Lancashire Group staff volunteer with BMC Get Stuck In

Access News
09 Oct
2 min read

At the end of September, twelve members of staff from the Lancashire Group volunteered on a Get Stuck In event in Eryri (Snowdonia) arranged by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust as part of the Mend Our Mountains campaign, hosted and instructed by rangers from National Trust Cymru.

The Lancashire team included Jennifer Wilson, Nancy Lyons, Jelena Bjelanovic, Chris Head, Ben Turner, Maisie Stanton, Cali Nguyen, Charlie Holme, Joanna Wang, Laura Smith, Rael Coen, and Silvia Kolu.

Part of the National Trust Cymru's Footpath Team in Eryri, Dan Goodwin, says, "The days with the Lancashire Group went well and they all seemed to enjoy their time with us, the great weather certainly helped! Many of the skills used were new to the volunteers but they were very enthusiastic to learn and completed the work in record time.

"On the first day the team removed tree guards from trees planted over five years ago on the Dyffryn Mymbyr Estate with a National Trust Ranger from the Upper Conwy Catchment Project. Once the trees no longer require the guards for protection they restrict the growth of the tree. Removing them also gets rid of unnecessary plastic from the environment, which over time becomes microplastics as the guards fragment and degrade.

"The trees had been planted using the sabre planting method (find out more here) which meant that they were somewhat challenging to get to, often planted on steep ground along riverbanks. Despite the tricky conditions underfoot the group worked well to remove the guards and not fall in the streams!

"On day two the volunteers assisted with the management of enclosures at Cwm Idwal National Nature Reserve.  Historic enclosures have been erected to fence off animals from grazing the vegetation in areas within the reserve. From time to time these enclosures require some maintenance work. The main task for the day was to check the fence of one of the enclosure plots and replace some of the posts that had become lose or rotten."

The Lancashire Group staff hard at work clearing out drainage ditches

Boots on the ground

Nancy Lyons from the Lancashire Group shares her account of their activities:

"Day one began with meeting with the knowledgeable National Trust team, Tom, Abby, Dan, Sean and Amlyn who impressed us all with their expertise in environmental stewardship. Our team headed to Dyffryn Mymbyr for woodland management, where we split into groups of three to collect tree guards. Some of us pushed ourselves beyond our comfort zones, climbing down into the gorge to retrieve these items. The National Trust ensured everyone felt safe, offering support to those less confident with the steeper areas. Their experience made challenging tasks look effortless!

"Trekking up and down the gorges proved exhausting, especially with the wet grass but everyone pushed themselves to collect as many tree guards as possible. Despite ending the day with soggy feet, we managed to finish the job and were treated to some spectacular views.

"The weather was on our side too, with sunshine instead of the usual Welsh rain! Abby kindly talked us through some fascinating facts about the local trees and trails; remarkably, these tree guards had been planted around fifteen years ago as part of ongoing conservation efforts.

"On day two we went down to Cwm Idwal for footpath maintenance and fence repair. There we also met another member of the National Trust group called Reece, who shared with us all the history of the pathways and how they are made. Did you know around 600,000 people walk on these paths a year?!

"The team started the mission by walking through the mountains and headed to the most beautiful lake, which is where we worked all day. Our first task was to repair the fence posts that were placed there over 15 years ago by taking the old wooden posts out and replacing them with new ones. The aim is to stop the sheep getting into the fenced area and eating the plants that are growing, ensuring the areas continued to be protected."

Will you Get Stuck In too?

Get Stuck In events are single and multi-day volunteer events in the Peak District, Lake District and North Wales. Hill walking fitness and experience, plus a packed lunch is required, but durable waterproofs and steel-toe-capped boots can be borrowed. On the multi-day events like this, volunteers do two days hard labour with National Trust rangers on the footpaths of Eryri (Snowdonia) or the Lake District, while the third day is reserved for a rewarding group hike, climb or pub/cafe outing. You stay free of charge for three nights in basic, bunkhouse-style accommodation and there is a communal meal one evening. Single day events in the Peak District involve planting sphagnum moss and clearing invasive species.

Get Stuck In events are funded by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust as part of the Mend Our Mountains campaign. Please give generously here and check out the latest volunteering opportunities here.

Get Stuck In footpath repair events

Get Stuck In events are 1-3 day opportunities for BMC volunteers to give some love back to the landscapes we love to walk and climb in. There are a range of activities decided on nearer the time of the event according to the National Trust rangers who will be teaching you new skills, explaining more about their footpath repair and conservation activities and working alongside you.

Watch the video here

NEW Eryri Apprentice Ranger

Give generously if you love hiking, climbing and mountaineering in Eryri and appreciate this National Park's unique beauty and incredible wildlife

Why fund an apprentice ranger in Eryri?

With 10.5 million visitor nights spent in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park in 2023/24, and over 600,000 people climbing Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) every year, the 1,497 miles of footpaths within this 823 square mile park are seeing more footfall than ever before. This is compounded by an increase in extreme weather due to the climate crisis and quickly leads to the following horrors for hill walkers, climbers, mountaineers and outdoor-lovers alike:

  • Footpath erosion
  • Muddy and slippery routeways
  • Deep, ankle-turning gullies
  • Navigational difficulties
  • Trampled vegetation
  • Loss of habitat for wildlife
  • Decreasing biodiversity
  • Soil-wash into waterways
  • Increased flood risk
  • Nutrient imbalances downstream

So, wouldn't it be fantastic if you could do something really meaningful to combat this nightmarish downward spiral of footpath degradation in Eryri? Here's your chance to support a really worthwhile project to actively combat path erosion and educate more people to protect and preserve this stunning, irreplaceable National Park. Donate here.

BMC Travel Insurance

Join the BMC

Cotswold Outdoor Discount

Related Content

COOKIES

We use cookies to analyse web traffic, and to improve the user experience. For these reasons, we may share your site usage data with our analytics partners. You can choose to accept all cookies, or select separate preferences for each of the third-party partners we use.

SET COOKIES PREFERENCES