People who volunteer to help the upkeep of walking trails in the Lake District have been rewarded for their commitment.

Grough reports that the unpaid teams who have worked on the Fix the Fells project in the national park have been given a sum of £500 in the Marsh Heritage Awards after they put in some 818 days of free labour throughout 2009.

This prize represents a second-placed finish in the Awards’ panel’s mentoring scheme which is intended to encourage experienced volunteers to help newer, less experienced members of the team.

One of the people involved in the Fix the Fells mentoring scheme, Barry Capp, commented that the seven members who had dedicated their time to guiding new volunteers through their training periods were delighted with their achievement.

"It’s encouraging to get such a pat on the back for the work we do to help keep the fells accessible for everyone to enjoy," he said.

Meanwhile, it was revealed last week that mountain rescue teams will not be exempt from the government’s hike in the VAT rate, which comes into effect from January 2011.

Anyone heading out for a walk in the Highlands in the coming days may be advised to be on their guard after it was reported that a "large animal" is on the loose in the area.

According to local police, the creature was spotted by someone at 11.15 BST on Tuesday (July 13th) in woodland at Inshriach, which is near Kincraig.

"The person who reported the sighting was certain the animal was a cat and was the size of a German shepherd dog," a police statement read. The authorities also insisted that the report was as yet unconfirmed.

Ramblers may be better off going walking in the Lake District or another area for the time being, but Douglas Richardson, animal manager of the Highland Wildlife Park, told Grough that mistaken sightings of such animals are common.

Meanwhile, it was announced yesterday that mountain rescue teams will not be given special treatment on the government’s new VAT rate.

Mountain rescue services look set to see hikes in VAT as of next year after the government opposed a move to introduce a tax freeze for charities, without which it is thought will cost the peak-side volunteer teams – possibly helping those walking in Snowdonia – an extra £28,000 annually.

According to Grough, this matter led to the closest Commons vote thus far in the new parliament, with Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron both championing for the refunding of the teams’ VAT and voting alongside the coalition to prevent Labour’s treasury committee capping tax.

And Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the treasury, voted to throw out the amendment but prior to the general election said: "It has never been right that a vital service which relies on donations from the public and extraordinary commitment from volunteers gets hit by the government for a sizeable tax payment."

Earlier this week, the news source reported that George Osborne’s planned to include charities in the expanded VAT rate of 20 per cent.

People who are planning to go walking in Snowdonia this summer may be glad to hear that a brand new potentially lifesaving device has been installed at the summit of Snowdon.

Thanks to a joint scheme initiated by the Welsh Ambulance Service, Snowdon Mountain Railway, the Arrhythmia Alliance and AED Locator, a Public Access Defibrillator is to be placed in Hafod Eryi in a bid to help any life-threatening emergency rescue attempts.

The remote device can be used to assist patients who are on or near the summit until professional medical assistance arrives at the scene.

Some 3000 volunteers have been trained by the Ambulance Service to man the current 34 defibrillators placed across walking routes in Wales.

National manager of the Public Access Defibrillator Scheme (PADS), Gerard Rothwell, said: "The summit is such an ideal place to have a PADS site due to the massive amount of people who visit it each year."

Meanwhile, Grough reported earlier this week that members of the Labour party will challenge the government’s planned VAT increase on mountain rescue teams.

The government’s plans to increase the rate of VAT paid by mountain rescue teams is to be challenged by members of the opposition, it was revealed over the weekend (July 10th).

Grough reports that chancellor George Osborne’s plans to include charities such as mountain rescue outfits in the government’s expanded VAT rate of 20 per cent is to be met with strong opposition by Labour MPs, with shadow chancellor Alistair Darling and his team having already tabled an amendment to the Finance Bill.

The legislation is set to be analysed by a committee this week and if Labour’s amendment is successful, the non-business areas of a charity – such as mountain rescues – would have their tax rate frozen at the current level.

Meanwhile, the Ramblers last week (July 8th) warned that walkers in the UK could be on the verge of facing the loss of their favourite routes and trails due to the governmental spending cuts announced in the emergency Budget last month.

Ramblers has warned yesterday (July 8th) that walkers in the UK could face their favourite route being lost forever due to municipal spending cuts.

Britain’s largest and most well-known walking charity – which has 125,000 members nationwide – has launched a new campaign entitled Dead End where it has pledged to highlight the most pressing issues in the country’s walking community as councils across the nation continue to cut and reduce their rights of way budgets.

The campaign is designed to urge these authorities to reprioritise the needs of pedestrians and walkers and also offers advice and expertise for concerned people from specialist volunteers.
Rachel Alcock, campaigns officer for the charity, commented: "By neglecting paths, councils risk damaging people’s basic ability to get from A to B."

She went on to state that walking is a low-cost leisure activity which can provide essential de-stressing qualities in these difficult financial times.

Meanwhile, it was reported by Grough yesterday that Scotland’s Cairn Gorm funicular will again have its own transportation system for visitors.