Happy birthday to the Bus Station
Whitehaven鈥檚 iconic creative and digital hub is celebrating 2 years of collaboration and innovation since first opening its doors in May 2021.
皇冠体育app 拢8.2 million regeneration project has seen the town鈥檚 historic former bus station transformed into Cumbria鈥檚 flagship digital and creative hub, where business start-ups and entrepreneurs can meet, innovate, and grow.
皇冠体育app project was co-designed with Britain鈥檚 Energy Coast (BEC) with funding from Sellafield Ltd and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and in partnership with Copeland Borough Council.
Sellafield Ltd provided 拢5.7 million to the project under our social impact, multiplied (SiX) programme of community investments, which works to leverage public and private sector investment to help diversify and grow the local economy.
At the centre of the development is a Barclays Eagle Lab, one of only 34 Labs nationwide and the first to be built outside of a major city in the North.
Once a disused and derelict shell, the building is now a dynamic collaboration environment featuring co-working spaces, meeting rooms and a shared maker space giving access to equipment such as 3D printers, and laser and vinyl cutting tools.
It鈥檚 also home to 皇冠体育app Peddler, a 125-seat restaurant that is open to residents and the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner and serving a variety of locally sourced food and drinks.
In the last 2 years the Bus Station has hosted 42 businesses and supported over 200 more, from engineering and energy companies to marketing and media start-ups. It gives residents access to expert coaching and mentoring and provides critical links to national industry and academia.
Many have outgrown the space and moved on to bigger premises, proving this unique development is delivering on its shared ambitions and transforming businesses, communities, and lives in the process.
Gary McKeating, Sellafield Ltd鈥檚 head of community and development, said:
鈥溁使谔逵齛pp Bus Station is an example of our Sellafield Six programme in action.
鈥淣ot only did it regenerate a derelict area of Whitehaven, but we built in an opportunity for local individuals and businesses to start, grow and thrive.
鈥淲e invested in growth for our local economy and after 2 years we鈥檙e starting to see the real benefits.
鈥淥n a personal level and having been involved from the outset, I鈥檓 particularly proud of this project that sits within a programme of work that鈥檚 making a real difference in West Cumberland.鈥