Tag Volunteering

Feeling like a Dogsbody for the weekend?

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Thinking of a great way to spend a November weekend? How about hours spent lying in a bivvy bag (very possibly in wind, rain, sleet or snow) on a slippy hillside, soggy gully or dark forest, keeping still and hidden until the jingling of bells provides imminent warning that you are likely to get a foot in the face from a wet dog eager to receive their prize for finding you! Or following someone who has offered to show you their puppies! Sounds a tad mad? Or like your best idea of fun? Well that is a regular weekend for the awesome ‘Dogsbodies’ who voluntarily enjoy nothing more than donning the camo’ salopettes (not compulsory!) and burrowing into the bracken for Search Dog training sessions.

The view from my Dogsbody high hide in the Brecon Beacons this weekend

I have just spent a fantastic weekend in the Brecon Beacons where the Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England team joined up with the Search and Rescue Dog Association Wales for an intense weekend of training with dogs and handlers being put through their paces from early learning in puppy class to the anxious assessment ‘exams’ for those ready to qualify as Operational Search Dog teams.

The new recruits soon grow into their roles

The weather generously provided practise conditions of almost every type often challenging for trainers, handlers and dogsbodies alike but the dogs, as always, take it completely in their stride and training is just all a brilliant game of winning their favourite toy.

The Dogsbodies, affectionately known as ‘bodies’ provide an essential part in training, giving the dog teams a target to search for as the dogs follow ‘air scent’ to learn how to find people lost, missing or injured in the outdoors. The handlers role is to coordinate the search, working with their dog to cover huge search areas efficiently, assessing wind conditions and terrain to cover the ground in a way that maximises the dogs opportunity to pick up a scent quickly. It’s very much a team effort and the bond and relationship between dog and handler is all important, ultimately defining their success as a team.

Always time for a spot of larking about – AKA all important team building!

But back to those ‘bodies’! Many volunteers are friends or partners of Mountain Rescue team members but others do it for ‘fun’ and the brilliant camaraderie amongst the teams make for a great social side too. On the quieter side, hiding in the hills and forests is also a great way to see wildlife and nature literally up close (and sometimes other, more bizarre goings on?!) in a way that you would not on a usual day in the hills. Wrapped up in a sleeping bag and cosy in your bivvy it’s a treat to just be still and soak in the scenery. At various intervals, of course, a dog will find you and then you get to play a few minutes of ‘catch’ , ‘fetch’ or ‘tug of war’ with a very excited dog. With dogs in earlier stages of training the body’s role can be much more interactive with considerable leaping up and down and running about required!

The dogs goes bonkers for their favourite toys at the ‘reward’ playtime

The teams can never have too many ‘bodies’ so if you are over 18 and this sounds like a way you might enjoy spending a soggy Saturday morning google your local Mountain Rescue Team or Lowland Rescue Team to find Search Dog teams near you who’ll give you the scoop (not literally – that is not part of the job description!). There are no specific skills required – you don’t even need a particular proclivity to camouflage wear! – just competence in the outdoors and it’s definitely important to love dogs as you may be inflicted with plenty of spaniel trampling or collie kisses. A sense of humour is a good strength! If you can only join in occasionally that’s fine too. You’ll be contributing to mountain safety and the wonderful tradition of #MountainRescue we should all be very proud of. Click here for more info about getting involved.

Training can be challenging and physical but all set in stunning locations

How often do you take the time to just lie down and watch the clouds go by?

Celebrating a successful weekend – Philippa and Search Dog George pass their assessments.

The dogs are all pets first and part of their handlers family. One of the wonderful things about being a dogsbody is seeing them progress from their first ‘sit-stay’ as adorable pups to qualification day as a confident, reliable team being placed on the Operational list ready for potentially life-saving call out duty. This weekend saw handler Philippa Lewis and Search Dog George of SARDA South Wales pass their assessment to Operational grade and handler Tony High of Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team and Search Dog Chief complete the journey to qualify to Operational grade. Chief and Tony are strong characters with an equally strong bond and are sure to be a very successful team as the real work now begins.

Congrats to Tony High and Search Dog Chief passing their assessments this weekend to become an Operational Search Dog team.

It’s a real privilege for me to join in with these training meets and it also reminds me why I am fundraising for these dedicated and committed individuals and their teams. Mountain Rescue members already give so much of their lives voluntarily to provide a safer environment in the outdoors for all of us and really do save lives in many environments and scenarios as well as providing regular and invaluable assistance to the emergency services.

