BANK staff have rolled up their sleeves to help restore a popular footpath in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

A group of 20 chartered surveyors from Colleys, part of Lloyds Banking Group, decided as their Day to make a Difference to help Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) staff to re-surface a section of public footpath in Threshfield.

Day to Make a Difference is Lloyds Banking Group’s volunteering programme, where colleagues are invited to use at least one working day a year helping support their local community.

And the Lloyds Banking Group also donated £250 to the authority to cover the cost of materials used on the day.

The footpath is a popular dog walking route and is used regularly by visitors to the nearby Caravan Club site and to the Long Ashes Caravan Park. It had previously been surfaced in 2003 with the help of RAF personnel but, over time, it had deteriorated and become eroded and muddy in places.

The YDNPA’s Upper Wharfedale Access Ranger, Rebecca Heaf, said: “The team from Colleys worked incredibly hard to overcome the challenges of the day and they achieved a great result.

“They have certainly made a difference to that section of footpath and comments from passers by on the day were very positive. I am very grateful for their help.”

Colleys regional manager David Ibbotson, who organised the day, said: “This was a brilliant team effort – with accomplished shovelling, barrowing and raking skills displayed by all and, by the end of the day, the team had incredibly moved 16 tonnes of aggregate and laid over 200 metres of pathway.”