Media Release

media release
The National Trust for Scotland

£1.4 Million Awarded to the National Trust for Scotland
to Protect Scotland’s Mountains

17th February 2003

The National Trust for Scotland has been awarded £1.4 Million by the Heritage Lottery Fund (£983,000), Scottish Natural Heritage (£375,000) and the Scottish Mountaineering Trust (£20,000) for their £2 Million Scotland’s Mountain Heritage campaign.

The money will help fund a five-year upland footpath maintenance programme to protect our mountains from the severe erosion, which has taken place in recent years.

“We are delighted to receive this generous amount of funding,” said Robin Pellew, Chief Executive of the Trust. “Since the 1970’s visitor numbers to the Scottish hills have risen dramatically. Coupled with the wet and wintery weather conditions our mountains are in danger of literally crumbling away. This money will go a long way to help us tackle this problem.”

Colin McLean, the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Manager for Scotland, comments, “Our mountains are a priceless and much loved part of our heritage. Their stark beauty attracts an every-growing number of walkers, mountaineers and tourists each year. This extremely worthwhile project aims to reduce the adverse impact of public access so that visitors may continue to enjoy the outstanding natural landscape for generations to come. We are delighted to be able to give it our support.”

The Trust, as the largest conservation charity in Scotland, cares for over 74,000 hectares of land including some of Scotland’s most notable mountain and upland areas such as Glencoe, Ben Lomond, Torridon, Ben Lawers, Goatfell and Kintail. In fact, the Trust owns one in six of the Scottish Munro’s (hills over 3000 feet) including Buachaille Etive Mor - one of the most photographed hills in Scotland.

Operating a policy of open access all year round, the Trust provides a priceless resource for everyone to enjoy. But human traffic inevitably takes its toll on this fragile environment. Boots wear through the thin vegetation, exposing soil and sub-soils to the erosive powers of Scotland’s high rainfall, resulting in an ever expanding and intrusive scar on the landscape.

“To counter this erosion, we need to stabilise slopes, shed water from paths and regenerate bare, eroded ground. All this is expensive and takes specialised skills, said Paul Johnson, Head of Countryside Management. “It costs £35 per metre to repair a footpath and a cross drain costs £250.”

Scotland has some of the finest mountain footpaths in Europe, many of which were originally created by shepherds, stalkers and drovers. In order to protect our natural heritage, the National Trust for Scotland is committed to maintaining these paths in a way that is non-intrusive so that Scotland’s Mountain Heritage is sustained for future generations to enjoy.

ENDS

For further information please contact Francoise van Buuren, Corporate Communications Manger for the National Trust for Scotland on (0131) 243 9384.

The National Trust for Scotland supports the everyone campaign.

EDITOR’S NOTES

The National Trust for Scotland is an independent charity established in 1931. It is Scotland’s largest conservation body with 260,000 members and is funded by subscriptions, legacies, donations, visitor admission fees, grants and investments. The Trust cares over 120 properties, including more than 74,000 hectares of countryside. The Trust works in partnership with local communities, educational establishments, the private sector, central and local government and their agencies to protect and promote Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to enjoy

In the last 15 years the Trust has invested some £2 million in mountain footpath improvements, with much of this sum coming from Scottish Natural Heritage, the European Union, mountaineers themselves through the Scottish Mountaineering Trust and through National Trust for Scotland appeals. The Sole Trading Appeal was launched last year in order to raise a total of £2 million towards the funding of this work over the next five years. Donations to the Sole Trading Appeal can be made by a Give as you Earn scheme where weekly or monthly donations are deducted from salaries or company pensions before tax, or by a one off donation through Gift Aid, which allows the Trust to reclaim any tax paid on the donation made.

This decision by the Scottish Committee of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) follows its Stage 1 approval last June and the successful culmination of the application process that began in September 2001. Prior to the implementation of the HLF 2002-07 Strategic Plan, it was a mandatory feature of the application procedure that projects for which grants of over £500,000 were being requested should be subject to a two-Stage process. A Stage 1 Pass was awarded last year, which enabled the project application to progress to Stage 2 during which the Trust was required to provide more detailed and specific information. Throughout the entire application process, the HLF's designated Grants Officer worked closely with the Trust to ensure that any guidance required was provided in a helpful and professional manner.

The Heritage Lottery Fund enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, Heritage Lottery Fund grants open up our nation’s heritage for everyone to enjoy.