More than £90,000-worth of Lake District Pounds are now in circulation.

The community initiative was launched in May and aims to help locals and visitors enjoy Cumbrian culture, support local businesses and help look after the area’s landscapes and communities.

Lake District Pounds can now be spent at around 350 local businesses and the scheme has expanded to incorporate a growing number of towns and villages in the county.

Founder and director of the Lake District Currency Project, Ken Royall said he was happy with how the project had gone since it was launched.

Mr Royall, who is originally from Barrow and now lives near Windermere, said: “We have been so happy to see so many people getting out their and using the Lake District Pound to support all the fantastic local businesses we have in Cumbria.

“The reception has been so good that we are now in the process of producing new designs for a new set of currency to be released later this year.

"We can’t wait to reveal these later in the winter and continue driving the project forward in 2019.

“The incentive for people to use the Lake District Pound is that it is a fun way of supporting our local businesses and helping keep more money in the Cumbrian economy.

"It’s all about getting people to think about shopping local. Even if you’re somebody who uses our local shops and businesses anyway, it’s a great way of showing your support and hopefully doing something which attracts attention and persuades even more people to follow your example.”

People can swap sterling for LD£ at exchange points across the county, including most Post Offices and tourist information centres.

The Lake District Pounds can only be spent at locally owned, independent businesses, with the aim of supporting the region’s unique local traders and keeping more money in the Cumbrian economy.

Although the project was initially launched in the main tourist hotspots of the central Lakes, it has since expanded to include businesses like Muncaster Castle and the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in West Cumbria and over 40 businesses in Kendal.