VETERAN Yorkshire Dales National Park volunteer Dick Laidler has celebrated his 70th birthday – during a day’s conservation work on the Coast to Coast path.

Dick, from Washington, Tyne and Wear, was presented with a Swaledale tup’s head tankard.

He is a member of the northern area team of Dales Volunteers, which meets weekly with a long-running conservation group, the Ragged Robins, to work alongside the ranger service.

“The Ragged Robins and Dales Volunteers are a super bunch,” said ranger Ian Broadwith.

“They do an untold amount of work to maintain the rights of way network. Spirits were high as we celebrated Dick’s birthday.”