A pair of tourism businesses serving the Keswick area have won national awards to recognise how well they welcome guests.
The Visit England Rose awards, or Recognition of Service Excellence, were announced in London on Tuesday.
They are only given to 100 winners nationwide with judges said to review thousands of tourism businesses to pick those which stand out.
In the Lake District, the winners included a pair of local places to stay – Little Leveret Cottage on Myers Street, Keswick, and Powe House at Portinscale.
The self-catering cottage is a gold award-winning property run by Rob and Zoe Taylor-Young.
Powe House, run by Andrew and Helen Carey, is a four-star gold guest house.
Rob and Zoe have had Little Leveret Cottage for just over five years now and in their category were one of only 20 winners nationwide.
In the capital to pick up their award, they told the Reminder: “We love Keswick and The Lake District.
“We had been visiting for many years before taking the plunge and buying our own place to stay and share with others. We renovated the property to be a place we love and want to share with others and look to support local businesses.
“The coffee beans are sourced from a local roaster, a gift voucher is from the local bakery and some small welcome gifts from local retailers.”
The pair supported Kerry Irving of Max and Paddy fame with his fundraising in 2020, and recently raised nearly £2,500 for Keswick Mountain Rescue Team.
Rob and Zoe said: “We care and treat others as we would wish to be treated – this recognition is the icing on the cake, and as our guest feedback contributes to the measurement of the Visit England Rose award, it means even more to us.”
Visit England said the awards celebrated those places where, irrespective of their star rating, style or type of accommodation, an outstanding experience is provided for customers.
Other businesses based in Cumbria also won awards. They included glamping site, the Pennine Potting Shed, at Dufton near Appleby, and The Yan at Broadrayne, Grasmere.
