From left: Three Peaks ranger Ian Middleton, Denise Armstrong, Barbara Harpham, Amy Smith, Three Peaks project manager Steve Hastie and Michael Clark
Charity workers dug in to help maintain one of the most popular walking routes in the Dales.
A team from Heart Research UK joined national park rangers and members of the Friends of the Three Peaks on a footpath near Horton in Ribblesdale, the starting point for many of the challengers in the 39km (24-mile) Three Peaks walk.
Eleven staff used pick-axes, shovels and wheelbarrows to dig trenches, install drainage and refill a footpath on the route.
The Yorkshire-based cancer charity holds an annual Three Peaks challenge, which will take place this coming Saturday. It joined the Friends of the Three Peaks three years ago but decided to lend a practical hand as well as financial support to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, which maintains the heavily used footpaths on the route, which takes in Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.
Barbara Harpham, national director of Heart Research UK, said: “We’ve run a Three Peaks challenge for 15 years now and the people in the area have always been very supportive and welcoming to us.
“Through our partnership with the Friends of the Three Peaks we want to show that we take the enhancement and preservation of this stunning landscape seriously and we’re not afraid of a bit of hard graft to do our bit to maintain it for walkers and visitors.”
Ian Middleton, the authority’s Three Peaks ranger, added: “It was great to have so many enthusiastic people out working. I do this kind of physical work for a living and I’m used to it but, for people who aren’t, it can be hard going, so the HRUK team should be proud of what they achieved.
“They did a brilliant job and helped to protect the beautiful landscape of the Yorkshire Three Peaks.”
Steve Hastie, the national park’s Three Peaks project manager, said: “Heart Research UK is one of the many corporate members of the Friends of the Three Peaks and, like the others, it is contributing to the upkeep of this iconic area that sees about 250,000 visitors annually.
“The route’s popularity means there is always a list of jobs to do in order to keep the footpath network in good condition, so the practical help of corporate members – in terms of volunteers, materials and donations – is a great help.
“Many charities use the Three Peaks route as a means of raising cash and they donate £1 for each participant in the event towards the maintenance fund for the footpath network around the Three Peaks. Having seen exactly how much work is needed, this year Heart Research UK has generously increased its donation to £1.50 per walker – let’s hope others follow this fantastic example.”
The Friends of the Three Peaks was created to provide a way for individuals or organisations to commit to longer-term support for the authority’s work in the area through annual donations for work on and around the Three Peaks.
The group has a minimum annual membership fee of £10. Details are on the Yorkshire Dales national park website. Donations can also be made at national park centres in the Dales.
