CBD cafe to open in Cumbria

Cumbria is to welcome its first CBD cafe in the new year.

A community hub and CBD cafe is set to open in Cleator Moor, in west Cumbria in January 2021.

The company behind the project, West Lakes Hemp –  formally known as Lakeland CBD – will sell their own ranges of CBD oils, cosmetics and merchandise together with branded tea, coffee, hot chocolate and CBD snacks.

The space will also have a purpose-built consultation room for customers to seek personalised advice about using CBD for their health and wellbeing.

This is the first of its kind in Cumbria, with Lakeland CBD having established themselves as the county’s leading CBD brand since they launched in 2018.

“The goal is to create a space where you feel you can socialise but that’s also comfortable to seek advice in,” said Luke Woodend, who co-founded the business with school friend Nic Hewitt.

“With a purpose-built consultation room away from the coffee shop, we’ll be able to cater to everyone, whether you’re stopping by for a cuppa and a cake with a friend or if you want advice and help on hemp-based products.”

The pair initially launched the brand in Carlisle, but Luke who along with Nic has been born and bred in west Cumbria, added: “I think a move out west was always going to be on the cards if something suitable came up, so many of our friends and family in the Cleator Moor area are big supporters of the brand.”

Nic continued: “Going through the first lockdown gave us a lot to think about and we re-evaluated our situation. We both decided it was time to come back home to west Cumbria and we’ve always wanted to open a physical bricks and mortar shop.”

The former probation officer and youth worker, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder at the age of 15, started using CBD after a particularly bad depressive episode in 2015.

She recently started making their own products in house and now wants to focus on helping others discover its potential benefits and building a ‘CBD community’.

“With the new facilities we can finally make our products in house and make more of them and make them accessible to everyone, said Nic.

“As an ethical and innovative company, we want to use the space for multiple purposes and the renaming of our company represents the new era of Lakeland CBD.

“As the focus on health and wellbeing continues to grow in our society, under the new name we can diversify and continue our plight to support our local community with their health, whether it be mental or physical.”

She added: “We’re lucky enough to have been able to keep going through lockdown, we’ve supported each other through it and used the time to look at how we can make the biggest difference and having a base in the west is perfect for us.”