Stunning video footage spotlighting Copeland’s towns, coast and countryside has been released by Copeland Council to welcome visitors back to the area.

The council has received £159,000 to help town centres recover after Covid and boost tourism safely. The money is part of the government’s £56m Welcome Back fund being shared among UK councils.

In addition to the video - the first of several - the money will be used to fund tourist materials, create public art and kickstart other projects to enhance the experience of visitors.

Copeland Mayor, Mike Starkie, said: "We have been consulting with town and parish councils since April to pull together a programme that will really boost our towns and coastal villages. The aim is to attract both locals and visitors to come here and explore this hidden gem of a destination.

"We can't wait to reveal more about the great things the fund will enable us to do - watch this space."

It showcases the amazing scenery and attractive businesses in the borough as a whole. Further videos will promote Millom, Egremont, Cleator Moor and Whitehaven, and their surrounding villages.

They are in production and will be released in the coming days. All the footage can be used by businesses and tourism organisations to promote the outstanding landscapes and individual businesses Copeland has to offer.

The Welcome Back fund builds on the £50m Reopening High Street Safely Fund allocated to councils in 2020. The Welcome Back fund is part of the European Regional Development Fund.

Mayor of Whitehaven, Chris Hayes, added: "I think the new video is excellent I really do, we need to promote that. A lot of people in Whitehaven don't realise what a beautiful area we live in and I think by promoting this and the new projects on the marina it'll be a real boost for the town.

"All of this could be a gold mine for the town and encourage more people to move into town which in turn wuld see more shops opening."

In addition to the video - the first of several - the money will be used to fund tourist materials, create public art and kickstart other projects to enhance the experience of visitors.

The video footage can be seen here - https://youtu.be/KrznezsiVGQ