Shops and restaurants in Cumbria are being called to support the coffee industry by taking part in UK Coffee Week.

The annual charity initiative to support Project Waterfall, which works to improve access to clean water, education and sanitation in coffee-growing communities across the world, will take place this year from October 19 to October 25.

UK Coffee Week founder Jeffrey Young said: “Coffee shops and the whole hospitality industry have been hit hard in the past six months.

"As a result of this, demand for coffee beans has declined during the crisis - impacting our coffee-growing communities."

“UK Coffee Week is about celebrating our nation’s coffee industry as well as supporting our coffee-growing communities, and we feel that this is now more important than ever before.

“Taking part in UK Coffee Week is a great way to attract new customers and drive people in-store.

"You’ll be joining forces with many others in the fantastically-supportive UK coffee community, while changing lives of those in need.”

It’s easy to get involved. Coffee shops, restaurants and other outlets can register at www.ukcoffeeweek.com – the form takes five minutes to complete and costs £10.

This fee gets you a small fundraising kit and ensures every penny raised goes straight to Project Waterfall.

Outlets are not expected to raise a set amount, just whatever they can.

Support for participating outlets includes a discount from loyalty platform Magic Stamp and access to the Source – Salvage series: a series of videos delivered by coffee experts, including ‘How our industry can sustain itself – The impact of COVID and how to survive’.

Jeffrey added: “Our aim is to put a smile back on the faces of everyone involved with coffee – from the barista to the grower. We want to celebrate coffee lovers and our supporters, from restaurants and coffee shops to roasters and other businesses. Whether we are enjoying coffee at home or supporting our local coffee shop this is a time to come together and raise a cup to our wonderful industry.”