A £25,000 fund to help protect lakes and rivers across Cumbria has been launched by the Lakes Distillery and the Lake District Foundation.
The Lakes Distillery Water Fund is designed to support community and volunteer-led groups in their efforts to deliver water quality schemes.
The cash has been provided by the distillery, at Setmurthy, which has carried out fund-raising. Staff from the company will also be on hand to donate their time by helping at some of the successful projects.
Sarah Smith, Lake District Foundation operations manager, said: “We are delighted to launch this new water grant fund thanks to the generosity of The Lakes Distillery. We are keen to award funding to the very best community-led projects in the Lake District which make a lasting improvement to water quality in our rivers and lakes.”
Nigel Mills, co-founder and CEO at The Lakes Distillery, said “As part of the Lake District community, our sense of responsibility is long-standing but trying to do good within the distillery alone is not nearly enough. That is why we are excited to be able to support the fantastic work Sarah and the team at the foundation do to protect and care for our national park.
“Working toward a common goal, we cannot wait to see the projects that come out of the water fund, and for our team to have the chance to spend time helping to deliver some of them.”
Projects must focus on water quality in the Lake District and demonstrate that they will contribute to at least one of the following objectives: pollution prevention and mitigation, habitat creation and protection, invasive species control, species conservation or education.
Lake District Foundation welcomes applications from community organisations that meet set criteria.
The total pot size is £25,000 and applications are welcomed for projects valued at £5,000. The fund opens for applications on February 7 and the closing date is March 21.
Details and how to apply here.