Follow regular updates to my 1000 MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE here 👍🏃‍♀️⛰

There are currently close to 60 Search Dogs either on the callout list or coming through training and it costs £35,000 a year to train and keep all these volunteer dog teams in action.*

A £2 donation can keep a team in action today so please visit the

RunningtheSummits VirginMoneyGiving Page or the RunningtheSummits JustGiving Page

and become part of the family🐾🐶🐾

Thanks for reading and Happy Trails😊👣

Follow regular updates to my 1000 MOUNTAIN CHALLENGE here 👍🏃‍♀️⛰

Photos are my own or courtesy of MRSDA England and SARDA South Wales * figures from MRSDA England

251 Mountains – the Zen post.

trailhobo_tina 2 Comments

You wait for a post then two come along at the same time. So much has happened since I last wrote that I didn’t know where to start or what to write about to update this highly neglected blog site so I decided here to put down some ‘keeping it real’ thoughts after yesterday passing the 250 mountain mark and 25% completion of the Running the Summits challenge. If this post sounds a bit too touchy feely and you prefer your yang to your yin check out the alternative 251 Mountains – The Wahoo post 👊

Right now, the Brecon Beacons are just outside the window. I can’t see them, lost as they are to the clouds, curtains of rain drifting across my view of only the very lowest of the lower slopes. Even the sheep are huddled close into a tree sheltered corner. It’s the third consecutive day of unfathomably and distinctly eclectic weather – one of deep snow and teeth chattering wind chill, one of warmth and clear sunny skies and today, one of wet, claggy cloud and sheets of rain. I was well overdue in taking some time out to get caught up on those real life chores – refilling water supplies, doing laundry, scraping all the farmland muck off the campervan and responding to weeks of emails. Yet, still, early this morning I peeled on my slightly damp, offensively smelly running gear, eager to be out, hauling my (as yet still not athletically-toned) bum up a mountain or two. I think it has become a mantra.

It is said about the Camino de Santiago – a favourite long distance escape of mine – that there are three stages to the endeavour. Firstly the physical, as our body aches and suffers at the sudden increased demands put upon it until it miraculously adapts and grows stronger.

Free from the physical distractions the second stage is the emotional as our minds gradually move from doubt, fear and questioning to perspective and acceptance. Finally, the third stage is that of the spiritual where, only because we have passed through the first two stages and shed the unnecessary can we now fully experience a total awareness, immersion and gained sense of freedom. While specifically aimed at the experience of the Camino I strongly believe that any adventure, large or small can be a great metaphor for life with many lessons to be learned.

Zen and the Art of Adventurous Living?

Now, I still think my body has some considerable ongoing work at Stage one (as mentioned, I had been expecting to, at least slightly, resemble the streamlined physique of an athlete by this point) and trying to run uphill just doesn’t seem to be getting any easier. To be fair both of these issues could be explained by cake.


Possibly the reason I do NOT look like a finely honed machine!?

But even with a lingering toe or two in stage one I do feel I have made some small progress to the great blue orb of enlightenment. I have indeed discovered that this, as all adventures in life, can best be described using that oft spouted clichéd saying ‘It’s been a journey’ (and is going to continue to be a journey for some considerable time as I still have 749 summits to run). But as well as dipping my toes, usually unintentionally, into bog, rivers, bog and more bog I also feel I have been dipping them into stages 2 and 3 and learning a thing or two. (just not how to avoid bog!). As in life, we do not move cleanly from one stage to the next but there is a blurring of the edges and knock backs when new challenges fall out of a cupboard and smack us in the head (also metaphorical – if I have grasped the correct use of the concept!?)


Patch – The Enlightened One

Super-enthused adventurer Anna McNuff wrote a wonderful poem (1) along a similar vein telling of a journey that begins doing battle with nature – setting out to conquer, before becoming beaten down by nature’s far superior and ambivalent….well, nature! Eventually, this traveller no longer passes through or against but travels with and in this natural environment. This is the journey I have been really hoping and expecting to make and I am already becoming familiar with the elements (literal and metaphorical).

On the 251st Mountain summit, I sat for a long while (as long as was possible before extremities started to go numb) fully absorbing the views, the solitude, the peace, the simplicity and vastness of the landscape around me, calm and happy to be right where I was, unencumbered by concerns or stresses. As the terrain and climatic challenges grow greater it is liberating to gradually become confident and at ease in your surroundings as you learn and use new found skills and understanding. There is still an awful lot to learn but hopefully I am becoming willing and humble enough to listen and appreciate all that the mountains have yet to teach.

