A COMMUNITY group is hoping to turn a marine lake in the centre of a Wirral resort into a place “people come from miles around to celebrate and enjoy.” New Brighton’s marine lake has existed in the town for nearly 90 years and is popular amongst early morning swimmers.

During a Wirral Council tourism, communities, culture and leisure committee meeting on November 28, councillors heard a presentation from the Friends of New Brighton Marine Lake about their work to improve water quality in the lake. The committee agreed to move forward an agreement between the council as landowner and the Friends group to allow them to bid for funding.

Councillors were also shown a short film produced about Peter Flowerdew, a local resident who has been cleaning up the marine lake for 22 years. In the film, he said the lake had the potential to become a “wildlife sanctuary” in New Brighton.

Clare Mahoney, representing the group with Colin Clayton, said past outbreaks of blue green algae in the lake was grim and led to a feeling the condition of the lake was getting worse. This led to the Friends group being set up with 42 volunteers made up of swimmers, dog walkers, and others who enjoy the lake.

The group have cleared out blocked drains allowing more seawater into the lake and hope to introduce mussels and oysters to naturally filter the water as well as aerators to improve water quality. This would avoid any resurgence of toxic blue-green algae in a lake the group said was already well-used.

She said: “We went from feeling a sense of hopelessness about the lake and how it was always going to be a bit smelly, a bit stinky, a bit full of rubbish to thinking about why couldn’t we have a place in New Brighton that is full of clear water where people come from miles around to celebrate and enjoy.”

The group has been fundraising purchasing a new boat as well as carrying out litter picks and clearing dead foxes and dead birds from the lake. One filled 140 bags and lifted one tonne of metal from the lake. Mr Clayton said they wanted to it “to return to its former glory” calling it “the jewel in the crown of New Brighton.”

Mr Clayton said progress on an agreement over the lake appeared to have stalled but praised local authority officers for working with them. Officers said the delay was due to potential safety risks linked to such a large lake with deep water but the council was supporting regular water testing as well as putting up new signs around the lake.

Councillors unanimously agreed to move forward with an agreement which will help the group bid for larger pots of funding. This is because the agreement will show the Friends have a working relationship with the lake’s landowner, Wirral Council.