790,000 sphagnum moss plugs planted by BMC volunteers!

Access News
05 May
2 min read

BMC volunteers have planted a grand total of 790,000 sphagnum plugs in the Goyt Valley, Peak District, since our Get Stuck In volunteer events started in 2023.

Now the sphagnum moss planting season has come to an end, it's time to celebrate the incredible planting power of the BMC volunteers as part of our Get Stuck In days, funded by The Climate Project and Mend Our Mountains from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust (ACT). This year they planted 12,000 plugs over two days, bringing the grand total to 790,000 over the last two years. From April onwards, planting stops so as not to disturb ground-nesting birds, like lapwings and curlews.

Get Stuck In creator and BMC Hill Walking Rep, Steve Charles, says, "This February, nine BMC volunteers worked with our friends from Moors for the Future to plant 4,000 moss plants in the Goyt Valley area of the Peak District. It was a very wet, windy day, but really worthwhile to restore the peatland, improve biodiversity and, over time, keep water on the moors, reducing flood risk downstream.

"Then in March, a group of 12 BMC volunteers planted 8,000 moss plugs in a single day, making a total over the last 2 years of 790,000 sphagnum moss plugs planted on the site! This was the final day of moss planting for BMC volunteers this season, as the moors are now handed over to ground-nesting birds.

"The area is used by lapwings and curlew, and this work helps protect these beautiful birds, as well as improving the overall health of the moor, helping capture carbon and slowing movement of water off the moors, which in turn improves water quality and decreases flood risk in the valleys. We did see some lapwings, but no curlew so far, although they do live here too."

Get Stuck In!

Further sphagnum moss planting opportunities will be arranged for later in the year here in the autumn for more dates.

Fancy helping out in the meantime? Get Stuck In is still going strong throughout the summer months with fantastic footpath repair projects in Eryri and the Lake District. Check for events here.

Support the cause!

The BMC's Access & Conservation Trust (ACT) has teamed up with Premium Partner Cotswold Outdoor and Pennies so that you can round up your gear payments at the till from now until the end of June 2025. The proceeds will go towards The Climate Project, a suite of nature-based solutions and resources to combat the climate crisis, including planting sphagnum in the winter months.

So treating yourself to that new bit of kit this summer has never been for such a good cause! Don't forget to take your BMC membership details along to your nearest Cotswold Outdoor store for your 15% off. Then simply press, 'YES' on the card reader to round up your payment to donate a small amount with ease to The Climate Project. Every little helps!

Sphagnum benefits

Sphagnum benefits

Planting sphagnum moss in the Peak District with Moors for the Future helps:

  • Avoid carbon loss
  • Increase water quality
  • Reduce wildfire risk
  • Reduce flooding risk
  • Protect endangered wildlife
  • Increase biodiversity

Support The Climate Project

Support the BMC's Access & Conservation The Climate Project campaign to plant sphagnum and seagrass to sequester carbon and protect biodiversity.

  • £5 buys a pair of work gloves

  • £25 funds a square metre of sphagnum moss

  • £50 buys a pair of mud shoes to reduce seagrass trampling impact

  • £150 buys equipment to test water quality at a seagrass site

  • £200 builds a 2m stone dam for a badly eroded, moorland gully

  • £1000 buys a drone survey to monitor seagrass growth

  • £2,500 plants 100 square metres of sphagnum moss

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Cotswold Outdoor Discount

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