UP TO 4,600 full time jobs in Cumbria were last year supported by the work of the National Trust, which also ploughed £3.5 million into the local economy in staffing costs and spent a further £ 3.4 million on goods and services.

The findings have been revealed in a report looking into the charity's contribution to the Cumbrian economy between 1999 and 2000 through its role as an employer, landlord and visitor attraction owner.

The NT owns 55,000 hectares of land and has responsibility for the conservation and management of around a quarter of the Lake District National Park, including almost all the central fell areas together with 24 lakes and tarns.

It directly employs the equivalent of 255 full time jobs, which in 1999/2000 amounted to an expenditure of £3.5 million, and it also spent £3.4 million on good and services, including the purchase of vehicles, computers, machinery, material and fees for contractors carrying out repairs.

More than a thousand visitors were questioned and workshops were held with farmers and tourism operators as part of the year-long study, which statistically calculated that, through its work, the NT supported between 2,700 and 4,600 full time jobs in the county last year.

At the launch of the report, the NT's director of the North West, Oliver Maurice, said that the aim of the project had been to establish firm figures to back up the claim that the trust was a major player in the Lake District and therefore entitled to help influence local, regional and national strategies.

"This really proves that the NT is a mainstay in the local economy and will be a key player in the future regeneration of the countryside," said Mr

Maurice.

He added that the trust's role would be particularly crucial as the county struggled to recover from the foot-and-mouth outbreak, in helping to sustain viable agriculture and farming in the wake of the disease.

"As we come through foot-and-mouth we will need to establish a vision for the Lake District landscape and we are already working with a number of organisations to do this."

Supporting the trust's 91 tenant farmers was a priority, said Mr Maurice, adding that one of the plans being considered was marketing meat branded with the NT logo.

The trust is also considering setting up a bursary scheme to help young people through agricultural college.

John Dunning, of the regional development agency, said the report showed what an impressive contribution the NT makes to the local economy, saying it was well placed to help drive through the radical changes that were needed after the ravages of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

A full report and visitor survey results can be seen at www.nationaltrust.org.uk