AS THE UK moves closer to leaving the European Union, we looked back on the financial impact of the EU in North and West Cumbria.

The website www.myeu.uk allows users to identify which areas have benefitted from EU funds.

The list goes back to projects funded in 2007 and shows that Carlisle, Eden, Copeland and Allerdale received £24,970,442 for projects totalling more than £109m.

The most considerable amount of cash was awarded by the EU to Natural England Drigg Coast for the project DuneLIFE - Dynamic Dunescapes.

This received just over £4.1m to rejuvenate some of the area's most important sand dunes for people, communities and wildlife.

Two similar projects, BogsLIFE, to restore degraded lowland raised bogs on three Cumbrian conservation or community importance sites also feature among the best-funded EU projects in the region, with just over £2.6m.

These were in Anthorn and Hethersgill.

Cumbria Chamber of Commerce received funding of around £2.5m towards its business growth hub.

Around £1.8m was awarded towards a project on the River Ehen between Ennerdale and Cleator Moor called Pearls in Peril - securing the future of the freshwater pearl mussel in Great Britain project.

A further £1.5m was awarded to Allerdale council towards its Reedland Park project.

The project consists of the construction of 31,500 sq ft of accommodation, which would include 10 units consisting of small workshop space to encourage business start-up with associated larger ‘move on space’.

Almost £1.3m was given to the University of Cumbria for its Eco-Innovation project, which helps businesses improve efficiency, grow capacity and develop new solutions for industry.

Other organisations benefitting from EU funding for their projects in North and West Cumbria include the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Cumbria County Council, Northside Primary School, Keswick Community Rugby Trust Ltd and Carlisle City Council.