A PROJECT responsible for looking after and repairing vital paths in the Lake District National Park has won a prestigious award.
Fix the Fells has won this year’s Park Protector Award in recognition of its ongoing work to protect the Cumbrian landscape.
The award, run by Campaign for National Parks and sponsored by WWF-UK, recognises and rewards the efforts that go into protecting and improving National Parks in England and Wales. The winners received their awards at a ceremony in the Houses of Parliament this week attended by MPs and Lords, National Park Authority chief executives and leading civil servants.
For over 20 years, a team of skilled rangers and volunteers from the National Trust and Lake District National Park Authority have been repairing mountain paths, reversing the trend of erosion damage and restoring habitats.
Rain or shine, they carry out work on many of the much-loved routes across the UNESCO World Heritage Site, including Scafell Pike, Helvellyn and the Coast-to-Coast path.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Fix the Fells Ranger Annie Duckworth, said: “It’s an absolute honour and privilege to receive this award. This is for the whole Fix the Fells team, the 25 ranger colleagues who build the paths, 130 volunteers maintaining the paths – the eyes and ears of the project – our five partner organisations and funders.
“We don’t receive Government funding for the project, it’s down to that support and dedication that we’re able to do what we do.”
Dr Rose O'Neill, chief executive of Campaign for National Parks, said: "We were blown away by the quality of nominations in this year's Park Protector Awards but there was one project that kept appearing - Fix the Fells. It was nominated by lots of different people, which speaks volumes, and when we delved into what it has achieved over the past couple of years it was clear to see why.
"The Lake District National Park is one of the most-visited and with that comes challenges, as well as opportunities, around caring for the landscape. Fix the Fells plays a central role in this, looking after hundreds of miles of path and perhaps even more notable is the make up of the team - with over 130 volunteers dedicating time and effort to this never-ending task.
"We're delighted to be able to recognise these efforts and award Fix the Fells our main Park Protector Award in front of MPs, Lords, leading civil servants and National Park Chief Executives in the Houses of Parliament this week. A big thank you to everyone involved in Fix the Fells - the Lake District wouldn't be the same without you."
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