BEC secures £4M to turn Whittles building into digital and gaming hub

BEC has secured £4million to breathe new life into Whitehaven’s former Whittles furniture store and encourage the development of future digital and tech leaders.

Michael Pemberton, CEO of BEC, in front of the former Whittles furniture store (Image: Newsquest)

The hub will provide essential training and upskilling with a ‘futuristic’ development and regeneration at the heart of it.

Works on the grade-two listed building are expected to begin in late spring to early summer 2024 and are scheduled to be complete by autumn 2025.

The ground floor of the former Whittles furniture store will soon be transformed (Image: Newsquest)

The prominent building on Duke Street was purchased by BEC in 2021 and since then extensive public consultations have been held, which have garnered support from community members and local academia partners.

Michael Pemberton, CEO of BEC said: “We’re delighted to announce we have secured funding for this truly remarkable and game-changing development, a true one-of-a-kind for west Cumbria and for our young people, Gen Z – our future.

“The team at BEC have worked tirelessly over the last couple of years from the initial purchase, building a business case and holding public consultations.

The lift will be retained (Image: Newsquest)

 “With this scheme, we will be addressing the digital skills gap and opening doors to exciting opportunities in the digital and creative sectors with the development, through work and learning experiences, industry connections and guidance.

 “Our partnership and close relationship with Sellafield Ltd and Cumberland Council has enabled us to announce such brilliant news today. We’re embarking on an exciting journey ahead working closely with the community and a range of incredible partners to bring to life the Digital and Gaming hub.”

The first floor of the former Whittles building (Image: Newsquest)

Across four floors the hub will include a digital recording studio, café, e-sports and VR area, green screens, and a rooftop terrace that will be supported by several local partners in the former furniture store building on Duke Street in the heart of Whitehaven’s town centre.

Leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer, said: “We welcome any plans that provide economic growth to our area. This is great news for Whitehaven and will bring a redundant building back into use, providing new training opportunities for future generations.”

The third floor of Whittles which has undergone some repairs following a leak (Image: Newsquest)

The scheme has secured £2.8 million in funding from Sellafield Ltd.’s Social Impact Multiplied scheme (SiX) with a further £800k from BT matched with a £485k contribution from BEC themselves.

Gary McKeating, head of community and development at Sellafield Ltd said: “We’re delighted to support this project to provide an engaging and nurturing space to inspire the next generation of digital workers, and to restore a prominent local building.

An original feature on the third floor staircase to the roof terrace which is being retained (Image: Newsquest)

“I’m grateful to all the partners who continue to show that our impact is multiplied when we work together on the issues that matter to our communities.

“This approach demonstrates how we are driving additional social value with our supply chain partners, consistent with the social value approach of Sellafield Ltd and the NDA.”

The view from the roof terrace (Image: Newsquest)

Jo Fowler, curriculum lead for business, creative media and computing at The Whitehaven Academy, said: “There’s definitely potential for us to use it. We have got students who would be head over heels about coming here. The uptake for creative media and computer science is really high.”

Samuel Parr, a Year 10 creative media and computer science student at the Whitehaven Academy, said he thought the project was ‘genius’.

Whitehaven Academy students Samuel Parr and Courtney Allen and teacher Jo Fowler are looking forward to using the gaming hub when it opens (Image: Newsquest)

Courtney Allen, a Year 10 student who is also studying the subject, said: “I think it’s a really good idea. It’s going to help people understand technology a lot more.

“It’s building up the skills for future generations and is going to help them with their own lives. I’m looking forward to coming. It will be a good experience for everyone.”

BEC will be promoting a competition locally for people to help shape the project’s identity, brand and name. More information will be shared on the BEC website soon: discoverbec.com/gaming