Conservationists, volunteers, and people with practical countryside skills were honoured by Friends of the Lake District recently.

As part of the celebration of the first 75 years of the conservation charity, Friends of the Lake District is held a garden party to thank the people who give their time and practical conservation and countryside skills to protect, restore and maintain Cumbria's beautiful landscapes.

A lot of Friends of the Lake District's success has involved funding work which is carried out by charity and community organisations, often involving practical assistance from volunteers. It is these people that the charity was keen to thank with a Garden Party at Rydal Hall on Saturday (18 July).

The setting for the garden party was the gardens at Rydal Hall, where guests were able to take part in croquet games on the lawns.

Friends of the Lake District helped fund the restoration of the historic gardens at Rydal Hall, designed in 1909 by Thomas Mawson (1861-1933), the leading garden designer of the time.

Friends of the Lake District gave £8000 in 2004 towards restoration of the 'grot' (a listed summerhouse with a viewing window that overlooks a waterfall) and some planting of oak trees in the grounds. The garden restoration work was finished last year.

The highlight of the afternoon was the cutting of a 75th birthday cake.

Andrew Forsyth, Executive Director of Friends of the Lake District said: "We thought this was a simple and very traditionally English way to say 'thank you' to those who most directly help us to deliver our objectives. We are most grateful to Jonathon Green and his team at Rydal Hall for generously suggesting that we could use the magnificently restored gardens for the afternoon."