BMC volunteers have planted over 16,000 sphagnum plugs this winter
![](https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/bf0c0dc4-777a-4d38-ad0b-c3d494da3793.jpg?crop=845%3A475%3Anowe%3A0%3A120)
The sphagnum-planting season has come to an end to allow the ground-nesting birds to, well, ground nest! Thank you to all the volunteers that have helped the BMC to plant over 16,000 plugs of this super soggy, carbon-locking moss this winter, helping to restore the Peak District peat bog.
The sphagnum-planting season has come to an end to allow the ground-nesting birds to, well, ground nest! Thank you to all the volunteers that have helped the BMC to plant over 16,000 plugs of this super soggy, carbon-locking moss this winter, helping to restore the Peak District peat bog.
This work has been done as part of Get Stuck In days for the BMC’s Mend Our Mountains campaign and The Climate Project, in partnership with Moors for the Future. Coordinated by two fantastic volunteers, Hill Walking Rep Steve Charles and BMC Peak Area volunteer Peter Judd, this winter saw three volunteer work parties and one BMC staff group heading out into the icy, rainy and boggy Peak District armed with rolls of sphagnum and dibbers to poke them into the peat.
Planting sphagnum is the final part of the peatbog restoration process and it can only be done by hand. Dr. Cath Flitcroft, BMC Senior Policy & Campaigns Manager says, “A healthy peat bog can sequester and store so much more carbon than most of the forests across Europe, and that's just for the peat bogs here in the UK alone.
"So they're a vital resource in the fight against climate change, but unfortunately, a lot of them are not in great state. Acid rain, wildfires and so on have just ripped the surface of the vegetation off. So the work of Moors for the Future is to try and tackle that. This amazing plant is the final part of that restoration story. It will retain water and keep that moisture locked in the bog system and help to capture carbon and seal it off.”
Back in November 2023, 2,500 sphagnum plugs were planted on the moorland above Birchen Clough near Glossop. Then in March 2024, 5,000 were planted by 20 volunteers in the Goyt Valley, west of Buxton, and 3,800 by nine BMC volunteers on Seal Flat on the northern side of Kinder Scout. This third one included some Mountain Training Association (MTA) members, braving strong wind, hail and rain. Lastly, a BMC staff day, also in March, in the Goyt Valley saw 20 of us planting 4,800 sphagnum plugs, bringing the grand total to 16,100.
Sphagnum stats
This is what Moors for the Future have achieved on the Goyt this restoration season (2023-2024)
387 peat dams, 124 timber dams and 226 stone dams installed
486m of reprofiling work
384,000 sphagnum plugs (360,000 by contractors, 24,000 by volunteers)
Next year we plan to plant a further 409,000 sphagnum moss plugs
BMC Peak Area volunteer Peter Judd describes the experience:
What do you like best about the sphagnum planting days?
When you've planted a reel of 20 sphagnum plugs and look back to see those bright green little dots sticking just proud of the bog behind you a real sense of satisfaction glows within as you realise that, with luck, these little green dots will grow and spread into a self sustaining mat of heathy sphagnum carbon capturing bog, for hopefully many centuries to come!
What is the camaraderie like despite the howling weather?
Everyone is so keen and cheerful on these Get Stuck In days, despite the weather, even though it's quite hard work with plenty of bending down, but with such fine mountain views to sustain you when you pause and the sense of achievement as work progresses, what's not to enjoy?
Why is this project so important to you personally?
Of all the volunteering I've done, planting sphagnum seems the most worthwhile. The impact of climate change is becoming ever more apparent in the uplands so an opportunity to do something to fight back seems vital to grab, especially as I use a car to reach the hills more than I should. I'm being offered an opportunity to something on the positive side, it's important I take that!
Your word of thanks to your fellow volunteers?
It's no exaggeration to say it feels positively life-affirming to discover how keen other people are to Get Stuck In in planting sphagnum, especially when they rock up keen as mustard on grim weather days like we've had, they're all utter stars! Here's to next time.
