At 1:30pm approximately 150 people attended the War  Memorial for a poignant service led by Rev. Richards and to view the art installation led by the Bowness & Windermere Community Care Trust. Students from St Martin and St Mary Primary School, St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Goodly Dale School and Windermere School worked with the artist Donna Campbell to create giant poppies. While local knitters created over one thousand poppies which the Backhouse family stitched onto fabric to cascade off the war memorial.
At 6:30pm the church bells rang out across the community to celebrate peace.
Later that evening, under a beautiful clear sky there was an amazing community turn out for our VE 80 day lighting of the Beacon at Orrest Head summit.
Mayor Hallatsch and Councillor Legge gave short speeches to commemorate the event and at precisely 9.30pm our Beacon was lit and for the first time with no rain or issues
Many thanks to Windermere Convenience store for providing the wood and firelighters and to everyone who came to remember VE day 80 years ago including a councillor and residents who attended the original celebrations as children!
Also in the evening the beautiful Poppies were lit up in the War Memorial gardens. Bowness & Windermere Community Care Trust thank you, they are truly amazing!
Out of all the Beacons lit last night from the top of Scotland to the Channel Islands, we're fairly sure ours was the most spectacular!

oVE80 Arrangements
Windermere & Bowness Town Council is proud to join the nation's celebration of VE-Day 80 - the 80th Anniversary of the end of the World War II in Europe. 
Thursday 8th May 2025

1:30pm - War Memorial, Lake Road, Windermere: There will be a short service led by local clergy. (If it is wet weather, the Ladyholme centre has kindly allowed us to use their main hall)
There will be an art installation at the war memorial to mark the event. It has been created by local residents and school children coordinated by the Bowness and Windermere Community Care Trust. Resident are invited to view the artwork and spend some time in quiet contemplation in the beautiful war memorial garden.
6.30pm  -  Church bells 'Ring out for Peace' across the town.

9:20pm  - Orrest Head Summit Beacon Lighting
We warmly welcome you all as we hold our Beacon ceremony on the summit of Orrest Head in Windermere. The ceremony will begin at 9.20pm on THURSDAY 8TH MAY and our Beacon, one of the official chain of hill-top Beacons throughout the nation, will be ignited at 9.30pm.
Note: Matson Ground Estate are participating in the national beacon chain and lighting their own small beacon on their land at Brantfell. However, the main public event is on Orrest Head.

Orrest Head is now accessible to everyone including our less mobile residents, and this event is always very well-attended with a lovely atmosphere. We look forward to seeing you all on the summit!
IMPORTANT...Please remember that road access is for residents' vehicles only, please wear appropriate clothing and footwear for the weather conditions and carry a torch if you will be descending after dark. Please follow the directions of the Town Council event Marshals who will be wearing hi-vis vests.
Saturday 3rd May 2025
10am – 1pm Marchesi Centre, Holly Road, Windermere Coffee Moring and VE80 Anniversary Celebration. 12 noon toast of Remembrance & celebration followed by a singalong. £2 entry includes refreshments: [email protected]
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If you have any questions please contact the clerk on [email protected]
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The Town Council took over the trusteeship of Longlands Recreation area from SLDC and are now planning to apply for grant funding to redevelop the area currently used as a children's play area. In order to support the bid, the Town Council would like to find out what our residents would like to see there.

The terms of the trust mean it must be used as a recreation area for leisure activities open to residents and visitors, so it can't be built on even for housing or parking. There is limited funding available so suggesting something like a swimming pool is unlikely to be possible.

Please email your ideas to [email protected] , post to Windermere & Bowness Town Council, Langstone House, Broad Street, Windermere, LA23 2AB or join the Town Council’s Facebook page and vote online here.

The Town Council is pleased to present the finished report into the results of the water testing which they carried out in Mill Beck in 2024. For six months over the summer the stream was sampled at various points and the water tested.

Mill Beck flows from small tributaries on the farm land surrounding School Knott, through the most built up part of the village along Queen's Park, down to Baddeley Clock, through Sherriff's Wood, under the A592 and out into Lake Windermere by the Jetty Museum.

As this report explains, the information we gathered combined with data collected by the Environment Agency show evidence of significant pollution in the stream. It is highly likely to be entering the beck within the urban section of the watercourse. Further testing is needed to identify the source. In the meantime we would recommend caution for anyone coming into contact with the water in Mill Beck.

