around. For £16, you can buy a Ruskin Explorer which will take you by bus and boat to the Ruskin attraction at Coniston Water; and the Cross Lakes Experience can get you from Windermere to the Beatrix Potter House at Hawkshead. ‘We are aiming to get a 20 per cent WHAT THE JUDGES SAID With over 17 years experience of inspiring businesses to support conservation and adopt sustainable tourism practices Nurture Lakeland is a pioneer of local tourism partnerships. This destination’s results speak for themselves – £1.7 million has been raised working with 1,200 tourism businesses in fundraising for local conservation projects. Campaigns such as a car-free scheme and the Herdy Fund have been successful at encouraging visitors to the area to ditch the car, as well as promoting the conservation of the Herdwick sheep, and the rural lifestyle associated with upland fell farming in Cumbria and the lakes.
30 conservation and cultural heritage projects both large and small. So far around £1.7 million has been raised in this way, but, with around 60 per cent of visitors indicating that they are willing to make a contribution, there’s a huge reservoir of goodwill ready to be tapped. Says Amy: ‘Theoretically, if you could get all our visitors to donate a pound or 50p, that could make a huge difference to our work.’ ‘For 17 years we have been engaging local business communities and championing the benefits of sustainable tourism policies and practices. People haven’t always known who we are because the businesses are our “front of house”, but our work is very important and we are committed to protecting this area for now and for the future.’ www.nurturelakeland.org
Fixing the fells ONE OF THE HIGHEST-PROFILE conservation projects supported by Nurture Lakeland is Fix the Fells. Some 160 footpaths have been fixed since 2002, leaving 60 still to repair. Surprisingly, fixing footpaths is a touch controversial with some visitors who believe it takes away some of the adventure of striding around the fells.
‘But,’ says Amy, ‘it’s not just about repairing uneven walking surfaces, but is also about protecting delicate upland environments and flora and preserving traditional methods used to produce paths. This includes lining them with the wool from Herdwick sheep – a relatively rare breed and very much part of Cumbrian culture.’
Walkers on Grisedale Pike
Keira Holt
Keira Holt
reduction in travel from the participating businesses,’ says Amy. Another campaign is Love the Lakes, which raises awareness among residents and businesses about the environmental benefit of switching to ‘lake-friendly’ products, which helps safeguards the lakes’ biodiversity. A pilot project covering Bassenthwaite and Derwent Water is set to be rolled out in the south lakes. Meanwhile, another new campaign, A Green Eden, aims to encourage businesses in the Eden Valley to be greener and market the area as the ultimate green destination. Crucial to all the campaigns – including Fix the Fells (see panel below) – is the Visitor Payback Scheme which encourages donations via Nurture Lakeland’s member businesses and channels the money into a range of
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