Find out more about volunteering with the BMC here.
BMC campaigns Mend Our Mountains and The Climate Project are funded by BMC charity the Access & Conservation Trust (ACT).
Donate here to support this vital mountain restoration work further.
Related Content
Olympics
With four GB Climbing athletes heading across the channel for the Olympic boulder and lead competitions starting Monday 5 August, not only are they bringing their A-game in terms of performance but, as part of the BMC, the whole team is supporting Paris 2024 in its bid to be the ‘greenest ever Games’.
Access Articles
If you're a BMC member or if you have made a donation to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust (ACT), you are directly supporting our Mend Our Mountains campaign which is funding Fix the Fells again this year. Your contributions enable rangers like Liam Prior to consistently repair and manage the Lake District paths that we love to walk on. We caught up with Liam on the very popular path up Scafell Pike from Wasdale Head to find out what a typical day in his life is like - it's quite demanding!
News
This weekend the BMC joined Avon Access Rep Ben Darby and his team of volunteers near Bristol to install 28 new belay stakes on Main Wall so that climbers no longer need to rely on the wobbly old iron fence as an anchor point. Vegetation was also cleared and a thorough litter pick was carried out.
Access News
Yesterday, former Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Chris Boardman CBE met with BMC staff in the Peak District to highlight projects that are successfully fighting the climate crisis.
Access News
Proposals to make ordinary trespass a criminal offence have alarmed outdoor groups, including the BMC. Ahead of a debate in Parliament on the issue and the possibility of Government publishing the Police Powers and Protections Bill, Ed Douglas calls for the Government to think again.
Access News
There are concerns that government are considering moves to turn trespass from a civil offence to a criminal one. In a public consultation that is currently out for comment, it has been suggested that police powers could be strengthened to force people to move on from unauthorised encampments. The BMC is concerned however, that there could be unintentional consequences of the proposals around issues such as wild camping.
Access Articles
Access to the south side of Cheddar Gorge is fragile and relies upon climbers following the agreements in place with the landowner.
Rock Destinations
Climbers have a responsibility to understand the relevant access and conservation issues associated with the places we climb. Here are a few pointers to help you enjoy these areas sustainably.
Hill Walking Articles
The health and well being benefits of physical activity are numerous. Apart from the obvious physical benefits, there are many mental health and social perks to hillwalking and climbing too.
Rock Climbing Articles
In this booklet for managers and landowners, the aim has been to address a range of common questions and concerns about rock climbing in disused quarries. Covering all aspects of access and liability, through a selection of case studies, it showcases the benefits not just for climbers, but for the wider public and land managers themselves. Benefits which can be realised with assistance from climbers and the BMC, through the repurposing of disused quarries as rock climbing destinations.
Hillwalking Skills
Camping ‘wild’ is a different way of spending the night outdoors but it isn't allowed everywhere - with a responsible approach however, there are many remote areas where you can still rest your weary head under a star-filled sky.
Rock Climbing News
The stats are in from the Bangor University Mountaineering Society's (BUMS, excellent acronym) crag clean up at Penmaen Head, a limestone sport climbing venue in North Wales, near Colwyn Bay.
Indoor Climbing Gear
We take a look at the culture of tight climbing shoes. Just how tight is too tight - and are we creating problems for the future?
Article
Want to know more about how you can reduce your own personal carbon footprint and lessen your impact on the environment? We’ve tried to make it simple for you by producing three separate checklists – for yourself, your workplace and for any events you might be arranging.
Governance
On this page, you will find links to recent BMC annual reports and annual accounts.
Hill Walking Articles
Diversity conversations in the outdoors can’t leave anyone out. At ESEA Outdoors UK we’re celebrating the fact that East and Southeast Asian people go outdoors too, in spite of historical erasure and lack of representation in outdoors media. Here’s what you need to know:
Hill Walking Articles
One of the biggest projects ever supported by Mend Our Mountains has hit its huge fundraising target, enabling repairs to be made to badly damaged sections along the South Downs Way.
