**Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** **Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens)** Registered charity no 1156426 ## **Trustees’ annual report** November 2024 – October 2025 Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 1 of 15 **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** ## Contents Chair’s summary .................................................................................................................. 3 Context ................................................................................................................................ 4 Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 4 Volunteers and donors ......................................................................................................... 5 Trustees ............................................................................................................................... 5 Structure .............................................................................................................................. 7 Lake Users ........................................................................................................................... 7 Managing lake use ............................................................................................................... 8 Maintenance and improvements .......................................................................................... 8 The Hive and accessibility ................................................................................................... 9 Lake safety .......................................................................................................................... 9 Funding .............................................................................................................................. 10 National Lottery Heritage Fund.................................................................................................. 10 Quartet ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Other funding ............................................................................................................................ 12 Digital, communications and marketing ............................................................................. 12 Environment ....................................................................................................................... 13 Finance and policies (update) ............................................................................................ 13 Looking forward ................................................................................................................. 14 Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 2 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** ## Chair’s summary 2024-25 has been another exceptionally busy and exciting year for the Marlens charity, the marine lake and its environs. Our ‘Fit for the Future’ project was delivered using £95,481 awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We also secured grant funding from Quartet Community Foundation (£14,564) and North Somerset Council (£5,000). This strengthened how we run ourselves as a charity, brought a more diverse range of people to the lake and made us more sustainable – so that the local community and beyond can continue to enjoy this beautiful, semi-wild and natural resource. The project brought in additional capacity and specialist expertise. This enabled us to produce a financially and environmentally sustainable long-term business plan; expand our reach into the local community and strengthen volunteer involvement by working with new organisations and audiences; and embed the systems and processes to ensure safe and compliant lake management. To celebrate the completion of the Heritage Fund bid, we held a celebratory event on 12 December at the Salthouse, attended by Saddik Al-Hussan MP _(outside this reporting period but noted for completeness)_ . This year we also significantly strengthened our safety arrangements to keep lake users safe, delivered important maintenance improvements, progressed arrangements to make the lake more accessible to users with disabilities and launched our new website (with customer relationship management system). These all helped strengthen our capacity and capability as a charity. None of this would be possible without our remarkable volunteers and donors, whose love for Clevedon Marine Lake – and their generosity with both time and money over many years – underpins everything we do. My heartfelt thanks go to each of them. The lake simply wouldn’t be what it is today without their dedication. Our mission is to keep the lake clean, safe and natural for generations to come. ## **Sarah Swash** ## **Chair of Trustees, April 2026, on behalf of Marlens** Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 3 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** ## Context The Marlens CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) is a local, volunteer-run community organisation which runs Clevedon Marine Lake for the benefit of the community. Marlens has a 50-year lease on the lake (from 2016- 2066) from North Somerset Council (NSC) who is the landowner. A major refurbishment in summer 2015 (funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, NSC and Clevedon Council) restored the lake to ‘as new’ condition and triggered an explosion in use by a wide range of people. Lake use mushroomed again during the Covid lockdown and we continued to see an increase in people visiting the lake to walk, swim, sunbathe, use model boats, paddleboard, kayak, sail and row. Part of this increase has been down to people using exercise and ‘blue space therapy’ to help improve their mental and physical health. This report covers the year November 2024 to October 2025 with a look ahead to 2025-26. ## Objectives Marlens is governed by our constitution, agreed with the Charity Commission and adopted by our members on 12 November 2013. Marlens’ main objective is ‘To bring life to Clevedon Marine Lake’. The objects of the charity are: _1. To provide or assist in the provision of facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disability, financial hardship or social circumstances or the public at large with the object of improving their conditions of life._ _2. To advance in life and help young people through:_ - _(a) The provision of recreational and leisure time activities provided in the interest