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Clevedon’s Marine Lake: A History of VISIONS
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 In the 1920s Councillor Frederick Robert
Nutting believed that a Marine Lake would be a great asset to Clevedon. He
could not, then, get the support of The Town Council! In the end he purchased
the foreshore rights with his own money and gave them to the Council –
virtually shaming them into building the lake. Once built the lake replaced
“Stinking Corner” where weed and dead creatures were dumped by the tides to rot
and scent the air!
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 The lake was lavishly equipped with an
imposing timber clubhouse/changing-room, high diving boards, springboards, a
bathing raft, a row of bathing huts and a bandstand. The lake became the magnet
on The Bristol Channel for all water-sports, bringing holiday makers from far
and wide with donkey rides, boats for hire, the Salthouse miniature railway,
crowded promenades and floods of deckchairs. Fred Nutting’s VISION was now a
reality! The success of the campaign for a covered pool in the 1980s began a
period of neglect and decline - and an opportunity for new VISIONS. The Middle
Yeo Surf Life-saving Club, which swims all year from its under-road clubhouse
on The Beach, is a wonderful remnant of the lake’s past glories!
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 Clevedon Sailing Club took a lead
towards the future by launching a sponsored fleet of Minnow Sailing Dinghies in
1985. The boats carried logos of enthusiastic local businesses and encouraged
the growth of a large group of sailing cadets. These cadets and their parents
sailed an awesome fleet of Mirror Dinghies on the Bristol Channel through the
1980s making mass crossings to Woodspring Bay and Flatholm. The Minnows and
Mirrors paved the way for a new VISION preceded through the 1990s by a terrible
decline
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 In December 2003 the gloom was lifted at
a North Somerset public meeting “Vision for Marine Lake” and, early in 2004, a
detailed report on the lake was commissioned. At the launch of The Clevedon
Community Plan, in March 2004, the Sailing ‘Club Cadet Section’ contributed a
stall with one of the original Minnows as the centrepiece. On its deck the “THE
NEW VISION” - now promoted by “The Marine Lake Enthusiasts Society” - was
displayed and the first members of MARLENS were recruited by the cadets. After
a long campaign of public meetings and angry confrontations with the Town
Council the “Marine Lake Design Competition” sponsored by MARLENS and the
Clevedon Mercury was launched. The winning designs, showed a second slipway to
allow smooth progression for youngsters from the lake to the sea, a boatstore,
a field study centre on stilts with a refreshment patio right on the sea below
Poets’ Walk. On 28th January the commissioned report from Mott-MacDonald was
released suggesting a positive three-phase revival programme for the lake.
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 In May and June 2005, the Sailing Club -
in partnership with MARLENS - offered “Have a go at Sailing” sessions to
primary school children in Clevedon, Yatton, Nailsea and Backwell. The
popularity of these sessions generated huge public interest. Clevedon Model
Boat Club revived model-boating on the lake led by lake enthusiast Mike Mayhew
the technical whizz-kid who built the models and kept water in the lake by his
personal efforts with an ancient “Sawdust & Ashes System”! Mike is now
retained by North Somerset Council as their trouble-shooter at the lake.
Regular formal discussion between North Somerset, MARLENS and Clevedon Sailing
Club began on 30th June with long term “Seafront Re-generation” on the agenda.
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 MARLENS festival, supported by North
Somerset and Clevedon Town Council, opened on 23rd September with a “School Day
on the Lake” sponsored by Clevedon Garages. A new Community Fleet of Sailing
Dinghies and Kayaks funded by YANSEC and Palm Canoes was launched the
“Skateboard Park” was declared open, ‘Fire Magic’ provided a nightly
spectacular and local musicians led non-stop entertainment with Beer Tent, tug
o’ war, exhibitions, Giant Puppets, Scout Barbeques “Illuminated canoes” and
‘All the Fun of the Fair’. MARLENS became properly constituted in November
published “MARLENS VISION 2006”, printed below, and launched its website
www.MARLENS.org.uk
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 A bigger, better, amazing second
festival was run on 15th, 16th, 17th September and - for 2007 - a secure,
easy-access boat-store for the Community Fleet - funded by YANSEC, North
Somerset & MARLENS – will be completed. After twenty years, stage-one of
the ‘‘VISION’ is realised. Jonathan Buck’s visionary photograph presents this
first stage achievement & Jane Lilly’s nostalgic snaps remind us of the
heyday of Fred Nutting’s visionary dream.
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