Friends of the Lake District sponsors Fix the Fells ranger

Friends of the Lake District sponsors Fix the Fells ranger

Friends of the Lake District has announced it is sponsoring a Fix the Fells ranger, Patrick Gaffney, to support the partnership organisation in its great work of repairing upland erosion and maintaining paths across the Lake District fells.

Fix the Fells is a partnership organisation that helps tackle erosion on the fells, while repairing and maintaining 344 of the many upland paths which crisscross the Lake District landscape. The partnership is made up of the National Trust, the Lake District National Park Authority, Natural England, the Lake District Foundation and Friends of the Lake District.

Fix the Fells employs professional upland rangers and a volunteer development ranger. Volunteers look after the day-to-day maintenance of the paths, while the professional rangers deal with the bigger problems. Rangers work across the region, roughly divided between the north, south, east and western areas. Depending on what’s needed, rangers repair paths, build and repair drains and stone pitched steps, and landscape the area to help guide people and prevent further erosion.

Patrick Gaffney, aged 26, has worked for Fix the Fells for around eight months. He said: “It’s great working as a ranger – we have a workplace unlike many other people. On a summer’s day this can be the best job in the world, but on a typical Lake District day it can be tough going! I get a lot of satisfaction from seeing the end result of our work and knowing that we are doing our bit to help protect the landscape while enabling people to enjoy it.”

Fix the Fells Partnership Manager, Isabel Berry, said: “We’re really grateful to Friends of the Lake District for sponsoring one of our ranger posts. There’s no statutory funding for erosion repair work on paths up in the fells, so we need to raise around three quarters of a million pounds annually to support our work. This kind of enriched support from a partner organisation really helps.”

Michael Hill, CEO of Friends of the Lake District said: “Fix the Fells rangers and volunteers do an amazing job caring for the well-trodden paths that crisscross the landscape. Without their hard work, there would be many more scars on the landscape due to erosion. We’re looking forward to sharing more about the work that Patrick and his fellow rangers do and the challenges they face. This sponsorship underscores our commitment to preserving the natural beauty of the Lake District.”

Read more about Fix the Fells here.