The Town Council's Water Quality Advisory group are very grateful to the support of Ambleside Action for a Future in planning and interpreting the testing program and Matson Ground Estate for providing practical support and a donation to enable the testing of the Mill Beck upper reaches.

To read the report click here

​In response to residents concerns about water quality the Town Council set up a Water Quality Advisory group. Mill Beck was chosen to investigate as it is the largest stream that flows from farmland in the hills through the heart of the residential area and out into the lake. Since April, Windermere & Bowness Town Council have carried out weekly citizen scientist water testing at multiple sites on Mill Beck with the support of Matson Ground estate who sampled the upper reaches of the stream.
We have been helped by Ambleside Action For a Future group (who carry out their own testing in Lakes Parish). One of their members, Tim Boden, has been helping us to interpret our results and has kindly offered to give a presentation to the public explaining what our results show and to answer questions.
Everyone is welcome to come along to the Council Chamber at Langstone House on Broad Street at 5:30pm on 11.12.24. The building is fully accessible.

Orrest Head and Elleray Wood formed part of the Elleray Estate which was formerly owned by Arthur Henry Heywood. In 1902 his widow and daughter gave Orrest Head in trust to Windermere Council to be held "for public walks or pleasure grounds".
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In 1943 most of Elleray Wood was given to the Council under similar terms by other members of the family. A small part at the northern end is owned by South Lakeland District Council but leased to the Town Council and managed as part of the Community Woodland. In more recent years another section of woodland was gifted to the Town Council by the owners of Elleray Bank. It had been closed off for many years and was in need of work to make it safe and encourage biodiversity.
In 2012 the Town Steward Gary Hancox suggested putting a track through the woodland to enable people to visit it safely while still keeping the majority of the land for the wildlife. With the support of the Town Council, Gary has worked tirelessly for many years facing major challenges such as storm Arwen along the way. As the trail took shape Cllr Lisa Greasley, Lead of the Orrest Head and Elleray Woods Advisory Group (OH&EWAG) got the idea of installing chainsaw sculptures of native creatures along the trail. Talented sculptor Sorin Iosipescu took on the challenge and has produced ten beautiful sculptures to look out for along the trail. In addition there are bird and bat boxes made for us by pupils of the Lakes and Windermere Schools and three little mice. Two new benches have been donated by the Wilson and Place families.
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The sun shone beautifully for the grand opening helping the Town Steward forget his many months of working in the woods in the pouring rain this year. The ribbon was cut by the former Clerk to the Town Council Julie Wright and former Lead of the OH&EWAG Dr Helen Jones. The attendees, who included Town Councillors, Town Council staff and  local residents, enjoyed having the first look at the new trail.
While there is a fully accessible route to the summit of Orrest Head, the new track involves some steps and  steep and uneven ground so is not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers. The Town Council would like to remind visitors to keep to the track both for safety reasons and to keep the wider habitat undisturbed. The site is host to a wide range of wildlife including deer, bats, owls and maybe even a red squirrel. It definitely pays to sit quietly and see what creatures come along. The Town Council hopes that this trail will help locals and visitors alike, particularly children, learn to appreciate the range and beauty of the creatures that make our woods and mountain tops their homes.

​Windermere lad who fought on D Day remembered.
Last autumn, the Town Council put out a request for pictures of family members who had fought on D Day eighty years ago. Kathleen Strickland of Windermere was kind enough to get in touch with the story of her brother-in-law Alan Strickland. It seems very appropriate that we think of him and our other brave soldiers as we light the beacon on the summit of Orrest Head so near where he grew up.
Alan Strickland was born in Christopher North’s Cottage at the foot of Orrest Head. He was the third child and oldest son of Arthur and Annie Strickland. By the start of the war the family had moved to 21, Havelock Road. Alan worked as a gardener at Mawson’s. By 1944 he had signed up and joined the 8th Battalion Kings Liverpool Irish. The battalion was chosen to be part of the 7th Beach Group to land with the 3rd Canadian Division on Juno Beach.
The conditions encountered by these young soldiers as they came ashore was one of almost indescribable horror. Alan was 19 years old.
The 8th Battalion suffered such losses that day that it was subsequently disbanded. Alan was posted to the East Lancashire Regiment. He was wounded while fighting in Normandy. After he recovered, he was then posted to the 9th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). He crossed the Rhine with them, and Lance Corporal Alan Strickland was killed in Germany on 30th April 1945 just a few days before Germany’s surrender on May 8th.
Kathleen had never met her brother-in-law, as he died many years before she married his younger brother. But she, and the rest of his family never forgot the sacrifice he made. So, on the 80th Commemoration of the D Day landings we too remember the sacrifice made by Alan and all the others who served the cause of freedom then and now.
Everyone is welcome to join the Town Council at our D Day Commemoration on the summit of Orrest Head by 9pm on Thursday 6th June. The Mayor’s tribute is at 9pm followed by the lighting of the beacon at 9:15pm.
(Picture from the Westmorland Gazette 1945)

