Friends of the Lake District’s mass volunteering event took place on Friday 17^th November, bringing together 60 volunteers, task leaders and Friends staff at sites around Buttermere valley to carry out a wide range of conservation tasks. 

Pictured: Drystone walling at Buttermere Fell Care Day

Kay Andrews, Landscape Engagement Officer with Friends of the Lake District said, 

“The enthusiasm and hard work volunteers put into helping to care for our landscape is always inspiring to see. Our Fell Care Days bring together both local communities and visitors from across the country to have fun whilst carrying out incredibly important conservation work. We had a fantastic day, the sun shone and there were smiles all round.” 

A fine day, teamwork and cake to fuel the workforce proved a winning combination once again with volunteers from across the county delivering some remarkable results: 

•          7 metres of dry-stone wall was rebuilt at High Nook, Loweswater, led by the National Trust. The dry stone wall repair makes the field stock proof again.  
•          7.5 metres of hedge was laid at Watergate Farm, Loweswater led by the National Trust. Our hedgerows are a vital network for wildlife, sequester carbon, help prevent flooding as well as making the field stock proof for the farmer.
•          Hemlock regeneration removed from Lanthwaite Wood, Loweswater led by National Trust. Hemlock trees were removed from the woods 12 years ago but some regeneration had come through. Hemlock is a non-native species and can dominate woodlands stopping other species from growing. By removing the Hemlock it will allow native tree species in the woodland to develop. 
•          400 tree shelters and stakes extended and redundant shelters removed from trees planted in the Hobcarton Valley, led by Forestry England.
•          Scrub was cleared across a 2-acre area of wetland with West Cumbria Rivers Trust. The removal of scrub creates space for a wider variety of plant species to grow and will improve the health of the wetland.
•          12km walked maintaining the Fleetwith Pike fell path with Fix the Fells. Fix the Fells path maintenance is essential to keeping our upland paths in good working order, and helps identify and mitigate erosion issues before they become bigger problems.
•          300 hours of work completed
•          80 pieces of cake eaten

Kay Andrews said, 

“Thank you to everyone who took part and supported the event. Partnership working is key to the success of these days, and we are very grateful for the support of everyone involved in the day this year; National Trust, West Cumbria Rivers Trust, Fix the Fells, Forestry England, Loweswater Village Hall and our lovely cake supplier David Willan Quality Fresh Foods.” 

Friends of the Lake District runs volunteering activities throughout the year. Visit our volunteering pages for more information>

See more photos of the day on our facebook page>

Pictured: The Buttermere Valley