A Lake District watercolour painted more than 30 years ago is finally being seen by thousands of people after being dusted-off by an ambitious couple behind a successful small business, the name of which is increasingly a common sight on the best bathroom shelves.

Pure Lakes provides hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses right across the county and beyond with gels, lotions and other skin care products for their guests, with shop managers at Rheged, Cockermouth’s Linden Tree, The Glenridding Art Gallery and Penrith’s Joseph Cowper all quick to be part of the local brand’s growth.

Pure Lakes’ newest venture is a celebration of both family and the Lake District National Park - created with World Heritage Status firmly in-mind, with a groundswell of support also coming in the form of several hospitality stockists in Keswick.

It was the discovery of a family heirloom – a painting created by Patricia ‘Paddy’ Naylor, which led to the creation of the World Heritage range, a line which owners Gareth and Claire McKeever hope will help to further establish their small company as one of the best in the business.

Gareth says: “When Claire was a little girl she often sat with her grandmother as she painted beautiful Lake District scenes from her studio in Far Sawrey.

"Little did Claire know at the time that those watercolours would form the basis of Pure Lakes skincare’s latest natural and organic product launch.

“It’s a range very much grounded in its locality and is very personal to our family.

"The range’s design not only incorporates Paddy’s paintings, but Claire’s grandfather, Peter - who still lives in Far Sawrey and served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, remembers landing on Windermere at almost the exact spot depicted in the scenes we’ve used to illustrate the products.”

Claire says: “Both Gareth and I were long-standing Pure Lakes customers and when we wanted to return home to Cumbria to raise our family it was a natural progression to buy a business we loved.

"We have worked very closely with Sandra and Iain Blackburn, the founders of Pure Lakes, learning from them over the past several years how to formulate and ultimately how to make skincare products using plant oils.

“This new range is very much an evolution of what has come before."

The Pure Lakes World Heritage range is available in two blends: sweet orange and basil; and a fresh rosewood and black pepper.

Gareth says: “Both blends champion the fact that all Pure Lakes products are not only natural but are made entirely within the Lake District National Park by hand in our workshop.

"Each of the World Heritage lotions, soaps and gift packs come in luxury cartons featuring Paddy’s paintings and celebrate both the artistic and manufacturing heritage of the Lake District National Park."