Rebranding of lake delayed, says manager

Rob Bebbington, manager of Dearnford Lake, near Whitchurch, said the new name of the venue will not be revealed until June 14, after unavoidable delays.

He said: "We were going to announce it this week but we have had to put it back until June 14.

"The trademark hasn't come through for our new name and after the experience that we got through with our neighbour, we weren't prepared to announce it without the trademark."

The delay comes after a row over the venue's name.

Shropshire councillor Thomas Biggins asked the venue to stop using its name after trademarking the title Dearnford.

He said he had trademarked the name Dearnford to protect his historic 17th century home, which sits near the lake. However, Councillor Biggins said he was prepared to let Dearnford Lake keep its name.

Following discussions, Mr Bebbington said a solution could not be reached, as he did not want the business name "completely governed" but its neighbour.

He added that he had been left "no option" but to rebrand the site before June 16.

With the rebranding, Dearnford Lake will also launch a new membership option for visitors.

Mr Bebbington said: "We found out during the debacle that there are so many people who want to support and help us, so we have decided to start a membership for 320.

"It will give people discounted weekends, entry to the car boot sales, and other things, so people will get back more than their £20.

"It will give them some ownership and pride in the lake and allow us to send out our monthly news letters and keep that dialogue going."

There are also plans to introduce a 50p charge for walkers wanting to visit the lake, without using any on site facilities.

He said: "I think we are guilty of people thinking it is a council-owned site like Ellesmere and Colemere which are paid for through taxes, I suppose. This is not, we have to pay for its upkeep ourselves.

"This wouldn't be a charge for everybody, only people that don't use the facilities like the cafe.

"We have been finding that more and more people are just coming to walk around the lake each day and many are leaving dog mess around.

"This charge is more to help safeguard what we've got, than a tax on using the lake."

For more information about the lake, visit www.dearnford.net