Helping people build businesses that last
TEG Virtual CiC is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company supporting unemployed, underemployed, and disadvantaged people across West Cumbria into sustainable self-employment.TEG VIRTUAL CIC — WEST CUMBRIA
130+
Traders supported through our programmes
1,000+
Visitors at our first Maryport market event
5+
Years delivering enterprise support in Cumbria
3
West Cumbrian towns: Maryport, Whitehaven & Cleator Moor
The Challenge
West Cumbria deserves better opportunities
West Cumbria faces some of the highest levels of economic deprivation in England. Decades of industrial decline, high unemployment relative to national averages, and limited enterprise infrastructure leave many residents without a clear route into economic participation.
For a person in Cleator Moor, Maryport, or Whitehaven who wants to start a business, the barriers are real: no networks, no access to affordable workspace, no business support, and no low-risk way to test whether their idea works before betting everything on it.
That is the gap TEG Virtual CiC was built to fill. Not with theory, but with real trading experience, hands-on mentorship, and a community infrastructure that gives people the best possible chance to succeed.
Top 20%
16–25
£0 Cost
Zero Profit
Who We Are
TEG Virtual CiC
We are a Community Interest Company, registered in England and Wales (No. 12795582), operating from Westlakes Science Park in Moor Row, Cumbria.
Founded to support disadvantaged people into self-employment, we have grown from an enterprise programme during the COVID-19 pandemic into a multi-strand community enterprise organisation delivering live market activity, in-person mentorship, and permanent community infrastructure across West Cumbria.
As a Community Interest Company, every penny we earn is locked into our community mission. We do not distribute profits. We have no shareholders. Our asset lock means that in the event of dissolution, all assets pass to another community body — never to individuals.
Our history
How we grew
Who we serve
Our structure today
What we deliver
Three interconnected programmes, each building on the last — from first idea to sustainable livelihood.
Enterprise Support & Mentorship
Programme 01
We work one-to-one and in group workshops with people at the earliest stages of thinking about self-employment — helping them test ideas, understand their market, price their products, manage finances, and build the resilience to keep going when things are hard.
Many of the people we support have never run a business before. Some are moving out of long-term unemployment. Others are young people who have left education with skills but no route into the economy.
Free & funded places available
TEGretail — Real Trading Experience
Programme 02
Our markets are not simply commercial events. They are structured learning environments where people supported through our enterprise programmes can test their products, build customer confidence, generate their first income, and gather real-world evidence to grow.
Our monthly market in Maryport draws consistent trader demand and community footfall. More than 130 traders have come through our programme. Each stall is a person building something real.
Monthly events in Maryport
FLAX — Community Enterprise Hub
Programme 03
Opening at the historic Kangol Factory site in Cleator Moor, FLAX is the permanent, year-round home for our enterprise support work — a community café and co-working hub combining hospitality, pop-up retail, workshops, and events in one of West Cumbria’s most underserved towns.
FLAX creates stable infrastructure for enterprise support that does not depend on good weather or a market calendar. It also creates paid employment in the local community.
Opening at the Kangol Factory, Cleator Moor
Our Impact
Real outcomes. Real people.
“More than 1,000 people came through the doors. Scenic and sunny. A big thank you to Maryport Business Group and Maryport Horizons Social Enterprise for welcoming us.”
— TEG Virtual CiC, Maryport Makers' Market, June 2025
Traders Through Our Programme
Visitors at First Maryport Event
West Cumbrian Towns with Active TEG Presence
Years of Enterprise Support Delivery
The progression pathway we create
First Idea
Workshop & Mentorship
First Market Stall
Growing Sales
Sustainable Business
Now Opening
FLAX by TEG Virtual CiC
Old Kangol Factory, Cleator Moor, CA26 3AT
☕ Community social café — a warm, welcoming anchor for Cleator Moor town centre
💼 Co-working space for entrepreneurs, remote workers, and people building businesses
🛍️ Pop-up retail for traders moving from market stalls to an indoor environment
🎯 Workshops & business training and community events year-round
👥 Paid employment in hospitality and enterprise support for local Cleator Moor residents
New Development
Permanent community infrastructure for West Cumbria’s most underserved town
Cleator Moor is a town that has faced severe economic challenges for decades. Industrial decline and high unemployment have left residents with few local routes into economic participation. FLAX is designed specifically to change that.
Unlike our markets, FLAX operates year-round, in all weathers, creating a permanent and accessible environment for enterprise support in the heart of the community. It is not a commercial hospitality venture. It is a community infrastructure investment — built on TEG Virtual CiC’s five-year track record of enterprise support delivery across West Cumbria.
FLAX also represents a significant step towards the financial sustainability of our work. The café generates earned income that directly cross-subsidises free and low-cost enterprise support for the people who need it most.
Allerdale Borough Council
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Stainless Metalcraft
Cybermoor Services
Cumberland Council
Maryport Business Group
Maryport Horizons Social Enterprise
Westlakes Science Park
Partner With Us
Support enterprise in West Cumbria
TEG Virtual CiC is a proven delivery partner with a five-year track record of enterprise support in one of England’s most economically challenged regions. We are seeking funding and partnership to sustain and grow our work.
Every pound invested in our programmes creates measurable social value: people moving from unemployment into self-employment, new businesses appearing in West Cumbrian town centres, and communities gaining permanent enterprise infrastructure where none existed before.
Enterprise Support Programme Delivery
Market Programme Sustainability
FLAX Community Hub Development
Corporate & Community Partnership
Get In Touch
Let’s talk about how we can work together
Whether you are a funder, a potential corporate partner, a trader looking to join our markets, or someone who would benefit from our enterprise support — we would love to hear from you.
Address
Registered
Social Media
Registered in England & Wales as a Community Interest Company No. 12795582
TEGretail and FLAX are trading programmes of TEG Virtual CiC.