An appeal has gone out to find a group of volunteers to help raise funds for Fix the Fells, a project set up to repair eroded upland paths in the Lakes.

For the past five years Fix the Fells has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund as well as donations from supporters and partners. But this income stream dried up in December 2011 and now the project is looking to secure sustainable funding to enable its work to continue into the future.

Each year the project costs around £500,000 and although a great deal of work in-kind and match funding has already been committed, fundraisers are still needed to find up to £800,000 over the next ten years. The Fix the Fells project is looking for help from a 'small, enthusiastic' team of volunteers to try to raise the money.

The Lake District National Park Authority's Volunteer Co-ordinator Tim Duckmanton said this was an ideal chance for anyone with spare time to put something back into a genuine community voluntary project that benefits visitors and local residents:

'This is a great opportunity for people to communicate their enthusiasm and passion for the Lake District by working with award-winning charity Nurture Lakeland, to raise the much-needed money to protect our fells.'

'We are looking for help to raise awareness with businesses about the innovative Fix the Fells conservation scheme and the recreational impacts of tourism in the national park. In return we'll give them training, a sense of achievement and a whole load of fun' he added.

Fix the Fells is a project run in partnership between the National Park Authority, National Trust, Natural England, Friends of the Lake District and Nurture Lakeland. It aims to repair and maintain eroded upland paths and to increase awareness of the problems and solutions. The 'fixed' paths are not always to everyone's taste, but it would be difficult to deny there's a problem with path erosion on heavily-used Lakeland routes.

To find out more email Tim Duckmanton before 14 February.