Hoists to make lake wheelchair accessible
MARINE Lake in Clevedon is set to become the UK’s first wheelchair-accessible tidal pool, with a lake hoist and disabled changing facilities nearly available to members of the public.
Numerous hours of hard and exhausting work from volunteers to renovate an old crazy golf kiosk at the seafront in Clevedon is soon to be completed, with the project designer and manager, Hilary Jenkins-Spangler saying she hopes all the work will be completed in time for the end of June.
The work has become possible thanks to a £60,000 grant from the Great Lakes funding, which has also seen thousands of tonnes of silt removed from Marine Lake in Weston and a number of changes to soon be made to the Lake Grounds in Portishead.
Marlens (Marine Lake Enthusiasts group) also helped by contributing £30,000.
Hilary added: “All the work is very close to being completed. We have turned the former crazy golf kiosk into a changing room with another small area that is a minicommunity art gallery and small
kitchen so volunteers can make themselves a cup of tea.
“The volunteers are a mixture of lake users, swimmers and people who support the Marlens – the charity that help run the lake. There will be two lake hoists, one at either end of the lake. These are being
ordered in by the council. We are hoping all the work can be completed by the end of June – just in time for summer.”
Previously, disabled users of the lake would have to be taken to changing places at the nearby Tesco before being rolled into the water.
Now, the facilities are just a stones throw away from the lake and new hoists.
Hilary also said that the group is looking into creating a booking system for families and guests to be able to reserve a time to use the equipment, but may need some help.
She said: “If anybody has any ideas or knowledge on the best way to launch some kind of booking system for the facilities, please contact info@clevedonmarinelake. co.uk.”
The work has been commended throughout the local community too, with North Somerset Council calling on the group to help find ways to make Weston-super-Mare’s Marine Lake more accessible, with the owners of Henleaze lake in Bristol also approaching Hilary and the team.
Further amendments to the lake, such as building an eco-pod on the Poets Walk side of the water, have currently hit a stumbling block due to a survey that needs to be carried out due potential structural issues of the slipway that it would be built on.
Hilary added the eco-pod would be a “classroom and community hub for local groups (children’s water safety, yoga, orientation to winter swimming etc” as well as providing extra storage for the amenities at the lake. Although, it is not yet known if this aspect of the project will still be able to go ahead.