MUNCASTER Castle are to host a music programme from The Gather Ennerdale in a sell-out arts collaboration.

This Gala event at Muncaster Castle has been very popular and the option of a Gala Dinner sold out last week.

The event will be held on January 28.

Ewan Frost-Pennington, the operations manager at Muncaster Castle, said: "We had planned to have the gala meal in the Castle dining room, but demand has already outstripped that space.

"Instead we are moving the meal to the Drawing Room, where we can seat double the number. This is one of the venues we use when we host weddings at Muncaster.

“We have reopened bookings for the meal, but our advice would be to snap up tickets before they sell out again.

“The Drawing Room has been undergoing repairs but will be finished in time for this event.

“The music that follows featuring those favourites with Cumbrian audiences, Snake Davis and Gareth Moulton."

The Guest of honour at the Gala Event, the ex-MP for Workington, Sue Hayman now elevated to the House of Lords as Baroness Hayman of Ullock sent out a personal invitations. 

She said: “I would like to enlist the help of everyone to support this wonderful social enterprise music venture. It is bringing great artists and performers to a small rural community in west Cumbria and has generated a great demand."

To try to meet demand, the ticket options have been widened. 

Peter Maher, the founder of the Great Artists-Small Venue music programme said: “Of course we are delighted at the great response and so have extended the range of options for those wishing to attend: Gala Meal and Concert – due to popular demand, reopened for bookings, tickets for the music-only including discounts for young people aged 15 or under or family tickets covering 2 adults and 2 children."

Emma Shepherd, who is coordinator of The Gather added: “We have been in touch with the artists Snake and Gareth and they are as excited as we are.

“They have performed across the UK and have appeared as far away as Japan and Australia; however, they have never performed at a castle before so this represents a first for them.

“Their music is very popular in Cumbria and over the years they have given concerts across the county."