Red or Dead founders Wayne Hemingway and his wife Geraldine will be in Carlisle next week to receive one of the highest honours which can be given by the University of Cumbria.

The creative duo, who both have MBEs, will made honorary fellows of the young institution next Tuesday in recognition of their work in design and creativity.

Morecambe-born Wayne spent a decade on the trustee board of the Design Council and is a writer for architectural and housing publications and together with Geraldine is involved in charity work for Shelter, the Princes Trust and Oxfam.

The Hemingways will not be the only married couple to be recognised by the university next week.

Carlisle couple Ian and Louise Gilbertson run Crofton-based cutting-edge animation company Cloudscape Studios.

They will be the first to receive the university's new "Alumnus of the Year" award. They both studied graphic design at its Brampton Road campus.

The couple helped secure a two-day visit to Carlisle in January from Pixar Animation Studios specialist Michael Makarewicz, in conjunction with the university, in what was his first UK masterclass.

It was aimed at inspiring future animators and boosting interest in the UK's creative industries.

The four creative characters are among a series of leading figures to receive recognition from the University of Cumbria as it prepares for one of the most popular weeks in its calendar.

They will join more than 1,000 students at the university's summer series of graduation ceremonies taking place at Carlisle Cathedral next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Hundreds of students and their families will converge on the city centre to mark their successful completion of their academic studies and training.

The English Street area is likely to become a sea of black academic gowns and bright green academic hoods, which symbolises that the University of Cumbria has awarded a graduate's degree or academic qualification.

There will be a formal procession into the cathedral with staff and graduates in academic robes before each one of the ceremonies.

Celebratory receptions will take place at the Crown & Mitre Hotel immediately afterwards.

Others to receive honorary fellowships next week are John Grainger, who has played a key role in large investment projects in Cumbria for two decades; photographer Val Corbett who is best known for her striking images of the Lake District; Workington-born Professor Paul Workman, who is chief executive and president of the Institute of Cancer Research; former University of Cumbria student and Paralympian Karen Darke; and trustee and chair of the Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust in Carlisle, Roger Cooke.