CUMBRIAN charities are backing a campaign to protect TV and radio services in the area from the threat of closure.

Current plans mean that TV received through an aerial - Freeview - and broadcast radio are not guaranteed long term.

Local organisations including Cumbria Community Foundation and Age UK West Cumbria have backed a campaign to protect these services which are currently delivered through Caldbeck mast.

Broadcast 2040+ is a new campaign which aims to protect vital TV and radio services for everyone – including the elderly and vulnerable people that rely on them the most – until 2040 and beyond.

Next year, an international conference will decide whether to safeguard the radiofrequency spectrum used to deliver these services.

The campaign calls on the UK Government to ensure that the international decision does not negatively impact the services relied on by the people of Cumbria.

New polling, conducted on behalf of the campaign, shows 74 per cent of people in one Cumbria constituency, Workington, support the continued provision of free TV and radio services.

Local organisations, Cumbria Community Foundation and Age UK West Cumbria, have spoken out about the importance of Freeview TV to people in the area.

Jane Mindar, CEO of Age UK West Cumbria, said: “Age UK West Cumbria welcomes this campaign as many of the older people we support live in rural areas and may be isolated due to poor transport links, this has been compounded by the effects of covid on health and mobility as well as the cost-of-living crisis.

“Older people need to stay connected and often rely on TV in order to stay in touch with the world outside. 

“When people are lonely or isolated TV is an essential companion and in less affluent areas free TV services are vital. We need to campaign to keep them as people simply cannot afford to pay for services as the cost-of-living crisis deepens.”

Freeview TV is especially important for older and vulnerable people, many of whom can’t access or afford services like Sky, Virgin or Netflix.

READ MORE: Railway line set to reopen December 7 after Carlisle train derailment