At the meeting on 18th January 2024, the Town Council unanimously agreed to adopt the following position as the best way to safeguard the future of Lake Windermere.
Windermere & Bowness Town Council fully support any project or initiative that will stop all sewage discharges into Lake Windermere. In particular, we welcome the “Lake Annecy Solution” proposed by United Utilities in their email to customers on 30 November 2023, and urge all relevant parties to progress this project speedily.
The document describing the Lake Annecy solution is available on our website here (see pages 5&6): action_plan_for_windermere_-_united_utilities.pdf

We know that the quality of the water in Lake Windermere is of huge importance to our residents as shown by the questions at our Annual Parish Meeting last April. Since then, the Town Council has set up an advisory group to lead their work on the matter and has been working with a network of other organisations to prioritise the health of the lake.​

Additional details of the proposed scheme, along with maps detailing the possible route of the pipes have been provided by United Utilities:
Feasibility Review Summary:   
 
Between July and December 2023, a team of 15 engineers, from multiple disciplines, conducted a high-level feasibility assessment to understand how all discharges within the Windermere catchment could be diverted and taken to a notional treatment facility at Grange Over Sands. The review has accounted for known factors, such as topography and areas of ecological importance - to develop a detailed proposal for a scheme of this magnitude would require further detailed investigation, however the assessment undertaken to date has demonstrated what a theoretical view could entail, summarised as follows:
 

• In total, 247 miles of new network would be required throughout the catchment to remove all discharges, this consists of:
  • A 42 mile long ‘ring main’ style network, linked around Windermere from Grasmere to Newby Bridge – then flowing to Grange Over Sands, with a theorised view that treated flows will be returned to the environment in Morecambe Bay, via a long-sea outfall pipe. This section of network would look to intercept the main public network and significant foul water systems.
  • Using a case study from the village of Rydal, estimates have been applied across the catchment to understand the potential scale of infrastructure to connect individual septic tanks to the new network. This study estimated that a further 205 miles of network would be required to provide connections to individual properties.
• The proposed route has been considered with several principles including minimising the total sewer length, minimising impact on communities, businesses and tourism, and avoiding areas of environmental, ecological and archaeological importance.
• Estimates for the scheme have been produced using methodologies aligned with guidance and recommendations of the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA) and Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (ACCE). Given the scale of the proposed solution and comparative timescales to complete the review, the solution developed can only be considered conceptual and therefore subject to very high estimating tolerances, i.e. an ‘order of magnitude’ estimate. To remove all discharges from the catchment has been estimated between £3.5bn and £6.4bn.

Good evening!
It was a fabulous night on Thursday 19th October 2023 at the 10th Windermere In Bloom annual award ceremony!
The evening started with a report from Deputy Mayor Lisa Greasley reporting back on the success of the Town Council at the Cumbria in Bloom Awards: The Town Council's work in Elleray Woods and Orrest Head was judged to be "Outstanding" rating Gold for Biodiversity and Woodland. The developments at Jubilee Garden in Bowness was also judged to be "Outstanding". The Town Council are very proud to have provided these outstanding spaces for the residents to enjoy.
After that it was on to the main event handing out certificates and trophies to the people and organisations throughout the Town who had created such wonderful gardens this season. A huge congratulations to all the amazing trophy winners for so much hard work creating all their beautiful gardens and displays!
A big thanks to Deputy Mayor Lisa Greasley, Cllr Christine Hallatsch and the Mayor Leith Hallatsch for organising everything, a lot of hours went into this event and it was not an easy job to judge so many beautiful gardens and displays.
The Town Council hope you all enjoyed yourselves, many thanks to everyone for coming!

The service will be held at Windermere War Memorial at 2.30pm on Sunday 13th November. All welcome. 

