Visitors to Fernilee Reservoir in the Goyt Valley will soon be able to ‘sit back and enjoy the views’ with ease, thanks to work taking place to improve access and facilities.
The project is part of the South West Peak Landscape Partnership Scheme which is coordinated by the Peak District National Park Authority. With a view to improving access for all and as part of the campaign to offer ‘Miles without Stiles’, the Fernilee Reservoir location has received major funding from the national Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund* and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The funding is giving a new lease of life to the route along the eastern shore of the Reservoir by contributing towards the costs for improving the path and adding in seating areas. The work will help provide better access for those with limited mobility, including wheelchair users and families with pushchairs.
This week a team of volunteers from Tarmac’s nearby Tunstead site went along to help South West Peak apprentices install new benches and improve access to existing seating areas. The volunteering day was part of the partnership Tarmac has with the National Park through the Peak Park Conservation Volunteers scheme. Through this partnership, Tarmac sponsors a role which coordinates volunteer work; and also offers a team of its own employees for monthly ‘days of action’, working on a variety of projects across the Peak District National Park.
Karen Shelley-Jones, South West Peak Scheme Manager, said: “It’s great to see a team of Tarmac volunteers working together with our own apprentices to begin the programme of access improvements at this site. We look forward to welcoming a range of visitors to enjoy this peaceful setting.”
Tarmac’s Tunstead Stone Plant manager Jason South added: “We’ve done volunteering tasks as a team before and this one certainly did not disappoint – great scenery, physically challenging, new skills learnt and most importantly, healthy banter all day long… all things that bring out the very best in people and can help make a group of work colleagues become a closer team.”
*The Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund (or Landfill Tax Credit Scheme as it was formerly known) enables landfill operators like Tarmac, to donate part of their annual tax liability to enrolled Environmental Bodies for a variety of approved community and environmental projects. Landfill operators can reclaim 90% of their contribution as a tax credit which means the remaining 10% must be provided either by them or an independent third party. Through the fund Tarmac donates around £1 million each year to community projects throughout the UK. The fund is open to applicants who meet the strict criteria for projects delivering community benefit. For more information please go to www.entrust.org.uk
Photo caption: Volunteers from Tarmac Tunstead join the team from Peak District National Park Conservation Volunteers office to carry out work along the banks of Fernilee Reservoir – including Dave Cramp from the National Park’s Conservation Volunteers Office (second from left at the back) and Tarmac Tunstead’s Stone Plant Manager Jason South (front, crouching centre)