Community Voices in Love Windermere Partnership
Windermere from Orrest Head
17th March 2023
You may have seen or heard about the Love Windermere Partnership on the news and radio back in February on Valentine’s Day when the Love Windermere website was launched at a drop-in at Brockhole Visitor Centre. The Love Windermere Partnership aims to bring about a healthier future for the lake and the surrounding area, balancing the needs of nature, the community and the local economy. ACT has been commissioned by the Environment Agency to help lay the foundations for on-going community engagement with the Partnership.
ACT worked with the Partnership in its formative months to encourage space for community voice and a Citizens’ Panel – bringing independently recruited people together to hear details of the challenges and make some recommendations for the future of a cleaner, sustainable Windermere.
Recommendations from the Citizens’ Panel, who had an intensive series of sessions about the issues, have been welcomed by Partnership members and are largely reflected in the workstreams now identified for delivery.
Supported by ACT, a group from the Citizens’ Panel have agreed to reconvene briefly, to agree urgent public messages and identify clear, two-way lines for communication and future engagement between residents, visitors and the Love Windermere Board. This will help to ensure that their recommendations are seen through to delivery. It will also inform how community voice is heard and responded to longer-term, with this collaboration for water quality improvement that is expected to last more than a decade.
This current work, which also includes talking to Parish and Town Councils in the Catchment, aims to nurture trust and respect between all parties, over how these difficult issues are tackled together. Legitimate community concerns about the causes and effects of pollution can be raised and addressed effectively, within the evidence-based approach of the Partnership. There is concern amongst Parishes and communities that necessary changes are not happening fast enough. Feeding this back to the Partnership and ensuring that there is an open door for dialogue about priorities is vital.
“We know that people care deeply and share much of the same healthy vision for this iconic waterscape,” says Fran Richardson, who is leading on this work for ACT. “Agreeing on ways to talk about this openly, so that concerns are addressed effectively and in a timely manner is an important next step for the success of Love Windermere in the eyes of the community.”
With over 100 active volunteers already working with the Freshwater Biological Association on its Big Windermere survey and the opportunity to support a new Community Catchment Partnership with South Cumbria Rivers Trust, there are lots of ways individuals can take action to monitor and improve water quality across the catchment. Making informed choices about what goes down the drains at home or at work is another way we can all show that we love the lake and its catchment.
The citizens panel participants are exploring how these conversations could take place and looking for opportunities for residents, business owners and visitors to learn more and do more to improve water quality in the catchment. Fran says, “We are hoping to bring some creativity and transparency into this complicated area, making the messages as engaging and accessible as possible. The more people who are aware of the daily challenges to water quality in the catchment, the better.”
You can find more information about the Love Windermere project at www.lovewindermere.co.uk or contact franrichardson@cumbriaaction.org.uk