In response to Chris Packham urging the re-wilding of the fells by ceasing to graze sheep there, I would like to highlight the situation at Helm, the hill by Burton Road going out of Kendal.

The west side of the hill used to be grazed but the farmer took the sheep away because of dog worrying issues. It is now covered in bracken, which used to be cleared every year by dragging a rake behind a tractor.

At the other side of the hill, owned and run by Friends of the Lake District, there is very little bracken because there are a few horses and cows grazing.

If the fells are left to nature, all but the main paths will be overgrown and it will become scrubland. The Lake District National Park Authority is operating on fewer resources and will certainly not be able to maintain it.

The sheep help to keep the vegetation down but it is also the farmers who look after the land which is in their own interests as well as ours.

John Dobson

Natland