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GREAT NEWS - it's looking really good for December, the amount to raise is now under 95K !

We are supporting the 'More than a Drop in The Ocean' project to enable the purchase of the Ocean Lake in Weybread, Suffolk by a charitable trust to safeguard it for future generations and the flora and fauna that make the lake their home.

The purchase plans intend to respect the balance between leisure use of the lake and preservation of its delicate ecosystem. Leisure use involves appropriately managed recreational fishing and low impact natural and hand-powered sailing and other water-borne activities – the internal combustion engine is not used except for management and safety use. The intention is to expand access to the lake for other bird species and humans who are not anglers or water babies with appropriately managed areas and events.

The benefits of the HDC purchasing the Ocean Lake spread further than just the lake and it users. The HDC is a charity and annually are able to provide funds to local charities and individual causes in and around the Harleston area. Owning and managing the Ocean Lake will enable them to continue this wider support.

As we watch the global climate disasters, devastation of war, environmental impact of human pollution, the increase in mental health challenges amongst our teenagers and societal challenges of knife crime and social media, our members emphasise the essential role that spaces like the Ocean Lake play in good health and navigating modern day life.

There is a lot that is out of my – and indeed our - immediate control. What is within my grasp is my time and ability to help influence the future of this marvellous place; ownership of the Ocean Lake by The Harold Dean Trust for the above purposes would ensure the future of the site is secured and protected against activity and potential developments inconsistent with character of the site and area and its present valued low- impact uses.

What the Ocean Lake means for me...

Water for me is such a representation of the power of nature, it is the source of life; without it very little on earth will survive - and we are up to 75% water after all. I love the power of it, its timely reminders that we are a moment in time, the interdependence between water and weather and how in the worst storm there can always be a calm place on it flat, still and mirror like.

Ok, so I'm getting a little deep here, but the reality is time on the lake makes me feel better, and this is shared by many who come down to the water for sailing, paddling, canoeing or family time. Often the chat amongst me and the ladies I'm paddling with is how we didn't feel like coming out today, the dramas happening at home, the jobs we've left undone and the menopause but how much fitter we feel from paddling, plus the weight we have lost and how we have the ability to be present together.

Regardless of what may be going on in the world beyond my chosen watercraft, once I’ve settled into the rhythm of the water and my ego is safely away I'm able to tune in to the environment and notice the ecosytem so silently functioning around me.

The white egrets all perched in the bushes at the north easterly end where the lake and the river feed back and forth, the 16 swans and one late cygnet that float effortlessly along on the water and the Egyptian Geese that relax on the shore line. There’s a flash of blue as the kingfisher shoots past and the plop and ripple of the fish as they surface briefly for food or a splash.

For a moment my human life seems very simple as I become just another being inhabiting the surface of the Ocean Lake.

You may be a past member of the club, you may not live locally to the Ocean Lake, you may not be a sailing or fishing enthusiast that uses the lake directly, however the environmental impact it has is something we can all be involved in now and as a legacy to our children and grandchildren.

A £1 here and there all adds up, so please if you can donate to our efforts to safeguard the lake for today and for the future, you will be making a difference for many years to come.

Thank you.

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