John McHale, Reporter
Outdoor enthusiasts are being offered the chance to clean up the environment and join in action pursuits for a second year.
The Respect the Mountains Envirotrek Mountain Clean-Up sponsored by outdoor brand Keen, will this year take place at two venues.
A June clean-up in the Peak District will be followed a week later in the Lake District.
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| Clean up participants from a previous Envirotrek event |
Participants will join in the clean-up in the morning and then will be provided with lunch before enjoying their choice of outdoor activities.
The Peak District event will be based at Castleton and the Lakeland one at Keswick.
A Keen spokesperson said: “Group leaders are allocated and all participants will be provided with cleaning and safety equipment and fully briefed with a safety talk.
“The clean-up finishes at around 12.30pm, with volunteers being rewarded for their mornings’ efforts with a hearty lunch – soup and bread in Lake District, a barbecue in the Peak – on the hillside.
“Participants get to spend the remainder of the afternoon enjoying a range of fun outdoor pursuits organised by the Envirotrek leaders. In the Peak District this will include caving, climbing, rope activities and a ridge walk, whilst the Keswick event will feature climbing, canoeing and gill scrambling.
“There’s also a chance to win some great prizes including Keen footwear and gifts for the quirkiest litter found on the hill, with the day’s event closing at approximately 4pm.”
The English gatherings are part of a series of mountain clean-up events held across various European mountain destinations since 2009 including Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and France.
The Keen spokesperson said: “With an estimated 16 million visitors to the Lakes and an incredible 22 million scheduled to visit the Peak District this year alone, the environmental footprint is considerable and so popular mountain destinations are becoming increasingly in need of on-the-ground action to clear them of waste in order to maintain their natural beauty and enjoyment for generations to come.
“Envirotrek helps to address this need, drawing together tourists, local communities and businesses to give something back to their environment while enjoying some playtime in the great outdoors.
“Through last year’s Envirotrek initiatives, more than 750kg of rubbish was cleared in 1,000 hours across five European countries.”
Anyone interested in taking part should register online at the Respect the Mountains or Keen websites.
The clean-ups will take place on 16 and 23 June.
An entrance fee of £9 is payable locally on the day. Children with a responsible adult are welcome; the fee for ages up to 12 is £4.50.
Keen said if you bought a pair of Keen footwear since August 2012 registration is free.
More details are on the two websites.
