Businessman raises over £9,000 for Mend Our Mountains campaign

The managing director of Inktech has raised more than £9,000 towards repairing the UK’s 15 national parks through the Mend Our Mountains campaign.

Richard Duckworth, 36, from Littleborough, followed the routes of all 13 ‘primary project’ paths due to be repaired through The British Mountaineering Council’s (BMC) Mend Our Mountains' Make One Million campaign.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/138/community-news/122551/inktech-md-takes-on-dirty-dozen-challenge-for-mend-our-mountains

Climbing the height of Everest in the process, Mr Duckworth walked 120 miles over 12 days across the Yorkshire Dales, South Downs, New Forest, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Peak District, Lake District, Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, Loch Lomond and the Cairngorms.

Mr Duckworth said: “It was enjoyable but tiring.

“The second week was dominated by high mountain summits, long drives and bad weather.

“Ben Vane in Loch Lomond, Scotland was covered in mist and heavy rain: the only person I saw all day was me.

“This is one of Scotland’s most popular summits, but the path has suffered badly from drainage and erosion issues. The combination of popularity and steepness has seen a sharp decline in the integrity of the path and it is very dangerous in places.

“Carn Liath in the Cairngorms is one of the Munro summits along the Beinn a' Ghlo range.

The path erosion on the way up is awful and can be seen from miles away – a massive scar across the hill that requires urgent work. It is rightly one of the most pressing upland path priorities in Scotland.”

 

 

He added: “It’s important to say that Mend Our Mountains isn’t about ‘urbanising the hills’ or attracting more people to our National Parks. Nor is about making it easier for people or taking any of the enjoyment away in any way. It’s about preserving our upland environments and protecting the landscapes.

“Over the last fortnight I have enjoyed my journey around the UK looking closely at some of these awfully eroded paths and routes in the most beautiful places.

“My challenge has now ended, but if people love the outdoors as much as I do and want to help raise £1 million to repair paths in the UK's 15 National Parks, they can still donate.”

Mend Our Mountains is a call to action to everyone who values the hills, mountains and landscapes of Britain. It aims to galvanise mass support for things we all use: the paths, bridleways and bridges which underpin our experiences in the great outdoors. 

The current phase of Mend Our Mountains, Make One Million, is a year-long appeal to raise £1 million in total for a range of vital path repair projects within the UK’s entire family of 15 National Parks.

To donate, visit:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/richardmomdirtydozen