TOURISM in the Ribble Valley received a boost during a top UK travel show highlighting outdoor holidays.

Ribble Valley Council's Tourism Department was inundated with inquiries at its stand at the Outdoor Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

The show, which attracted 45,000 visitors over three days, focused on outdoor activities with hundreds of stands offering information on adventure sports and outdoor holidays.

Ribble Valley Council tourism and arts officer Jane Silvester said she was pleased with the level of interest shown in the borough at the top event, particularly in the Forest of Bowland.

"We attracted a lot of visitors to our stand and people were particularly interested in walking holidays in the Forest of Bowland.

"The good weather at Easter has already produced a high level of bookings through our tourism offices and we are hopeful this trend will continue throughout the summer."

Tourism in Ribble Valley received a blow recently when BBC bosses decided to switch much of the filming of their hit series Born and Bred from East Lancashire.

The first series of the BBC1 Northern-based 1950s drama was recorded entirely on location in Ribble Valley and Rossendale, with payments for local workmen, catering, extras and crew bringing in £2.4million.

The Ribble Valley Tourism Department will next exhibit at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show and Royal Lancashire Show.