Alfred Wainwright, whose books encourage walkers to explore the fells

A Lakeland outdoor activity centre for people with disabilities will benefit from the fundraising efforts of a fellwalking author’s aficionados.

The Lake District Calvert Trust runs the centre at Little Crosthwaite near Keswick and provides accessible activities on the shore of Bassenthwaite Lake.

The Wainwright Society, formed to promote and preserve the works of Alfred Wainwright, whose guide books tempted countless walkers on to the Lake District fells, announced the trust would be the main beneficiary of funds raised this year.

A spokesperson for the society said: “Alfred Wainwright’s pictorial guides give ordinary people the confidence to explore the Lake District, climb the mountains and enjoy the wonderful scenery.

“One of the aims of the Wainwright Society is to introduce a wider audience to fellwalking and caring for the hills, and one aspect of this objective is helping to make the fells accessible to those of all abilities.

“By raising much needed funds for the Lake District Calvert Trust, the members of the society will be assisting others to experience the benefits of the superlative landscape of the Lake District as well as providing an opportunity to undertake physical and intellectual challenges outside of their day-to-day lives.”

The trust was founded in 1978 and was the first in Britain to provide a range of activities for people with disabilities and now 3,000 people use its facilities in the shadow of Skiddaw each year, from groups to families, to individuals. It now also runs centres on Exmoor and in Northumberland.

The Wainwright Society hopes to raise funds through its annual challenge as well as from sales of the its calendar. Previous beneficiaries have included the Lake District and Pennine mountain rescue teams and the Fix the Fells project.