Blencathra and its surrounding countryside is sporting a spruced-up look thanks to over 140 volunteers and staff who took part in our Blencathra Fell Care Day on Tuesday 22nd September.

It was our 10th mass-volunteering Fell Care Day in 5 years. These events give volunteers the chance to put something back in to protecting Cumbria’s spectacular but surprisingly fragile landscapes.

On a sunny, early autumn day, volunteers got stuck into a wide range of practical conservation tasks led by partner organisations including Lake District National Park, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Fix the Fells, Forestry Commission and West Cumbria Rivers Trust. The results were truly impressive:

• 113 volunteers plus 29 leaders and FLD staff.
• 13 tasks and activities completed.
• 100 metres of steps rebuilt near the foot of Blencathra.
• 5 km of mixed woodland pruned on Keswick railway path.
• 326 tree cages removed from Caldbeck common.
• 20 bags of rubbish, 4 tyres, a brush, a mattress and a carpet removed from in and around Bassenthwaite Lake.
• 26.5 km of upland path drains cleared and swept.
• ¾ hectare planted with 1000 hay meadow plug plants at Eycott Hill.
• 5 m of dry stone wall dismantled and rebuilt at Eycott Hill.
• 1 km of path side woodland cleared at Dodd Wood
• 2.5 km of the River Glenderamackin surveyed.
• 814 hours of work completed = 116 days.
• And over 300 pieces of cake eaten!

If you have any trouble seeing the video in your browser then click this link to view it on Vimeo

Ruth Kirk, Fell Care Project Officer said,

“It was hard not be moved by both the stunning scenery around us and the monumental amount of hard work and elbow grease our volunteers put in to the day.

“We’ve seen how somewhere like Blencathra can galvanise people to want to protect special places that mean so much to them.

“Our youngest volunteer was aged 18 months and got stuck into planting up a hay meadow. It’s brilliant to know that our Fell Care Days are helping to inspire a whole new generation to care for the Lake District”.”

Our next Fell Care Day takes place in Eden on Wednesday 4th November. To sign up for one of the tasks visit our Eden Fell care Day web page