Chance for Outdoor Leaders to learn more about the Lake District environment

Landscape charity Friends of the Lake District has launched its 2019 series of free Leaders’ Landscape Training events and is urging outdoor education professionals and walk leaders to get involved and share the messages about looking after our Lake District.

Aimed at mountain leaders and outdoor practitioners, the training is designed to expand outdoor guides’ knowledge of the variety of Cumbria’s upland ecology, and to cover the issues and pressures that outdoor users place on our landscape, wildlife and habitats. The sessions are accredited by Mountain Training Association as continuing professional development.

Friends of the Lake District’s Landscape Engagement Officer Ruth Kirk, said, “We always get a terrific response from outdoor practitioners who attend our Leader’s Landscape Training sessions. 100% of people say they would recommend them to others. Our fragile landscapes are under threat as never before, not least from climate change, and our challenge is to understand, support and enhance them. Outdoor leaders have an important role to play in sharing their knowledge with the groups they take out.”

The 2019 programme includes Pollinators in Peril, Geology, Identifying Upland Flora and Wildlife, Bird Habitats of the Lake District, Mining History in Coniston Coppermines Valey, Cumbria’s Rainforests and Wild Food and Foraging.

The first session, “Night Navigation on the Fells: Tools for after-dark exploration,” takes place on Friday 5^th April at Askham, near Penrith.

Events are free to outdoor leaders and run from April through to October at various locations in Cumbria. Places are allocated on a first-come, first served basis.

Friends of the Lake District’s Leaders’ Landscape Training Programme for 2019 is sponsored by CONQUER Lake District: designers and creators of National Park goods that have a touch of the nostalgia about them. www.conquerlakedistrict.co.uk

To find out more or to book a place, visit our Leaders' Landscape Training page: www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/leaders-landscape-training or contact [email protected].

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