IT’S extremely welcome news that Millom Recreation Centre’s revamp has moved a step closer.

The centre is a much-valued community facility run by a dedicated team and as such, it is in need of an upgrade to meet an increasing demand.

I’m fully in support of this work that will undoubtedly improve the leisure provision in Millom and the surrounding area for all ages and abilities. The plans are very exciting, complete with a new indoor play area, a new fitness suite and improvements to the existing facilities and car park.

Now that our planning panel has given the go-ahead for the revamp, the management team – with the support of Copeland Community Fund – has the task of applying for funding to bring this ambitious project to fruition. I wish them well.

Elsewhere in Millom, I’d like to extend my congratulations to the team behind the Clocktower Restaurant. I had the pleasure of spending time there this week and it really is a fantastic addition to the town. Alongside the tremendous campaign that raised £ 15,000 to get the clocktower chiming again, it shows that community and entrepreneurial spirit is a strong as ever in South Copeland.

We were delighted with the recent announcement from UNESCO that our beautiful Lake District is to be granted World Heritage Site status.Two-thirds of Copeland falls in the national park, and the announcement means that we’ll join a list of some of the most iconic locations on earth, including the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon and the Taj Mahal, as places of widespread international significance and acclaim.

The Lake District is the first national park in the UK to be given this prestigious honour, and enormous credit goes to the team at the Lake District National Park Partnership for its hard work and dedication in delivering the successful bid that was first launched over 15 years ago.

In other places, where it has been fully maximised, the status has meant new development, increased funding, conservation benefits and even some regeneration. The status doesn’t bring any automatic benefits however. It requires local authorities, communities and businesses in the Lake District, and on the edge of the park, to promote the World Heritage Site status, harness its benefits and ensure as much tourism and business as possible is driven into the national park and into the towns and villages that surround it.

We need to spread the message far and wide: this is a place of exceptional beauty and cultural value, making it the perfect place to holiday, live, work and invest.

Speaking of investment, I was proud to welcome councillors and members of the local business community to the launch of our Copeland Pride of Place Town Centre Regeneration Scheme in Millom yesterday.

This transformational scheme will see £ 1m ploughed into the local business community, with a focus on our towns of Millom, Cleator Moor, Egremont and Whitehaven. A grants scheme to help businesses improve their appearances, half the money is coming from ourselves, and the rest will be match-funded by the firms themselves. Applications open on Monday and I can’t wait to get started.