A culinary fundraising event has raised more than £17,000 for three charities.

The Kitchen Rivals charity event at the Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa, organised by Lake District Hotels in partnership with Armstrong Watson and Knights, saw staff from Knights and Armstrong Watson competing in the kitchen with the support of two head chefs from Lake District Hotels.

The proceeds from the event, held on Thursday, September 21, will be jointly shared by Carlisle Youth Zone, Cumbria Community Foundation, and Keswick Youth Services.

The event raised more than £17,000 for three charities (Image: Jenny Woolgar Photography) Additionally, £6,000 was match-funded for the Cumbria Community Foundation by their supporters.

The evening, attended by 90 guests, involved a competitive culinary challenge where diners decided on the amount they would pay for their meals from Team Red (Armstrong Watson) and Team Green (Knights).

The night concluded with Armstrong Watson being crowned this year's winners.

The Event sponsors with Carlisle Youth Zone and Cumbria Community Foundation representatives (Image: Supplied) A charity auction further boosted the pay-what-you-feel donations, contributing to the impressive fundraising total.

Paul Dickson, CEO of Armstrong Watson, said: "We are delighted to have been part of the Kitchen Rivals event and are thrilled with the significant amount of money raised for Carlisle Youth Zone, Keswick Youth Services, and Cumbria Community Foundation.

"It was a fantastic evening, and we are proud of our team's efforts."

Event sponsors representatives (Image: Supplied) Caroline Taylor-Beswick, CEO of Carlisle Youth Zone, expressed her gratitude for the funds raised and the support from the local businesses.

She said: "The funds raised will be a real support for our work with Carlisle’s young people.

"Young people are facing increasingly complex challenges and to have the backing of such prestigious local businesses shows young people that our county believes in them.

"We’re thankful to have been chosen as a beneficiary alongside two other great local charities and the event was a true pleasure to be part of – well done to all involved."

Tom Scaife, partner at Knights, said: "Whilst our unbeaten streak had to come to an end at some point, we are happy for it to come to an end with a record amount raised for local charities."

Dani Hope, Lake District Hotels marketing director, said: "Lake District Hotels have been proud to host Kitchen Rivals since it began in 2016, and with this being the fifth event, we’ve really been able to build on our experience to make it a great success.

"This year, we’ve raised a record amount, with a third going to Keswick Youth Centre Services, our charity of the year.

"Knowing this will help them bring in another supervisor to support young people in our community is something we’re incredibly proud of.

"A huge thank you to everyone who supported us – your generosity will make a lasting difference to the Keswick community."