People keen to don their walking boots and head for the Lake District fells are set for a boost with news that many of the footpaths they may use will be preserved thanks to the sales of charity calendars.

The Wainwright Society has revealed that it has sold over 850 copies of its 2010 calendar, raising £3,700 for the Fix the Fells project.

Under a matched funding deal with the Heritage Lottery project, this could be worth as much as £11,000 for the preservation project.

In a bid to sell the last few copies of the £10 calendar, the society had them signed by Sir Chris Bonington and Doug Scott at the organisation's event at Rheged near Penrith on February 1st.

Last month, Fix the Fells reported that its volunteers had managed to inspect 75 miles of Lake District paths in the wake of the severe weather and floods that hit Cumbria late last year.

Posted by Dan Mirza