We have conceived a vision of our site which will create fantastic havens for wildlife as well as a wonderful setting for young people to experience the outdoors in a way that many of them have never had the opportunity to do. The lake is the centrepiece of this ambitious plan and at the same time will provide spoil from which we will create the hill and caving trail. We are collaborating with A Rocha UK, an organisation committed to nature conservation, to manage our 80-acre site as environmentally sustainably as possible.
There will be two primary benefits of creating the lake. Firstly, it will create an environment for discovering nature in new and inspiring ways. A large section will be a dedicated Wetlands Conservation Zone that will create an invaluable new oasis of wetland habitat (widely recognised as an endangered habitat nationwide) including reedbeds and marshland connecting wet scrapes and smaller ponds. This will sustain a range of wetland flora on site, which will then provide a food source for wetland birds and much needed habitat for invertebrates, amphibians & reptiles. The zone will provide the perfect location for schools, universities and other educational bodies and conservation groups to carry out field studies.
Secondly, we intend to use the lake to provide a wide range of water sports in a safe environment, year-round. The activities we will be able to provide include canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, raft and bridge building, a swimming assault course and even inland ‘coasteering’. These fun and challenging activities help young people to grow in confidence. They are great for team building, enabling youth groups to have an exciting shared experience away from home and to build strong friendships and develop important social and personal skills. This in turn equips them to contribute positively into their home communities when they return.
We currently take groups to off-site locations in order to provide some of these activities, but having a lake on site will enable us to work far more efficiently and cost-effectively and in a more environmentally friendly manner.
Funds raised through this project will contribute specifically towards creating the Wetland Conservation Zone which will require planting to prevent algae build up and a solar air pump and perforated air lines to prevent stratification.