The Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme aims to unlock and reveal the hidden heritage of the Westmorland Dales, enabling more people to connect with, enjoy and benefit from this inspirational landscape. Thanks to National Lottery players it has been supported by a grant from the Heritage Fund.
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Welcome to the summer newsletter of the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme, in what promises to be a defining year for us. Despite some ongoing challenges with Covid and the weather, there really is an enormous amount happening at the moment as we catch up on things that have been delayed. Read more
Shap CE Primary School have been working on the rocks element of the national curriculum and how they shape the landscape of the Westmorland Dales. What an adventure it was! Read more
A wonderful day was had by all who attended our Wild Play Day at Tebay recreation field during the Easter holidays. Our partners Stomping Ground provided a fantastic array of nature connected activities from den building, clay crafts, campfire cooking and natural artworks. Read more
News and events from the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership team. Landscape Forum 2022, Planetariums, Twigwams, Chainsaws, Webinars, Wild Play Days, Volunteering, Hedge Laying and lots more as 2022 gets off to a flying start. Read more
One of the highlights of our year has been the Westmorland Dales Landscape Forum, held at the High Chapel Community and Heritage Centre in Ravenstonedale last Saturday, April 23rd. Read more
A fantastic new charity, Access the Dales, will be launched on 2nd April 2022 at Ravenseat Farm, home of the Yorkshire Dales Farmer and TV celebrity Amanda Owen. Amanda is delighted to be the patron of the charity, especially because of her close friendship with founder of the charity, Debbie North. Read more
A BIG thank you to all the schools and people who took part in our Dark Skies Celebration with Polestar planetarium. We really had a fantastic week celebrating our dark skies! Read more
The project will involve volunteers digging up to thirty small 1mx1m test pits around the village to investigate what finds from the topsoil can tell us about the history of the village. There will be other ways to get involved if you can’t dig, such as helping with the finds washing and processing. Read more
The small-scale heritage features survey will be ongoing from March to August 2022 (inclusive). It will involve small groups of volunteers surveying small-scale heritage features in 7 settlements in the Westmorland Dales. Each settlement will take 2 or 3 days to survey. Read more
Do you want to find out more about dry stone walls? Do you enjoy documentary research? Have you ever wanted to survey dry stone walls? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then this project has an opportunity for you. Read more
Volunteers from the Asby and Crosby Ravensworth tree groups, Friends of the Lake District and others enjoyed three days of hedgelaying last week at Gaythorne Hall in the heart of the Westmorland Dales. Read more
National Apprenticeship Week 2022, 7th - 13th February 2022. The week brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy. Read more
News and events from the brilliant Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership team. The latest project updates, new apprentices, events, webinars, grants and geo-trails Read more
The ‘Our Common Heritage’ project aims to record farming and commoning stories, collate and digitise old oral history recordings, interesting documents and memorabilia. Read more
Eden Viaducts still need to raise over £100,000 for the first phase of the repairs and are looking for people to help its fundraising efforts by accepting the #14Peaksfor14Arches challenge, covering 90 miles (for 90 feet) whilst doing so. Read more
Local schools took part in an art project with artists Rob and Harriet Fraser. See their work and watch their video creations featuring the unique landscapes of the Westmorland Dales. Read more
Browse the following online notice boards about our Westmorland Dales villages. You can view suggested themes and stories, add your own ideas, comment and show your preferences by ‘liking’. Your ideas and comments will help inform the development of new display boards or other media for our Westmorland Dales village communities and visitors. Read more
The Westmorland Dales Scheme team is helping to interpret the Westmorland Dales rich archaeological heritage and reveal much of which has remained undiscovered, unrecorded and under threat. Read more
Presenter Debbie North promotes outdoor adventures for all in a new film Get Outside in the Westmorland Dales. Read more
We're inviting farming families and workers who have lived in and around the Westmorland Dales; Tebay, Crosby Ravensworth, Ravenstonedale and other areas to drop in, tell your stories and share your family histories at our two day event in Orton - Friday 15th and Saturday 16th October. Read more
15th & 16th October 2021. Calling all farming families and workers who have lived in and around The Westmorland Dales; Tebay, Crosby Ravensworth, Ravenstonedale and other areas. We would love to hear your stories! Read more
News and events from the brilliant Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership team. Featuring Debbie North who is producing 'Accessible Westmorland Dales', a film aimed at encouraging those with a disability or a long term illness to get outside in the local area and enjoy its heritage and health benefits. Read more
If you would like to find out more about the fascinating rocks that form the foundation of the Westmorland Dales, ten new EarthCaches have been developed, each covering a different aspect of the geology. Read more
We couldn't have asked for a better day and a more spectacular location to host our free day of walks exploring Great Asby. Read more
Children from Crosby Ravensworth, Great Asby, Orton, Shap, Tebay and Kirkby Stephen Primary Schools have been working with Cumbrian sound artist, Dan Fox, to record pieces of music made entirely from natural sounds collected on a 'sound walk' around their villages. Read more
As spring turns into summer there is plenty on offer for you to get involved with. Heritage Talks, Westmorland Dales Walks, Marvellous Meadow events and archaeology projects taking place across the Westmorland Dales. Read more
As spring turns into summer there is plenty on offer for you to get involved with safely. We have a series of Wednesday Health and Heritage walks, supplemented on the occasional Saturday with some longer walks including ones in Great Asby on 17th July. Read more
Cumbrian children have been working with sound artist, Dan Fox, to record pieces of music made entirely from natural sounds collected on a 'sound walk' Read more
We are looking for self-motivated individuals with a strong interest in conservation to work in the beautiful landscape of the Westmorland Dales. Read more
‘Skills for the Future’ is an apprenticeship scheme designed to address shortages in countryside management skills. The first cohort of apprentices has just completed an extensive 18 month programme of training which has seen each of them successfully gaining employment in roles where these skills are needed. Read more
The last few months have tested us all with lockdown and short winter days. But there has been plenty to enjoy and celebrate too. Read more
Poet, Harriet Fraser has produced two short films for the Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership Scheme aimed at primary aged children to inspire poetry linked to trees and the landscape. Read more
Our Online Landscape Conference took place on Saturday 27th March 2021. The program covered the breadth of our delivery work from natural heritage, archaeology to the areas rich cultural heritage. Read more
The four countryside apprentices working with our Westmorland Dales project have completed their 18-month apprenticeships. Watch this wonderful film that captures their enthusiasm, achievements and the beauty of the winter landscape. Read more
A gorgeous new willow play sculpture has been installed at Jubilee Park in Kirkby Stephen Read more
A short film has been created by ‘The Farmer Network’ revealing local practices of sheep management on the fells of Westmorland Dales. Read more
A film showcasing the work of six local primary schools using 'land art' creations to celebrate local landmarks and nature in a celebrating of the Westmorland Dales. Read more
Autumn dominates this edition. An image of Mallerstang Edge and Wild Boar Fell in November light heads up this edition and a school arts project celebrates the Westmorland Dales using natural materials to create amazing art pieces full of autumn colour. Read more
This autumn children in the Westmorland Dales have been exploring the landscape through land art. We are working with Kirkby Stephen Community Arts and land artists ‘Stomping Ground’ and 6 local primary schools using Land Art creations to celebrate local landmarks and nature. Read more
On 11 December 2020 Dr Neil Hudson MP will be re-opening Smardale Gill Viaduct and unveiling a new interpretation panel that will explain the history of this marvellous monument of Victorian engineering. Read more
From January 2021 we are hoping to run a series of weekly health and heritage walks around the Westmorland Dales, taking in fabulous views, history and wildlife. Read more
An award of £5,000 from the ‘Love Your Landscape’ grant scheme has been awarded to the Crosby Ravensworth Parish Tree Group in support of selfless work by the community to ensure that trees throughout the parish are sustained for future generations. Read more
We have launched a grant scheme offering financial support to landowners and farmers in the Westmorland Dales to carry out conservation work on traditional farm buildings under threat. Read more
The apprentice team have been back working from Tebay starting with some fantastic improvements to the area around our building. We’ve received our first bids for our 'Love Your Landscape' grants for community projects. We're sharing some wonderful films to help you identify wildflowers and much much more... Read more
The Westmorland Dales and Cumbria Wildlife Trust teams have joined up with local photographer and filmmaker Jon Chappell to produce a series of short films designed to help you identify the most common meadow wildflowers. Read more
We're delivering 'Sensational' teaching sessions such as 'Magical Mini-Beasts’, ‘Terrific Trees’ and ‘Fabulous Flowers’ to help socially isolated children come together in a safe space, meet each other again and take part in organised activities. Read more
An award of £5,000 from the 'Love Your Landscape' grants fund has kicked off a fundraising campaign to restore public access to Smardale Gill viaduct with its far reaching views across the Westmorland Dales. Read more
With a new lockdown in full swing and some long winter nights ahead, it’s easy to feel a bit down. But we have just the thing to raise your spirits. Read more
Well, it’s been quite a year since we started in March 2019. Recruiting staff and apprentices, securing office and workshop space at Tebay and developing a strong partnership, with the addition of new members, critical to our project delivery. Read more