On a literal note I am throwing in a reminder that my Mountain Joggist Extravaganza is also in hopes of raising a few well needed squidlies for the amazing volunteers of Mountain Rescue England & Wales, Mountain Rescue Search Dogs(the doggy rescuers formally known as Search and Rescue Dog Association England!) and Fix the Fells.

Please spare a pound to chuck in the bucket if you can HERE😁 Thank You

It’s also really easy to donate by text too…. just text TOPS50 followed by an amount to 70070 . Thank You❤

(1) PS. Anna McNuff’s poem is featured in the book Waymaking – an anthology of prose, poetry and artwork by women who are inspired by wild places, adventure and landscape.

Happy trails 😊👣🐾

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All at Sea

trailhobo_tina 3 Comments

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In a complete break from running earlier this year I travelled for six and a half hours by aeroplane south to the Cape Verde islands to join a tall ship for a sailing adventure on the Atlantic Ocean, a journey back home north (with a good few other directions thrown in – such is the nature of sailing! ) that would take about three weeks. This was something I had been wanting to do for years – out on the open ocean, hundreds of miles from land, all alone with nature….and the other 44 members of sailing crew!

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The voyage was on the Lord Nelson, a square rigged barque of the Jubilee Sailing Trust. A ship designed to enable people with disabilities to sail along with able bodied ship mates, we were a total crew of 45, people of all ages and different levels of sailing experience including a permanant crew that we could put our faith in when things got tough.

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This was my ride home. Exciting, right…adventurous?…intrepid?…….it turned out to be the toughest journey of my life.

To sound like a hard core salty sea dog type I’d like to say that the reason my experience was such a challenge was because we were fighting a perfect storm or wild seas, or I was struggling up the masts to do battle with stubborn sails despite a fear of heights ( well, I don’t really have a problem with heights, just of falling from a height, which seems fairly reasonable to me ) and all of this was, at least, a little true at times, but the basic reason I was miserable was simply because I was seasick!

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I had done some sailing in the past and expected to feel a bit ill, but thought it would pass in twenty four hours, some people had told me it takes about three days which seemed harsh but I definitely thought it would, eventually at least, pass and then I could just enjoy this incredible journey. Things started well, I felt perfectly fine the first night as I squeezed into by bunk space with 15 other people below deck in the fo’c’sle (pointy bit at the front) – we were moored in a sheltered harbour mind you.

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Life on the open ocean…piece of cake!

Next morning my watch team were on the early watch and we climbed to the bridge, bleary eyed before dawn and followed the instructions of Captain Darren very carefully to manoeuvre out of the harbour and into the Atlantic. As the day progressed  the quesiness began to rise along with my breakfast and I had already succumbed to the dreaded seasickness by that first night at sea. The next morning we anchored close to another island to pick up provisions and it gave me some time to adjust in more sheltered waters. I kept my mind off my billowy stomach by keeping busy, hauling eggs aboard from the bobbing zodiac boat while trying not to break any or drop them in the ocean and basically volunteering for every job going.

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Bit different to your average trip to Tesco!

But it was only a temporary reprieve and as our night watch duty saw the last of the land blink away on the horizon my stomach promptly rejected my longed for mug of tea and that was the last time I could face a hot drink or feel remotely normal for three weeks. My twenty four hour ‘adjustment period’ passed and I was still feeling sick, three days passed and I was still sick…..and so it continued for twelve long days…..then things got worse!

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Calm seas to begin with…..not that my stomach cared!

I was in awe of the crew, particularly the cook, Ali, who prepared food for 45 people three times a day with finite provisions, limited space and the rolling conditions. All the equipment were on gimbals but occasionally met the limit of their swinging range and a crashing pan could be heard from the galley quickly followed by some choice language in Ali’s beautiful scottish accent. She even managed to magically appear at 10.30am every single day with delicious home baking. Absolute star!

