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Caring for Eden
Exploring Eden
Our Charity
Exploring Eden

Gaps and Gates Fund

Our new Gaps and Gates Fund is now open – creating new opportunities to make Public Rights of Way more accessible for everyone.

Closed gate within a dry stone wall Closed gate within a dry stone wall

River Irthing

River Eden

River Petteril

Public Rights of Way are essential links between our communities, landscapes and the River Eden. Yet many routes still include barriers that make access difficult or impossible for people with reduced mobility, wheelchair users, and families with pushchairs.

Our new Gaps and Gates Fund is designed to change that.

What is the Gaps and Gates Fund?

This fund supports the replacement of restrictive structures—such as stiles—with more inclusive alternatives like open gaps or accessible pedestrian gates. The aim is simple: remove barriers and help more people enjoy safe, easy access to nature.

How the fund works

Thanks to Lottery Players, as part of the Access to Eden: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges partnership project, we’re offering grants of £200 to around £1,000, covering up to 80% of the total cost of improvements, with the landowner contributing the remaining 20%.

A total fund of £10,000 is available, so applications are expected to close quickly

Application and payment process

  1. Read the Landowner’s information pack.
  2. Download and complete the short application form, outlining your proposed improvements and itemised costs.
  3. Applications are reviewed by our fund panel at the start of the following month.
  4. If approved, you will receive a grant offer and pay your 20% contribution, then work can begin. You can arrange for a contractor to carry out the work or complete it yourself.
  5. Payment is made within 2–4 weeks of us receiving evidence that the work has been completed.

Who can apply?

Applications are welcome from:

  • Landowners
  • Tenant farmers
  • Non-profit organisations/charities
  • Parish Councils

(Where applicable, written permission from the landowner is required.)

Applicants must be located within the Eden River Catchment and have a Public Right of Way running through their land.

Check whether you are in the Eden catchment

Get started today

With limited funding available, we encourage early applications. Please note that we will close the fund once the £10k has been allocated.

Get started on your application today- read the Landowner’s Pack and download, complete and return the Application Form to us.

We can support and advise you through the application process. Please call Dylan on 01768 866788 or email [email protected]

Together, we can make the Eden Valley’s paths open, welcoming, and accessible to everyone.

What others have done?

We've just finished working with a farmer who has upgraded his broken stile with a metal Marlowe gate (see photos below), resulting in easier access for people via a sturdy access point that should last for years!