Big Issue: 'In the world of campaigning, hope is essential'
For climate campaigners, one issue was more important than any other this year, with activists pushing the new Labour government to protect the natural world.
Matt Staniek, the man behind the Save Windermere campaign, has spent 2024 working tirelessly to prevent waste flooding into England’s largest lake, and in 2025 plans to keep his crucial work going.
For our My Big Year series, here’s what Staniek has to say about his highs and lows of the past year – and why “hope is essential” going into 2025.
BIG ISSUE: What has been the standout moment of 2024?
MATT STANIEK” There have been so many high points for Save Windermere this year that it’s hard to choose just one. From Labour pledging to clean up Windermere, to the hundreds of thousands that have joined our fight in a variety of different ways, pushing United Utilities to commit to its largest-ever investment in the lake at £190m – it’s been a big year. And having Feargal Sharkey, a rock star both on stage and in the fight for clean water, standing with us? It’s been a rollercoaster.
Are you more or less hopeful than at the start of 2024?
In the world of campaigning, hope is essential. It’s what keeps us going, so my glass is definitely still half full!
Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter
What do you think the world got right this year?
The way people have come together to mobilise against injustices has been incredibly inspiring. Social media, in particular, is being wielded as a powerful tool for driving real change – it feels like we’re seeing it used more effectively than ever before.
What do you think the world got wrong this year?
The transition to make our natural world adaptable to climate change just isn’t happening quickly enough. It seems to me that we are inevitably going to see our climate change in ways that we could never have dreamed of and it’s now time to protect and use nature to ensure humanity’s existence. This year, we’ve seen the devastation from extreme weather in places like Spain and the US. Climate breakdown is here now, and we urgently need our leaders to put people above corporate interests and make bold moves to protect the future.
Did you get Oasis tickets?
Didn’t even cross my mind to get them! That said, I’d love the chance to chat with Noel and Liam about rebranding Windermere as the “Oasis of the North”…
What is your cultural highlight of the year?
Hands down, it’s when Liz Truss got “lettuced” by Led by Donkeys.
What would your browsing history say about you this year?
It’d show that I’m almost able to spell words correctly on the first try – and that I’m very obsessed with sewage.
What’s your biggest failure this year?
Three years into this campaign, and I’m still waiting on a solid government commitment to end sewage pollution in Windermere. We’re making strides, but we’re not there yet.
What’s the one conversation you wish you were able to have in 2024?
I’d like a sit-down with Keir Starmer to emphasise our message. He has the power to put an end to the destruction of England’s freshwater, and Windermere could be the case study to protect these resources for all of us, now and for future generations. I’m sure that would be a legacy he would want his children to remember.
What is the oddest family Christmas tradition you keep?
Sadly, it’s pretty standard at our house – nothing too out of the ordinary!
What’s your big issue for 2025?
There are many pressing issues for 2025, but for me as a sewage campaigner the priority remains clear. Labour needs to commit to fully ending sewage pollution in England’s largest lake, Windermere, once and for all. Protecting the people’s lake for the people of this nation.
