Wildfire Walk raises over £11,000 to protect the Peak District!
The BMC Access & Conservation Trust sponsored Wildfire Walk fundraisers raised an incredible £11,146 to protect and restore the Sheffield Moors area from wildfire.
Wow. We are flabbergasted! Our incredible 16 Wildfire Walkers managed to fundraise £5,946 between them, which was match-funded with a £5,000 donation from a very generous BMC member, and then our very own BMC Patron Mary-Ann Ochota gave the funding pot a fantastic £200 top up to make a grand total of £11,106.38!
The 18km Wildfire Walk was part of the BMC Big Walking Weekend and was attended by over 30 fundraisers and staff from supporting organisations, including the BMC, Peak District National Park, National Trust, Eastern Moors Partnership and Moors for the Future Partnership. All were dressed brightly in ‘fire’ colours and it was great to move along the Peak District edges together, like a human wildfire, raising awareness on the way round.
Several walkers attached red, orange and yellow ribbons to their backpacks, one had a bright yellow superhero cape and another had dyed her hair red and painted her nails to match especially for the occasion. Danny Udall from the Eastern Moors Partnership even joined us wearing his full wildfire fighting kit, complete with 20L water-carrying backpack. Our two tail walkers also collected litter as they went.
The route started with free pastries and coffee at Alpkit in Hathersage, up to Stanage Edge and along Burbage Edge to the National Trust’s Longshaw Estate (where ice cold home-made lemonade and cookies awaited us), and back down past Grindleford station to Outside in Hathersage for a free cup of tea and flapjack. Our walkers didn’t go hungry! Many thanks to all three for such delicious refreshments, and thanks to Alpkit and Outside for providing 5 x £10 vouchers each to award to our top fundraisers at the end of the walk.
Want to donate or fundraise for us?
The overall aim for our wildfire appeal is to raise £100,000 and we are well on the way to achieving our target. Last December we secured a grant of £50,000 to fund a Wildfire Engagement Officer for the Peak District's Sheffield Moors area and this May we were successful in winning a £20,000 grant from the National Lottery to to help restore the 81.2ha (114 football pitches) of peat bog burned within this area since 2018.
Our fundraisers are still reaching out for donations, and if you'd like to fundraise for this cause please find some great ideas here and set up a JustGiving page here. There are some great prizes for our fundraisers by the end of the year, so do join our fantastic crew!
We now have a final £19,000 to raise to hit our target. Please give generously to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust wildfire appeal, or consider leaving us a legacy gift. These funds will help protect the Sheffield Moors area (Stanage, Burbage, Curbar, Froggatt) from wildfires and rehabilitate the moorland lost to wildfire, in collaboration with the Moors for the Future Partnership.
For information on how to prevent wildfires and what to do if you find one, see our wildfire advice page here.
Thanks to our supporters
Mary-Ann Ochota, BMC Patron, broadcaster and outdoor campaigner
Andy MacNae, BMC Patron and MP
Alex Davis-Ward, BMC Peak District Hill Walking Rep
Dr. Cath Flitcroft, BMC Head of Access & Environment
Jody Vallance from Moors for the Future (MFFP)
Emily and Robbie in the MFFP Bogtastic Van at Longshaw Estate
Phil Mulligan, CEO of the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA)
Rob Kenning, PDNPA Ranger Team Manager
Damian, BMC-funded Wildfire Engagement Officer
Danny Udall, Site Manager for the Eastern Moors Partnership
Harry Bowell, National Trust Director of Land and Nature
Andy and Ana, National Trust catering team
Adam and the Alpkit team
James and the Outside team
What's the deal with wildfires?
- Zero tolerance on naked flames - barbecues and campfires are strictly prohibited in the Peak District. One stray ember can devastate centuries of peat growth, sending thousands of tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, degrading water quality, killing thousands of insects and ground-nesting birds, endangering firefighters (including volunteers) and harming local businesses.
- Emergency protocol - if you spot smoke or flames, dial 999 immediately and ask for the fire service. Provide a precise location using What3Words or a grid reference.
- Rapid ignition - do not be deceived by wet weather; vegetation can dry out within the hour even after heavy rainfall, creating ideal wildfire conditions.
- It could be you. No one thinks their fire will get out of control so they try one anyway despite the ban - instead, take a hot flask or use a camping stove with care.
Resilience through restoration
Ted Talbot, Programme Manager for Conservation and Land Management at Moors for the Future Partnership (MFFP) says, “Wetter is better. Healthy, water-logged peat acts as a natural firebreak and colossal carbon store, whereas dry, degraded peat provides high-energy fuel for deep, long-burning wildfires that devastate the landscape, wildlife, farming, tourism and human health. Investing in peatland rehabilitation work is the most effective long-term defence against wildfire. MFFP and this collaboration of organisations are already carrying out restoration work by re-vegetating bare peat, damming gullies to trap water and planting sphagnum moss, the vital peat-building plant.”
How to support
- Donate: Contributions to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust’s Wildfire Appeal (part of The Climate Project campaign) are most gratefully received. Donate here.
- Participate: Set up a JustGiving page to help us raise further funds with fundraising activities. Fundraising ideas here.
- Corporate sponsors are welcome, please get in touch with the BMC Access & Conservation Trust for opportunities to share news of your support with the BMC’s 82,000 members.
Donate to us for FREE!
Did you know that you can donate to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust entirely FREE simply by shopping online as you usually would, at any time of the year with Easyfundraising? It only takes two minutes to set up, here's how.
Donate to us (not for free!)
If you want to contribute to upland and mountain access and conservation causes like the above, then simply click here to donate to The BMC Access & Conservation Trust via The Climate Project or Mend Our Mountains campaigns at any time. One-off or regular donations of any amount are always most welcome.
Volunteer
Fancy fixing footpaths in the Lake District, placing stepping stones in Eryri or planting peat-building sphagnum moss in the Peak District? Sign up to one of our Get Stuck In events here. And if you can't volunteer, why not gift us the amount you would have spent in fuel or on a train fare getting to a volunteer event?
Leave a legacy
A wise person once said, the most noble thing you can do is to "plant trees under whose shade you will never sit" and, likewise, fund path repair projects on which you will never walk and moorland restoration projects which you will never see. If you'd like to make a lasting impact on the landscape long after you've left this world, please consider leaving us a legacy.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC Access & Conservation Trust sponsored Wildfire Walk fundraisers raised an incredible £11,146 to protect and restore the Sheffield Moors area from wildfire.
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