ARMITSTEAD Barnett, the specialist rural estate agent, valuer and chartered surveyor, is celebrating the first anniversary of its Kendal offices.

The opening of the Kirkland premises in summer 2016 brought the company's number of offices to three, as it already had established bases in Garstang and Burscough.

The move north has enabled Armitstead Barnett's expert team to serve its clients in a wider geographical area, and to pursue new prospects in the Lake District and Cumbria. They say they are "proud to have gone from strength to strength serving the needs of our rural and agricultural clients".

In a statement, the company said: "Our heritage and in-depth knowledge has enabled us to deliver a fresh approach to Cumbria which has been well received. We are pleased to have had a successful first year with a growing team."

It added: "We will continue our focus within the rural communities providing land and estate agency services, development advice, valuations, compensation and utility matters, subsidy and grants and agricultural landlord and tenant advice."

The company's Lancashire roots date back to 1890.