Carlisle & District Rambling & Fellwalking Club
End of Season Dinner
Dear Friends,
On Saturday 5th December, Storm Desmond battered our beautiful county. For a full 24 hours the Lake District and Cumbria were pounded by over 14 inches of
rain and devastating winds. The Nation has been watching the shocking impacts ever since: over 5,000 homes flooded; over 40,000 homes without power;
roads and bridges destroyed. The list goes on. Our thoughts are with those of you who have been affected.
This is a tragedy for the communities of Cumbria, and anyone who would like to give to flood victims can do so via Cumbria Community Foundation who have
set up an emergency flood appeal. You can give to this by going to http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/cumbriafoundation/cumbriafloodappeal2015
Storm Desmond has also been a tragedy for the landscapes of Cumbria. It will be some time before we can have a true picture of the damage done, but already
we are beginning to comprehend the devastating effects. Rights of way and bridges are unpassable; dry stone walls have been washed away or knocked down
to allow flood water to escape, and 100 year old trees have been plucked from the ground.
Over the next few weeks we will be assessing the damage on the land we own in the Lake District and Cumbria, as well as working with the National Parks,
local and county councils, farmers’ groups and local communities to begin to restore this beautiful county piece by piece.
We have set up a Lake District Landscape Flood Appeal for those who want to contribute to fixing Cumbria’s landscapes, and to help adapt this fragile terrain to
better withstand future weather events. Our fund will enable vital restoration and resilience work to take place.
If you would like to give to this please visit https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/appeal/landscape-flood-appeal
Finally, there are many urgent practical tasks to be carried out to help address the flood damage. The Lake District National Park and the National Trust
are coordinating volunteers to help with flood related clear up tasks.
Please contact volsadmin@lakedistrict.gov.uk or Vicky.wilkinson@nationatrust.org.uk if you are interested in helping in this way.
Thank you for your support at this challenging time for so many people. We have been overwhelmed by the many messages of concern and solidarity,
and are very grateful.
Now is the time to start rebuilding.
Best wishes
Douglas Chalmers
