Lake clean up is tribute to tragic best friend Ben
ACAMPAIGN is under way to clean up the dirty lake in Southport’s historic and beloved Botanic Gardens.
Once home to pedalo boats and clear waters, the lake is now a dingy colour and those behind the campaign want to see it dredged and restored to its former glory.
Southport resident David Rawsthorne is leading the efforts and has won the backing of Southport MP Damien Moore who has promised to write to Sefton Council’s chief executive Dwayne Johnson, the Environment Agency and George Eustice, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The park is owned by Sefton Council and maintained by a mixture of council staff and dedicated volunteers who took over many duties after the council was forced to scale back services following cuts.
The campaign has been launched by family and friends of late Southport resident Ben Smith-Crallan who now has a memorial bench by the park’s lake.
Ben contracted an extremely rare infection shortly after slipping into the lake in 2018 and while his family are clear that they do not blame the state of the water for what happened, they hope they can inspire some positive change at the park.
David, along with Ben’s dad Peter Smith-Crallan and sister Nina Thomas, has quickly gathered a large amount of support for their efforts to gain funding, whether it be through the council or a charitable grant.
In the short time, ideas such as treating the water with oxygen have also been suggested.
David said: “I and Ben’s family love the park, we have a bench in his memory, and his mum’s, placed in there, we don’t hold anyone to blame and accept his death was a tragic accident, but our aim is to see the lake cleaned in his memory, get it back to how it was in days gone by, get boats and pedalos back going again.
“For this to happen we need lots of support, get people talking, make things happen.”
He added: “Ben was my best friend and I miss him everyday, we spent most of our time together laughing, it would mean the world to me and Nina and Peter if we can make this happen.
“I would like to thank the volunteers at Botanic Gardens who work tirelessly keeping the park looking great and have been trying for years to obtain funding, let’s hope with this campaign we can finally get it.”
Offering his support, Mr Moore told the Visiter: “I know David has been campaigning passionately to secure funding to clean-up the pond in Botanic Gardens in memory of Mr Smith-Crallan’s, and I will do what I can to support him in his campaign.”
“Hopefully by working together we can raise this issue both with Sefton Council and in Parliament and help to secure additional funding for this cause.” A spokesperson for Sefton Council said that the water in the lake was tested after Ben’s death and confirmed to be of an “acceptable standard for a waterbody that is not designated bathing water”, while Public Health England were satisfied the lake was not the cause of infection.
But the council agrees that improvements would be beneficial and funding may be sought for this.
The spokesperson said: “The lake does attract a lot of wildlife but is not heavily polluted by them.
“The water is tested regularly and like many other areas, we routinely treat the waterside for vermin.
“Recently, considerable improvements have been made to the waterside aviary, which will also reduce the chance of pests being in the water.
“The lake, its bridges and waterside would benefit from further improvements and the council has continued to consider options for seeking lottery and other funds for this work.
“We aim to carry out further public consultation on development plans for the park later in 2021.
“We are aware of the formation of the group online and our thoughts very much remain with Mr SmithCrallan’s family and friends.
“We would welcome an approach from them, and anyone who has a suggestion for improving the park, as we are always open to exploring ideas people have for making the park a better place for everyone.”