Hill Walking Articles
The dramatic skyline of the Great Ridge walk connects the summits of Lose Hill and Mam Tor in Derbyshire’s Hope Valley. Heavy footfall left the path in a badly eroded state and work to repair the damage to the path started in March this year, and has seen 500 metres of the most serious damage along the path repaired to protect the surrounding landscape and bordering habitat.
Hill Walking Articles
A kilometre-long stretch of one most heavily eroded footpaths in the heart of Bannau Brycheiniog (The Brecon Beacons) has been fixed, thanks to £12,100 of funding from the BMC’s Mend Our Mountains crowdfunding campaign.
Hill Walking Articles
England’s highest mountain has been a constant headache for its custodians, the National Trust and Fix the Fells, as ever-increasing numbers seek to top England’s highest summit. Yet a poignant anniversary has highlighted the continuing need for large-scale projects to repair and revamp its slopes and pathways.
Hill Walking Articles
In the last three years Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park Authority have been very active in working on a number of lower level bridleways around Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and more recently started work on the bridleway connecting Capel Curig to Crafnant. While some of these trails have given opportunities to link communities and provide access to lesser-abled users, the scale and nature of the works on some of the routes that pass through some wild and remote areas has also surprised many users.
Hill Walking Articles
The money raised through the Mend Our Mountains: Make One Million appeal has started going into work on the ground, after a dramatic helicopter airlift helped path repair work to get underway on Yorkshire’s highest peak.
Access Articles
Commuting with crampons, hard outdoor labour, and spending 120 hours a week with your colleagues - we speak to a mountain path repairer to find out more about the highs and lows involved in this vital job.
Access Articles
Mend Our Mountains: Make One Million has helped leave a lasting legacy on some of the highest peaks not only in Scotland, but in the whole of the British Isles.
Climate Articles
The BMC has welcomed another conservation project into The Climate Project portfolio, planting seagrass with Seagrass Ocean Rescue in conjunction with the North Wales Wildlife Trust. This is in addition to the current sphagnum moss planting and peatland restoration with Moors for the Future in the Peak District that you can also get involved with here.
Hill Walking Articles
The Nuns Cross Path is used by more than 30,000 walkers and 10,000 mountain bikers, as well as horse riders, disabled ‘trampers’ and many others each year - it is a shining example of the accessible but wild landscape Dartmoor can be. But a combination of extreme weather, like the storms of winter 2014, and erosion damage had taken its toll over the years. In stepped the BMC's Mend Our Mountains campaign.
Access & Conservation
This April saw the BMC’s first volunteer day in Pwllheli, North Wales, partnering with the Seagrass Ocean Rescue project and the North Wales Wildlife Trust as part of the BMC’s The Climate Project. Two more dates are planned for May and August, read on for dates and how to get involved.
Mountaineering
The Julie Tullis Memorial Award is a small grant to assist deserving female mountaineers or any disabled climbers or mountaineers, both male and female, to achieve their climbing or mountaineering ambitions.
Mountaineering Articles
An introduction to BMC and MEF mountaineering grants
Access & Conservation
With the general election announced for Thursday 4 July 2024, get behind the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) as we lobby for more access to nature, outdoor education and more protection for the places we love to walk and climb in. Pick one (or all!) of the below and ask your election candidates if they will back it and why it’s important to them.
Access & Conservation
Seven things you always wanted to know about path repair (but were too afraid to ask)
Mountaineering Articles
Are the Alps falling down? IFMGA Mountain Guide Andy Perkins has a stark warning about the impact of climate change on the Alps: “I don’t have children but if I did I wouldn’t persuade them to be mountain guides. I’d be saying ‘Get your yacht sailing ticket...'" Katy Dartford interviews Andy to find out more.
As part of LGBTQ+ history month we asked members of the BMCs Equity Steering LGBTQ+ sub-group to share their stories about getting into climbing and walking.