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For twelve days I had managed to function reasonably well despite feeling pretty terrible and on the verge of throwing up all the time. I kept to my watch shift schedule, a rotating 24 hour rota of 4 hours shifts on the bridge – helming the ship, keeping lookout, updating the log and checking over the ship. I endlessly hauled on ropes, even struggled though a day on mess duty below decks and only skipped a few meals, though I was losing quite a few of them again a short time after eating. By now I knew every location of the sick bags on board and was going through them at an alarming rate. I had used up all my strong anti sickness tablets that are only available over the counter in Spain, I had tried the medication on board, given anti nausea patches a go which did help temporarily but my body seemed to quickly become immune to them and I was soon hanging over the railings once again. We pitched and rolled relentlessy, often both at the same time, day and night. The trouble was the ship just never stopped lurching about, at all, never, ever…….ever.

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The rest of the crew were wonderful and irritatingly most of them were feeling totally fine the whole voyage. They told me not to feel bad, “even Christopher Columbus suffered from seasickness” , as if that would help me feel better. I wasn’t feeling embarrassed or weak for being afflicted with it, just slowly more and more drained from the effects. I kept one watch crew busy on a particularly rough night when I think every one of them disposed of one of my sick bags at some point or another as I tried to crawl onto deck.

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The ocean starts to pick up a bit…

Conditions had become admittedly very rough. One evening I was sitting on the wooden floor in the communal bar area and was just sliding from one side of the lounge to the other as if I was on some kind of playground ride. In our beds we rolled from the hull wall of our bunk to the lee -cloth or board designed to stop you from falling out of bed constantly, back and forth all night. Weather depression after depression was bearing down on us and in the end we had to abandon plans to make land in the Azores, turn east and ride the edge of Storm Emma towards the Canary Islands some 700 miles away. This now meant I had four full days to endure before landfall. By this point the medical officer, Susie, was injecting me with the hard stuff to try to stop the vomiting….but it wasn’t working. My urine was also now the at the disturbing end of those colour charts you see at ultra marathon events…’Shades of Newcastle Brown Ale’

It was all such a shame as I really wanted to enjoy the experience to the full.  In the early days dolphins often rushed over to play in the bow wave, skimming just below the surface so clearly visible in the clear tropical waters, gliding with an incredibly smooth speed, seemingly close enough to just reach out and touch. We were constantly on ‘whale watch’ and every day brought uninterrupted views of spectacular sunsets and sunrises. On watch through the night under the pristine dark, starry skies, sparkles and lights also illuminated below in the water from phosphorescent planktons. It was all breathtakingly precious.

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Night watches spent identifying constellations 

By day 14 I stopped making my watch shift, requested an absence from duties and crawled into my bunk for the majority of the time. This felt pretty pathetic and like I was letting down my watch companions but I was totally done in and exhausted. I couldnt even look out of the port holes any more to see the roiling grey streaked swell that had grown so huge without being sick. The horizon no longer existed anyway, it was all gnarly and chopped up and hidden from view half the time by each giant wave. All I could do at this point was lie in my bunk concentrating hard on keeping some water and electrolytes down and listen to the loud pounding on the hull as we climbed the waves and were slammed into the troughs counting the hours and days til we would reach land again.

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The streaky ocean waves

Finally, on day 18 we reached the island of La Palma and my spirits raised at the thought of collapsing onto land that didn’t buck and roll beneath me , but the wind was too strong for us to safely make harbour so we hove to and got thrown around for hour after hour all day long waiting for the wind to die down…which of course meant it just got worse. We were so close to land…if I could have mustered some energy I would have been tempted to swim for it. By early evening down drafts were coming off the island gusting up to 80 knots (that’s really windy by the way – every time I mention that to someone who sails their jaw usually hits the floor and they give me a look of disbelief. When the winds were recorded at 69 knots on our anenometer even Captain Darren admitted he had never experienced such strong winds. The result of this battering was that the ship was forced over at a 42 degree angle ( also an impressive statistic to people who know what they are talking about) and it ripped out both topsails. We braced ourselves below decks hanging onto our slanted bunks and trying not to get sent flying into a hard or sharp part of the ship as belongings, harnesses, deck boots and oilskins, previously stowed and clipped away were now being hurled around our sleeping quarters. In the end it was decided that the ship should take no more and we would turn our back to the wind and run with it back out into the ocean…away from dry land! Another night groaning in my bunk as my stomach curses me for not delivering on my promise of solid ground. Conditions were so rough that night that crew were now confined below deck for safety.

