Woods, Water and Wildlife are the themes of a free summer event for all the family being held at Grasmere by Friends of the Lake District on Saturday 15^th August.

We're inviting people to a new wood at Gillside and Tongue Gill, where the coast-to-coast path leaves Grasmere. There will be talks about the Red Squirrels which live in this magical spot (11am -12pm,  1-2 pm and 3-4 pm) tours of the new hydro scheme (12-1pm and 2-3pm) a woodland quiz trail, children's craft activities, and tea and cake.

We've been working with members and landowners Bev and Jo Dennison-Drake to create a new, native upland woodland.

Ruth Kirk, event organiser said,

“We’ve planted 6,000 trees with the help of volunteers to enhance the landscape and wildlife value of the land, to protect soils, water quality and increase the resilience of the Windermere catchment against the effects of extreme weather associated with climate change.

The expanding woodland cover will also help many declining woodland bird species, including Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Tree Pipit, Willow Warbler and Woodcock. We’re delighted that Red Squirrels are already making a home in the new wood.

The landowners, Bev and Jo have also installed a hydro-electric power generator feeding off the Tongue Gill beck, so together with the carbon absorbing trees, we think it might be the ‘greenest’ piece of land in the Lake District!”

You’ll need to book a place online so that we know how much cake to bake. Contact [email protected] or visit our Gillside Woods event page for more information.