Friends of Blencathra started off as an admirable venture. However the longer things went on the more egotistical the venture seemed. £1.75 million was the amount required for the sale. FOB raised only £250,000. Yet they campaigned to be the preferred bidder status. They campaigned and won the right to claim it as a community asset after reports were made that the mountain had been sold to another bidder.
It came across to me that they saw there campaign as the saviours of the mountain that didn't really need to be saved. They bluffed and shadow boxed and claimed confidentiality when the facts were they weren't even close to having the funding required. They almost campaigned in a manner that reflected there ambition to own the mountain. Making themselves almost the only group allowed to buy it despite the lack of funding.
Some time ago they could have put this to bed when the owner removed the sale. They could have refunded the good people that donated instead of this continued legal dispute. It leaves a well minded venture a legacy of mismanagement. Sad really.