News and Views

As Cumbria’s economy continues to safely reopen, Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP) is continuing to encourage residents to ‘think local’ in order to protect our communities’ businesses and jobs.

The majority of Cumbria’s retail, hospitality, leisure, arts and culture organisations are now open and operating safely in-line with Government guidelines. Indoor gyms, pools and other sports facilities were most recently able to reopen from 25 July and from 15 August, remaining beauty services, bowling alleys, indoor skating rinks, casinos, exhibition halls and conference centres will be able to get back to business.

Now that businesses are getting back on their feet, residents are urged to ‘think local’ by rediscovering what’s on their doorstep, trying new experiences, returning to their favourite pastimes, exploring and ‘staycationing’ in Cumbria, and buying from local producers and suppliers. After a very tough few months for Cumbria’s economy, which has resulted in record rises in unemployment, this is an important way that we can all back Cumbria’s businesses, save jobs and support our communities.

Jo Lappin, Chief Executive of CLEP and Chair of the Business and Economic Response and Recovery Group (BERRG), said: “One of the best ways that we can help Cumbria’s economy to recover from the impact of COVID-19 is to ‘think local’ on everything from shopping, visiting our fantastic cultural organisations and attractions and booking a well-deserved break in the county. ‘Think local’ is a key part of our restart-reboot-rethink strategy.”

“Cumbria is a beautiful county with fantastic pubs, restaurants, spas and sports facilities, cultural assets, and many other great places to visit. We need to preserve these fantastic amenities and supporting our businesses will help to do this. We need to use them to make sure that we do not lose them.

“Cumbria attracts people from far and wide, and visitors are vital to our economy. However, alongside our visitors we would very much welcome local people re-discovering all that Cumbria has to offer too.”

Dan Visser, Director of Sales and Marketing at The Langdale Estate, which has recently reopened its leisure and spa facilities, said: “Cumbria and the Lake District has so much to offer for short breaks and days out for anyone living locally. While some of our traditional honeypot areas are already seeing good numbers of visitors there are so many places throughout the area where visitors can find some space to relax and enjoy the wonderful scenery and landscapes in a safe way. Many of the areas visitor attractions despite distancing, and therefore reduced numbers, have space for more so there are plenty of ways to see the sights by boat train or bus, a great way to support Cumbrian jobs and sustainable transport.”

Head of Marketing & Development at Lake District Estate (the manager and operator of Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway), Rachel Bell, said: “We’re excited to welcome visitors once again, especially with the new observation carriage experience. As you would expect, there are a few new ‘Ratty rules’ to help us manage capacity and ensure the safety of all visitors and staff. We’ve also strengthened our health and safety regimes in line with government guidelines, but we’re feeling positive about the future and think our new-look timetable will give people the feeling of freedom they’ve been missing as they enjoy their summer staycations in the Lake District.”

Anne-Marie Pearson, Owner of Evolve Yoga Wigton, said: “We are so pleased to be able to open our doors once more. One of the things we hear from those returning now is how great it is to be back in a safe space dedicated to helping you relax and restore. I have regularly felt overwhelmed with the support we have received from our community upon reopening. It has also been wonderful to see some new faces; we’ve only been open just over a week and have already welcomed 15 new people to our studio! The extensive cleaning measures we have put in place have meant we’ve had to reduce our capacity and our schedule but we still offer 14 classes per week to suit all levels. It seems that now, more than ever, the space to focus on your physical and mental wellbeing has to be a priority. It just goes to show that there is so much opportunity out there for people to “support local” and those of us who own business are waiting with open arms to welcome you - from a safe distance, of course!”

Jo Lappin added, “Dan, Rachel and Anne-Marie have outlined how important it is that we support our businesses and help protect jobs. Importantly, engaging in some of these great activities will provide a much needed boost to wellbeing.”

“I’m sure that all of our people will want to do everything that they can to support Cumbria’s economy to get back up and running.”