A competitive spirit was in evidence amongst 9 wallers taking part in Friends of the Lake District’s annual dry stone walling competition at Staveley on Saturday 9^th May. 15m of wall were rebuilt with William Bell from Kendal being crowned top waller, winning the Professional Class as well as Best Throughs and Best Cams.

Ruth Kirk at Friends of the Lake District said: “The judges really had their work cut out to decide who should be the overall winner. Cumbria boasts some of the most skilled wallers in the country and it was fabulous to see so many spectators coming along to learn more about this traditional rural craft which they clearly found fascinating. Inspiring a new generation to continue Cumbria’s heritage of rural skills is vital for conserving our historic and iconic dry stone walls. We’re sure our competition helps to encourage more young local farmers and countryside contractors to earn a living from managing the landscape.”

Competition Results:

Class 1 Professional

1st + Overall Winner + Best Throughs + Best Cams – William Bell (Kendal)

2nd - Steve Allen        (Tebay)

3rd - Peter Gibson (Kendal)

Class 2 Amateur/Open        

1st - Jack Ellerby        (Kendal)

2nd - Bryn Wythes (Sedbergh))

Class  3 Novice/Juniors      

1st + Junior Cup – Thomas Kendal (Grayrigg)

2nd - Michael Hargreaves (Blackpool)

Class 4 Veteran        

1st - George Allonby (Penrith)

2nd - John Gibson (Kendal) 

Thanks to landowner Garth Storey and judges George Redmayne and Keith Allen.

And don't forget, we're running events like this all summer. You can view them on our events page or download our new Events Brochure which you can print out and keep handy.