4th November 2024

South Cumbria Rivers Trust, in collaboration with the Lake District Foundation, has embarked on a two-year Reed Revival project starting in Autumn 2024 after raising over 60k from local people and businesses. This initiative aims to restore three reedbed sites, encompassing over 500 square meters of restored habitat. The restoration of reedbeds will enhance biodiversity, provide habitat for wildlife, support cleaner water and strengthen Windermere’s natural resilience. 

To support public engagement, the Trust will host a “walk and talk” event with the University of Cumbria in November, allowing students to learn more about reedbed restoration.  

Additionally, a coppicing and brash bundle event is scheduled for early December, which invites community members to get involved in conservation efforts hands-on. See the events page for further details.  

There will be plenty of planting opportunities in the Spring 2025 too, as well as a Sow and Grow for school children alongside other activities with the Windermere Science Festival.  

In early 2024, the Trust alongside Lancaster University and Claife Parish Council initiated a 12-month water quality monitoring programme on Wilfin Beck, a tributary of Windermere. This effort, part of the Windermere Community Partnership, empowers local volunteers to monitor water quality monthly. Volunteers, equipped with specialised training and equipment, are collecting water samples to assess nutrient levels, like phosphates and nitrates, which impact aquatic health. 

As part of the Love Windermere partnerships non-water company asset workstream, South Cumbria Rivers Trust and partners, carried out a hotspot mapping exercise in the summer of 2024. By mapping private sewage systems around Windermere, the workstream identified key areas for targeted action. This work will inform future strategies to reduce nutrient pollution and safeguard Windermere’s water quality. 

Moreover, South Cumbria Rivers Trust continue to carry out bi-weekly water quality monitoring around Lake Windermere. Working alongside academic partners, this data will be available for peer review in 2025.  

Find out more on the South Cumbria Rivers Trust website or contact info@scrt.co.uk 

Need Reed Revival information, contact Lake District Foundation info@lakedistrictfoundation.org