Tim Farron MP will not be getting socks for Father's Day
Published on 12 June 2008
Socks for Father’s Day…? Not for Tim Farron MP! Tim’s gift for Father’s Day 2008 took on a ‘green’ slant, when he was presented with a special certificate for upland path repair under the ‘Fix the Fells’ project.
Tim, well-known local MP and a father, enjoys and cares about the environment he lives in - so made an excellent choice for receiving a Father’s Day gift of a restored path. The unusual presentation took place on Thursday 12 June at 5.45pm at Red Screes (near the Kirkstone Pass Inn).
Fix the Fells is a partnership that works together to prevent further erosion of upland paths, through work carried out on them by contactors, staff and a large volunteer force. The partnership is run by the Lake District National Park Authority, The National Trust and Natural England - and is further supported by Friends of the Lake District, The Tourism and Conservation Partnership and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Keen to support the Fix the Fells, Tim Farron MP said: “I enjoy the precious time I get with my family to go out on the fells and see the beautiful Lakeland scenery - and so I am delighted to receive this donation certificate of a restored path as my Father's Day present this year. I think there will be lots of Dads out there who care about the erosion of the upland paths and would love to receive such a thoughtful gift - with the knowledge that they are giving something back to the landscape, for them and future generations to enjoy with their families both now and forever.”
A website tells people all over the world about the damage to the paths and how they are able to help the repair work. To encourage people to donate online, personalised certificates can be issued by donating direct.
Fix the Fells is a five-year programme, which needs to raise £5 million to pay for upland path repair. £2.5 million was raised under the previous project that successfully repaired 102 Lake District upland paths, with 74 still in need of desperate care.
For every donation made to Fix the Fells, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) triple the donation - which is more good news. A £10 donation would provide one metre of revegetation alongside a path - and with the triple donation from HLF, this will increase to £30 - to pay for one tonne of stone to be moved to site. Red Screes at Kirkstone, is one of the paths under the Fix the Fells repair scheme.
Richard Fox, Lake District National Park Authority, project manager for Fix the Fells said:
“Red Screes is a popular hill, as it is easily accessible - you can drive to less than 1000 feet of its summit. But the fell’s accessibility has its downside, with the number of people climbing it causing increasing erosion problems.
“After considerable thought put into planning and surveying options, around £35,000 was spent on Red Screes in 2005 to stabilise some of the worst erosion and to provide a hard-wearing surface to prevent further erosion. In 2008, we turned towards other areas on the hillside, as they are gradually getting degraded over time.
“I am delighted that Tim Farron is offering his support to the excellent work which is undertaken under the ‘Fix the Fells’ project. Hopefully, others will follow in his footsteps and see how easy it is to donate online – and receive their special certificate.”
John Atkinson, National Trust, project manager for Fix the Fells said:
“The work on Red Screes has been carried out by local contractors, who are highly skilled and specialise in upland path landscape restoration. The work involves installing drains and stone pitching, using locally occurring surface stone. In the instance of Red Screes, the stone is flown by helicopter onto site. No materials are imported and only traditional techniques are used to stabilise the path.”
You can donate online too!
