THE British Trust for Conservation Volunteers had been making life easier for farmers and ramblers in the Kirkby area in summer 1994.

The group had just finished building a bridge across Mere Beck on Kirkby Marsh, which borders the Duddon Estuary.

The bridge was designed to float at high tides and the volunteers had to work hard to dodge the rising waters.

Voluntary BCTV field officer David Mason said: “We knew we had to work quickly when we saw the tide coming up the beck towards us.

“It was a real challenge.”

The bridge provided a link across the estuary to the 150-mile Cumbia Coastal Way from Barrow to Carlisle.

In spring 1996 British Telecom donated vital equipment to boost the work of volunteers working to improve the environment in south Cumbria.

A chainsaw and safety equipment worth £500 were given to the local branch of the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, which carried out many improvement projects each year.

The equipment would be used for hedging and tree clearance work and had already been used on a hedge-laying scheme at Moor Side Farm at Ireleth.

South Cumbria field officer Jeremy Gavins said: “The donation from the BT community programme could not have come at a better time.

“We have a number of projects planned for spring all over the south of the county and the new chainsaw will help us tackle them much more efficiently.”

The equipment would be used for hedging and tree clearance work and had already been used on a hedge-laying scheme at Moor Side Farm at Ireleth.

South Cumbria field officer Jeremy Gavins said: "The donation from the BT community programme could not have come at a better time.

"We have a number of projects planned for spring all over the south of the county and the new chainsaw will help us tackle them much more efficiently."

The equipment would also be used to improve the skills of volunteers by teaching them correct chainsaw handling methods to NVQ standards.

In 1995 a brush cutter was presented to the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers by Glaxo.

And in 1997 holidaymakers on a British Trust for Conservation Volunteers break were laying paths and putting in new boundary fences as part of a nature reserve project for Millom schools.