A FAMILY made a kind-hearted gesture to honour the legacy of their late father and his passion for fell-walking.

James Mallin enjoyed walking in the Lake District from the age of 14 until well into his 90s, often frequenting the Wasdale and Eskdale valleys.

The father-of-four lived in Seascale for seven years, working for British Nuclear Fuels, where he fell in love with west Cumbria and the Lake District.

The retired research chemist later moved to Warrington then London but always travelled back to the Lakes to nurture his love of walking.

"Walking was everything to him," his daughter, Cockermouth resident, Jill Bouskill, said.

"He moved to Seascale from Salford purely so he could walk in the Lakes.

"After mum died, dad went on lots of walking holidays. He had been to Chile, the Andes, Australia - he walked all over the world.

"But the Lake District was his love. He was still regularly travelling up there in his 90s for walking holidays.

"It was only the past year he wasn't himself and his health began to decline."

Mr Mallin, who had nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren, was described as 'very well-liked' by all who knew him.

"He was a very well-liked person," Mrs Bouskill, who is a retired nurse, said.

"He loved Scottish dancing and was a great hiker.

"He also loved wine. He went on wobbly walks which is where groups of people go on walks and try different wines on route.

"Wasdale and Eskdale was always his favourite place to visit. He always tended to avoid the touristy areas."

The family decided to give back to the charity held closely to their dad's heart: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team.

"When dad died, we noticed there was direct debits of donations to Wasdale MRT," Mrs Bouskill said.

"So us four siblings decided to donate £1,000 each to the mountain rescue team.

"They were very grateful when we told them. It was dad's main interest and passion and really kept him going in later years.

"He always appreciated the incredible work of Wasdale MRT and we wanted our donation to carry on his legacy and honour dad's love of walking."