National Park calls for summer of kindness in the Lake District

Today marks a key milestone for the Lake District as the country takes another step out of lockdown with hotels and hospitality businesses reopening. Ahead of what’s set to be a very busy summer, the Lake District National Park is asking people to be Lake District Kind.

Chief Executive Richard Leafe says:

“We know how important the Lake District has been over the course of the pandemic as we have welcomed many new visitors over the past year. We are pleased and honoured that we have a vital role to play in the recovery of the nation over the coming weeks and months as people come to enjoy all the health and wellbeing benefits the Lake District has to offer.

“To help visitors get the very best experience possible in the Lake District and to give reassurance to our communities, we’re launching a #LakeDistrictKind communications campaign which will run throughout the summer.”

Nicola Bolton from the Lakes Plastic Collective knows all about being #LakeDistrictKind. She said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with the response to our litter picking initiative we set up after an increase in litter in certain locations last year. It has seen people and communities come together for the benefit of the Lake District and truly be Lake District Kind. We fully support the #LakeDistrictKind campaign. My advice is to remember that there’s no bins out on the fells so please take your litter home with you or dispose of it safely.”

Nathan Leadbeater from the Lake District National Park’s Safer Lakes team added: “The #LakeDistrictKind campaign will be great to pull together everything you need to know about coming to the Lake District. My top tip is to check car park statuses on saferlakes.co.uk as car parks can get very busy early on, always have a back-up plan.”

Working with partners including Cumbria County Council and Cumbria Tourism, the National Park Authority is encouraging people to be:

• kind to themselves by planning their visit in advance
• kind to each other by respecting social distancing and being considerate
• kind to Lake District communities by following the countryside code
• kind to Lake District businesses by having patience as we all get used to new ways of working
• kind to Lake District wildlife by taking all litter home and no BBQs
• kind to the Lake District landscapes by leaving no trace

Over the summer, a range of engaging communications will make it as easy as possible for people to be #LakeDistrictKind including reminders about how best to plan, visit and enjoy the Lake District kindly.

To plan your journey in advance and see what areas of the park are busy please use www.saferlakes.co.uk

Brush up on the countryside code https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/countryside-code

Please share how you or someone in the community is being #LakeDistrictKind on social media.