After losing 20% of their volunteers during Covid, the store in Bowness really needs your help. Even 2 hours a week would be hugely appreciated and of enormous impact. Just pop in to the shop on Crag Brow or visit https://myvolunteer.bhf.org.uk/register
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The Christmas Markets on Bowness Glebe will be held this year in late November and on Sunday 4th December. For any further information, please contact [email protected]

This will take place on the weekend of Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th December this year, in central Windermere. For any enquiries, please contact [email protected]

The Summer Music Festival takes place in July & August this year. The events that are local to Windermere are listed on the attached programme. 

At the AGM on 4th May 2022, Cllr Kate Tripp was elected as Town Mayor and Cllr Leith Hallatsch as Deputy Mayor. 

The Town Council is inviting bids from local individuals and companies for its contracts for toilets cleaning and maintenance. The contracts are for 5 years and the specifications are shown below. Candidates can bid for one or both contracts separately. The deadline for return of bids is 14th January 2022 usign the form attached. .
​If you need any further information, please contact the Assistant Town Clerk, Rebecca Pinder on [email protected] or call on 07922 086978

There will be a small wreath laying ceremony held at the War Memorial at 11am on Thursday 11th November 2021. Please note that there will not be a parade this year. 

Latest Updates: as at 21 May 2020: 
Approach to schools reopening
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement that schools could begin to reopen from 1 June, the county council has been working closely with schools and Trade Unions to understand how this should happen in Cumbria.
Given the wide diversity of schools in Cumbria there will not be one single approach to reopening that applies to all schools. Instead, individual schools, and school clusters, will make their own decisions following a risk based assessment process. Support will continue to be available to schools from the council and from public health experts to complete this assessment.
This will enable schools to consider the potential risks and issues carefully before reaching a decision. This includes things like: how social distancing can be implemented, site safety, the availability of staff and resources, safe transport, emergency procedures and supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), mostly in the form of hand sanitiser, gloves and face masks
The council’s key message for parents is that there will be different arrangements in different areas and it is vital that they carefully read the communications from their child’s school about what is happening locally.
Cllr Sue Sanderson, Cabinet Member for Schools and Learning, said: “The council has worked closely with schools to provide support and guidance all the way through this situation and the approach to reopening builds on that good work.
“There is such wide variety in our schools in terms of their buildings and the communities they serve that it is sensible for each to make its own decision about reopening, supported by expert advice from the council and public health. 

‘Respect our communities’ message repeated for bank holiday
 Visitors to South Lakeland are being urged to behave with respect towards local communities as we look ahead to the bank holiday weekend and school half-term next week. The new national guidance around travel restrictions now permits unlimited travel time to exercise and unlimited exercise time.
 Cumbria’s multi-agency Local Resilience Forum, which includes SLDC, is repeating its calls for people to stay local for their exercise and not rush back to the Lake District just yet.

 The messaging appeared to have worked well last weekend and the Resilience Forum reported that the impacts were not as bad as feared.
 Areas including the Glebe at Bowness and Tarn Hows were busy and there were high numbers of motorbikes in some areas, but monitoring by LDNPA suggested overall numbers in the national park were lower than expected.
 In response to the new government guidance, SLDC has made a number of changes to car parking arrangements, has re-opened its marina facilities at Ferry Nab, Bowness-on-Windermere, and has updated guidance on use of public open spaces managed by the council.
 The overall message remains ‘Please don’t head back to the Lake District or the Yorkshire Dales just because you can, we are not ready for you yet.’
 
Nearly all attractions, shops, public toilets and accommodation providers are closed, for now.
For those that do decide to visit the area there are three key messages:
 
RESPECT our communities
-        Be considerate and don’t do things that increase the risk or cause problems for local people, particularly the vulnerable.  For example, avoid using paths through farmers yards, park considerately, keep your dog on a lead and take your litter home.
-        Plan ahead and avoid busy places.
-        Consider the lack of toilet and washing facilities and don’t behave in an anti-social manner.
 
RESPECT the risk
-        South Lakeland and Cumbria continues to record new cases of the virus every day and the threat has not gone away
-        Don’t take risks on the fells, on the water or on the roads. Stay within the limits of your ability and equipment at all times.
-        If you get into trouble, help may take longer to arrive and you will put unnecessary additional pressure on local health and emergency workers as well as volunteer mountain rescue and coastal rescue services.
 