of social welfare, designed to improve their conditions of life;_ - _(b) Providing support and activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals._ 3. _To secure, preserve, protect, develop and improve the features of historic or public interest in relation to Clevedon Marine Lake and its surrounding area._ Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 4 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** ## Volunteers and donors We have an incredible and growing team of volunteers who love Clevedon Marine Lake. Volunteer power remains the key to our success. Although the work of the volunteer community is most visible during the lake drain downs, we work all year round. The ‘Love the Lake’ team has cleaned the lake throughout the summer and after over-topping tides throughout the winter. Many in this loyal group have volunteered for years, and over the past year we’ve also welcomed a wonderful wave of new volunteers bringing fresh skills and energy. Marlens’ honorary president, Joe Norman, continued to mentor Duke of Edinburgh students, helping our volunteer community span generations. Volunteers with technical skills (led by trustee Tim Clouter) identify, repair and improve the lake’s infrastructure in liaison with NSC. We are incredibly grateful to all our volunteers who helped with clear ups and litter-picks, especially through busy summer months – and to those who turned out for our lake drain downs, even in the cold and rain. We are committed to ensuring our volunteers are welltrained, well-informed, properly supported and proud of the part they play, and above all that they enjoy being part of the team. Anybody can come and clean the lake at any time whether drained or not, without asking Marlens, and many people do pick up litter and put it in the litter bins on the upper promenade. We really appreciate this community effort. New volunteers are always welcome, whether they can come regularly or only occasionally. ## Trustees Formal responsibility for the lake rests with the Marlens charity trustees. Each trustee has a distinct role with specific responsibilities, reflecting their expertise, interests and professional experience. The trustees during the period of this report were: Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 5 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** - Sarah Swash – Chair and strategy - Tim Clouter – Maintenance and volunteers - Donna Littleton – Accessibility - Laura Nesbitt – Instagram - Mike Perrott – Lake hire - Myles Podmore – Lake and Pier Day, Light Up the Lake - Helen Sharp – strategic funding, insurance, managing of ‘Fit for the Future’ personnel (roles hosted by North Somerset Council) - Lily Southam – Treasurer (resigned September 2025 but remains a trustee), newsletters, Marlens membership, general public liaison, merchandise, Facebook. We are very grateful to Lily for all her excellent work as treasurer - Tracey Bishop (co-opted Treasurer from September 2025) Jill Sandiford (chartered account) is Marlens’ secretary. Jill also supports on our finances; and administers bookings and memberships (paid role). Paul Sidney of Astute Safety Consulting (local professional safety consultant) is the competent person to manage Health and Safety at Marlens. There are three ways of becoming a trustee: - Be appointed by the members (normally at the AGM) - Be co-opted by the trustees, in which case the members must approve the appointment at the next AGM - Be appointed by Clevedon Town Council (1 trustee). Trustees are appointed for 3 years and can serve up to 3 terms. There is no formal training for trustees, but they are expected to familiarise themselves with the Marlens constitution and Charity Commission guidance. Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 6 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** ## Structure We have a working structure with three parts: 1. An operations team responsible for day-to-day running of the lake and associated activities, composed of lake users and volunteers. 2. A board of unpaid volunteer trustees who carry formal responsibility, set strategy and the budget, and make sure the charity’s funds are used properly. 3. Informal consultation and listening provide a communication channel with active users, our volunteers, young people and the wider community. This is implemented in various ways: - Our online presence (Facebook and Instagram) - Publicity and marketing - An open ‘Coffee with Marlens’ get-together and lottery draw in the Salthouse pub every third Saturday of the month. Everyone welcome - Open discussion at the AGM - Informal feedback from our volunteers, users and interested citizens. ## Lake Users The lake is part of the Clevedon seafront promenade with a large footfall throughout the year of local people and visitors. The sharp growth in outdoor swimmers and paddleboarders continued in 2025, especially the winter swimming community, following popularity in mainstream media. Clevedon Canoe Club, Coastal Rowers, Clevedon Marine Active and Clevedon Sailing Club were active on the lake, and SUPway paddleboard hire continued to offer visitors the opportunity to paddleboard. The sharp increase in users bringing their own SUPs in the summer continued this year. Swimming coaches continued running sessions in the lake for swimming skills and wellbeing. The summer months again drew large numbers of people to the lake. Hot weather brought crowds to the lake to cool off, catch crabs, swim, boat, picnic or simply stroll and enjoy the view. We welcomed visitors of all ages - from the very young to the very old - and, once exams were over, plenty of teenagers came to relax, socialise and let off steam. Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 7 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** We hosted Clevedon’s first ever triathlon in July 2025 - the same weekend as the SwimRun, which has been popular for many years. ## Managing lake use We see several kinds of use: - Individuals using the lake. This is free of charge but we encourage donations. We try to make it easy for those who enjoy the lake to contribute to its upkeep through lakeside donation boxes (now with QR codes) or increasingly by donating online. - Member club sessions. - Classes run by individual instructors registered with Marlens (registration includes a check on their qualifications, first-aid qualification and risk assessment). - Paid services such as boat hire, training courses, parties, events. These are provided by our registered coaches, our member clubs or our boat hire concessionaire. - People hiring the lake from Marlens for their own activities and events. - Production companies hiring the lake for filming. ## Maintenance and improvements Marlens’ main maintenance points continue to be the twice-yearly lake drains in October and March. On every overtopping tide, the marine lake fills from the turbid Bristol Channel depositing silt in the lake, which would build up if we didn’t remove it. We have a 10-year licence to dredge the lake bed for one week each October and March, which started in October 2019, and we are steadily clearing the backlog of silt. In 2025 trustee Tim Clouter led the lake drain planning and operations. We are very grateful for NSC’s generous and unwavering support throughout the period of this report and wish to record particular thanks to those below: - Ed Mckay, Principal Parks and Open Space Officer - Sam Phillips, Senior Parks and Open Spaces Officer - Simon Bunn, Flood Risk Manager Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 8 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** - Paul Hillman, Seafront and Parks Manager. ## The Hive and accessibility In 2022 we converted the crazy golf kiosk on the seafront at the south end of the lake into The Hive, a volunteer hub with accessible changing room. In 2023 we resolved final snagging issues including electrics and certification, roof repair and installed a new ramp to ensure full accessibility. In 2024-25 Tim Clouter and Donna Littleton explored new ways to support swimmers with physical disabilities enter the water. This followed Helen Sharp’s earlier work which concluded a hoist would not be safe or suitable (2023-24 annual report). We commissioned a Disability Access audit from WECIL (West of England Centre for Inclusive Living) as part of the ‘Fit for the Future’ project and started implementing its recommendations (e.g. The Hive key location; changing room arrangements). We started to use the Hive to provide changing facilities for people with disabilities and have developed a process to enable this to happen on a more regular basis. Our thanks to Clevedon Town Council who as part of this have kindly agreed to pay for the changing room cleaning and bin emptying when used by disabled people. ## Lake safety We must keep our lake users safe. Paul Sidney of Astute Safety Consulting (local professional safety consultant) is the competent person to manage Health and Safety at Marlens. He continued to support the trustees and volunteers in identifying and controlling risks and ensuring that the working methods adhere to UK legislation. He helped to set safety policies, prioritising safety improvements and produced Marlens’ Safety Plan 2025. We ask that all lake users respect these policies and refrain from banned activities, and also that any breaches are reported to Safer Stronger North Somerset’s Community Response (https://saferstrongerns.co.uk/report) in order that enforcement activity can be considered. Paul leads a Safety item at trustees’ monthly meetings. A QR code allows people to record Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 9 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** accidents/occurrences/defects and generates an alert to Paul. ## Other safety actions: - Installed new signs/warnings about the nearest defibrillators, seawall, no diving and slippery surfaces. - Cleaned the ramp at the shallow end as much as possible, but with lake full of water we can't remove the algal growth which makes it slippery (hence slippery ramp notice). - Regularly cleaned the splash pools to avoid build-up of slippery algae. - Regular water quality checks from May to September. If bacteria levels are high, we warn users (via red flag and social media). - Updated safety advice (including water quality) on website and social media. - Kept open the penstock between the model boat lake and main lake to reduce stagnation in the model boat lake. - Our volunteers litter picked early every morning in the summer to keep the lakeside clean and clear. ## Funding The lake costs over £30,000 a year to run (repairs, equipment, improvements, training, insurance, website and more), so we must build a reliable income for the future. ## National Lottery Heritage Fund In 2024 Helen Sharp (trustee) submitted a National Lottery Heritage Fund bid, critical to sustain the charity and marine lake. The bid was successful and secured £95,481 for the ‘Fit for the Future’ project, delivered in 2024-25. In September 2024 Kerrie Bruce was appointed as Business Development Manager and Ellie Hookham as Volunteering and Community Development Officer. The project delivered: Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 10 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** - new website / customer relationship management systems - advice from a fundraising consultant - new systems, processes, policies and central storage - stronger data management - stronger volunteer support - stronger community engagement/outreach - trustee governance review, strengthening how Marlens runs itself as a charity. The project has helped make Marlens and the lake more resilient and sustainable, so even more people can enjoy this special place in the years ahead. As lake use grows, our income must grow with it so we can meet rising operational and administrative demands which are now stretching our almost entirely volunteer-run model. With the agreement of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project period was extended to December 2025. This allowed MARLENS to complete key work thoroughly, adapt as we learned, and embed improvements so the project delivers lasting benefits for Clevedon Marine Lake and the wider community. Findings showed that the project met its core objectives, with clear evidence of strengthened organisational capacity, increased participation, improved accessibility and a sustainable digital and operational legacy. The evaluation also identified practical learning and recommendations that will inform Marlens’ future planning and continuous improvement. ## Quartet Helen also led a Quartet bid which secured £14,564 to part-fund Ellie Hookham, Volunteer & Community Officer, in delivering a programme of activity aimed at engaging more diverse groups of young people and bringing wellbeing benefits through use of the lake. To support this work, the grant also funded a day a week of VANS (Voluntary Action North Somerset) time to support with making connections with local groups/networks and developing/implementing relevant policies and processes. Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 11 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** ## Other funding Other significant funding sources for Marlens in 2024-25 (see also Treasurer’s Annual report): - Friends and membership. Jill Sandiford and trustee Lily Southam run our membership arrangements and deal with enquiries from the public. - Marlens Lottery, run by Maggie Norman. This can be joined online from the lake website. - Website donations. - Interest. - Affiliation contributions from clubs using the lake, including some based outside Clevedon. - General donations (including goblets, lakeside boxes, pay pal and company donations). - Merchandise such as our ever-popular Marine Lake bobble hats, led by Lily Southam. - Fundraising events. - GiftAid. - Registration fees from qualified instructors and coaches who teach clients at the lake. We check on registration that instructors are appropriately qualified with professional insurance. - Lake hire for external commercial activities – led by Mike Perrott. - Being visible and raising money at community events run by other organisations e.g. Clevedon Sunday market (Lily Southam and Myles Podmore). ## Digital, communications and marketing Communication with Marlens members and wider audiences is critical. We continued a quarterly newsletter (led by Lily Southam and Viv French) and grew our Facebook following to ~22k. North Somerset Times and BBC Radio Bristol covered Marlens events including lake drains and Lake Day. We continued to host open ‘Coffee with Marlens’ gettogethers and lottery draws in the Salthouse pub every third Saturday of the month. Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 12 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** In 2023 Digital Consultation (a local business) produced Marlens’ digital business plan and following confirmation of National Lottery Heritage Funding, they redesigned the website, alongside a new customer relationship management system. Both went live in 2025. We hosted Saddik Al-Hussain MP North Somerset and Rob Beckley (High Sherrif of North Somerset 2024-25) for lake visits, and both offered strong support through visits and social media posts. ## Environment We care for the environment by collecting and binning plastic rubbish from the lake and its surroundings during our frequent clean-ups. The lake supports a rich marine ecosystem. Tim Clouter continued to develop our lake drain activities to preserve it, including installing crab-friendly shelters in the boating lake with 40 slabs generously provided by NSC. Additional refuges for invasive species management were also put in place, and Mike Perrott commenced our AQUA[1] accreditation for our Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) safeguards. We also developed our Environmental Policy for the lake as part of the Fit for the Future Project. ## Finance and policies (update) The final accounts for 2024-25 were prepared by our new Treasurer Tracey Bishop and Jill Sandiford. They were inspected by an external examiner and will be posted to the Charity Commission website. During the year we updated our reserves policy and made the following amendments: - Increased the contingency reserve, an amount we set aside as a permanent hedge against future uncertainties, to £35,000. The contingency reserve is only spent when income drops to such an extent that the charity cannot continue to operate - 1 Assessment and Qualifications Alliance, a major UK exam board and independent education charity Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 13 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** without support from the reserve. - Increased our long-term provision to £50,000. Long term provisions are built up to cover specific expected substantial items of expenditure which do not recur on an annual basis, for example, renewal of the Marine Management Organisation licence, accessibility improvements and infrastructure repairs not funded by North Somerset Council. Our lease makes Marlens responsible for the first £3,000 each year spent on maintenance, so we must hold at least this sum in reserve. For larger challenges we can look to NSC for support but there is no guarantee that they could act quickly, so a larger amount is realistic if we want to keep the lake in service. - Maintained the project reserve at £10,000 to pay for any significant one-off items of expenditure. Any surplus income from the financial year is added to this reserve. Over 2024-25 as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund work, we reviewed all our policies. ## Looking forward It is vital that Clevedon Marine Lake remains a semi-wild, unspoilt open water space, accessible to everyone whatever their income. At the same time, we know the needs of the lake and its community are evolving. Our goal is to increase the lake’s value to the community and broaden the groups who can enjoy it safely. We will keep responding to these changing needs and continue to improve Marlens’ capacity, so we are fit for the future. In 2025-26, we will: - Recruit a volunteer and community engagement coordinator to support new volunteers and strengthen partnerships with more diverse groups. - Paint white line on lake perimeter, recommended by accessibility audit. - Continue to explore new ways to support swimmers with physical disabilities enter the water. - Use lake visitor numbers and audiences to help target our work / support Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 14 of 15 ## **Trustees’ report to AGM April 2026** - fundraising – demonstrating the lake’s economic impact and public benefit. - Support Winterfest 2026, using our new website to sell advance tickets. - Install a new sign for The Hive! - Install new measures in the lake to understand Invasive Non-Native Species. - Publish all our policies on our new website. - Hold a community celebratory event marking successful delivery of the Fit for the Future project _(reported above for completeness)_ . ## **Sarah Swash, Chair of Trustees, April 2026** ## **on behalf of Marlens** Marine Lake Enthusiasts (Marlens) Registered charity number 1156426 Registered Address: c/o Newsham Hanson & Co, 1-5 Bellevue Road, Clevedon BS21 7NP page 15 of 15 Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F 1/4/2026 Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F Docusign Envelope ID: 808F92E8-6EAD-4D46-83B0-BDC9E677238F 1/4/2026