An ambitious landscape recovery project in the Lake District has secured major financial backing from two well-known businesses in the Lake District.
Booths, the northern supermarket chain, and holiday letting company, holidaycottages.co.uk has got behind Resilient Glenderamackin, a transformative catchment-wide project designed to restore natural processes across the landscape – storing water, slowing flood peaks, improving soil health, and supporting nature alongside farming.
With up to £65 million in potential Defra funding available for the area, securing local business support is vital to ensuring the project is approved later this year.
Booths has demonstrated a major commitment to the project, making it the largest business investor so far, said West Cumbria Rivers Trust, which is behind the scheme.
Travel Chapter, which owns the Sally’s Cottages brand holidaycottages.co.uk, the sister brand of Sally’s Cottages, has also pledged support, recognising the importance of flood resilience for the local community and economy.
The project has now passed the halfway mark towards its £150,000 local business funding target.
However, the trust said, more investment was needed before the final funding proposal is submitted to Defra in June.
Resilient Glenderamackin is attracting significant national attention, with policymakers, environmental organisations, and the media closely watching its progress.
The trust added: “By supporting Resilient Glenderamackin, businesses can demonstrate a clear commitment to sustainability and climate action.
“Those who invest will receive annual impact reports detailing how the project is reducing flood risk, restoring protected habitats, cutting carbon emissions, and enhancing biodiversity.”
Vikki Salas, assistant director at West Cumbria Rivers Trust, added: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make Keswick and the surrounding landscape more resilient to climate change, securing the future of both the natural environment and the local economy.
Katie Gwynne, head of risk and compliance at Booths, said: “Booths are highly supportive of this project, seeing a clear need for sustainable initiatives to help mitigate flood risk and prevent the reoccurrence of the devasting floods we have seen in 2005, 2009 and 2015.
“Catastrophic flooding is happening regularly, and we need to work together to find nature-based solutions to support farming, local communities and local businesses.
We hope by pledging our support, other businesses will consider joining us, to help attract further funding both from government and the private sector.”
Find out more
- Public drop-in event: Keswick Moot Hall, March 11, 10am–4pm – Meet the project team and learn how this initiative will benefit Keswick and beyond.
- Contact: Rosie Simpson at r[email protected] for further details or to arrange a meeting.
- Businesses of all sizes can contribute – any level of support strengthens the case for funding.