Access & Conservation
As the general election date draws nearer, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) have reviewed the manifestos from each party to help you make a more informed choice when it comes to protecting the landscapes and crags that we love to walk in and climb on.
News
As the world’s garment manufacturing industry moves to a more sustainable business model, what we’re wearing in the hills in three years time will be very different to today’s unsustainable, un-recyclable, polluting garments, predicts Mike Parsons from the Outdoor Gear Coach. But why is change needed? And what is going to happen? Mike explains in this article.
News
The first of four films in The Landscape Project has just been released on BMCTV, a fascinating new series that brings climbing and natural history together. Starting with the Lake District, presenter Nathan Chrismas, a biologist and ecologist, shares his deep knowledge and passion for the geological and ecological highlights of four hugely popular climbing and walking areas.
Access & Conservation
The Labour Party has announced three policies to help connect people with nature. The British Mountaineering Council has advocated for greater access to nature for many decades and welcomes action to promote this – we’ve therefore taken a look at each policy individually.
Here’s a rundown on ten of the best places to boulder outside for beginners.
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.
Access News
Wildlife and Countryside Link—a coalition of over 80 charities including the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust and WWF UK—is challenging all political parties to set out how they would halt wildlife decline by 2030, ahead of the General Election.
News
This week is Volunteering Week 3 - 9 June so why not get involved with one of the many BMC volunteering opportunities? There are loads to choose from, including helping out at climbing competitions, leading hill walks at events and litter picking nationwide, planting seagrass in Wales, repairing footpaths in the Lake District and restoring peat bogs in the Peak District.
Article
In National Walking month this May we’ve teamed up with BMC Official Retail Partner Cotswold Outdoor to bring you all the info and advice you need to care for and repair your favourite pair of walking boots. Not only does this save you money, it also saves the environment - the less we consume and throw away, the better.
News
BMC volunteers from the Get Stuck In programme joined Fix the Fells last month in Wasdale on Lingmell Breast, one of the main routes up to Scafell Pike. They spent the day helping to maintain part of this hugely popular footpath up to England’s highest mountain.
News
BMC member Madalin Cristea, known as Cris, from Romania, has become the first person to summit both Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro from sea level and back again. He is currently attempting to be the first person ever to climb up and down each of the world’s seven summits (the highest mountain on each continent) from sea level - climbing every metre of the mountains up and down.
News
BMC member Wayne Andrews from Bettws, South Wales has started a hill walking group for people who suffer with their mental health or an addiction, called Forever In The Hills.
News
Right now, this May, it’s 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. That’s where the BMC’s Mend Our Mountains charity campaign comes in - this year funding a new Grants & Access officer for the Cotswolds Natural Landscape (formerly known as Cotswolds AONB). The newly appointed Nina Stubbington is now leading the ‘Access for All; Removing Barriers’ programme, improving access to the area for people of all ages, abilities and from all backgrounds.
News
This May is National Walking month, so to celebrate the power of a good old stomp around the UK’s countryside, nine of the BMC staff have shared their favourite hike. From fossil-hunting in the Peak District and airy Scottish scrambling to the Via Alpina in Switzerland, one of these is bound to tickle your fancy this spring or summer. Better still, with the BMC collaborations with Komoot and HotelPlanner, you can plan and navigate your route and find your accommodation for your trip for less!
News
Worryingly, small adder populations could be extinct by 2032 unless we act now to help conserve them. The North Pennines National Landscape are asking BMC members to help them record sightings these native UK snakes to better understand their distribution and improve conservation efforts. Their Adders Up project started in February 2024 and will run for three years, hoping to achieve positive outcomes for the conservation of this enigmatic and threatened reptile.
News
The Watkin Path up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and the peat hags on neighbouring mountain Glyder Fach have benefitted from BMC volunteer improvement work on the latest Get Stuck In event, 15-16 April 2024. This was organised by Hill Walking Rep Steve Charles and Access & Conservation Officer (Wales) Tom Carrick as part of the Mend Our Mountains project, funded by the BMC Access & Conservation Trust.