Hotels lend support to Windermere Big Give

With your support we were delighted to raise more than £23000 for community projects that look after Windermere.

Before Christmas we asked for your backing with our week-long Big Give fundraiser.

A total of £23865 was raised and will go towards community projects that contribute to the health of England’s largest lake.

We received dozens of individual online donations and several Lake District businesses gave substantial donations including Burn How Garden House Hotel, Langdale, and Cedar Manor.

Money was raised through visitor giving – with hotel guests making a small donation to look after the Lake District.

Caroline and Jonathan Kaye from Cedar Manor, said: “It’s fantastic to giving something back to the community that we live and work in. It’s important for us to get the message over to guests about conservation and protection of the landscape and share information about the Foundation and its work.”

A spokesperson for Langdale said: “Langdale and all our guests are proud to continue to support the Lake District Foundation. Operating in the Lake District brings with it a responsibility to look after the environment and special landscape that is so important to our visitors and our communities.”

The Lake District Foundation is a member of the Love Windermere Partnership which was launched in summer 2022 with the aim of improving water quality.

The money raised during the Big Give will help deliver a range of activities to increase awareness and knowledge of phosphate pollution, work with local residents, businesses, lake users and visitors to tackle the issue – for example providing education around septic tank use – in order to improve the health of the lake and its habitats.

Donations doubled to help Windermere

Windermere is England’s largest lake – a much loved and iconic feature of the Lake District.

The Lake District Foundation wants to launch community projects that all contribute to the health of the lake and improve water quality.

From noon on Tuesday 29 November to noon Tuesday 6 December we are taking part in the week-long national Big Give Christmas Challenge.

All donations you make over the next seven days will be doubled.

Donate: here

Sarah Swindley, Chief Executive, Lake District Foundation, said: “We know there are some concerns around the health of the lake – particularly around water quality.

“Our project will deliver a range of community activities with the aim of improving water quality in Windermere, with a particular focus on reducing phosphate levels in the lake.

“What’s really exciting is that all donations this week will be doubled in the Big Give Christmas Challenge.”

The Lake District Foundation will deliver a range of activities to increase awareness and knowledge of phosphate pollution, work with local residents, businesses, lake users and visitors to tackle the issue – for example providing education around septic tank use – in order to improve the health of the lake and its habitats.

There are some great projects getting planned to work to improve water quality as part of the Love Windermere Partnership which was launched in summer 2022.

“Love Windermere” – new era for lake

A group of organisations from across Cumbria has come together in partnership to ensure that Windermere gets the focus it needs to face a challenging future.

Nutrients, climate change, more extreme weather patterns and the seasonal variations of the tourist population are all predicted to put the lake and its water quality under increasing pressure in the coming years.

Long-term records show that over that last 70 years the average annual surface temperature of Windermere has increased by 1.7 degrees C, leading to conditions that favour the growth of algae and reduce levels of oxygen.

The Love Windermere partnership has members from a broad range of sectors with the range of expertise and influence needed to bring about action.

Led by the Environment Agency, the partnership includes the Lake District Foundation, Freshwater Biological Association, Lake District National Park Authority, National Farmers Union, National Trust, South Cumbria Rivers Trust and United Utilities.

Sarah Swindley, CEO of the Lake District Foundation, said: “Our job at the LDF is to inspire people to care for all aspects of the Lake District. It’s only by working in partnership that we can ensure that beautiful Windermere can be enjoyed by generations to come.”

Lake District National Park Authority’s Chief Executive, Richard Leafe, said: “Windermere plays a key role in the lives of communities and visitors to the National Park, so it’s vital we work together with partners to improve the health of the lake.

“Love Windermere is set to be the most ambitious environmental partnership to date and we’re proud to take part. From individual action on septic tanks to working with land managers and the utility company, the programme will combine expertise with new data to tackle the current challenges and bring long-term benefits to everyone who enjoys Windermere and the National Park beyond.”

The group is developing evidence-based, long-term plans to maintain and improve water quality in the lake while balancing the needs of nature, the community and the local economy.

