Lakes aim to tempt TV and film location scouts

Derwentwater, in the Lake District, was used as a backdrop for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

A new organisation has been set up to encourage film and TV production companies to shoot in parts of Cumbria.

The Cumberland Film Office and has been included on a contact list for production companies looking for locations, the local council confirmed.

The authority hopes the development could eventually lead to opportunities for local people looking to work in the creative industries.

Notable films partly shot in Cumbria and the Lake District include 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which used Derwentwater and Thirlmere as backdrops.

The film office had been "in development over the last few months", said Councillor Anne Quilter in a report to colleagues.

"The aim in the first instance is to streamline the process for production companies approaching the council for permissions to film, ensuring this is taking place safely," Quilter explained.

Further development "will see active promotion of Cumberland to attract filming which will not only generate revenue that can be re-invested but also to encourage production companies to offer opportunities to our communities, particularly young people".

Those areas could be in set-building, photography or filming, she suggested, as well as roles such as extras or runners.

She added the council had been working with several production companies to find out how it "can provide the best service".

Quilter is due to update fellow councillors on the scheme at a meeting at Carlisle's Civic Centre on Tuesday, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.