A partnership which looks after paths and landscapes in the Lake District has improved more than 32 hectares of upland habitat thanks to funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Fix the Fells, a partnership between the National Trust, Lake District National Park Authority, Lake District Foundation, Natural England and Friends of the Lake District, has completed a programme of work funded by a £1.5 million ERDF grant.
A further £1 million came from the trust, national park authority and other sources and over the past five years this has enabled vital erosion repair across the Lake District.
Funding for 2023-24 projects has been secured through the National Trust’s sponsor, Cotswold Outdoors, along with Natural England’s upgrade project to develop Wainwright’s Coast to Coast path.
Alongside path repairs which support public access, work by Fix the Fells also protects upland habitats for wildlife.
Each year, teams maintain or improve 400 miles of paths out of the 1,926 across the Lake District and these often lie within Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), across peatland or in areas with important plant communities. These areas are protected by restoring the line of eroded paths and creating routes which are more resilient.
“While celebrating the successful culmination of our ERDF-funded projects, we’re looking forward to moving on to new ones, thanks to our new funding streams,” said Annie Duckworth, LDNPA ranger at Fix the Fells.
“The demand for our work has never been greater. The combination of vulnerable upland environments, intensified weather patterns and a growing influx of visitors continues to contribute to high levels of erosion. The work we do is crucial to preserve both the ecological integrity and scenic beauty of the Lake District fells.”
Fix the Fells operates solely through donations and grants and employs a team of 21 permanent staff who are supported by 130 dedicated volunteers.
Isabel Berry, partnership manager for Fix the Fells, added: “We’re really grateful to the ERDF for its funding and we’re planning to build on everything we’ve learned during that time to take into our upcoming projects.
“Thanks to Natural England and Cotswold Outdoors, future projects are lined up until the end of next year. We’re still looking to work with additional donors, whether corporate, individual or charitable, to gather more funding to supplement the annual programme of maintenance and repairs, and to expand our work.”
