Last updated at 06:29, Friday, 08 March 2013

The Hadrian's Wall Trust is holding two free one-day workshops (19 and 20 March) for tourism businesses in north and west Cumbria to help them take advantage of their world heritage site location.

The 150 mile Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site includes the Roman coastal defences in Cumbria from Ravenglass north to Bowness-on-Solway, the western end of Hadrian's Wall. It is one of the biggest and internationally best known world heritage sites.

Recent investment in new visitor facilities at the Roman Frontier Gallery at Tullie House Museum in Carlisle, at the Roman Army Museum at Greenhead, at Lanercost Tea Rooms and Walby Farm Park activity centre along with the stunning stretch of Hadrian's Wall and the Roman fort at Birdoswald has created a world class visitor experience in Cumbria.

The seminars on March 19 and 20 are part of a programme led by the Hadrian's Wall Trust to help local businesses build on this opportunity, support them through improved marketing and spread the benefit along the Cumbrian coast. This work is funded by the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).

Guest speakers include James Rebanks of Rebanks Consulting. James is a born and bred Cumbrian from a farming family who works as a cultural economist, advisor to UNESCO and recently completed a worldwide study of the benefits being part of a world heritage site can bring for businesses and communities.

Hadrian's Wall Country business people Victoria Farley from Lanercost Tearooms, and Vicky Moffitt from Vallum Farm in Northumberland, will also be talking about their businesses, making the most of being associated with the world heritage site and developing high quality visitor products based on local produce and pride of place. Their businesses are growing and thriving as they respond to new opportunities.

The workshops are on Tuesday 19 March at Walby Farm Park, Crosby-on-Eden, Carlisle CA6 4QL and on Wednesday 20 March at Golf Hotel, Criffel Street, Silloth-on-Solway CA7 4AB.

For more information or to book a place on either workshop contact Jody Ferguson at the Hadrian's Wall Trust jody.ferguson@hadrianswallheritage.co.uk or 01900 811455.

First published at 06:27, Friday, 08 March 2013
Published by http://www.in-cumbria.com