Eight years ago, I moved to Stoke-on-Trent. I was a bit lonely at first in a new city, but in 2019, I discovered Westport Lake, my home away from home, and found myself calling in at the Visitor Centre and Cafe on most days. As someone living alone, the Centre has become much more than just a social hub for me. It's where I can meet nature enthusiasts like myself, who share my passion for wildlife, photography, and the tranquil beauty of Westport Lake.

The Visitor Centre and its Cafe, which overlooks the lovely lake, serve as precious meeting points for our community. The wonderful staff are an integral part of the Westport experience, offering such a warm welcome to all who pass through their doors.

Westport Lake not only attracts wildlife photographers and nature lovers, but is also regularly visited by fishing clubs, mother and baby groups, disabled visitors and their carers, a remote controlled model boat club, cyclists, joggers and dog walkers, to name but a few, most of whom make regular use of the cafe and visitor centre.

This much-loved facility also provides the only toilet facilities for Westport Lake, which attracts thousands of visitors every year, many of them children, who enjoy the large play area.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust have made the difficult decision to terminate their tenancy of the building with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and close the Visitor Centre and Cafe at the end of September this year, citing as their reason for doing so, the fact that they are unfortunately no longer able to operate the facility profitably. This news has really taken the community by surprise, as the Cafe always seems so busy and popular. It will be a devastating loss and is likely to have a serious impact on visitor numbers. 

The closure of the Centre will not only deprive us of a much-loved recreational facility, but also of an integral part of our daily routines and community lives. In a culturally diverse area, It brings people of all ethnicities together, uniting us over a shared love for nature and community spirit. The closure of the visitor centre and cafe will not only result in the loss of these cherished routines, but could also prove a deterrent to future visitors to the lake, affecting the vitality of Westport Lake and its continued appeal to local people and tourists alike.

It's more than just a building to us; it's a shared space where our lives are intertwined and memories are created.

It’s encouraging to see that Stoke-on Trent City Council have issued an official statement saying they are “committed to finding new management and to keeping the cafe and facilities open for visitors.”

Let's unite to help save our precious Visitor Centre & Cafe and urge the Council to do everything in their power to deliver on this commitment. Please sign this petition to save Westport Lake Visitor Centre & Cafe and secure its future.  Let's show how much it means to us and our community.