Plenty of lake activities planned for Marlens Festival

The ninth annual Marlens Clevedon Marine Lake Festival is fast approaching and organisers have once again planned a host of activities on the lake to celebrate.

The festival, this year taking place on 14-15 September, is expected to be bigger and better than ever, with the marine lake taking centre stage across the weekend and lots to do on Salthouse Field as well.

The event is run by non-profit making organisation Marlens for the local community. Marlens chairman Joe Norman said this year they want to focus on the lake more than ever:

“The marine lake is a huge part of our local community which is why we organise the festival to raise money for it and also to celebrate its existence.”

“As always there will be lots of activities on the lake for visitors of all ages to try. You can canoe, sail, zorb (in a plastic bubble) and drive a radio-controlled model boat. This year you can also paddle-board and row a pilot gig, while on Sunday there is a raft race for all comers.”

“It’s great to see children and families getting involved with the lake as so much fun can be had. It’s a facility for the whole community and the festival just shows how people can use it.”

As well as water activities the festival sees schools, businesses, clubs and organisations coming together for the weekend. Stalls sell local produce and services and there are two great music stages (see Facebook).

On Salthouse Field as usual there is a family ‘It’s a knockout’ tournament, tug of war, truck pull, bouncy castles, loads of classic cars and dog agility shows, while the Salthouse Field mini-train will be running throughout the weekend.

Joe said: “The Marine Lake opened in 1929 as a major leisure facility for Clevedon and requires constant upkeep and improvements to keep it in service. We are trying for a Heritage Lottery grant to strengthen the outer wall and restore the whole lake to make it as good as new.”

“The festival has grown and grown over the years and we’re expecting crowds of thousands to attend the event on 14-15 September. We hope to give North Somerset a really good weekend and raise much needed funds for the lake.”

The festival is free of charge. More information can be found at the Facebook page please visit facebook.com/marlensfestival.