GREAT PLACE TO WORK AND SHOP

There are obvious attractions for visitors to the Lake District, the Bay area and the Dales, but there are many who don't just want to enjoy the delights on an occasional basis, preferring to actually live and work in these parts.

So, for those who want to know who the key employers are, here are some pointers � and we also give you a run down of the best shopping places where you can spend your hard-earned cash.

Tourism

Without question, the tourism sector is one of the major sources of jobs in this part of the world. In Cumbria alone, there are an estimated 25,500 full-time equivalent jobs attributable to the tourist industry, with people working in businesses such as hotels, bars, restaurants, camping and caravan sites, a host of tourist attractions and supporting service industries. In 2005, there were more than 15 million visitors to the county, boosting its economy by a huge £1.13 billion. A survey conducted by Cumbria Tourist Board found that 75 per cent of tourist businesses enjoyed as good or better trade in 2006 compared with the previous year, with much of the buoyancy attributable to returning visitors. Indeed, 87 per cent of businesses said they benefited from repeat bookings.

Public sector

The big public sector employers in the region are Cumbria County Council, South Lakeland District Council, Lancaster City Council, Carlisle City Council, Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council, Fylde Borough Council, Eden District Council, Copeland District Council and the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national parks.

NHS trusts also provide much employment. Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust operates on three main acute sites � the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Furness General Hospital and Kendal's Westmorland General Hospital, while North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust runs Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital.

Another major employer is the education sector. In particular, higher education in the region is expected to gain a real boost later this year with the opening of the new University of Cumbria, incorporating several existing college sites. Historic Lancaster University, meanwhile, continues to be regarded as one of the top higher education establishments in the country, attracting students from all over the world.

Industry big and small

Barrow is without doubt a major industrial powerhouse of Cumbria. The borough has a strong manufacturing economy incorporating marine and nuclear engineering, electronics, offshore engineering and power generation. Key employers include BAE Systems, Centrica, Robert McBride Group, Sovereign Chemicals and Sterling Fabrications.

The Port of Barrow is renowned for shipbuilding, having enclosed docks capable of accommodating vessels up to 230 metres long and 35 metres wide. The port is well placed to serve shipping routes to Ireland, mainland Europe, the north Atlantic and beyond. It has expertise in handling specialist vessels such as nuclear fuel carriers for BNFL � and in stark contrast to that is an increasingly popular port-of-call for cruise liners, given its position as the gateway to the stunning Lake District.

Kendal is home to the UK headquarters of the US Furmanite Corporation. The company supplies engineering solutions to problems in a wide range of worldwide industries, including aerospace, mining, oil and gas exploration and production, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and power generation.

Perhaps more famously, Kendal is the home of the energy-boosting confection Kendal mint cake, which is made by three principal companies in the town. The oldest is Daniel Quiggin and Son, which began making mint cake in 1880. JE Wilson and Sons started its production of the confection in 1913 and George Romney Ltd was established in 1936. Romney's mint cake had a major boost when it was carried to the top of Mount Everest in 1953 during the first successful expedition to the summit.

The Westmorland Gazette newspaper has been produced from Kendal since it was founded 189 years ago, with the great William Wordsworth as one of its backers. The Gazette has traditionally been the voice of a rich and diverse community, stretching from the hill farmers of the Yorkshire Dales in the east to the mighty iron, steel and shipbuilding industries of Furness in the west. The newspaper, now part of the Newsquest Media Group, has won a host of awards for its editorial content and overall quality. Today, it has an average weekly circulation of around 32,000 households, or 80,000 readers.

Papermaking has been a feature of South Lakeland industry since Victorian times. James Cropper's mill at Burneside, which has been making bespoke paper and boards since 1845, continues to thrive and has established itself at the leading edge of some technically demanding processing, including laminating, embossing and the coating of paper and boards.

Probably the largest concentration of workers in one area is the British Nuclear Group's Sellafield facility on the west coast of Cumbria. Around 10,000 people work at the site, which covers an area around four square kilometres. Here, the most challenging nuclear site management programme in the world is under way with a key focus on the decommissioning and clean-up of the area's historic nuclear legacy. The site is also home to the controversial Thorp and Magnox nuclear reprocessing plants.

Ulverston is the headquarters of Tronic, a company which designs, manufactures and installs hi-tech equipment used in underwater situations, primarily for the oil and gas industry.

Over the boarder in the Hawes area of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the biggest employer is Wensleydale Dairy, makers of the famous Wensleydale cheese.

Shopping

The natural landscape of the Lake District and surrounding area is a real draw for visitors � but there are other things on offer as well as the lakes, fells and forests.

For some people, tourists and residents alike, shopping can be just as exhilarating as abseiling down the rock face. Maybe that's why selling outdoor clothing and equipment has become a real cornerstone for retailing in the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. This sector is particularly well represented in Windermere , Ambleside, Grasmere, Hawkshead, Keswick and Ingleton . These locations also boast many gift shops and galleries for those people who prefer a more sedate visitor experience.

Although there are lots of independent shops, many showcasing local speciality foods, High Street names can be seen in the main towns. Kendal , the gateway to the Lakes, has several shopping centres � Elephant Yard, the new Wainwright's Yard, the Westmorland Shopping Centre, which incorporates the indoor market, and the K Village discount outlet. K Village has, in fact, moved temporarily to Stricklandgate while a major redevelopment of its traditional site is carried out over the next couple of years.

Similar in character to Kendal and very much the hub of the Eden Valley is Penrith, an attractive town and important shopping centre, with a good mix of traditional shops and sophisticated arcades.

Lancaster has St Nicholas's Arcade, Market Gate Shopping Centre and Jubilee Market, delivering the city centre shopping experience in an historic setting, with all the variety you would expect from well-established retail environments.

Although Morecambe and Grange-over-Sands are popular seaside resorts, retailing is not confined to selling buckets, spades and fancy hats. Indeed, as Grange in particular can testify, seaside shops can be quite sophisticated these days � and a welcome haven when inclement weather strikes.

The festival town of Ulverston is growing in popularity as a shopping destination, with a marked café culture attracting visitors to its busy streets, where independent shops abound.

In the Lune Valley, Kirkby Lonsdale has an enticing array of traditional gift and craft outlets and like that other Kirkby � Kirkby Stephen in the Eden Valley to the north � it has a number of fascinating antique shops.

Occupying either side of the Yorkshire Dales border, Sedbergh and Hawes have traditional shopping similarities, such as family butchers and grocers. However, on the non-food front Hawes boasts of its speciality in gift shops (it has five), while Sedbergh is becoming internationally renowned for its bookshops (it has six and is officially recognised as a �book town�).