The Brathay Trust and The Climbers Shop were delighted to present a cheque for £670 to Fix The Fells from funds raised at the inaugural Ambleside Trail 60 ultra-marathon held on the 8th September.
Mindful of the erosion caused by sporting events across the National Park, 5% of entry fees into the recent event were pledged to help fund the maintenance of footpaths as part of the ethos of making the race a sustainable event.
Runners enjoyed a 60km trail loop through the stunning scenery of Loughrigg, Tarn Hows, the Langdales, Langstrath and Gibson Knott in a run created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Climbers Shop. Over 50 volunteers were on hand to help with registration and provide encouragement and sustenance at four checkpoints where breakfast, lunch and tea were provided by Salutation Hotel, Chesters and the Rattle Gill Café. Stunning wooden and ceramic trophies were made by local artisans Ian Charles and Miles Moore awarded with “bottle opener” medals. These included a quote from Lake District fell running legend Joss Naylor OBE and were perfect to open a bottle of Trail 60 Pale Ale, created by Hawkshead Brewery in honour of the great man himself. Hailed a huge success by Brathay Fundraising Manager, Scott Umpleby said:
“It’s been a brilliant effort by lots of people to host a truly fabulous event, without this sort of support it wouldn’t be possible. And we’ve been rewarded by some great feedback from the runners, some coming from as far away as Monaco to run this new race.”
The Ambleside Trail 60 was part of a series of events held by The Climbers Shop over the weekend, including Q&A sessions with kit suppliers, workshops run by local physio’s, running guides, coaches and navigation specialists. On Saturday evening fell running legend Joss Naylor MBE, Patron of Brathay’s 10 marathons in 10 days challenge, gave a talk about the role Frank Davies, founder of The Climbers Shop, played in 1971 which helped him set a still unbroken Three Peaks Record.
Commenting on the event, Climbers Shop Director Cathy Casey said: “To celebrate our 60th year we wanted to engage with our customers and give something back to the environment and local community using our historic links within the industry and with local businesses. We are so grateful to everyone who gave their time for free to support Brathay, Fix The Fells and especially all of the lovely runners – who still had a massive smile on their face even after 60 gruelling kilometres!”
Further funds raised at the event will support The Brathay Trust’s Young Minds Matter appeal in providing targeted programmes for young people struggling with mental health difficulties.
In addition, the monies raised for Fix The Fells will be used to support the National Trust Rangers who lead an army of volunteers in every weather imaginable to ensure our ancient network of mountain paths, many of which have been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years can continue to be enjoyed. Love them or hate them, laid paths have become a necessary part of maintaining the stunning hills in our busy National Parks across the country. Fix The Fells work with numerous user groups to build sustainable paths using natural materials and traditional methods to achieve the best compromise possible for all users.
The Climbers Shop Director Cathy Casey went on to state: “This donation to Fix The Fells completes the “zero waste” policy of the Ambleside Trail 60 so that not only do we “leave only footprints” out on the fell but we actively fund their removal too.”
For more information or to donate to Brathay’s Young Minds Matter Campaign click here
To discover who Fix the Fells are and how to get involved click here
To buy amazing outdoor equipment from really nice people click here