LIVING where we do, many of us are well aware of the power of nature - how good it is for body and soul.

Its healing powers are beautifully illustrated in The Secret Garden which is running at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake.

This is a story about many aspects of life – the joy and happiness it can bring, but also the grief and heartbreak.

The much loved classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett has been beautifully adapted by Jessica Swale and brilliantly brought to life by director Liz Stevenson.

The story focuses on Mary Lennox who was living in India but, following the death of her parents, is sent to live with her widowed uncle in rural Yorkshire.

It’s hard to imagine how one could effortlessly whisk an audience from a balmy Indian evening to the confines of a cold single room in a dark, daunting English mansion but designer Lily Arnold does it brilliantly.

The set, which includes a partitioned metallic box centre stage, is beautifully versatile. One minute conjuring up an atmospheric dense woodland, the next it reveals a solitary study or lonely boy’s bedroom.

Mary has had a tough start in life. A cruel cold mother who believes children should be seen and not heard.

When she arrives in England Mary's described by the gardener as sour as a crab apple. Harsh but true.

She's inherited her mother's chilling exterior. But, as she is drawn into the natural world and forges new friendships – with other children and animals, Mary slowly defrosts.

She embraces her newfound love of life and blossoms, like the roses in the secret garden.

Nature is at the centre of this production, with lots of real trees and a lively assortment of puppet woodland creatures. Together with some songs, dance and clever lighting, they conjure up a magical atmosphere.

Natasha Cottriall is brilliant as the initially petulant Mary, who later exudes youthful fresh faced energy and enthusiasm. It’s maid Martha (Olivia Sweeney) and brother Dickon (Coral Sinclair) who entice Mary out of her defensive shell. Their love for life is wonderfully infectious.

Frances Marshall was scarily good at playing Mary’s nightmare mother and a dab hand at controlling a highly strung puppet dog.

The whole cast worked well together: Chris Jack as the brokenhearted Archibald Craven, Theo Cowan as his lonely son, Flo Wilson as the bossy Mrs Medlock and rosy-cheeked Russell Richardson as the perfect gardener.

This is beautiful production, clever, touching and magical.

The Secret Garden runs until January 13 at the Theatre by the Lake, in Keswick.