SET in a West Cumbrian village on a beach strewn with ‘radioactive pantyliners’, Only Available in Carlisle is the hilarious and deeply touching tale of two days and a sleepless night as Alicia turns 16 and attempts to deal with parents, sex, and a talking dog.

Penned by local writer Charlotte Allan, the story clearly struck a chord with the packed out studio at the Theatre By The Lake, sparking both spontaneous belly-laughter and giggles of recognition from all of us who have grown up in Cumbria, and indeed, anyone who has grown up at all.

The play marks the professional debut for 19-year-old Cockermouth girl Becky Musto who was brilliantly convincing as Alicia. In fact, it was impossible to find fault with any of the five cast members, all of whom are ex-members of the theatre’s youth section.

Each of the characters – not least Ben the dog (Jeff Cook) – were at times painfully real, and the relationships between them a joy to behold. Raw emotion was found in abundance as Alicia got to know each of her parents, and this was beautifully off-set by her friendship with Emma (Ruth Chapman), who provided the majority of the laughs as she got drunk, dropped some acid and still managed to look after her best friend despite having slept with the boy she had her eye on.

Familiar on so many different levels, this was a story for anyone who has been on a school trip to Sellafield visitors centre, got drunk in their mum’s kitchen, and anyone who has experienced the uniquely Cumbrian frustration of living in a place that you love and yet come to loath as you realise how close – and yet so far – you are from the world at large.

This is cache, read story here