Mend Our Mountains: The Cotswolds
Cotswolds National Landscape Access Officer
Mend Our Mountains 2024 is funding a new role of an Access Officer to facilitate and unlock a wide range of work focused on access and removing barriers.
The 800 square mile Cotswolds National Landscape (previously AONB) receives 37 million day visits a year, making Mend Our Mountains funding vital in ensuring safe passage for everyone who enjoys this protected area. For 2024 Mend Our Mountains will fund Nina Stubbington for one year in the role of Grants and Access Officer for the Cotswolds Natural Landscape. Originally from Bournemouth and with a background in retail, Nina has been their Grants and Outreach Officer for the past year already thanks to the New to Nature scheme run by Groundwork.
In her new role starting this April, Nina will be allocating the DEFRA ‘Removing Barriers’ funding of £254,000 for work that will improve access in the Cotswolds and make this protected landscape more accessible to people of all ages, abilities and from all backgrounds. Other work coordinated by Nina’s line manager, Access and Volunteer Lead Becky Jones, will include widening and resurfacing of paths for multi-user use, gate replacement, more seating, accessible signage and visitor information, and disabled toilet facilities.
This role's key responsibilities are:
To allocate and manage the ‘Removing Barriers’ funding (£254,000 of funding awarded from DEFRA for the 2024/25 year) for work on improving access in the Cotswolds which will make the protected landscape more accessible to people of all ages and abilities and from all backgrounds.
To facilitate the widening and resurfacing of paths for multi-user use, replacement of gates, additional seating areas, accessible signage and visitor information and disabled toilet facilities.
To unlock the huge potential of access to the Cotswolds National Landscape, enabling fantastic projects to be delivered on the ground
You can help to further support the work of the Cotswolds National Landscape by donating through Mend Our Mountains.
Cotswold Project Updates
Mend Our Mountains Articles
Three impassable paths in the Cotswolds National Landscape have been fixed thanks to funding from the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Mend Our Mountains campaign. Here are three great walking routes using these new paths.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
With a new all-terrain, electric mobility scooter in the Cotswolds Natural Landscape thanks to Mend Our Mountains support, we celebrate the rise in accessible outdoor routes with a top six across the UK.
News
As part of Volunteers Week 3 - 9 June we have Cotswold Voluntary Warden Walk Leader Margaret Reid sharing her inspiring experience. Margaret organises and leads walks in the Cotswolds National Landscape for people from the Friendship Cafe in Gloucester. Activities like this are made possible with funding from the BMC Mend Our Mountains project from the BMC Access & Conservation Trust (ACT) charity.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
May is National Hill Walking month, but not everyone finds it easy to access this hills, whether that’s due to physical, financial or knowledge-based barriers.
Our Projects
Learn more about the invaluable work we are supporting across England and Wales. The BMC has raised over £1.4 million so far for the Mend Our Mountains Project. That's 50 miles of fragile footpath restored for future generations. 544 miles of upland repaired - the equivalent to over 67,000 double decker buses so far!
Get Stuck In! Volunteer Days
'Get Stuck In!' volunteer events are a key part of repairing our footpaths, funded by Mend Our Mountains.
Here, you have an opportunity to get out on the hillside, learn new skills and meet like-minded people whilst making a real difference to our wild places. Take a look at the upcoming dates and get stuck in!
