The weather has been very cruel to the United Kingdom this Winter but why let that stop you enjoying Christmas festivities.

For the last two weeks, Cumbria – the Lake District has been the main focus on all the news networks. This beautiful location may have been battered and bruised by the weather but it is still one of the most beautiful areas of the United Kingdom and fully open for business.

And Christmas is an ideal time to visit the Lake District with its warm hospitality, endless real fires and top quality local produce.

The Castle Inn Hotel and Spa near Bassenthwaite, Keswick have a small number of places available for their luxury Christmas break. This special Christmas break commences on Thursday the 24th of December right through to Sunday 27th December. The mix of organised events and time alone to explore the area or visit the health spa has been perfectly combined.

Set overlooking some of England’s highest fells and Bassenthwaite Lake, the Castle Inn Lake District Hotel is in a beautiful location, just 8 miles from Keswick.  They are ideally situated for those wishing to explore Bassenthwaite, Keswick and the Lake District. The Castle Inn Hotel is one of the finest Keswick hotels offering a warm welcome and the ideal location for relaxing after a busy day discovering the beauties of the Lake District.

Those requiring further information on the festive Christmas break at the Castle Inn Hotel & Spa should visit http://www.castleinncumbria.co.uk or telephone 017687 76401.

Golfers helped raise nearly £2,000 for charity during BAE Systems Submarine Solutions’ charity golf event.

Organised as part of the company’s Five Day Global Charity Challenge, it saw 60 employees and members of its supply chain play Ulverston Golf Club.

Perfect conditions contributed to a day of quality golf with Craig MacGranthin crowned the eventual winner. Craig also won the nearest to the pin competition.

Stuart Moscrop, from local company PKA, was the competition’s runner-up, and he also came second in the nearest to the pin. Colin Mahon hit the longest drive.

The day ended with a presentation in the clubhouse with prizes handed out by St Mary’s Hospice fundraising manager Zoe Guest.

In total £1,960.40 was raised, with £500 going to Sue Ryder Care, and the remainder to St Mary’s Hospice.

Every 18 months BAE Systems nominates a partner charity for its Charity Challenge, when over that time it commits to raising funds for a particular organisation. Its current partner is St Mary’s Hospice and already the company is well on the way to raising another substantial amount.

Recently it has:
• Donated £17,500 to 25 separate local charities via its Give As You Earn scheme in which employees give a percentage of their monthly earnings.
• Supported more than 200 charities in various projects and initiatives.
• Backed national campaigns, such as Wear it Pink Day and Red Nose Day, raising thousands of pounds in the process.
•  The annual Keswick to Barrow Walk is organised with the help of BAE Systems employees and in 2008 raised more than £200,000 for charity.
•  Organised other events including quiz nights, golf competitions, bingo evenings, bag-packing and much more. The Charity Challenge team is continually looking for new fundraising ideas.

For more information on the latest charity events go to http://www.worklifebarrow.co.uk

The Lake District Hotels Group is still attracting strong demand for wedding bookings despite the effect of the recession.

The recent wedding fairs at The Lodore Falls Hotel and Inn on the Lake attracted over 650 of mothers and ‘brides to be’ – which only goes to highlight the importance of the Lake District as a wedding venue.

Kit Graves, Director of Lake District Hotel Group said “We decided to hold a Wedding Fayre at the Lodore Falls Hotel because it gives us the chance to show off the venue and is real opportunity for our Chefs to show off their culinary skills; offering taster samples from our wedding menus and displaying some of THE most temptingly delicious deserts. Chef Nigel Harper was the most popular man on the day – in charge of the tasting sessions and there were queues for one to one chats.

With such a large turnout of mothers and brides to be, there is no doubt that Lake District Hotels are still a firm favourite for Lake District weddings – despite the current climate  There were over 40 different stall holders at the event – all of whom received serious enquiries from couples marrying in the next couple of years.

Sophie Kings, Wedding Co-ordinator at the Lodore Falls Hotel said “Winter weddings are becoming ever more popular and for those that married in the ‘Lakes’ last winter, the snow made their weddings picture perfect. With difficult economic times it is even more important that brides are sure they choose the best venue for their wedding – that’s why we created a Winter Wedding Offer which includes extras, focusing on adding value and saving £100’s to make your winter wedding budget go further. The Wedding Fayre was an ideal time to launch the Winter Fairytale Wedding Offer which allows couples to try the venue for free. They stay for two night’s dinner bed and breakfast and we will refund the cost when they book their wedding with us.

Couples receive even more added value when booking  Winter Weddings – we will also include a FREE top table for up to 8 guests, free chair covers to match their colour scheme and reduced winter room rates too that’s a saving of £100’s.*

Visitors to the Wedding Fayre were certainly left with a true flavour of how we make each wedding day extra special and unique. There was a real buzz and a fantastic atmosphere. With over 40 different stall holders the event was described as a fairytale sweet shop for brides to be!

