CN Group, publishers of the Carlisle News & Star, the North West Evening Mail and the Cumberland News, is partnering Legacy.com to launch a new, interactive online obituary and family notice service.

It says the new service will bring the world of family notices online to readers locally and around the world.

People can place tributes and pictures on the site. And there will be online guest books, which will allow family and friends to express their condolence and share memories.

Each year, CN Group publishes more than 8,000 family notices and 14,000 death and related notices in the group’s newspapers.

Group digital development director Stuart Cooke said: “We have seen significant increase in our online traffic and we wanted to provide customers with a full interactive family notice service.

“With the trend for people to move around the country and the world, this service not only provides people with the ability to keep up with local events but also to interact with the community and the families in our areas.”

CN Group’s Publishing Division is responsible for the Group's newspaper publishing and associated activities in Cumbria, Northumberland, northern Lancashire and Scotland.

The main publishing centres are in Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness and Hexham, with other offices in the principal towns of the region.