Friends of the Lake District

Friends of the Lake District is one of England’s oldest conservation organisations. It was formed 1934, when a group of pioneering figures, who were concerned about threats to the special qualities of the Lake District – its open fells, tranquillity and cultural heritage – held the society’s first meeting in Keswick.

Although the early focus was on the Lake District, since 1978 it has also represented the Campaign to Protect Rural England in Cumbria, expanding its work across the county as a whole.

Early work included campaiging against plans to plant conifer trees in the Duddon valley and working to get the Lake District designated as a national park. The society is now backed by a membership of nearly 7000, and continues to work under the same banner as its founding fathers. It aims to balance the need for diverse and prosperous local communities, the desires of visitors for recreation and the demands of the nation for natural resources, while keeping the special qualities and distinctive character of the landscape firmly at the heart of its thinking.