18th October 2024
A NEW base is set to keep West Cumbria’s Industrial Solutions Hub in the heart of the community as the organisation moves from its current home.
iSH – which delivers programmes that build on the region’s nuclear heritage to showcase its capacity for industrial innovation and technical capability – has been located in the Phoenix Centre in Earl Street, Cleator Moor, for two years.
The team has moved temporarily to office space within the nearby Town Council offices to allow for planned refurbishment works to take place in the Phoenix Centre.
Gary McKeating, Managing Director of iSH, said: “Ambitious change is taking place in Cleator Moor to realise a host of opportunities for people across the area.
“The long-term plan has always been for us to relocate from the Phoenix Centre to allow the transformation of the building as part of the Cleator Moor Town Deal Revitalised Town project.
“Collaboration – bringing people, ideas, skills and expertise together – is key to our role in the region, and operating from a central footprint is therefore very important to us.
“Our priority was to remain in the heart of Cleator Moor and we are pleased to confirm our new home will be in Market Square.”
Work to update the new office space within the Town Council building has been carried out by local firms or tradesmen.
Members of the public were invited to view the space at the iSH Community Meeting held on Thursday, October 17 between 9.30am and 11am which was followed by refreshments and a networking opportunity between 11am and 12 noon.
iSH will continue to drive forward its vision to create a hub in Cleator Moor that benefits the whole community and West Cumbria as a region, attracting inward investment, opening up opportunities for SMEs and fostering collaborative working.
Among the ambitious projects the team is currently working to deliver are the objectives of the Cumbria Robotics Cluster and the establishment of further clusters designed to support advanced manufacturing and advanced technologies.
The team is also overseeing the creation of the iSH Enterprise Campus at Leconfield, alongside Cumberland Council, supported by funding from the Cleator Moor Town Deal Board, the NDA, Sellafield Ltd and the Copeland Community Fund as well as Cumberland Council and Cleator Moor Town Council.
Gary McKeating added: “We are proud that iSH is rooted here in the heart of this community and we look forward to settling into our new offices in the coming weeks.”