Brexit Begins: How Cumbria relies on EU immigration

Cragwood Country House Hotel near Windermere. Credit: ITV Border

There are thousands of people from EU countries working in Cumbria, and many of them are employed in the county's 61,000-strong tourism workforce.

The national picture bears similarities: around a quarter of all those working in tourism in the UK are from overseas.

So what will triggering article 50 mean for businesses here?

One of the key issues is whether the UK will still be involved in one of the four main freedoms of the EU - the free movement of workers.

At the moment almost anyone in the EU is free to come and work in the UK, and anyone in the UK is free to go and work in the EU.

That makes it relatively easy for tourism bosses to recruit from EU countries.

Many say they rely on being able to do that because Cumbria's rural and ageing population means they struggle to find staff who were born in the county.

Ana Scaletca. Credit: ITV Border

What of the EU workers themselves?

Ana Scaletca wanted to improve her English, so she quit her job in television in Moldova to work at the Damson Dene Hotel near Kendal.

A few months later the UK voted to leave the EU.

That left her worried about whether she'd need to return so soon, but she hopes the UK's Brexit deal will mean her, and the many other EU workers at the hotel, will be able to stay.

She's also hopeful there will be free movement of people, so her friends and family can still visit easily.

Cragwood Country House Hotel near Windermere. Credit: ITV Border

At the Cragwood Country House Hotel near Windermere half the staff are from the EU, so they are also hoping there will be free movement of people.

But even if the UK keeps this, they fear another threat from Brexit: it's effect on the value of the pound.

If the pound drops in value, workers who come for a few years to pay off student debts or save some money might not want to work there anymore.

Could Brexit see more overseas visitors? Credit: ITV Border

Won't the weaker pound boost visitor numbers?

But the value of the pound can also affect how many visitors come here, which is good for tourism.

Many businesses have reported good takings since the referendum result was announced and the value of sterling dropped, with more overseas visitors.

The Damson Dene Hotel's management are more positive about Brexit.

But the current staff, and other EU workers across Cumbria, feel their future is now in limbo for two years, until the terms of Brexit are decided.

That decision might not be hers to make... and it may be some time before she knows the answer.