There is no way it should have come to this sad story of Bill Potter and his Greenholme herd of Fell Ponies to be found guilty of damaging the vegetation on Birkbeck Common when these ponies, with sheep, have grazed these commons for decades, long before Natural England and SSSI sites were even thought of. Bill has been a hill farmer all his life he is now 79, he has a world of knowledge of the fells and his animals and a duty of care to them. He has been told to pay an unbelievable amount of costs for a hill farmer to find and we must try and help them and the Fell ponies living on Birkbeck Common. Fell Pony grazing is beneficial to the mixed vegetation on the upland commons and a extensively grazed hefted herd like the Greenholme ponies, which are part of a very small number now on the fell, so should be recognised for there part in the biodiversity of the Cumbrian fells by Natural England..