About Us

After a month or so of discussions and planning, Nic and Luke registered CBD Cumbria with Companies House. The plunge had been taken, the investments had been made and we were gearing up to open our doors to the public. A lot of work was still to be done but the groundwork had been laid. Unfortunately, we noticed quickly after registering our business that a Facebook page had just been set up by someone else in the name of CBD Cumbria. So, to avoid confusion, we quickly changed our name to Lakeland CBD, which we quickly realised had a much better ring to it!

Lakeland CBD opened its doors to the public for the very first time on June 11^th, 2018. Situated in the Atlas Works on Nelson Street in Carlisle, we had taken on a small office in a unit to operate from. Customers were able to come in, sit down, grab a brew, and discuss their reasons for being there. Our door was always open, whether you wanted to purchase products, find out more information or talk about the industry in general, we were always game for a lively debate and education session.

Lakeland CBD hit the local headlines with a front page spread in the News and Star. Our director Nic Hewitt bared her soul in an emotional piece, describing how she has battled with her mental health since she was 15 being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality disorder. Nic goes on to describe how she stumbled across CBD at a particularly tough time in her life and how CBD has changed her life. You can read the full story here.  

Director Luke, along with several of our customers, were interviewed on camera in the office by Border’s Lauren Ostridge for a piece on cannabis oil that was broadcast that evening.

Being Cumbria’s first Cannabis Company, we knew that we would be faced with stigma and the challenges that go with it. So we talked to Michelle Masters at Carlisle Ambassadors and she was so excited that we were considering joining. They welcomed us with open arms and we attend meetings when we can and have made some great contacts through their networking events. If you would like more information about Carlisle Ambassadors check out their website here.

The CBD industry in the UK used to be completely unregulated when we joined the market. This became very apparent at the Hemp and CBD Expo we attended at the NEC in Birmingham the following year, with companies from China and the USA showcasing and selling products that were deemed illegal in the UK market. As a company, we have tried from the very beginning to be compliant, transparent, and honest. To allow the industry to flourish and keep the little companies in business, our director Nic along with Sally & Marc Honey of The Little Hemp Shop and Sam Connolly of BNatural formed The Hemp Cooperative. A business-to-business networking group for small and medium-sized businesses to network, share ideas, and help each other along the way. What started out as three little companies quickly grew to over 350 members with companies from all over the UK and some in Europe. The Hemp Cooperative is planning big things for the future so watch this space! If you want more info on The Hemp Cooperative, you can check out their website here.

Although Lakeland CBD were based in Carlisle, both our directors hail from Whitehaven in the West of the county. Whitehaven has been a struggling town since the first recession and Nic has been active in the community trying to find innovative ways to boost the economy. She, along with Rachel Holiday, set up the first of Whitehaven’s Christmas markets way back in 2014. When the chance to hold a stall at the same market four years later came about, Nic and Luke jumped at the chance! You can find more information about what’s happening in Whitehaven here.

On 2^nd March 2019, history was made at the NEC in Birmingham. They hosted the UK’s first Hemp and CBD Expo. Being the first event of its kind, it cemented the cannabis industry in the UK, giving it traction and bringing cannabis and hemp businesses together from all over the world. As members of CannaPro, Lakeland CBD was able to showcase our little company on a stand at the expo alongside Peter Reynolds, the founder of CannaPro. A huge moment for us on the Hemp and CBD world stage.

On 2^nd March 2019, history was made at the NEC in Birmingham. They hosted the UK’s first Hemp and CBD Expo. Being the first event of its kind, it cemented the cannabis industry in the UK, giving it traction and bringing cannabis and hemp businesses together from all over the world. As members of CannaPro, Lakeland CBD was able to showcase our little company on a stand at the expo alongside Peter Reynolds, the founder of CannaPro. A huge moment for us on the Hemp and CBD world stage.

July saw Lakeland CBD fulfill their first wholesale deal with John and Eunice Campbell, owners of Nchantments. They now stock a full range of Lakeland CBD products, the first place in Gourock Scotland to stock cannabis products. Check out their shop here.

With the development of our now best-selling capsules being made available to us by our suppliers at more affordable prices, we discontinued our original little bottles. We were sad to see them go as they were the first products we had on the shelves. But, moving forward, we’re so proud of our capsules. As any of you that tried our little bottles will have been aware of, they were not the easiest products to use. We didn’t ever want to compromise on quality and water our oil down so the thickness and stickiness of it caused people problems, especially during colder periods of the year. The capsules made life so much easier by providing your full daily dose already measured into a single capsule. Onwards and upwards, as they say!

On March 20^th, 2020 – three days before the first official lockdown began – we made the difficult decision to close our office in the interest of public safety. This was meant to be temporary, but it prompted the biggest change we’ve ever been through as a company. More on that further down the timeline.

With the COVID situation well underway by May, we’d been busy at home manufacturing our own cosmetics such as face oils, creams and bath salts to provide – free of charge – to NHS staff and key workers in our local area.

While COVID stifled any chance of another birthday party, we celebrated two years in business, nonetheless. We’d be lying if we said the COVID situation didn’t make us fear for the long-term survival of our business but, as I sit here typing this with another year down, it’s safe to say we weathered the storm. Thanks to support from government grants and, more importantly, our loyal customers sticking with us, we were able to take huge next steps.

With two years in business under our belt and with the whole country in lockdown, we decided to make history and do something we’d never done before. On June 24^th, 2020, we premiered our first ever advert on ITV. It was originally intended for local Border television only, but it did make it’s way further down the country and appeared on other regional ITV channels. Not only that but we are the first cannabis company in Cumbria to do this, so it was a big deal for us. With the red tape and constraints over the advertising of CBD and cannabis, this was a huge step for us and a giant one for the industry. Having CBD in the mainstream was always our goal.

On November 23^rd, 2020, we live-streamed the news that we had decided not to move back to Carlisle and remain out west, moving to the Leconfield industrial estate at Cleator Moor. With our ambitions of manufacturing our own cosmetics in house, our unit at Carlisle was never going to be up to the task so the COVID situation forced our hand. The move also prompted us to rebrand slightly. While the logo stayed the same, we changed our name to West Lakes Hemp. We felt it fitting given the move out west and our desire to stock other hemp-based products that aren’t necessarily CBD products. This was a huge make-or-break decision for us but we felt the time to expand was right.

2021 onwards.

We have been particularly quiet across social media since the announcement of our move and name change, mainly because all our efforts have been going into getting the new unit ready for opening. COVID bought us the time we needed to continue running the retail side of things from home while we simultaneously worked on the new unit. We’ve done pretty much everything ourselves with massive help from some wonderful family and friends and we have set an opening date of Monday July 19^th, 2021. Updates will be added to this timeline once we open but believe us when we say, the best is yet to come!