English Lakes Hotels, Resorts & Venues are committed to a programme of reducing our carbon footprint. One initiative to help us achieve this, is tree planting in the areas surrounding our hotels. This will not only tackle climate change and prevent future flooding, but also preserve the beauty of these areas for future generations to enjoy.
The Tree Planting and Lakeshore Restoration project at Low Wood Bay Marina is now well underway. In November 2019 we planted 1,110 native trees, with the ultimate aim to achieve a flourishing oak woodland in years to come. This will require careful woodland management and coppicing of the other species on an annual basis.
Trees act like giant air purifiers absorbing harmful CO2 and other air pollutants so that we don’t breathe them in. They breathe out oxygen – essential for all human and animal life on our planet. They also absorb water, reducing the risk of flooding, something that has particularly affected the Lake District in the last few years. Trees also perform a crucial role of balancing fragile eco-systems, by offering a natural habitat for wildlife, providing food, shelter, migration and breeding resting spots.
Particularly relevant around the lake shore, root systems bind the soil making it more stable and less prone to erosion and damage by flooding.
Spring Colours
Along with the trees, we planted a further 8,000 British origin, daffodils, snow drops and blue bells which should give a wonderful spread of colour around the resort in years to come.
Protecting Important Reed Beds
We also tasked ourselves with re-establishing the very precious reed beds which grow naturally around the lake. In order to do this, we screened the Car Park at Low Wood Bay Watersports from the lake shore by creating a boulder edge.
These glacial boulders were unearthed whilst building Winander Club and are perfect for creating the raised areas of planting along the edge of the car park, whilst also protecting the shore line. So, we moved all 200 boulders from the main hotel area to create the jigsaw rockery along the edge of the Watersports car park.
Some of the boulders have been beautifully carved by Shaun Williamson and depict local wildlife and create our very own boulder trail!