RESPECT the rules
-        Observe all social distancing rules
-        The government guidance is clear that there should be no overnight stays, no camping, no visiting second homes
-        Avoid crowds
-        Wash hands regularly
 
Car parking
 
To help manage visitor car parking, agencies that operate car parks in the national parks, including the National Trust, United Utilities, local councils and both the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, have agreed to re-open any closed car parks and re-introduce parking charges where they had been suspended to support key workers in the Coronavirus response.
 
This is to remove the incentive of free parking that may attract more visitors, but also to provide adequate parking to avoid vehicles being left on grass verges or in side streets or residential areas.
 
SLDC has reintroduced parking charges on all its car parks within the Lake District National Park.
 
Parking charges will continue to be suspended on SLDC car parks outside the national parks (in Grange, Milnthorpe, Kirkby Lonsdale, Kendal and Ulverston) until June.
 
NHS staff, care workers and NHS volunteer responders involved in the Coronavirus response will be able to obtain a key worker parking pass from their employer under the government guidance, which will  allow them to park for free on all SLDC car parks.
 
Passes are available through NHS Trusts, local authorities and the Royal Voluntary Service. For further details visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-health-care-and-volunteer-workers-parking-pass-and-concessions
 
Any SLDC parking permits that expired at the end of March can still be used until the end of May.
 
Revised signs have been erected in car parks to ensure social distancing and signs in car parks where charges have been reintroduced will strongly encourage pay-by-phone and contactless payments to reduce risk of virus transmission.
 
A new web page is being promoted by the LDNPA www.saferlakes.co.uk  which encourages people travelling to the Lake District to park safely and avoid the more popular destinations.
 
Parks and playgrounds
 
Government advice is that the risk of infection outside is significantly lower than inside, and has updated its rules so that, as well as exercise, people can now also spend time outdoors.
 
SLDC has put up new signs in parks and public spaces that it manages urging compliance with social distancing guidelines and use of personal sanitisers after contact with any shared surfaces.
 
SLDC is reminding everyone that play areas managed by the council will remain closed in line with the government’s latest guidance.
 
Ferry Nab Marina, Bowness
 
Clarification received from government has confirmed that all forms of water sports practiced on open waterways, including sailing and windsurfing, are now allowed.
 
As a result SLDC has re-opened its marina facilities at Ferry Nab, Bowness.
 
Signage has been erected urging users of the facilities to observe social distancing guidelines and to use personal sanitisers after contact with any shared surfaces.
 
More details about specific Covid-19 arrangements at the marina, including about arrangements for launching boats and staying overnight on boats, can be found on the SLDC website: https://www.southlakeland.gov.uk/leisure-culture-and-events/windermere-lake/ferry-nab-coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/
 
For more details on messages for visitors to the Lake District, see: www.saferlakes.co.uk
 
 
Handyperson scheme resumes
 
A scheme that supports elderly or vulnerable residents with practical help around their homes is re-starting after being suspended due to Coronavirus restrictions.
 
South Lakeland District Council’s (SLDC) Handyperson Scheme offers assistance with small jobs around the home to help people maintain independent living and quality of life.
When running normally, the service provides help with anything from changing a lightbulb to putting up shelving, installing hand rails and small repairs such as unblocking sinks. The work is free of charge and only materials need to be paid for.
The scheme was suspended in line with government guidance following the Coronavirus outbreak, but following a review this week in light of new government advice SLDC has decided to partially reintroduce the service and accept referrals for external work only.
This would include jobs such as clearing gutters on bungalows, fitting outside grab rails and installing a key safe.
No work will be undertaken at the current time that would require entering a resident’s property, even if that is just to access the back, for example to fit a grab rail on the outside back wall of the home.
Each request through the Handyperson Scheme will be carefully screened by council staff to ensure the job can be carried out in accordance with these restrictions and while observing social distancing before the job is passed on to the contractor.
Assistance under the Handyperson Scheme is available to people who are unable to undertake the task themselves and have no other person available to help them with the task and reside in the South Lakeland area, who:
·        are aged 65 and over; or
·        have a disability or are vulnerable; or
·        are being discharged or have recently been discharged from hospital; or
·        are at high risk of falling due to a medical condition; or
·        potential victims of crime, who are referred by the police
 
Works are limited to a maximum of three hours on site if one handy person visits, or 1.5 hours if two handy people visit.
 
The scheme is supported by Cumbria Constabulary and Age UK, and the fitting of minor security measures is also included in the scheme.
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