A west Cumbrian venue has been showcasing live music both in person and through streaming incorporating artists from around the world. 

The Gather in Ennerdale started to host gigs just before the pandemic took hold in 2020, once lockdown began they streamed live and recorded music to fans on a wider scale. 

READ MORE: The Gather hosts 'Queen's Knickers' contest ahead of Ennerdale Show

Emma Shepherd, who coordinates community activity Upstairs@TheGather said: "We started staging live music performance in March 2020 just before Covid.

"We could just have shut down like the majority of other venues and sat it out.  However, we understood that people would begin to feel increasingly isolated and in need of entertainment.

"Instead, we recruited artists from across the world to either play live for us to record, or to record a session for us to stream.

"That’s where it all took off. We have now had people from all over the world tuning in to our music.

"Of course, that includes people from across the UK for Whitehaven to Whitstable and St Bees to St Austell.

"However, over the period we’ve been streaming only 47% of our audiences are from the UK. 

"We have regular followers from across Europe, the USA, South Africa and Australia."

The team at The Gather decided that they wanted to keep streaming even now restrictions have eased. 

Their streams are continuing to be broadcast live on their YouTube channel with praise from fans on a global level. 

READ MORE: The Gather at Ennerdale bag award from Countryside Alliance

One regular, Stan from Wichita in Kansas, said: "I am so glad that you maintain a video that I can watch after the live performance occurs.  Firstly, there are some time zone issues, especially on weekdays.

"Secondly, my wife, Kathy, is disabled and I frequently need to attend to her medical needs. For this performance, I had two major breaks in my viewing.

"But the way you have everything setup makes it perfect for me to watch and enjoy great musicians."

On Saturday, July 30 The Gather will be hosting another live music event. Then on Saturday, August 13 there will be a mandolin workshop with the world famous musician Simon Mayor.