Great Swim disappointment highlights need to Love Your Lakes

Thousands of swimmers who should have been cleaving their way through the sunlit waters of Windermere this weekend have been left cursing the appearance of blue-green algae in the lake which forced organisers to postpone the hugely successful Great North Swim event.

However, the untimely appearance of the algae has allowed a local conservation charity to highlight the message of its ‘Love Your Lakes’ campaign.

Delivered by Nurture Lakeland, the Bassenthwaite Reflections campaign is working hard to help people make the link between what they put down their plugholes and the impact this has on our local lakes.

Ruth Kirk of Nurture Lakeland said, “Many people are not aware that phosphates used in laundry and dishwashing detergents get washed into the lakes leading to the high levels of this nutrient which cause the growth of toxic blue-green algae. Whilst the Love Your Lakes campaign is currently raising awareness of the issues around Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake, this is a problem which affects many lakes in Cumbria – including, sadly, Windermere. Our lakes are a hugely important resource for fun, recreation and tourism as well as being special nature habitats. The good news is that it’s really very simple for us all to do our little bit to help keep the lakes we love healthy and accessible for everyone.”

Whilst phosphate gets into our water from a variety of sources including agriculture and sewage, simply switching to one of the readily available phosphate-free products on the market can reduce the amount of nutrient entering the lakes.

Ruth added, “There is a wealth of information available on our website including a downloadable fact-sheet with advice for swimmers and a list of phosphate-free products you can buy. By switching to phosphate-free we can help reduce the likelihood that water-based recreational events will have to be curtailed in the future”

For more information visit the Love Your Lakes pages, or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it