Safety Boat for Cleveland Lakes

Aim: We need a safety boat so that we can provide safe, supervised water sports activities, particularly for low income households.

Who are we?

Cotswold Lakes Trust is the charity dedicated to the conservation and enhancement of the Cotswold Lakes for the benefit of wildlife and people.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We have exciting plans to open up access to our site at Cleveland Lakes, which contains one of the longest lakes we manage. Waterhay Lake, at 1,600m long, is ideal for a variety of water sports including rowing, canoeing, open water swimming and triathlon.

With funding already received, we have basic infrastructure in place, including a launch pontoon and toilets, but now we need that last piece of the jigsaw - a safety boat - so that we can deliver water sports activities for a wide variety of people.

We particularly want to enable people who can't normally afford such activities to take part and perhaps discover a lifelong passion that will improve their physical and mental health. 

Sport England have generously pledged £4,000 towards this appeal, as long as we can raise the remaining sum from a minimum of 25 donors. 

About Cleveland Lakes

Cleveland Lakes is a stunning site managed for wildlife, public access and leisure, and comprises two of the largest lakes in the Cotswold Lakes area, separated by a complex of shallow wetland lagoons, scrapes, ponds and reed beds. It forms part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest – a statutory designation that protects its breeding and wintering birds, and aquatic plants. Wickwater Lake along with the adjacent shallow wetland areas, forms one of the most important wildlife sites in the Cotswold Lakes.

The lake that we are further developing for public use is Waterhay Lake. This mile-long stretch of water is a great place to enjoy rowing, as well as other water sports including kayaking and swimming, as evidenced by test events held at the site.

How we’ll spend the money raised

Basic infrastructure is already in place including a pontoon, storage unit, office and toilets. The last thing we need to begin delivering activities is a safety boat.

The boat with its essential accessories and delivery will cost £8,000. Any donation towards this will be gratefully received! 

Community impact

We want people to experience, and fall in love with, water sports.

There are many barriers to accessing such sports. Expensive equipment such as paddleboards or kayaks, and costs to access sessions mean that many people are sadly unable to take part. In our land-locked area, there are no other opportunities to try water sports locally for free, which those living nearer the coast might benefit from.

We will provide opportunities for people on low-incomes to use the equipment we have and the lake we manage to take their first steps in water-based sports. Individuals will build their skills and confidence and develop a lifelong interest that can improve both their physical and mental health.

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 15th July 2025 at 12:24pm