How can we work together to promote all the fantastic Things to See & Do in West Cumbria? We would like to invite you to a meeting to discuss Attractions and all the Things to See & Do in the Western Lake District, and how we can work together to promote this fantastic offer on a larger scale.

We will look at promotional opportunities available to you, and discuss a new working group that is being set up for Attractions in West Cumbria and will be influential in how we promote Attractions in the future.

The meeting will take place on:  Wednesday 21st April 2010 

The Beacon, Whitehaven 

11am – 1pm  It will include lunch and networking opportunity

Please RSVP by Friday 9th April to Lucy Hardy on lhardy@western-lakedistrict.co.uk or 01900 818741 Please forward this invitation onto anyone else who works in Attractions in the area & who you think may benefit from the meeting.

The Partnership has organised a meeting along with Cumbria Tourism, Cockermouth Chamber of Trade & Cockermouth Town Council, to give an update on how the recovery of Cockermouth following the November floods is progressing.  

If you are a business in or around the Cockermouth area, and would like to find out more about what is happening and what is planned for the future of Cockermouth, please come along to the meeting.  

Cockermouth Flood Recovery Update  

Cockermouth Town Hall  

Weds 28th April  2pm - 4pm

Please confirm your attendance by contacting Lucy Hardy on lhardy@western-lakedistrict.co.uk or 01900 818741

The Best Fest is a West Fest!  

We have now set up our new Events Working Group, who will be tasked with looking after the promotion and development of Events in West Cumbria.   The group consists of various events organisers from the area, and is Chaired by Chris Graham of Silloth Tourism Action Group, with Lucy Hardy from the Partnership.  We will hopefully have some funding for the group on the future, and will be working towards promoting West Fest - all the great events & festivals in West Cumbria, through print and online work.    

West Fest is currently being promoted via our own website on the homepage, and on Cumbria Tourism's website at www.golakes.co.uk/culture as well as via the Cumbria Tourism Events Guide and our own Western Lake District Holiday Guide.  

We are also encouraging all events organisers to use special West Fest text in all of their press releases. This is to spread the word to a wider audience about the fantastic programme of Events we have, and also to point people to our website for more information on the area.   It would be great if our accommodation providers could use this same copy on their websites, and point visitors to the fantastic array of Events & Festivals we have in Western Lake District.  If you are interested in using this copy, or seeing notes from the meetings, please contact Lucy Hardy on lhardy@western-lakedistrict.co.uk

Do you have numerous events to promote throughout the year?   We have arrange for a DMS trainer from Cumbria Tourism to spend the day in our office in Maryport, training Events organisers on how to update their events onto the DMS system.   This means that they will be promoted free of charge on both http://www.western-lakedistrict.co.uk/ and http://www.golakes.co.uk/   No more filling in those dreaded DMS forms!  

The training will take place on Monday 19th April. Please contact Lucy Hardy on lhardy@western-lakedistrict.co.uk to confirm your place.  

But hurry! Spaces a limited!

A dynamic dozen of Western Lake District tourism businesses have been short-listed for accolades in the Cumbria Tourism Awards 2010.

Accommodation providers up for an award are The Grange Country House in Keswick (Best Bed & Breakfast Award, Armathwaite Hall, Bassenthwaite (Best Large Hotel) and Overwater Hall, near Keswick (Best Small Hotel).  The Beacon, in Whitehaven, is in contention for the Access For All Award, whilst employee Alan Gillon, is nominated for the Sheila Hensman Award for Outstanding Customer Service.  

Two Western Lake District businesses go head-to-head in the Tourism Experience Award, as Cumbrian Heavy Horses, Millom and Whinlatter compete for the honours.  Two attractions are also up against each other in the Small Visitor Attraction category. The Lake District Coast Aquarium in Maryport and Trotters World, Bassenthwaite will take on the Upfront Gallery and Puppet Theatre to see who wins this prestigious award.  

Another attraction, the Cumberland Pencil Museum, is short-listed for the special Lady Inglewood Award, which rewards innovative people management, training and development.  The hugely successful Solfest, which takes place in August is nominated for the Tourism Event, whilst the Taste of Cumbria Award could go to The Cottage in the Wood, in Keswick.

 Western Lake District Director of Tourism, Katie Read, says: “I am delighted to see so many Western Lake District tourism businesses short-listed for these awards, in which competition is intense and real quality a necessity. The Cumbria Tourism Awards are a platform from which a tourism business can grow its reputation, whilst the kudos they bring is a huge asset for any marketing programme. “We hope that our nominees go one stage further now and win the top accolades. If they do, they will go forward to represent our beautiful and unique area at a North West level and could then be our representatives at the national finals. We wish them all good luck and hope that the Western Lake District has a lot to celebrate on the night of the awards”.  

For a full list of the award nominees please visit - http://www.cumbriatourism.org/business-support/award-finalists-2010.aspx 

Are you open to an idea that will help advertise your business all over the world, but won’t cost you the earth?   Janet Blades is developing a Stamping Scheme with all the accommodation providers along the Coast to Coast Walk. It is an idea has been taken from a successful scheme which exists for pilgrims along the Camino long distance walks in Europe. Participants of the walks have their ‘record books’ stamped by their over-night accommodation.

One of the complaints of Coast to Coasters who have completed the walk is that there are few souvenirs that they can take home. The development of a Stamping Scheme, and a booklet in which to collect the stamps, means that participants of the Coast to Coast can create their own souvenir as they go along.  

How will it work along the Coast to Coast?
Janet has created a Coast to Coast Journal for walkers, cyclists and riders to purchase, similar to the Camino record book. With the involvement of the B&B’s, Guest Houses and Hotels (initially), Coast to Coasters will obtain an ink stamp in their journals from their over-night accommodation. By the end of their adventure they will have a log of every town and village they have visited, a reminder of the accommodation in which they stayed, and a great memento of their holiday.  

How can you get involved?
Janet is designing a website where she will be selling the journal and advertising space for accommodation providers, and other businesses along the route. This will take the form of a picture gallery and will have a photo or drawing of your accommodation, details regarding the type of accommodation you provide, and your contact details. All you need to do is create your own individual stamp.  

How much will this cost?
The cost of the ink stamps are:   Trodat Self Inking Stamp £18 plus v.a.t.   The Rubber Stamp £12 plus v.a.t. Ink pads are £1.50 available in a variety of colours.   There would be an annual fee of £50.   If you are interested in my idea and would like further information please contact Janet via c2cjournal@hotmail.co.uk