Ulverston is a Great Place to Live
Ulverston is a traditional market town in the Furness Peninsula, South Cumbria, close to the tourist areas of Coniston and Windermere. Ulverston has a remarkably unspoilt town centre. It has its share of chain stores, but on a small scale. There are many independent specialist shops, as well as an indoor market hall, and an outdoor market held in the main streets on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Ulverston differs significantly from many of the Lake District towns and villages, because its economy is not so dependent on tourism. Perhaps surprisingly, Ulverston is a vibrant hub for modern electronics companies, and perhaps less surprisingly, it also hosts a number of specialist undersea technology companies and service providers. The major employer in the Furness peninsula is BAE Systems Submarines, in nearby Barrow-in-Furness.
Ulverston is located just outside the Lake District National Park boundary, which is great for the locals. House prices are affordable, so young adults can afford to stay in the area and bring up their own families in their home town. Because of that, and because of the geography of the area, living in Ulverston can feel like being part of a big extended family. People look out for each other. Big events feel safe. Crime rates are low, and so are insurance premiums. However, because everyone knows everyone else, don’t expect to keep any secrets for long!
Visit Ulverston Website
The idea of creating a dedicated Ulverston tourist information website was born in in 2011, when Ulverston Town Council asked if a local business or entrepreneur would be prepared to provide a tourist information service, at no cost to the council. Various websites resulting from previous local initiatives, such as “Ulverston 2000+” and “Ulverston and Low Furness Partnership”, had not been maintained due to lack of funding.
A planning activity was undertaken, which included successfully obtaining British Tourist Authority certification. Consequently, Ulverston Ltd was incorporated as a company in 2013, to create and manage the “Visit Ulverston” website at visitulverston.com. Visit Ulverston operated successfully, working closely with Ulverston Community Partnership on developing consistent branding for Ulverston tourism publications, featuring the town crest and the phrase “the 21st century markets town”. It built up a large “Ulverston News” email subscriber list and Facebook following over the next four years.
Ulverston News Website
In 2017, Ulverston BID introduced the Choose Ulverston website to promote Ulverston businesses, working with Ulverston Town Council. They used funding from BID levy-payers to set up a Visitor Information Point in the Indoor market, and they re-branded Ulverston tourist information publications as Choose Ulverston, along with a new logo.
The Visit Ulverston tourist information website was replaced by the Ulverston News website at ulverston.com, with a focus on community events and information. Anyone in the South Lakeland area could submit local news items for publication, or advertise a community event, business or venue.
Ulverston News occasionally performs a “warn and inform” role, in the event of incidents, such as flooding. In addition to the website, it provides notifications to registered subscribers of the Ulverston News email newsletter, and emergency SMS texts. The Ulverston News telephone number (01229 357951) is also utilised by Ulverston Resilience Group as a route for people in the community to request support.
