We are celebrating our success in securing a £95,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to run a two-year ‘I Love Water’ project focusing on water sustainability.  

Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project, which is match funded by South West Water, will conserve and improve habitats for wildlife that live in the water and by the water, whilst also highlighting the importance of using water wisely and why we must all play our part in reducing water usage across the south west region. 

Water is a precious resource, one which we must conserve to safeguard our habitats and wildlife for the future. Every litre of water saved is a litre of water left in the environment. It can also help us to reduce our household bills.  

Working with South West Water, South West Lakes Trust will be working across the region aiming to engage young people with their environment and raise awareness of water usage, to help realise the ambition to reduce household consumption from 143 litres per person per day to 128 litres per person per day by 2025.  

Andy Parsons, Chief Executive of South West Lakes Trust, said:

“We are delighted to have received support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for this important project. Water is vital to us all and we are very much looking forward to helping our visitors and local communities connect with its value and the benefits of reducing water usage. To launch this project during the Year of Green Action is particularly significant, as it is about connecting people with nature and enabling more people to take action to improve our environment.”

The project links with the 25-year environment plan set out by our government and will directly link to the goal of clean and plentiful water, using resources from nature more sustainably. 

Stuart Hobley, Area Director, London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Helping our environment and natural heritage survive and thrive is a vital part of projects we fund thanks to National Lottery players. We’re pleased to support this project which will raise awareness of how we can all play a part in protecting one of our most precious resources and why it is so crucial that we do.”

To complement the charity’s campaigns ‘Love Your Lakes’ and ‘Active Outdoors’, a full programme of activities has been developed and will include Wimbleball Lake, Siblyback Lake, Roadford Lake, Trenchford Reservoir, Burrator Reservoir and Longham Lakes near Bournemouth. As a partner in the project, South West Water will play a role in advising on water efficiency and biodiversity gains.

Rob Scarott, Head of Water Resources and Water Efficiency at South West Water, said: “We are proud to support this exciting project, which will help educate the next generation about being water smart.”

To keep up to date with news on this project you can sign up for the South West Lakes e-newsletter here, follow SWLakes on Facebook or @swlakes on Twitter.