Our charity cares for the natural and historic environments surrounding the lakes of the south west. By becoming a Friend of South West Lakes, you can support our purpose of protecting special places for wildlife and people, whilst also receiving free car parking at all of the lakes for a year, among other benefits. It's your outdoors, so come and explore.

How does it work?

Donate to receive a single (£35), joint (£50) or family Friendship (£55), which provides you with access to free parking at all of our lakes for a year - from Wimbleball Lake in Exmoor to Longham Lakes in Bournemouth. Choose a campaign and receive a tailored gift: whether you have a young family of budding explorers, or four-legged friends, or simply love spending time at the lakes, we want to help you make the most of your visit.

You can make an annual donation by direct debit, or make a single payment for one year’s Friendship. Your donation will help us to continue conserving and providing access to the wonderful countryside around the lakes. Through this work, we strive to give everyone the opportunity to experience the health and wellbeing benefits that arise from connecting with nature – whether that be from a rejuvenating stroll in the woods, spending peaceful time near water, birdwatching, playing or doing watersports.

Our team works hard to protect and enhance the rich biodiversity of these environments and maintains our footpaths, cycle trails and play areas for everyone to enjoy. Your support helps us to create abundant, diverse and connected landscapes that will remain loved by generations to come.

We believe engaging with the natural environment enables people to grow

Benefits of being a Friend of South West Lakes:

• You will be supporting our work to protect the special environments around the lakes and provide inspiring opportunities for people to enjoy, respect and benefit from them.
• Receive a parking pass valid at all of our car parks (x1 single, x2 joint and x2 family).
• A tailored gift related to your chosen campaign (see below).
• Be inspired to create a memorable day out with the family activity pack included in the family Friendship.
• Receive a gorgeous calendar displaying the lakes across the south west for the upcoming year (sent in autumn for the following year).
• The opportunity to sign-up to our monthly e-newsletter to receive regular updates about our work.

     

Which Friendship is right for you?

See the different Friendship categories and their benefits below.

Our Friends of Longham scheme has now merged with our Friends of South West Lakes scheme. If you are an existing Friend of Longham, we will get in touch with you at your renewal date. Please click the options below to sign up to our Friends of South West Lakes scheme.

Friendship	Donation	Play and Explore	Take the Lead	Love Your Lakes
Single	£35	1 children's explorer pack 1 parking sticker	50 fully biodegradable doggy poo bags 1 parking sticker	1 packet of wildflower seeds 1 parking sticker
Joint	£50	2 children's explorer packs  2 parking stickers	100 fully biodegradable doggy poo bags  2 parking stickers	2 packets of wildflower seeds 2 parking stickers
Family	£55	3 children's explorer packs (please let us know if you have more than 3 children)  2 parking stickers A fun '101 Things to Do' guide	100 fully biodegradable doggy poo bags 2 parking stickers A fun '101 Things to Do' guide	3 packets of wildflower seeds 2 parking stickers A fun '101 Things to Do' guide

Click the buttons below to join today: 

Become a ‘Play and Explore’ Friend

Become a ‘Take the Lead’ Friend

Become a ‘Love Your Lakes’ Friend