A new co-working space is opening its doors in a South Cumbria town.

Herdwork, in Kirkby Lonsdale, has been designed to provide flexible office accommodation for freelancers, start-ups and established businesses.

Situated in 5000 acres of open countryside on the Underley Estate beside the River Lune, it includes an open plan lounge, kitchen, co-working areas, offices, meeting rooms and a courtyard.

Herdwork, which also has a sister site in Windermere, was the brainchild of Cumbria couple, Zoe and Matt Spence.

The couple, who live in the Lake District but have businesses in Manchester and London, said they had grown tired of the polarising differences between their rural offices and their city-based ones.

Zoe said: “What started as a journey to create a better office space in Cumbria has established our mission to give rural Britain the workspaces and co-working its businesses deserve.

“Herdwork is a new way of working, offering flexible access to distinctly different workspaces in rural locations that make people and organisations more productive for more of the time.

“Herdwork is a place for businesses and talent to thrive in stunning rural locations.

“It’s an innovative work environment, built around the needs of a talented community and flexible memberships.

“We want to help people escape the confines of the city and join the reverse commute.

“We believe it’s time to stop the young talent exodus from rural Britain and offer a solution to work-life balance. You can live and work in the countryside – and you can do it in a workspace that rivals those in Manchester and London.”

Tenants can choose from a selection of different packages, without restrictive contracts.

The options include part-time, hot desk, dedicated desk and private office. There is also the option for day access and bookable meeting rooms.

A launch event to celebrate the opening of the new offices will be held on November 20 from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.

Any businesses interested in finding out more are invited to attend.