Gold, frankincense and mend the fells
12 December 2007
Grass seed, stones and helicopter lifts are not likely to feature in Santa’s sack but they could be the perfect present for the walker who has everything.
Christmas charity has already extended to buying goats in Africa or sponsoring a polar bear but now there is a chance to help a very needy cause much closer to home.
The Lake District’s high paths are world renowned and each year 20 million feet trample over them. Excessive wear and tear, along with high levels of rainfall, have taken their toll leaving ugly scars and severe erosion.
It costs £100 to repair just one metre and as Christmas approaches an appeal has gone out to spend and mend.
Fix the Fells has already put right 120 badly damaged routes but with another 50 to go, there’s a lot of potential for solving that last-minute Christmas present dilemma.
A yuletide donation can make a big difference. Instead of buying boots, thermals or waterproofs, why not pay £10 for a metre of path side vegetation or £25 to get stone moved to site?
Very generous gifts could extend to £250 for specialised drainage work, or even £600 for an hour’s use of a helicopter to fly stone to high places.
Fix the Fells project adviser Richard Fox said donations could be made online. An instant certificate can be printed out with a personalised message, showing how the money would help.
He explained: "Buying presents can be a nightmare so we thought up a novel way of easing the pressure and helping preserve the stunning landscape into the bargain. It’s a great way for walkers to give something back.”
Richard pointed to a trail running to High Street from Mardale Ill Bell, now ten metres wide and running like a river in wet weather.
"Walkers use the sides rather than the surface, so the path is constantly widening. The Scar Crags to Sail route, above Newlands, is eight metres wide and both are in desperate need of restoration.
The Heritage Lottery Fund will match every pound donated with a further two pounds, so a £10 gift becomes £30. Please consider helping us this Christmas!”
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