Schoolchildren join in the official opening of the bridge in Ennerdale

Cash from a controversial Lake District mine has helped a conservation project in a neighbouring valley.

Honister Slate Mine handed over £12,000 to the Wild Ennerdale project to help build a bridge over the River Liza which will help a rare breed of fish spawn once more.

The donation was agreed by the miner’s late owner Mark Weir before his death in a helicopter crash in March.

The bridge, the total cost of which was £30,000, was installed to help Arctic char breed in the area. Funding also came from Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission.

The Honister donation came from visitors’ entry fees to the mine, on the Honister Pass between Buttermere and Borrowdale. For every £1 paid, 25p was set aside for the environmental project.

The Wild Ennerdale project aims to return the valley to its natural state

Mr Weir’s partner Jan Wilkinson said: “What many people may not realise is that as well as running the business, Mark did a lot of behind-the-scenes work for the community, whether that was clearing snow out of the Borrowdale valley for people when it was cut off, mending walls that had blown down in gales or giving to local charities.”

Gareth Browning of the Forestry Commission added: “The £12,000 from Honister was an amazing amount and made a huge difference to the project.”

The bridge was officially opened today by children from Ennerdale and Kinniside Primary School. It features a plaque with a short poem written by one of the pupils.

Representatives from Honister, the Forestry Commission, Wild Ennerdale, United Utilities, the National Trust and volunteers joined the pupils at the event.