A new arts fund could help boost Cumbria.

The government has announced a £15m Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund, offering grants of up to £4m for projects that increase opportunities for people to benefit from and contribute to culture and creativity.

Any town or city from across northern England can put in a bid for a share of the cash, which will be used to help to create a lasting regional legacy to contribute to the Great Exhibition of the North.

This £5m exhibition will taken place in Newcastle and Gateshead in 2018, showcasing the best of northern talent in design, innovation, and art.

The winning bids, co-ordinated by Local Enterprise Partnerships, will be announced in March.

Bids should encourage sustainable cultural and creative regeneration, benefiting areas that have historically low levels of investment in culture and creativity.

Adrian Lochhead, director of the Cumbrian artist-led organisation Eden Arts, said: "It's a competitive fund, and I really hope that Cumbria gets a good bid together and that it wins a share in the money.

"I think I would like to see more going on in the north of the county, although it's great to see how successful Cumbria has been with the World Heritage Site in the Lake District, and other parts of the county.

"I think the west coast is also in need of support, and I am sure there will be a good bid."

Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership director Graham Haywood said: "We welcome this new source of funding and we have already been discussing potential opportunities with key partners across Cumbria in the expectation that this would be emerging on the back of the Great Exhibition of the North.

"This could be a valuable source of funding for arts and cultural projects in Cumbria and we will be looking more closely at the eligibility criteria and guidance notes so that we can work with key partners on bid submissions."

He continued: "Our understanding is that we can only make one bid for the fund, so it will be important that any submission proposals via Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership meet the stated outcomes and objective of the fund.

"Most important of all, projects will need to demonstrate that they will increase investment and support economic growth for the county, as well as nurturing innovative and effective partnerships between the cultural, creative and especially the digital and technology sectors.”