SWSC area of YMCA North Camp designated Asset of Community Value
Published 17:35 on 22 Nov 2023
The area leased and used by South Windermere Sailing Club (SWSC) has been successfully designated as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) by the Westmorland & Furness Council.
SWSC had nominated YMCA North Camp to underscore the importance of maintaining the site's community value and access to the Windermere lakefront for community purposes, in light of the prospective sale of the land.
SWSC Commodore Sara Speicher stated, "We are very pleased that the Council has affirmed the significance of our club's affordable, family friendly sailing, and that, as they put it, our 'use of the site does further social interests and wellbeing of the local community.' We hope that this value will be preserved for the long-term as the sale of the site is ongoing."
Coniston and Hawkshead Councillor Suzanne Pender had also registered her support of the nomination, stating that SWSC is a great community project reaching a diverse range of the community, promoting healthy activity at a low cost.
Speicher affirmed the importance of YMCA Lakeside's outdoor education for young people and said that is a mission the club is committed to supporting and still hopes to contribute to as integral to both organisations' community outreach.
"We think an Asset of Community Value designation is important as a statement of what 'community access' really means," she said. "We've been aware that for some, 'community access' means allowing the general public some services - you can walk the public footpath, you can buy food at a cafe, you can rent a paddle board. These certainly have value, but this "public access" does not meet the needs of sustainable communities. What is increasingly missing all along Windermere and especially along the lakefront are affordable hubs where residents in the surrounding areas and communities of interests can gather to learn, socialise, share interests, celebrate the place in which they live and work, and build friendships, knowledge - and community. We're proud that this is precisely what SWSC offers."
The SWSC Committee and Trustees aim to secure support for the club so it can continue, beyond its current lease, to exist on what is one of the last community sites on the shores of Lake Windermere. The club wishes to do so in a way that also strengthens the future of YMCA Lakeside as both serve for the good of the community.
SWSC is looking forward to another great year in 2024, and membership applications for next year are now available at https://www.swsailing.co.uk/page/south-windermere-sailing-cub-membership
For more information about the club, or to see how you could help support the long-term future of this asset of community value, please email commodore@swsailing.co.uk.
Last updated 14:36 on 2 March 2024