A £15,000 cash boost has been awarded to help pay for a new Cumbrian food festival.

Whitehaven Town Council has agreed to give £15,000 of funding to the Taste Cumbria event, set to take place in the town this summer.

The food festival extravaganza, featuring stalls and entertainment, will be held in Whitehaven on July 22 and 23.

A motor show will also be held on Whitehaven harbourside over that weekend, providing an added bonus for people heading to explore the area.

Marie Whitehead, of the company cnevents which organises the Taste festivals, said: "We can't wait for the event to come to Whitehaven.

"We are so pleased that the town council is supporting the event."

She spoke about the plans at the latest Whitehaven town council meeting.

"We have persuaded our motors team to bring the motor show to the harbour that weekend, so we it will hopefully draw people to the town," she said.

Stalls are being set up in King Street.

Mrs Whitehead said there will be a host of stalls and a beer festival at the hub on the harbour.

"Entertainment has been provisionally booked," she added.

There will also be chef demonstrations.

Councillor Raymond Gill described the plans as "excellent".

The town council heard that the cost of the venture is about £23,000, with cnevents contributing more than £8,000 for the event.

Councillor Jayne Laine said: "I worry from a traders point of view that their business profits are going to go down over the two days."

However, in a move to reassure her, Mrs Whitehead told councillors that when similar Taste Cumbria events have been held in other towns, business has in fact been boosted for local traders.

She is particularly encouraging local firms to get involved in this venture.

Mrs Whitehead said the footfall is expected to be 7,500 in the first year, increasing in following years.

cnevents hosts a number of Taste Cumbria events across the county including Ulverston, Cockermouth and the inaugural Kirkby Lonsdale event earlier this year.

The Cockermouth event brings in an estimated 40,000 visitors to the town and provides nearly £3m benefit to the local economy.

Over the last six years, the Taste brand has developed and added new events across the county.

Last year, it branched out beyond the county borders to Hexham, with Taste Tynedale.