We always say High Borrowdale is a place of extremes, a place to test things to the limit of their capabilities. The recent storms have done that with thousands of pounds of resulting damage. It’s a bit unfair though when a large group of volunteers come to help clear up and also get tested to the limits of their endurance too!

It was a foul day with freezing winds and rain but we braved on til after lunchtime. We started on the clean-up - picking up blown tubes, evicting sheep, watergate repairs, and gutters full of sticks and moss on the cow shed.

Standing in the beck fixing the water gates with spanners and small nuts and bolts was a total endurance test for cold hands and feet, it hurt!

Even the trusty truck was tested when it got stuck in the mud but dumpy bags came to the rescue to get it shifted.

But there was positivity, still lots of laughter, and the planting of a rowan tree for the new grandson of a family who have a tree for each one of them planted at High Borrowdale.

Next week we are continuing with tree planting. We are planting up the new enclosures where we have been working to rabbit-proof them in recent months. We are adding fruiting and berry native trees to help wildlife, and we are doing it in memory of our amazing devoted volunteer Jean Savage who we lost last year. 

Jean walked the Helm for us most days checking on walls, ponies, and cows, and that was before she then came to work parties or helped out on other events. If you would like to join us we would love to have you and your trowel. You can book places on our work parties here.