Business bosses have taken a bow for their work to champion a special theatre.

Keswick's Theatre by the Lake has shone the spotlight on a string of hospitality enterprises who continuously support the cause.

The venue, on the shores of Derwentwater, continues to enjoy critical acclaim this summer season and has cemented its position as a key attraction and player in the town's economy.

As well as great performances on the stage, production in the community continues to be a key driver towards success.

Part of that has been an ambassadors programme, where accommodation providers encourage visitors to attend Main House and Studio productions at the theatre.

In return, the venue offers discount vouchers to the ambassadors’ guests and the ambassadors themselves receive two free tickets to all of TBTL’s in-house productions, so that they can recommend performances with confidence.

Each Ambassador is also provided with a listing on the ‘Where to Stay’ section of the TBTL website.

Some of the major players in the programme have been at the theatre, where they have been presented with certificates rewarding them for their work.

A TBTL spokesman said: "The ambassador scheme has gone from strength to strength since its inception and the theatre now works with just over 120 local accommodation providers, from guest houses and hotels to caravan and camping sites, to promote productions to visitors to the area"

Each year TBTL launches a search to find which ambassadors encouraged the most guests to come to the theatre.

The competition has four categories: Studio (for places with up to five bedrooms), Main House (six to 10 bedrooms), Arena (11-20 bedrooms) and Stadium (more than 20 bedrooms).

The winners this year were: Studio, Abacourt House; Main House, Acorn House; Arena category, The Grange Country House; Stadium, Holiday Property Bond.

This year marked the fourth in a year that the Holiday Property Bond has taken the Stadium accolade.

The theatre spokesman added: "Theatre by the Lake would like to take this opportunity to not only thank their winning Ambassadors but also to thank all of the other accommodation providers who work with them.

"They’re all doing a brilliant job promoting the theatre and TBTL are grateful for their work and enthusiasm."