Avanti West Coast has renamed its route through Cumbria on the West Coast Main Line between London and Glasgow as the “West Coast Marmalade Line” in connection with a competition that aims to find the world’s best marmalade.

At selected stations along the route, there are drop-off points where amateur marmalade makers have an alternative to posting their prized jars.

Entries are loaded onto a Pendolino train, known as the “Marmalade Express”, for a journey to Penrith in the “MarmaLake District”. At Penrith, the jars are collected and taken by road four miles to Dalemain Mansion. There they will be judged at the Dalemain Marmalade Awards and Festival on Saturday, 14th May.

For every jar submitted entrants donate £10 towards palliative care charities, including Hospice at Home, which provides care and support to patients, family members, and carers affected by life-limiting illnesses in north and east Cumbria.

The festival attracts competitors from around the world, including Australia and Japan, as well as promoting small producers from the UK. To date, it has raised over £270,000 for hospice care.

Mark Green, Avanti West Coast Station Manager at Penrith, said: “This prestigious event is great for Penrith and Cumbria, which are fondly known as the MarmaLake District when the region welcomes marmalade entries. At the same time, it supports the vital work of Hospice at Home, so we’re delighted to be championing this key event that makes a difference in the communities we serve.

“Entries for this world-famous competition come far and wide and we’re proud to have provided the West Coast Marmalade Line to give entrants an a-peel-ing alternative to posting their jars and ensure potential prize-winning preserves are delivered safely to Penrith.”

Jane Hasell-McCosh, founder of the Dalemain Marmalade Awards, said: “We are delighted that the Marmalade Express has returned for the awards. It is a wonderful opportunity to encourage marmalade makers to enter the competition and it is lovely to think that the jars travel by train, to the home of the MarmaLake District. Dalemain Mansion has strong links with the railway, and it is great to see those links grow with the help of this delicious preserve!”