Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge said he was 'delighted' to sponsor a playing card pack designed to act as a guide to the landmarks in a Bucks town.

Emma Sweet came upon the idea to combine tourist novelty with local interest by creating a playing card set featuring illustrations of local landmarks and lesser-known hidden gems last year - and is now rolling out a deck based in the Buckinghamshire town of Marlow.

Emma initially tapped into an interest that she gauged was present in her home community of Henley-on-Thames, but said she had always had Marlow in mind as the home of her co-creator, artist Nicola Metcalfe.

Alongside the appeal of Marlow's thriving community spirit, which Emma said it has "in heaps", another attraction of the town is its star-studded culinary scene.

Ahead of a prospective launch date for the set in November, Marlow's resident Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge has agreed to sponsor four cards in the pack, including one for each of his restaurants in the town - a move that Emma hopes will bring renewed attention to the project.

The Henley pack featured a range of cards, each with its own quirky illustration, courtesy of Nicola, and each sponsored by an organisation or business that paid a small sum of money to have their name, or the name of a local monument or location of their choice, included in the deck.

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Emma said: "It's very exciting that Tom Kerridge has come on board. Part of the learning curve of putting together the Henley set was realising that you do want those big players involved.

"Of course, I want to showcase the hidden gems of Marlow as well and I want to give a voice to people and businesses who are a bit smaller, but I think having a mix of both will give us a better chance of selling the cards."

Tom Kerridge, who, alongside Atul Kochhar, Rebellion Brewery and the Marlow Museum, among others, has already sponsored at least one card in the pack, said: "I love the idea of having some really iconic Marlow landmarks on playing cards, it's so fun.

"Anything that brings the community together and supports small local businesses is always a good thing and I'm delighted to be supporting it."

Emma said that she has now filled three-quarters of the playing card pack but remains open to nominations from residents who can think of local attractions or businesses they would like to see featured in the deck.

"We're also looking for an event space in the town where we can hold a launch event. What's so lovely about Marlow is the sense of community, so we want to celebrate the release of the pack by holding a kind of exhibition later this year, with supersized versions of each card displayed on the wall."