INSPIRATION and industry expertise for anyone hoping to build their dream home will be offered at a special event this summer.

Rheged, near Penrith, will be hosting the free Build Your Home, Build Your Community day on July 4.

Architectural designer Charlie Luxton will be the key speaker, a familiar face from shows such as Homes by the Sea and Building the Dream, on More 4.

Eden District Council is promoting the event and says there is local demand for self-build housing projects, with a recent survey suggesting 445 people looking to construct their own home in the next five years.

The showcase will begin at 6pm with an opportunity to chat to industry professionals.

From 7pm there will be short presentations from the likes of social enterprise Ecomotive, Penrith Building Society, and self-builder Bruce Armstrong-Payne, who recently completed his own house near Penrith.

"For years I have been looking for an appropriate site to build my own house and I eventually found the right-sized plot, where one side of the house faces open countryside and the other part is in a community with a good active spirit," Bruce said.

“I am really pleased we have achieved an ecologically sound house, with high standards of insulation.

"It has air-source heating technology and is an excellent family dwelling for us at this time of life.

"I enjoyed the whole process immensely, being involved in the design and sourcing of materials.

"I have learned a lot about the process and would happily do it again.”

To register your interest for the Rheged event, visit www.eden.gov.uk/selfbuild or call 01768-817817.