A total of £4,000 has been donated by Groundwork UK-Tesco Bags of Help to look after the Lake District scenery through the work of volunteers with Fix the Fells.
The money was raised from the plastic bag tax at Tesco stores in Kendal, Bowness-on-Windermere, Millom and Ambleside.
Fix the Fells are saying a very big “Thank you!” to Tesco customers who voted in store for their favourite project each time they shopped. Fix the Fells won the public vote for the maximum grant.
Barry Capp, Fix the Fells Volunteer from Ulverston, said, “We are delighted to receive this funding which will be used for repairs to the popular path along the shore of Grasmere at Penny Rock Bridge below Loughrigg. The path is badly eroded and the repairs will be carried out by Fix the Fells volunteers over winter. It will take a great deal of time and hard work to create a more resilient route at this location overlooking this beautiful lake.”
Fix the Fells aims to protect the spectacular Lakeland fells from erosion by maintaining and repairing the upland paths and landscape. This is undertaken throughout the year and in all weathers by 20 highly skilled Rangers and 130 specially trained and highly enthusiastic volunteer “lengthsmen”.
This term comes from medieval times when lengthsmen were paid to walk the length of the parish and repair any roads and unblock ditches. The majority of the lengthsmen come from in and around Cumbria and want to “give something back” to the fells they love.
Joanne Backshall, Fix the Fells Programme Manager, said, “We are really grateful for this significant contribution towards our work, which protects the scenery and wildlife of this beautiful area. With 19 million visitors to the Lake District each year, and more and more local people also getting out in to countryside, we are all having a significant impact on the fells. Without intervention the landscape and paths would continue to deteriorate and lead to visible scars as well as less visible effects on biodiversity. We couldn’t continue our efforts to repair and protect the fells without the fantastic help and support of everyone who appreciates this fabulous resource.”
Fix the Fells is a partnership programme between the National Trust, the Lake District National Park, Natural England, Friends of the Lake District and the Lake District Foundation.
The aim of the Fix the Fells partnership is to protect the spectacular Lake District landscape from erosion damage by repairing and maintaining upland paths.
Fix the Fells needs over half a million pounds a year to complete its upland path repair work and this comes from donations and grants. All financial support is gratefully received and more information on how to do this can be found on our website www.fixthefells.co.uk.
