Volunteers carry out path repair work during the fell care day

Organisers have praised more than 200 volunteers who helped repair paths, picked rubbish and repaired drystone walls in the Lake District.

Schoolchildren and students joined local residents, visitors and staff from Friends of the Lake District, the National Trust, Fix the Fells, the Lake District National Park Authority, the Field Studies Council and Mosaic Young Champions in the Borrowdale fell care day.

Teams maintained and cleared drains on 26km of upland paths in the area, and more than 200m of paths were resurfaced.

Coppicing of 400sq m of woodland, to improve habitat for insects and birds, and rebuilding of 10m of dry stone wall at Watendlath also took place.

Canoe groups picked 17 bags of rubbish from the shores of Derwent Water, including tyres, batteries, empty and full cans, saucepans, polystyrene cups, fishing equipment, tent poles and plastic buckets. Invasive rhododendrons were cut down and 400 pieces of cake were donated and consumed by volunteers.

The canoe teams clean up on Derwent Water

Event organiser Sue Manson Flora of the Fells Project said: “Friends of the Lake District would like to say a massive thank you to all the volunteers, groups and organisations who helped to make the day such a success.

“The turn-out and hard work from all the volunteers involved was utterly brilliant and quite overwhelming. It was a real delight to have so many young people helping along with the regular more experienced volunteers.”

The Borrowdale event was the fifth fell care day Friends of the Lake District organised.

The next fell care day will be on Wednesday 13 November 2013 in Grange over Sands.

For more information about the event or to sign up for one of the practical tasks email Sue Manson or phone 01539 720788. Details are also on the Friends of the Lake District website.