MEND OUR MOUNTAINS CAMPAIGN

A major new crowdfunding campaign has been launched to raise money for environmental projects on some of Britain’s most iconic peaks.

Mend Our Mountains has been launched by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and is supported by world-famous mountaineers Sir Chris Bonington and Doug Scott CBE as well as nature TV presenter Julia Bradbury.

“Booming visitor numbers and smaller budgets, compounded by the extensive damage of recent flooding, means that national park authorities and conservation bodies are struggling to keep up,” said a BMC spokesperson.

Working with eight national parks, the BMC is aiming to raise more than £100,000 to repair damaged paths on some of Britain’s most popular peaks, including the respective highest mountains of England and Wales – Scafell Pike and Snowdon.

The campaign will also feature Ingleborough (Yorkshire Dales), Kinder Scout (Peak District) and part of the Brecon Beacons Horseshoe, as well as vital repairs to moorland on Dartmoor, Exmoor and the North York Moors.
The campaign has been generously backed by top outdoor retailer Cotswold Outdoor, clothing company Alpkit and adventure film website SteepEdge, along with many other smaller sponsors for individual projects.

“We want to provide a financial lifeline for national parks at a time of need. To make this happen, everyone who loves the outdoors needs to come together. If the same number of people who walked up Snowdon in a year alone gave just 20p, we would hit our target,” said Carey Davies, BMC Hill Walking Officer, adding, “More people experiencing the outdoors is great news, improving our collective health, enriching our culture, encouraging engagement with nature and keeping rural economies alive. But it puts pressure on the landscape.”

The Mend Our Mountains campaign runs until mid-May, and funders have to chance to buy a walk in Borrowdale in the Lake District and pub lunch with Sir Chris Bonington if they pledge £1000 (only one available) or a place on a full day’s walk in the Lake District with filmmaker Terry Abraham if they pledge £100 (four available).

There’s also the chance to secure a day out for three people in the Cairngorms with long-distance walker Chris Townsend for a £250 pledge (one available) or a day of traditional climbing tuition for two people in Snowdonia with top climber James McHaffie for a £250 pledge (one available).

Other rewards include helicopter rides in the Yorkshire Dales, handcrafted and personalised Yorkshire Three Peaks sign posts, VIP tickets to the finish of the Devon stage of the Tour of Britain and there’s a 15% discount at Cotswold Outdoor, in store and online, for every donation above £10.

Everyone who makes a donation will have a choice of either giving their money to an individual project featured in the campaign or to an overall total which will be split between the eight projects. Many of the projects, like Snowdon’s Watkin Path and Kinder Scout’s Ringing Roger, will not go ahead if they do not reach their Mend Our Mountains target.

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