One of the first aims of Love Windermere is to collate more scientific evidence to understand which solutions will be most effective and to help prioritise activity.

Actions are also taking place to understand what local people think. The Environment Agency recently hosted a citizens’ panel to engage with the community and raise awareness of the challenges affecting the lake. More than 20 residents got involved and gave their recommendations on where they want to see action start.

“Love Your Lake – The Big Windermere Survey”, took place on Sunday 26 June, with 100 volunteers sampling water at various points around the lake and its tributaries. The results will help experts at Lancaster University and the Freshwater Biological Association to produce the largest ever one-day snapshot of conditions in Windermere.

Other activities this summer include:

South Cumbria Rivers Trust is working with volunteers to restore reed beds around the north of the lake, encouraging natural processes to remove nutrients from the lake sediment.
The Lake District Foundation is working with owners of septic tanks to develop community emptying schemes and share tips about how to best manage private sewerage systems
United Utilities is working with food outlets and restaurants in and around Windermere with tips to avoid constricting sewers with fatty waste which can lead to sewage spilling into the environment.
South Cumbria Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency are trialling innovative technology that if successful could be used to remove nutrients from septic tank effluent at a relatively low cost.
The Environment Agency will take samples and monitor water quality at four bathing water locations on Windermere until the end of the bathing water season in September, while farm inspections across the catchment will continue to focus on reducing diffuse pollution.

The work to improve Windermere will be a long-term challenge, and there is still much to learn about the complex issues affecting the lake.

However, it is hoped that the collaborative approach demonstrated through Love Windermere could set out a blueprint for improving the health of rivers and lakes across the UK.

Funding secured to care for Windermere

The Lake District Foundation is delighted to have been awarded £73,000 for a long-term project to look after Windermere.

The funding has come from the Environment Agency’s Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund and will help to develop sustainable funding mechanisms to care for this special place.

Stretching 10.5 miles, Windermere is a gem of the Lake District.

It is under environmental pressure with pollution from a range of sources leading to increasing phosphorus levels and important habitats at risk of being lost or degraded.

The Lake District Foundation’s work will continue to arrest this decline and move to restore habitats under threat.

The Foundation will work with Windermere Stakeholder Forum partners including the Environment Agency and the Lake District National Park Authority, land managers and launch a community septic tank emptying scheme to improve water quality.

The project will also look to develop its own visitor-giving model which brings together large and small investors to help support the Windermere project long-term, to the benefit of nature, the economy and the community.

Sarah Swindley, Chief Executive Lake District Foundation, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding to help secure the future of Windermere.

“In partnership, we can build on the great work already started and ensure we have a long-term and sustainable approach to care for this beautiful and special place in our most-loved National Park.

“At the Lake District Foundation, we always work to find points of balance between nature, heritage, and our Cumbrian economy.

“We believe that by working respectfully together with all those who live in, work or visit the area, we can find the solutions. We will reveal more details of these exciting and much needed plans shortly.”

Let’s love lake Windermere

A week-long fundraiser to help care for Windermere is launched today (Friday 22 April).

The Lake District Foundation is taking part in the Big Give’s Green Match Fund – a nationwide fundraising drive which launches on Earth Day and runs until 29 April.

The Big Give raises money for environmental campaigns across the country which tackle climate change, protect species, eliminate waste and improve sustainability.

In Cumbria the Lake District Foundation wants to raise funds to deliver a range of community activities which care for Windermere. Donations will be match-funded to the tune of £10k.

Windermere is England’s largest lake. It is a nationally important place for wildlife and is also a valued space for recreation, relaxation and well-being attracting thousands of visitors each year.

Sarah Swindley, Chief Executive Lake District Foundation said: “We are delighted to take part in this week-long fundraising push. All donations during the Big Give will be doubled so it’s a fantastic opportunity to raise significant funds.

“Windermere is a much-loved and iconic part of the Lake District. We want to raise as much as we can during this week of activity and then distribute monies to community projects which look after and enhance this beautiful place.”

People can support the Big Give from 22-29 April.

The donation link goes live from noon on 22 April.