Book now to take part in Ullswater Fell Care Day

Friends of the Lake District’s mass volunteer event at Ullswater is now just two weeks away, and now is the time to book your place to take part.
Run by the Friends’ Flora of the Fells project, our first Fell Care Day of 2012 is at Ullswater on Thursday 27 September.

The Fell Care Days highlight the huge amount of time and work which volunteers put in to caring for our Lakeland Fells. Last year, 200 people, 130 school children and 33 organisations took part in two Fell Cares days at Helvellyn and Ennerdale, completing the equivalent of 145 volunteer work days in just two days.

This year, volunteers can choose from a host of activities to take part in: from footpath repair, dry stone walling, a litter pick on foot or by canoe, clearing drains on a variety of nearby walks, to filming or making tea and cakes for the hungry volunteers. Children from Patterdale and Penruddock schools will be planting native flower bulbs, coppicing, stream dipping, making bat and bird boxes and creating a squirrel hide.
Over 20 groups and organisations are taking part including volunteers from Friends of the Lake District, the Lake District National Park Authority, the National Trust, the Ullswater Association, the Dry Stone Walling Association, Ullswater College, Eden Rivers Trust, and Ullswater Steamers, plus many individuals from Cumbria and visitors from further afield. Glencoyne Farmer Sam Hodgson will be helping with the walling task on the high fells above Glenridding.

Sue Manson, Flora of the Fells Project officer said: “By looking after the upland fells we can help reduce the impacts of flooding and improve water quality, look after the carbon stored in woodland, soils and peat and create better habitats for wildlife.  The Fell Care Days also a great chance to get fit and do something fulfilling in an amazing setting.  It’s a great buzz to be a part of an event like this with everyone coming together to play a key part to help the environment. Whether you’re a experienced volunteer or someone new, we hope we’ve got something to suit everyone, so please book your place now.”

If you can’t join us at Ullswater there’s an opportunity to take part in our second Fell Care Day at Windermere on Thursday 25 October.
The full list of volunteer activities is available now on our website at http://www.floraofthefells.com/help-us/volunteering, or  http://www.fld.org.uk/ullswater-a-windermere-flora-of-the-fells-fell-car... if you want to get involved please contact Sue Manson on sue-m@fld.org.uk or phone on 01539 733187 by Friday 21 September.