A TRAVELLING exhibition based on an oral history of lakes in the Lake District is set to launch this month.
 

The Clear Waters project saw volunteers interview more than 40 Windermere people about their memories of the area from as far back as the 1940s.
 

Interviewees included anglers, wildlife enthusiasts, boaters, tourists, business owners, wardens, and scientists who worked and lived within the Windermere catchment.
 

Project Officer Gary Rushworth said: “We were able to combine the memories and thoughts of the general public with scientific information and opinion.
 

“For example, the views of anglers, fisheries officers, and ecologists provided valued insights into changes in fish populations within Windermere.
 

“Some memories gave a new perspective to contemporary issues such as boat speed limits within Windermere.
 

“Other memories shed light upon historic events such as Windermere’s contribution to the war effort during World War II.”
 

Clear Waters was managed by the Freshwater Biological Association and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
 

Full versions of the Clear Waters interviews along with typed transcriptions will be archived and stored by the Freshwater Biological Association, and the Ambleside Oral History Group.
 

A travelling exhibit (May 2014 to May 2015) and a website (released in early July 2014) will illustrate some of the key changes in Windermere using audio-clips of interviews, and historic and contemporary photographs.
 

The exhibition will launch at an invitation-only event at Abbot Hall Art Gallery on May 21, which will be attended by Clear Waters interviewees and local organisations including Cumbria Wildlife Trust and United Utilities.