Windermere memorial bench restored after owner found

A memorial bench which was washed up on the shore of a lake has been restored after its owner was found.

Windermere Lake Cruises started a campaign to find the owner of the bench, inscribed with the words “In memory of Dennis Wall”, which was discovered near Waterhead Pier in October after Storm Amy hit Cumbria.

Jennifer Cormack, from the company, said her team was “so pleased” when Mr Wall’s daughter was alerted to the social media post and got in touch.

Joanne Wall said: “This feels like a little reminder from my dad saying ‘don’t forget about me'”, adding it would have “certainly amused” her parents.

Ms Wall said someone had messaged her after seeing a Facebook post, which Ms Cormack said had reached more than 400,000 people.

“This has happened at a strange time as Friday is the one year anniversary of my mum passing away so she has been at the forefront of my mind,” she said.

“But this feels like a little reminder from my dad saying ‘don’t forget about me’ or more likely my mum saying ‘oi, where’s my bench?'”

“Joanne told me she worked at the YHA in 2000 and her dad passed away suddenly in 2001 so the manager bought a bench for her,” Ms Cormack said.

“Our pier man Chris Parr helped retrieve the bench and did a lot of the clean up work because it was covered in duck weed and lichen.”

Ms Cormack said the bench had been returned on Wednesday.

“The bench has been on Windermere shores for 20 years so hopefully now it will be there for at least another 20 more,” she added.