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Winter Wedding offer or looking for a venue should contact Sophie Kings at the Lodore Falls Hotel on 017687 77285 or visit http://www.lakedistricthotels.net/weddings

Holidaycottagescumbria.com are pleased to announce the addition of Hardcragg Hall to their portfolio of Lake District self catering properties.

Hardcragg Hall is the latest addition to Holidaycottagescumbria.com Cumbria portfolio of 5 individually owned holiday cottages. Hardcragg Hall is the pinnacle of 5 star luxury self catering accommodation and can facilitate large groups of up to 14 guests with its 7 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. This stunning Elizabethan manor house makes an excellent choice for luxury family holidays, short breaks, celebrations, special occasions, wedding guests, parties, large groups or for a get together of family or friends.

Hardcragg Hall is steeped in history and dates back to 1563 and this grade II listed country manor house is reputed to be the oldest building in the local area. This historic manor house is lavishly furnished with antiques and high quality furnishings throughout. There are several spacious reception rooms that all interconnect, including the dining room, drawing room, bar area, breakfast room, library, the oak panelled entrance hall area with its roaring log fire and the snug lounge with patio doors leading out into the landscaped gardens and grounds. The recently furnished farmhouse kitchen is superbly equipped with everything you will need to cater for large groups or couples alike and boasts a four oven Aga, a 5 burner gas hob and double electric oven. Adjoining the kitchen, the utility room is equipped with washing machine, tumble dryer, freezer and plenty of storage and drying space.

This large Lake District self catering cottage 10+ is ideally located in Grange-over-Sands on the Southern edge of the English Lake District. Grange over Sands is one of Cumbria’s secret gems and is the Lake District’s principle sea side town. This is an ideal location for scenic fell and woodland walks, together with a mile long, traffic free promenade overlooking the sands of Morecambe Bay.

Holidaycottagescumbria.com is owned, managed, and run by Simon Cleasby with the help of a team of good housekeepers, and maintenance staff. Simon is a knowledgeable local Cumbrian (nee Westmorland) with a huge passion for the Lake District and Cumbria. Simon travelled and worked his way around the different continents for a few years before coming back to live in the South Lakes to start up this luxury Lake District holiday cottages company.

For more information and latest availability on this property go to http://www.holidaycottagescumbria.com/hardcragg_hall.html or phone +44 (0)1524 702955

Many who have stayed at the Best Western Castle Inn Hotel before, may already know that Bassenthwaite is home to The Lake District Osprey Project.

Bassenthwaite Lake, a key habitat for the ospreys, is a National Nature Reserve and a Special Area of Conservation owned and managed by the Lake District National Park Authority.

Each year these beautiful and rare birds return to nest and this Easter was made ‘eggstra’ special by the return of our male and female Osprey 2 weeks ago.  The female osprey laid her first egg of 2009 at the nest near Bassenthwaite Lake on Thursday 16th April.  The female bird is now incubating the egg and it is hoped that further eggs will be laid in the coming days.  Ospreys normally lay a clutch of three eggs.  Incubation is carried out mainly by the female and takes between 34-40 days.

Peter Wells, General Manager of The Castle Inn Hotel Keswick said: Staff at the hotel are very ‘eggcited’ that the first egg has been laid.  We are hopeful that there will be more eggs and that the clutch will hatch in time for our Spring Bank holiday visitors in May.

Hundreds of people visited the Bassenthwaite area over the Easter weekend to get a glimpse of the Lake District Ospreys.   Visitors can get great views of the birds from a Viewpoint in Dodd Wood, only 400 metres away from the nest.  The Viewpoint is open all daylight hours, with staff on hand with telescopes from 10am-5pm daily, as part of the RSPB’s ‘Dates with Nature’ Project.

It is also possible to see the birds on the nest on a giant videowall at the Visitor Centre on the Forestry Commission estate at Whinlatter Forest, near Braithwaite.  Live pictures from cameras overlooking and inside the nest are also beamed to the screen and can also be viewed on the Project’s website www.ospreywatch.co.uk and the BBC Cumbria website at www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria.

It is now easier than ever before to visit Dodd Wood and Whinlatter thanks to the Osprey Bus which was launched in 2008.  The liveried bus service named after the spectacular birds of prey operates around Bassenthwaite Lake taking in the Whinlatter Exhibition and the Dodd Wood viewpoint and runs weekends from 4th April to 31st August 2009, except during the following school holidays, 6-17 April, 25-29 May and 18 July – 31 August when it runs every day.  A bus timetable is displayed at the hotel as the liveried bus service picks up from and drops off at The Castle Inn Hotel Lake District during these times.