Two Cumbrian attractions have a picked up an environmental accreditation for their efforts to reduce waste and be more sustainable.

Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in West Cumbria and Ullswater Steamers, which are both owned by Lake District Estates, have achieved the gold standard Green at Heart gold award.

It is the first time the railway has achieved the accreditation, which is given by Green at Heart - an environmental consultancy based in Carlisle.

The organisation works with businesses to help reduce their environmental impact.

The attractions have undertaken a number of initiatives, which include working towards being plastic free, giving 25p off hot drinks with a refill mug at their cafes, installing timed LED night lighting for security and installing electric car charging points.

At the same time the railway has installed a biomass boiler and both contributed to planting 30 trees in the North West last year.

Work has also involved raising awareness of the natural environment through partnership activities with the National Trust, Lake District National Park and giving donations to the Lake District Foundation.

Both attractions have also appointed "environmental champions" to promote green practices and raise awareness among staff and volunteers.

Rachel Bell, head of marketing and development for Lake District Estates, said: "We are working hard at both attractions to continuously improve our sustainable approaches.

"To achieve gold standard at Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a huge achievement.

"We have been focusing on removing unnecessary packaging right across the attraction, sourcing local artisan produce for the café and replacing plastic toys and gifts with responsible sourced sustainable products, alongside energy saving measures.

"We are delighted to improve our score at Ullswater Steamers and to keep the momentum of change going with our newly appointed Environmental Champions."

Laura Short, of Green at Heart, said: "Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway have made considerable improvements in the last year.

"It can be a bigger challenge for businesses that are more dependent on fossil fuels but it’s about thinking outside the box and being innovative in the other ways you operate as a business and focusing on supply chains as well. It’s not just about an individual business, its equally important to think about the position of the business in the wider economy."