A name has been chosen for a new digital and gaming hub in West Cumbria.
Property developers BEC will create the hub in the former Whittles store in Whitehaven and after an extensive consultation with people and stakeholders, it will be called Levels.
BEC said the name incorporated the various aspects of the building itself and what it will bring to the town.
The hub will operate over three floors (or levels), offer gaming and VR spaces (levels in games) and sound studios (audio levels), and provide those attending digital workshops with the opportunity to ‘level’ up their skills.
Levels, on Duke Street, will have its own cafe and meeting areas.
Michael Pemberton, CEO of BEC, said, “We are so excited to announce that Whitehaven’s digital and gaming hub will be called Levels, the first of its kind in the region.
“The name emerged from our public consultations, and we believe it perfectly captures the feedback from the local community.
“The Levels name is relevant not only to the building itself but also reflects the journey young people will experience as they move through its levels—skill-wise, gaming-wise, and much more. It’s a bold and creative choice that embodies what this building will be and how it will be used and adopted by so many.”
Levels is a £4.1 million redevelopment programme, with £2.8m of that secured from Sellafield Ltd’s Social Impact Multiplied (SiX) scheme, £800,000 from BT and £485,000 from BEC.
Eirini Etoimou, head of corporate sustainability & supply chain development for Sellafield Ltd, said: “We’re excited to see the progress this transformational project is making.
“Levels is a great name that reflects the potential of the building to help young people power up their careers and life chances in one of the biggest growth areas of our future economy.
“Our support for the project demonstrates our commitment to driving additional social value with our suppliers BT and ATOS, consistent with our Social Impact Multiplied strategy.”
BEC has said construction was scheduled to start in mid-October, with the opening planned for late summer 2025.
