A MYSTERY 'Whodunit' starring businesses in the Cotswolds has launched to show off the area as a must-see destination.

Social media has been buzzing since the launch of the 11-week Cotswolds Mystery campaign, which has been created to promote the area and brings residents and local businesses together.

Created by the Cotswolds Concierge, nine Cotswolds businesses were chosen to be part of the story, with a new chapter released each week until Friday, July 18.

Readers and followers are encouraged to interact on social media, send suggestions to the story, illustrations and even 'sheep sightings' with the chance to win a £7,000 Cotswold holiday.

The story follows the mystery surrounding the sudden disappearance of all the sheep in the Cotswolds and where, among the nine suspects, the answers to the mystery lies.

Mette Poynton, creator and owner of The Cotswolds Concierge, said: “With The Cotswolds Mystery, we want to bring focus on The Cotswolds in a brand new way.

"Of course it is easy to show this wonderful ‘Area of Natural Beauty’ off as a beautiful tourist destination, but we will also show The Cotswolds as an exciting, fun and truly diverse place to visit, live and do business.

"We want to show people everywhere in the UK and beyond that the perception of The Cotswolds as an old-fashioned place full of nothing but fields and sheep is just plain wrong”.

For more details, visit cotswoldsmystery.co.uk or follow @CotswoldMystery on Twitter.