A local paper with a proud record of highlighting green issues on its mainly rural patch has been hailed as a champion in its field.

The “Go Green with The Westmorland Gazette” campaign helped the newspaper win the Media and Communications Environmental Champion title at the North-West Business Awards.

Also highlighted was the newspaper’s “Blitz Lakeland’s Litter” campaign, which aims to encourage local people and local authorities to clear up litter hotspots

The judges said: “The Westmorland Gazette has been a voice of the Lake District and its surrounding communities for over 185 years. This award acknowledges a stream of articles published during the past 12 months with complementary website coverage.

“Go Green has been an ongoing campaign in The Westmorland Gazette. Tackling the issues that affect their readers, articles have informed and pioneered the green message in the Lake District.

“The Westmorland Gazette really has put environmental concerns at the top of its readers’ agenda.”

As well as the in-print campaigns, two blogs are hosted on the Gazette’s website, allowing local people to comment and get involved in discussions on the latest topics.

The award was collected by deputy editor Andrew Thomas and chief photographer Mark Harrison at an awards ceremony at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.