Gaming and education hub opens in town
BBCA £4.6m gaming and education hub has opened its doors inside a Grade II-listed building in Whitehaven.
Levels occupies the former Whittles building on Duke Street in the Cumbrian town, offering e-sports set-ups for competitive gaming, a flight simulator and a studio space.
It is hoped the facility will help boost digital skills and keep young people in the area.
"It's about providing not just entertainment, but an engagement with tech around awareness with digital skills [and] career pathways," said Levels managing director Ian Irving.
Michael Pemberton, from British Energy Coast (BEC), which helped develop the project, said the hub was a "place for everyone".
"If young people want to come along and have a play, they absolutely can," he added.
"But the reason for this facility's existence is to be able to take young people and skill them in what needs to be in place for the future and to retain young people in this area."
Schools can cover parts of the national curriculum by taking pupils to the centre to use some of the technology.
Levels director Gemma Leadbetter said the revamp of the building, which had stood empty for years, was "transformational" for Whitehaven.
"The building's been in decline for properly 20 years and it's been a real challenge from a development point of view, but I think what we've done in terms of the facelift of this building is really transformational for the town," she said.
"This is in a very high-visibility spot here. There's not a vehicle that can drive through Whitehaven that doesn't pass this."
