1 September 2025

Love Windermere recently welcomed Rachel Hallos, Vice President of the National Farmers Union (NFU), to Windermere for a day of insight, collaboration, and shared commitment to improving the health of our iconic lake.

The visit included stops at United Utilities’ Windermere Wastewater Treatment Works and Bowness on Windermere, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and opportunities facing the lake’s ecosystem.

Rachel met with representatives from the Love Windermere partnership, including environmental experts, local stakeholders, and members of the farming community.

Discussions focused on:

• The innovation of nutrient management in farming practices
• Opportunities for collaborative solutions between agriculture, water companies, and conservation groups
• The role of education and engagement in driving long-term change

Her visit underscored the NFU’s growing interest in supporting sustainable farming practices that protect water quality while maintaining productive land use. It also reinforced the value of cross-sector partnerships in tackling complex environmental challenges.

Rachel commented, “I’ve said time and time again that as farmers we need to play our part when it comes to water quality. These can be simple things, from knowing what your soil type is like, knowing what your soil content is like, and actually being able to manage your inputs into that soil to ensure that you as a farmer are getting the best value from those inputs and ensuring the water that flows over, and through that soil, is not taking any of those important nutrients away with it.”

The Love Windermere team is grateful for Rachel’s time and leadership, and we look forward to continuing our work with the NFU and other partners to ensure Windermere thrives for generations to come. Read on NFU : NFU Vice-president meets Love Windermere Partnership in Cumbria – NFUonline