Selling the Lakes

A woman born in Padiham is helping to bring visitors to the Lake District from all over the world

- Mike Glover

A holiday job in the Lake District set Jen Cormack on a path that led to a jet-set career. She is now sales and marketing director at Windermere Lake Cruises and is helping to spread the word about the region’s charms and to attract visitors from across the globe.

As a girl growing up in Padiham, she had plans to study forensic science at university but later trained to be an accountant. The former Habergham High School pupil’s first role in the holiday trade was at White Cross Bay, by Windermere, then part of South Lakes Caravans.

‘We have to show that England in general and the North West in particular have a great mix of attractions’

She started on reception and in the restaurant and blossomed under the tutelage of John Morphet, who created an empire that became known as Pure Leisure Group.