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I would have actually loved this weather if I had not been so debilitated

Arriving in Tenerife we once again weren’t able to enter the harbour. An incident during the previous day’s weather had resulted in an investigation meaning no one could leave or enter…honestly, you couldn’t make this stuff up! They did offer a berth in the marina, but sadly it was only big enough for a small rowing boat!
So once again we sailed away from land and there was no room on any of the other islands. I was beginning to think I might never set foot on land again. But it turned out that our original berth on La Palma was still available and conditions were improving so this could be it, hopefully just one more night on the ocean.

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Land, once again…my stomach rejoices!

Finally, late the following morning we made it into harbour and I staggered ashore, lay down right there on the quayside hugging the ground – I was so happy. I decided right there I would find somewhere to live on La Palma, get a job and never leave land again! However, after weeks of feeling so terrible for almost every waking minute, in just a few hours I was feeling remarkably recovered and was already questioning my decision to spend the rest of my life on La Palma. I had made the decision, however, not to go back out in the ocean, instead arranging a flight back to the UK. Once I felt better though I even regretted that decision and would have happily gone back out with the ship, forgetting so soon how it had been, the miserable hours rolling and lurching and feeling on the verge of being sick 24 hours a day for weeks! It made no sense. I had had the most uncomfortable time of my life, even worse than the time I was flown to hospital with acute appendicitis!, and yet I was ready to try it again. The unforgiving ocean had truly captured my heart.

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An emotional goodbye to Lord Nelson and my ship mates…ironically the ocean was flat clam for the next four days!

Like all good ‘type 2′ adventures my pain and suffering were quickly forgotten and I was totally heart broken in the end to leave the ship. This was in the most part because it meant leaving the rest of the crew who were phenomenal and whether due to having like minded souls or the intensity of a shared adventure I had grown very close to.
This was my first ‘DNF’ (did not finish) , but there really is a lot to be learnt from adversity. Pain is never a gift in the moment but you do gain strength and grow from it. The experience has really taught me that we need challenge and adventure in our lives – not only to push our limits and grow as individuals but to learn compassion and become closer to each other. In my heart I will always love the ocean but sadly my stomach clearly does not!

Happy Sails!😁

Introducing 3PeAks Patch

trailhobo_tina 2 Comments

After my incredible weekend amongst the inspiring folk at the Search and Rescue Dog Association England I felt a fair scoop of ‘enviousness’ of the owners and handlers of such fabulous dogs and the incredible bonds between them. But as much as i love our furry friends my lifestyle – splitting my time between life on a boat and living in a ‘nano campervan’ is totally non-conducive to responsible dog ownership!

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Then I discovered Patch . My new ‘trail runners best friend’ – an extremely low maintenance pet substitute mascot with aspirations to become a Search and Rescue Dog trainee….hmmm, good luck with that, Patch!

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3PeAks Patch….potential Search Dog trainee?….hmmmm

This miniscule traildog is not without his charms, he has already proven quite a hit around the boat and is about to get into all kinds of mischief,  i can tell.

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Overdoing it on the post run treats!

Little Patch will be joining me on my 3PeAksRun Challenge,  and weighing in at 36 grams (less than a small flapjack) I have agreed to find him a comfy spot on my backpack as his tiny legs will struggle to keep up…even with me! (and even if he could actually move them!?)

You can use the follow buttons below to keep up with Patch’s (and my) adventures and see what trouble he gets himself into. He may look clean and smart now but just wait til he gets to the top of Snowdon!

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My new traildog buddy…3PeAks Patch

Spades and Brooms on mountain summits!

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Always an advocate of trying new experiences, summiting a Lakeland Fell hauling a spade and broom along was certainly a first for me on my recent day with a team of Fix the Fells volunteers..all in a days work for these guys!ftf colour cmyk

Just an hour before our prearranged meeting time, I peeked out of my soggy tent to see nothing of the nearby fells but swirling grey cloud and sheets of rain. Keener to stay snuggled up in my toasty warm sleeping bag than try to extricate myself from my tiny one-man tent onto the sodden grass beyond I wondered what the cutoff level of discomfort might be for the Fix the Fells team to decide to hang up their gaiters and retreat to the warm and and cosy interior of the village pub or cafe for copious amounts of hot tea and homemade cake uttering promises of returning to the fells just as soon as the sun was shining again , everyone was volunteering for this after all! But it turns out, these are no fairweather fell goers, rather, a hardy bunch of outdoorsy folk whose attitude to our fickle British weather is that if the National Park Rangers went out in all conditions then so would they!

Repairing and maintaining our ancient network of mountain paths is an all-weather task. A combination of millions of pairs of walking boots, the weather and gradient means erosion is a constant problem. Our path work reduces erosion scars and also helps protect the ecology and archaeological heritage of our beautiful landscape.

