After the huge success of last year’s ‘Love your Lakes’ photo competition South West Lakes Trust and South West Water have decided to hold it again this year.
The competition, now in its sixth year, aims to encourage people of all ages to make the most of the fantastic photo opportunities at their lakes across Devon, Cornwall and West Somerset. The lakes of the South West are popular among amateur and professional photographers alike and the opportunities are endless.
This year there will be four photo categories – ‘Play and Explore, ‘Active Outdoors’, ‘Love your Lakes and ‘Discovering Local Culture’. South West Lakes Trust are passionate about people from all walks of life being able to benefit from the wonderful countryside around their lakes. These categories are four of the five themes that underpin the work of South West Lakes Trust’s charity and our people:
FIVE CAMPAIGN THEMES
- Play and Explore – Reconnecting children and their families with the outdoors through play
- Love Your Lakes – Caring for and improving our natural environment
- Active Outdoors – Promoting and delivering health and wellbeing in the outdoors
- Discovering Local Culture – Celebrating and engaging people with our built and social heritage
- Building Outdoor Skills – Training and personal development for those furthest from work
More information about the campaigns can be found here – www.swlakestrust.org.uk/our-work/
Photos must be taken at one of South West Lakes Trust’s lakes. A fantastic prize of a £250 will be awarded to the overall winning photograph, with £100 for each individual category winner. Runner-up prizes will also be up for grabs and a special prize will be awarded to the photo which receives the most public votes.
The ‘Love your Lakes’ photo competition is free to enter and will be judged by Andy Parsons, Chief Executive of South West Lakes Trust, Alan Hyde, South West Water’s Head of Community Relations, and last but at no means least renowned professional news and sport photographer Richard Austin.
Richard has been working at the top end of the newspaper and magazine industry for more than a quarter of a century. His photographs are used all over the world in newspapers and magazines, and as a modern day media photographer Richard has the ability to adapt his photographic work not only to news and sport but also in the expanding business world of Public Relations and Web Site photography.
Andy Parsons said: “Everyone in our area has a lake within thirty minutes’ drive of their home, providing an ideal setting for perfecting photography skills. Throughout the year the landscape changes, shadows lengthen and shorten and greenery appears and disappears, giving photographers the fascinating challenge of capturing their favourite locations in differing stages. I really look forward to judging the competition this year, knowing that it is a great leveller, open to people of all ages and abilities. Please feel encouraged to take a trip to a lake near you – you never know what wildlife you will encounter or how much fun it can be trying to capture that special scene.’
Alan Hyde added: “We’re pleased to be supporting South West Lakes Trust’s photo competition again this year. Every dam is an amazing feat of engineering and the lakes that they create provide lots of opportunities for family fun, whether that’s watersports or simply picnicking and enjoying the scenery. Take your camera with you, send us your best pictures and I look forward to seeing the results in the autumn.”
To submit your photos visit www.swlakestrust.org.uk/photo-competition
PHOTO: Wimbleball Lake by Judith Taylor