West Cumbria Development Agency (WCDA) was established in 1988 to encourage economic development in the boroughs of Allerdale and Copeland. The particular aim of the agency is to promote business development in the area by working with companies thinking of moving to the area, supporting existing businesses and helping new businesses to get started. WCDA offer people wanting to set up their own business the opportunity to undertake the Linkstart business development training course. The six-day course is held at the WCDA HQ at Lillyhall Business Centre and provides:

WCDA offers a comprehensive property service to new and existing businesses, free of charge. At Workington they keep a database of commercial and industrial property, owned by both the public and private sectors, throughout the districts of Copeland and Allerdale.

Companies wanting to get started or expand generally find accessing finance a major aspect of their plans. WCDA offers a service which can make accessing that finance a great deal easier, providing help and advice to access funding for loans and grants for businesses in West Cumbria. The service includes:

If you are setting up your own business and are looking  for sources of finance, potential properties and comprehensive business training, then get in touch with WCDA - all three are available there! Having been in operation for fourteen years, WCDA are very well networked, so it's definitely worth your while to get in contact with them. You can contact them by e-mail at: enquiry@wcda.co.uk or by post or telephone: