Rain and Gales Couldn’t Stop Conservation Volunteers

By golly, they needed their brollies, and industrial strength waterproofs, as volunteers at Friends of the Lake District’s Keswick Mountain Festival Fell Care Day on Saturday 10th June undertook  a range of practical conservation tasks.

Despite the unseasonal weather conditions, 32 volunteers and task leaders achieved the following results:

• 8m of dry stone wall was rebuilt on Crow Park, Keswick.
• 17km of upland paths around Ashness Bridge and Catbells were cleared and maintained.
• 5 huge helicopter dumpy bags were filled with non-native invasive species Crassula cleared from Derwentwater.
• 132.5 hours of work were completed = 19 days.

Ruth Kirk Fell Care Project Officer said, “With torrential rain on Saturday and gale force winds on Sunday which forced the KMF organisers to close the Festival Village on Crow Park to everyone (visitors and exhibitors alike) we faced some ‘challenging’ conditions: which makes the superb efforts of our hardy and committed volunteers and task leaders, all the more impressive.”

Further Fell Care Days are planned for Grasmere Sat 2nd September and Eskdale Wednesday 8th November. Visit https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/fell-care-days for more details.

The charity's volunteer conservation work parties continue year-round; you can take part in tree planting and maintenance, dry stone walling, gorse and bracken control, caring for upland paths and other conservation work. For dates and information visit: https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/volunteering