The Prince of Wales to visit Cumbrian flood businesses

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will visit Cumbria next week (Wednesday 31st March) in a Royal show of support for victims of the flooding in Cumbria.

The Prince will mark his visit by being the first person to call at the reopened Wateredge Inn on the shores of Lake Windermere, which has been closed since the unprecedented flooding of last November.   HRH will meet the owners before joining representatives from Cumbria’s hospitality industry on a cruise of the lake in a timely pre-Easter message that Cumbria is well and truly “open for business”.

Also accompanied by officials from Cumbria Tourism on board the Windermere Lake Cruiser, The Prince will hear how businesses have worked round the clock to reopen in time to welcome springtime visitors to the area.  

The Wateredge Inn suffered the worst flooding in the current owner’s 26 years at the four star hotel.   Most of the ground floor of the hotel was flooded with water levels reaching 4 feet in some of the rooms.  

Mark Cowap, co-owner and director at the Wateredge Inn, said: “We had local contractors, South Cumbria Construction in action just days after the flooding, so once the water levels had receded, they did not waste any time stripping out the ground floor.  

“We lost the Oak Bar and Floor, which we have sympathetically refurbished with Lakeland flooring, and also all of the kitchen equipment but we have come through the worst and are now just looking forward to welcoming guests again over the Easter holidays.”

One in every five jobs in Cumbria relies on tourism and the industry brings in more than £1.1 billion a year to the largely rural economy which relies on over 15.3 million visitors a year.   Many other non-tourism businesses like shops, cinemas, garages, trade services and petrol stations in the area rely on the tourism “pound.”  

Last November’s flooding is estimated to have caused over £15 million worth of damage and lost bookings to Cumbria’s tourism industry. However, businesses are optimistic that a strong Easter will kick-start Cumbria’s 2010 tourism calendar in similar fashion to this time last year.

Ian Stephens, Chief Executive of Cumbria Tourism, said: “The Prince of Wales is a passionate supporter of Cumbria and tourism, which was endorsed by his visit to the county in the immediate aftermath of the floods, helping to raise the spirits of people in the Keswick area and getting the message out nationally that Cumbria remained open for business.

“We are delighted that he is returning and look forward to showing him how well Cumbria’s tourism industry has recovered in such a short space of time, which is testament to the efforts of all involved.”

After leaving Ambleside, The Prince of Wales will then travel up to Cockermouth to meet local businesses affected by the flooding.   He will take a tour of National Trust owned, Wordsworth House as well as planting a tree to commemorate the museum’s reopening.  

-Ends-

1: For further information, please contact Cumbria Tourism’s Press Office on 01539 825075 or on pressoffice@cumbriatourism.org or Hannah Howard, Clarence House Press Office on 020 7024 5729, Hannah.howard@royal.gsx.gov.uk. For more information on the Wateredge Inn, contact Mark Cowap on 07901 806612 or email markcowap@mac.com. 

2: Cumbria Tourism is the lead organisation for tourism in the county and is at the heart of the Cumbria Visitor Economy.  It is also the largest membership organisation in Cumbria with more than 3,000 members.  Over 15.3 million annual visitors to Cumbria contribute more than £1.1 billion to the local economy and support around 36,000 jobs.  To find out more about the work of Cumbria Tourism, visit www.cumbriatourism.org

3: Cumbria Tourism is supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). The NWDA leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for: Supporting business growth and encouraging investment; Matching skills provision to employer needs; Creating the conditions for economic growth; Connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure; Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life.