A NEW director has been appointed at the University of Cumbria's Ambleside campus.

A published expert in upland farming Dr Lois Mansfield is a respected voice of authority on farming, the environment and rural management. In her first three to six months she will be working with a range of colleagues to improve the student experience; develop a range of guest lectures, events and activities for students and the public, and broaden the cultural arts offer to include cinematography and literature.

“When this job came up it was an ideal opportunity to contribute to the development of the campus based in a UNESCO world heritage site in the heart of the Lake District,” said Dr Mansfield, who has worked in higher education in Cumbria for 20 years. “The area around Ambleside is a microcosm of all the challenges that face Cumbria and other upland areas; conservation, farming, flood management, a sparse population, the visitor economy, and health and wellbeing – it’s a melting pot of natural and man-made issues.”

A summer school specialising in the area’s rich literature legacy and another working with TV and film colleagues to capture the area on video are also in the pipeline.