The firm has revisited its commitment to working alongside Cumbria’s official ‘destination management organisation’.

The Cumberland commercial lending team provides finance to customers who operate holiday lets, hotels and B&Bs.

The partnership agreement builds on previous joint work with Cumbria Tourism over the past two years, which has included a round-table event examining the future of self-catering businesses and an event for B&Bs aimed at working with international markets.

Grant Seaton, senior lending manager at The Cumberland, said: “As we look ahead to the reopening of the hospitality industry, it’s more important than ever for the organisations that serve the sector to work collaboratively to support businesses to reopen, recover, and to thrive once again.

“With over 90% of our business mortgage customers operating within the hospitality sector, our partnership with Cumbria Tourism helps us to remain close to key developments within the industry, and the issues that affect our customers and influence their business decisions.”

Gill Haigh, managing director of Cumbria Tourism, added: “Our strategic partners are a group of influential, like-minded organisations who want to get behind us, to share their collective expertise and values, and to champion the delivery of effective destination marketing for the county.

“Never has this been more important, as lockdown restrictions begin to ease and businesses start to get back on their feet.”