You might not expect a traditional town such as Ulverston to be at the forefront of the world of technology, but looks can be deceptive.

The town centre, with its cobbles, alleyways and traditional pubs seems a world away from the cutting edge technology in use by the advanced manufacturing companies elsewhere in the town.

As well as big names likes Siemens Subsea and GSK, Ulverston is also home to a variety of other companies supplying sonar, lighting and electrical components for a diverse range of customers in the worlds of military hardware, healthcare and oil and gas.

While one of the major business stories in the area is GSK’s new £350m biopharmaceutical facility, which is tipped to bring 250 jobs to the area, there is plenty happening on a smaller scale too.

One major shift has been the formation of Ulverston Community Enterprises, a charitable enterprise which is set to take over the running of a trio of South Lakeland District Council’s assets in the town this summer.

The UCE will take control of the town’s Coronation Hall, Market Hall and outdoor markets, pledging to revive and make them profitable for the good of the town’s economy as a whole.

Judith Pickthall, who is chair of the UCE, said it was made up of local people with a vested interest in making the town successful.

“UCE is going to be run as a business and it will have to succeed as a business,” said Mrs Pickthall.

“South Lakeland have been extremely proactive and co-operative in this: They know we can probably do a better job than they could.

“The issue is that certainly initially, and probably as time goes on, the Coronation Hall will require extra income streams, so we have to be realistic about that. Even the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal still requires some grant funding.”

She said £15,000 of funding had already been awarded by Arts Council England to help develop family oriented entertainment at the Coronation Hall.

Work was also under way to revive the various markets in the town.

“SLDC hasn’t had as their priority developing the markets, and we will be proposing to hire someone to market the markets,” said Mrs Pickthall.

“It is a much more Ulverston based approach because all of our trustees and directors live and work in the town.”

A key part of the UCE’s work will be working with Ulverston’s recently formed Business Improvement District (BID) to develop the markets.

It will also look at ways of making the markets and Coronation Hall more central to Ulverston’s plethora of festivals, which themselves bring significant revenue into the town. (Last year’s Dickensian Festival alone generated an estimated £1m.)

“We see the UCE and BID and town council as being the triumvirate that can ensure that the town thrives,” said Mrs Pickthall.

One person who is optimistic about Ulverston’s future is Archie Workman, who runs the Ulverston Business Centre - which provides 32 rooms (currently all filled) for a wide variety of companies, from council contractors to a Christian radio station.

It is adding nine new rooms to the centre in anticipation of the knock-on effects of demand caused by the GSK expansion.

“There is a great choice of businesses to work for down here,” said Mr Workman.

“We are the advanced manufacturing cluster of South Cumbria. One of the reasons we thought we would develop the extra rooms was the expansion in Glaxo.

“I don’t think people really understand what the impact will be. The influx of highly qualified jobs here will be massive. It will change the face of Cumbria.”

However, while Chris Nelson - who chairs the board of Ulverston’s Business Improvement District - is also enthusiastic about the future, he says there is a need for investment to help the town make the most of the opportunities.

The BID’s board convened for the first time in September with a number of aims, including working to encourage people to shop locally and boosting the town’s web presence.

“Ulverston has good schools and a vibrant community,” said Mr Nelson, who also sits on the management team of the Ulverston Business Alliance.

“We have to build it up as place not just to visit but to come and live as well.”

He said for all the opportunities Ulverston does - and will - offer there was a need for major transport improvements to make it more accessible and appealing.

While the delay marred A590 meant there was effectively “one road in and one road out” the train line from Lancaster to Ulverston still used old diesel stock with infrequent services.

“We need more frequency and better trains and ultimately we need electrification,” said Mr Nelson.

“The big problem is recruitment because we are seen as being out on a limb. We have got the jobs, but we need those infrastructure improvements to help attract people here.”

He argued central government investment was justified to help overcome some of these issues, especially considering the important work regarding nuclear decommissioning and new nuclear power generation that Cumbria was doing for the good of the nation.

“Cumbria is the power end of that Northern Powerhouse. We have done more for power generation than anyone but you have to attract the right people to come there. That’s a massive part of UK Plc and we need help from the government to fulfil that role,” said Mr Nelson.

“It’s Ulverston’s moment with the BID and the UCE and other people investing in the town, this is our moment and we’ve got to grab it.”