KIRKBY Lonsdale has appointed its first Tourism and Town Manager.

Sarah Ross said she plans to “show the diversity of what the town has to offer to tourists and residents alike.”

Mrs Ross, a director of Cumbria Tourism, will be responsible for ‘revitalising’ the town’s visitor information shop on Main Street.

She will also work on plans to attract more income to the town by assisting the town’s Community Interest Company in its work around publicising Kirkby Lonsdale’s attractions.

Providing information for visitors and residents is seen as key to effectively promoting Kirkby Lonsdale and supporting local groups and events within the local community.

“One of the main priorities is to build on our volunteer team,” Mrs Ross said. “We need to make sure we are open seven days a week.

“I also want to help build on retail activities and make it somewhere to go for gifts that have something to do with the area.

“The town does pretty well for visitors – and we get a good cross section of people coming, but you can always do with more.

“I’m very proud of the fact that Kirkby Lonsdale has done incredibly well through the recession and we have a fantastic range of independent retailers.

“The town has a lot to offer visitors and residents alike and I hope that I can help to relaunch both the information and retail elements of the offer.

“Hopefully, within a few months local hotels, guesthouses and retailers will notice the impact of the initiatives we plan to introduce.”

Mrs Ross, who lives in the town, advises the Dukes Theatre in Lancaster and was Head of Visitor Services at Holker Hall and Lowther Castle.

She also works with local and regional tourism businesses, and has experience of co-ordinating volunteers while a trustee for a national charity, and at local branch level.

Liz Saunders, a director of the Community Interest Company, said of the appointment: “We are delighted to bring on board someone which such a professional background to develop our visitor information and retail activities.

“Sarah has experience, contacts, ideas and enthusiasm. And she is committed to promoting Kirkby Lonsdale not only through the shop but as widely as possible in a positive way.”