as he put it, because they had “scrubbed up nicely”.

I was very proud to see them there- they have worked very hard to transform the Riverside into one of the best in the county. In the end, the accollade went to the four star
Armathwaite Hall- the place where Gordon Brown stayed last summer-and I suppose they deserve some consolation for that

Mrs Edith Robinson, on a visit from London, was enjoying the afternoon sunshine on the balcony at the Riverside Hotel, watching the river go by. As a southerner, where everyone is buttoned up, she longed to try the open friendly, Northern approach to life and, summoning up her courage, got chatting to the young man at the adjoining table. “Have you any plans for today?” she asked, “Yes”, came the reply, “I’m going to kill someone”. Edith didn’t know quite how to take this and looked quizzical. The man, as if to prove the point removed a gun from under his jacket and said ” I’m just waiting for my friend to arrive”. Edith wasn’t quite sure if this was the way small talk normally went went in Kendal, so she quickly finished her drink and went to consult Helen, the hotel Manageress, who was at the bar. Helen had in any case been keeping an eye on the man as he had been in the previous day, when £180 in tips had gone missing and she strongly suspected he was the culprit. She jumped at the chance to call the police.
Now we all know that the police are up to their elbows in paperwork and will normally take 48 hours tom respond to any normal call for help- such as a burglary. Not so here.Within minutes the streets around the Riverside Hotel were sealed off. The police asked Helen to keep an open telephone line and to inform them of the gunman’s movements. A couple who were drinking in the bar moved towards the balcony and Helen stopped them. Then the gunman came back into the bar and asked Helen for another drink. He asked her why she had stopped the couple from coming onto the balcony and she replied, quick as a flash, “Oh, they wanted food and we don’t serve it outside at this time of year”. The hotel was quietly evacuated. The gunman’s friend arrived. Helen served him a drink. He asked why there were so many police around and why the streets around the hotel were closed. Helen replied “There must have been an accident. If you find out, will you let me know?”

A few minutes later 28 armed police had surrounded the building. The gunman and his friend were on the balcony alone. The gunman was challenged. He pulled out his gun at which point the police shot him with a Tazer and he fell to the ground. Both men were removed.
The police were admirable, but the real hero of the day was Helen who showed great courage in remaining cool, calm and collected when face to face with an armed criminal.

The headlines have been dominated by the Cumbrian floods, with dramatic pictures of bridges being swept away – images every bit as shocking as those seven years ago when the pictures were of burning pyres of dead cows on the Cumbrian fells. At Newby Bridge, our hotel is the only one of the four large hotels to have escaped – the others will be closed until the New Year. This footage is of the River Levens at Newby Bridge and the River Kent outside the Riverside Hotel (still standing).