An events manager who started working life as a teenage waiter has ascended to one of the most pivotal roles in the hotel business.

Despite being just 21, Cameron Barlow runs a team of 20 and is responsible for the successful delivery of hundreds of weddings and events every year.

The rising star of the Abbey House Hotel and Gardens is preparing to celebrate five years with the business.

Cameron, a former pupil of Walney School and student of Kendal College, said: “It was never my intention to pursue a career in hospitality but the more I experienced, and the more involved I became, the more I could see a future.

“I started off waiting in the restaurant and at weddings and over time was given more responsibility to the point that I was a supervisor.

“I shadowed my manager through a wedding from start to finish and started to be more active in the co-ordination of them and was eventually running them from start to finish with just a little supervision.

“I have officially been in my position of wedding and events manager since January 2018, although I had been doing the role for a while before then.

General manager John Horton said: “Cameron has shown real commitment and is clearly a very talented and capable young man.

“As a business, we are keen to invest in and recognise team members who show promise and are willing to go the extra mile.

“It is about giving them the chance to shine and progress in an industry where the opportunities are definitely there for those who seek them.”

Cameron estimates he has been involved in upwards of 400 weddings.