Westlakes Campus

Our Westlakes Campus is playing an instrumental role in enhancing the economic, social and cultural standing of the local area, which is often described as Britain’s ‘energy coast.’ The presence of leading energy industries in the locality is driving innovation, attracting inward investment and creating truly global opportunities for graduates in the fields of science, technology and engineering. Studying at Westlakes opens up exciting opportunities for you to undertake placements in rural communities and gain work experience with global companies.

You’ll benefit from small class sizes and a friendly, supportive environment. On site you’ll find a well-stocked library, computer suites, a restaurant and a coffee shop. We also offer free parking on campus. And we're always available whenever you need advice or support – our Student Services Team are on campus to help you with every aspect of University life, including accommodation, financial matters, council tax exemption forms and letter requests, personal wellbeing and a whole lot more.

At Westlakes you’re within easy reach of restaurants, bars, supermarkets, high street stores and medical centres located in nearby Whitehaven, just three miles from the campus and easily reached by public transport.

If you’ve got a taste for adventure then you’ll love spending your weekends in the nearby Lake District, England’s largest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with endless opportunities for hiking, watersports or just soaking up the breathtaking scenery. It’s home to England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, and its largest lake, Windermere, together with Wasdale Head, which was recently voted ‘Britain’s Favourite View.’ To the north is the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), while St Bee’s Head along the western edge marked the start of Alfred Wainwright’s famous coast-to-coast walk.

The research covers:

Social inclusion

In partnership with the Centre for Citizenship and Community, we work to identify effective means of increasing community capital. The research focuses on working-class, coastal communities who are often regarded as being ‘left-behind.'

The aim of the research is to develop a relational approach to working with socially excluded communities on the Cumbrian coast. The research aims to provide opportunities to take part in local democracy.

Place development

There is a perceived difficulty in recruiting professional and senior staff to “good” jobs in West Cumberland. The research generates new knowledge and new perspectives on the region, to develop processes and initiatives that can enrich the cultural understanding of the place, and help to inform the ways in which it is viewed by local people, visitors, and the wider public.

Health and wellbeing

A currently disjointed health care system has not advanced the health of the local population. We aim to understand how aspects of settings, environments and places affect health and wellbeing. This will provide recommendations and guidelines for sustainable governance.

Public value

This research has developed a framework to measure public value. This measure is used in policy settings based upon public value, human value, governance and institutional design theories, models and frameworks.

We work with a range of organisations in public and private sectors to create and communicate their public value profiles in a series of in-depth case studies.