Fix the Fells are celebrating 10 years of volunteering, a decade of dedication. In fact, their level of commitment and dedication humbled me more than once during that day.

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Introductions made, I took custody of my ‘on loan’ trusty spade and broom, unsure of what exactly what exactly I was supposed to do with them, and along with the team headed up the path towards a brooding Place Fell. Our mission for the day was glamorously referred to as a ‘drain run’. Spade and brush in hand I was a little confused but all was soon expertly explained. The drains along the paths help the water continue on a natural course rather than using the path itself as a quick route downhill, damaging the path and causing further erosion or even washing away the path completely in heavy rain. Volunteers completed 493 ‘drain run’ days last year carrying out minor maintenance and repairs and clearing debris.

We soon arrived at the first drain and it became immediately apparent to me that this was more technical than I had initially imagined. It certainly didn’t seem in any way obvious to my untrained eye if, where and what might need doing to maintain a happy drain. But as the day went on and the number of drain encounters chalked up I gradually began to understand how to identify the problems and how to remedy them, doing a very fine job of clearing out a very clogged, muddy and smelly drain by the end of the day ( if i do say so myself!)

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Other maintenance tasks on our day in the hills involved picking up litter and cleaning pitching. (the large stones and rock slabs that make up sections of path and/or steps) Keeping this clear of loose rocks, stones and debris makes it much safer and easier to walk on and therefore more inviting than the surrounding ground which helps to reduce and prevent erosion. This was something my obsessive inclination for cleaning could really get enthusiatic about and my designated pitching was certainly very vigorously brushed to a standard at which you might be able to eat your rehydrate, boil in the bag dinner off it.

Volunteering with Fix the Fells is not all about getting wet and muddy though. Hard work but lots of fun it is a wonderful and productive way to spend a day in the hills with a group of diverse yet like minded people seeing parts of the Lake District you may never have been before and giving something back to the outdoor environment we all love and enjoy. The pace and work was always steady, there was always time scheduled in to stop for a brew and picnic lunch and as i worked and spoke with a different group member throughout the day I also realised it is a wonderful opportunity to make and catch up with fellow volunteer friends as well as meet new people. The volunteer group on any particular day can include regular volunteers who have been involved for several years to new recruits still working through their training program or complete first timers like myself staring at a drain with a somewhat confused look on their face. The pool of volunteers indeed spans all ages and backgrounds with a wealth of experience in a variety of outdoors pursuits from keen walkers to outdoor instructors, National Trust Wardens, National Park Rangers and Mountain Rescue Team members.

Anyone interested in volunteering with Fix the Fells has an opportunity to go along for some ‘taster days’ , similar to the day I spent, to meet other volunteers and discover what the work involves. After this, comprehensive training is provided in the practical skills of path maintenance, first aid and navigation as well as training in the whats, whys and hows of carrying out the various work required. A minimum annual commitment of 12 days volunteering is required but many volunteers far exceed this, some out on the fells more than once a week in all seasons. Car parking permits and a travel allowance within the national park is also provided to minimise costs to the volunteer and all training is included. It is also a fantastic opportunity to learn many new skills working with National Trust Wardens and National Park Rangers.

One of the most valuable and perhaps often overlooked aspects of the teams work that day to me was simply their presence on the fells. Many walkers commented and asked what they were doing and thanked them for their efforts. I felt this was invaluable for raising awareness and encouraging responsible behaviour outdoors – I think someone is far less likely to discard that sweet wrapper or cut that corner in the path when they witness volunteers giving their time to pick up litter and work on the paths in all weathers and with enthusiasm and positivity, and have an opportunity to learn why the work they do is important and necessary. Fix the Fells volunteers are definitely great ambassadors for the outdoors and inspire and encourage us all to be more appreciative and protective of our precious and beautiful, great outdoors!

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The fantastic team I had the privilage to spend the day with. And the sun finally came out just in time to enjoy a well earned cuppa! A huge thank you to volunteers David, Wendy, Steven, Chris, Mim, Ann, Andy and Claire for welcoming me so well. You guys rock!

If you want to find out more or are interested in becoming a volunteer for Fix the Fells you can find more about what’s involved HERE or contact them at info@fixthefells.co.uk

Happy Trails!

How else can you help?  Sponsor my 3PeAksRun here and support their work!