Photographers have been out capturing scenes from a spectacular lake in Weybread, near Harleston, for which an urgent campaign has been launched
Photographers have been out and about capturing scenes from a spectacular lake for which an urgent campaign has been launched.
Weybread-based, Harold Dean Charity, hopes to buy Ocean Lake, which lies in the Waveney Valley, near Harleston.
At the moment the lake, which is the size of Oulton Broad, is in private ownership. But the charity which has licensed it for more than 40 years for a number of uses, including angling and sailing, has a first option to buy it, until December 2025.
If they are successful, it will mean the current environmentally friendy activities such as fishing and sailing can continue and the lake can be opened up for wider community use, including nature trails and further activities.
More than £250,000 has already been pledged towards the appeal target. There is just six months left to raise a further £175,000 needed.
Renowned for its spectacular sun and moon rises, fine views and dark star-filled skies, the lake - a designated County Wildlife Site for its exceptional wildlife, especially birds and dragonflies - is one of a number of naturalised flooded former gravel workings in the floodplain of the River Waveney.
Harold Dean Charity chairman, Charles Mosse, said: “Safeguarding the future of this amazing site is a once-only chance to ensure that the charity’s long-standing management of the Ocean can be maintained and enhanced into the future.”
Ian Carstairs, trustee, said: “This is one of the most important places in the Upper Waveney Valley for wildlife. These are also the places which the government has said are core sites in the community and crucial to protect.”
To donate to the campaign, visit: www.justgiving.com and search: More than a Drop in the Ocean
Ian added: “It is within a fifteen minutes walk from the centre of Harleston and our campaign is a parish-based idea so that people can help in the challenge of the international threat to the natural world.”
