A LEADING South Lakeland-based activity guidebook publisher will mark its 50th anniversary in 2019.

Celebrations at Kendal-based Cicerone will go on throughout the year and have begun with the publication of a commemorative book.

"Fifty Years of Adventure"adds to the publishing company's range of around 400 titles. Cicerone will also mark its milestone year by raising money for two charities closely associated with outdoor adventures.

The hardback limited edition is a compilation of adventurous tales and is illustrated with more than 100 photographs from around the world. It also tells the story of Cicerone which was established in 1969 in Milnthorpe with the aim of producing guides for walkers and climbers, written and produced by outdoor enthusiasts. Half a century on and the company has grown to encompass guidebooks and ebooks to the best walks, treks, mountain and cycle routes in the UK, Europe and worldwide.

It is a company that has stood the test of time from its early days on a dining room table, then to offices in two converted cottages in Milnthorpe, to new premises at Murley Moss in Kendal.

For every book sold on the company's website during the year, £1 will be donated to The Bendrigg Trust at Old Hutton, a charity that helps disabled and disadvantaged people to experience the outdoors, and the Juniper Trust, which is rebuilding a damaged school in Nepal.

A key event on Cicerone's celebration calendar will be the Adventure Travel Show at Olympia, London, over the weekend January 19 and 20. It will host a series of free trekking workshops and a number of inspiring author talks. The Cicerone stand will showcase its entire range of nearly 400 titles.