Ellis Brigham Support Mend Our Mountains

Our friends at the BMC are calling on all lovers of the outdoors to Mend Our Mountains, and Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports is getting behind them in support!

Sir Chris Bonington, Doug Scott CBE and Julia Bradbury are backing a major new British Mountaineering Council (BMC) campaign to raise money for environmental projects on some of Britain's most iconic peaks: Mend Our Mountains.

Working with eight national park authorities, we aim to raise more than £100,000 for path repair projects on some of Britain's most iconic peaks, including the respective highest mountains of England and Wales, Scafell Pike and Snowdon.

The campaign will also feature Ingleborough, Kinder Scout and part of the Brecon Beacons Horseshoe, as well as vital repairs to moorland on Dartmoor, Exmoor and the North York Moors.

Due to launch on 14 March, this is a fundraising appeal with a difference. It will be powered by crowdfunding, so donors will receive a reward in return, including personal experiences donated by outdoor personalities and mountaineers such as Sir Chris Bonington and others.

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.

Carey Davies, BMC hill walking officer and joint Mend Our Mountains campaign coordinator, said: "More people experiencing the outdoors is good news, improving our collective health, enriching our culture, encouraging engagement with nature, and keeping rural economies alive. But it puts pressure on the landscape.

"One of the biggest and most expensive problems to manage is erosion. In the past in popular places like the Yorkshire Dales, some of these scars caused by countless feet have grown to up to 30 metres, motorways of damage as wide as parts of the M1.

"To manage this problem needs effective intervention, usually through the construction of paths, which help to heal the mountain landscape and protect habitats and wildlife. But they are not cheap to construct. And in these straitened times, where austerity is the mantra, money is in increasingly short supply."

"Together we can make a difference. If the whole outdoor public comes together we can provide a financial lifeline for these vital environmental projects at a time of need. But to do that we need your help. Please spread the word as far as you can before the campaign launch on 14 March."

Sir Chris Bonington, renowned British mountaineer, added: "Footpath work is essential to look after our mountains. Without it many routes in places like the Lake District would become huge scars or rivers of scree.

"Mend Our Mountains is an innovative way for walkers and climbers to make a collective contribution to preserve the beauty of the fells at a challenging time. I fully support it and would encourage everyone to donate."

Mend our Mountains will go live on 14 March at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/mendourmountains and will run for two months. Head this way for more details about the paths and areas they are hoping to protect.