The BMC calls on the outdoor public to make Mend Our Mountains a success as the campaign’s end date nears
With less than a fortnight left, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has made a final call to the outdoor public, asking for pledges to help protect our landscapes.
The Mend Our Mountains campaign has already been the most successful crowdfunding appeal for mountain paths ever. Since its launch, more than 1,000 pledgers have helped to raise a current total of more than £55,000 for eight urgent upland repair projects on some of Britain’s most iconic peaks.
But the organisation is aiming for a total of £100,000, and time is running out. The campaign closes on Monday 9 May.
Our offer of a day out with comedian Ed Byrne was snapped up quickly, as were our annual subscriptions to The Great Outdoors magazine. But there are plenty of other ‘rewards’ to bid on still, including the chance to watch the sunset from Snowdon, a whole season of mentored climbing, and the opportunity to ride in a helicopter over the Yorkshire Dales.
Carey Davies, BMC hillwalking officer and a regular contributor to our magazine, said: “The response to Mend Our Mountains so far has shown that many walkers, climbers and outdoor enthusiasts care strongly about looking after the mountain landscape.
“It is a challenging time for the bodies which ‘look after’ some of our most important landscapes. Booming visitor numbers and smaller budgets, compounded by the extensive damage of recent flooding, means that many national park authorities are struggling to keep up with the ongoing challenge of erosion.
“But we want to send as loud a signal as possible that we are prepared to do what we can to stop mountain erosion. These hills are ours to climb and ours to care for. The more we raise in this campaign the stronger this message will be.”
Working with eight national parks, the BMC aims 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 also features 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 closes on Monday 9 May.
You can support Mend our Mountains at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/mendourmountains
#mendourmountains
The individual projects are:
- Watkin Path on Snowdon, North Wales – current total = £6,250
- Ringing Roger on Kinder, Peak District – current total = £7,358
- Waun Rydd in central Brecon Beacons – current total = £2,920
- High Moor on Dartmoor– current total = £2,520
- Swine Tail, Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales – current total =£6,590
- Scafell Pike in the Lake District – current total = £6,880
- Lyke Wake Walk in the North York Moors – current total = £1,757
- Long Chains Combe in Exmoor Forest – current total = £1,170
- The general UK-wide fund currently stands at £20,635
