Flora of the Fells aims to connect people of all ages and backgrounds with Cumbria’s incredible mountain landscapes and habitats through celebration of the county’s floral diversity. Many of these landscapes are of national or international importance, are under threat from climate change and need to be carefully managed if they are to be sustained in the future.

The project has been running as a partnership between Friends of the Lake District and Natural England since 2002 and highlights the value of our uplands for wildlife ‘biodiversity’, landscape, people’s health and well-being, natural resources and the economy.

Local people and visitors are engaged through colourful, informative and accessible publications, and festival events take place across the upland areas of the Lake District and North Pennines.

Education work is targeting schools and young people, making links with their local natural assets, such as National Nature Reserves and properties owned by Friends of the Lake District.

A major Flora of the Fells festival is being run in 2010 from April to November, focussing on ten areas of Cumbria and the North Pennines; namely Windermere, Loughrigg, Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Scafell, Ennerdale, Kendal Limestones (Scout and Cunswick Scars), Orton Fells, the North Pennines and Arnside and Silverdale AONBs. The festival includes over 180 events including farm visits, family activities, local food and bee related events and a range of festival walks and talks.

Sustainability and climate change are key themes of the 2010 festival which aims to be as ‘climate-friendly’ as possible, encouraging use of public transport to get to events where ever possible.

Flora of the Fells is going from strength to strength each year. So keep an eye on this website and see how you can support the project and join in. You can also register for email updates about upcoming Flora events.

Vision for the future
A major part of the project is to get people thinking about the future and how the flora of the fells can be conserved and enhanced. Landscape is always changing and there are some exciting things happening in Cumbria’s mountain landscapes today. The Flora of the Fells Project aims to highlight these good ideas and inspire thinking about how the biodiversity of our mountain landscapes might be improved in the future.

Who's involved?
The project is based on a partnership approach. It is funded by Friends of the Lake District, Natural England and the Lake District Sustainable Development Fund with support from Nurture Lakeland.

Flora of the Fells Festival events are co-ordinated and promoted by the Flora of the Fells project team run by a wide number of organisations including Friends of the Lake District and Natural England.