The school summer holidays are here and its is time to proudly reflect on another fantastic year for Project Kingfisher. Come rain or shine, our dedicated Education Team have been busy connecting over 5000 school children with nature. Highlights of the year saw students helping to plant our new wetland, Chamber Meads, creating lasting memories through hands-on experience, and our Education Officer winning the Peter Spillett Award.
Educational Experiences with Project Kingfisher
Project Kingfisher offers a wealth of educational experiences, including assemblies, interactive walks, and river dipping sessions for school children and youth groups. The sessions span the Beverley Brook, Wandle, Hogsmill, and River Mole, ensuring accessibility for many schools in the South East. We offer activities and opportunities to support teaching and to help inspire pupils’ love of nature through learning.
Connecting Young People to Nature
At the heart of our sessions is the aim to connect young people to their local environment and its wildlife. Through activities like creating natural art, listening to birds, and making promises to support the river, we inspire students to appreciate and care for their surroundings. Additionally, we link our sessions to the National Curriculum therefore reinforcing classroom learning and hands-on experiences that make the natural world come alive.
Positive Feedback from Teachers and Students
We received 100% positive feedback on our sessions with one school creating a podcast about their experience which highlights the inspirational impact of Project Kingfisher. Here are some of the wonderful comments we’ve received from teachers:
“Project Kingfisher is perfect for introducing children to our rivers. The delivery and content engaged the children, and they had an absolute blast!”
“The assembly entertained and engaged children from Years 1-5 equally. It was visual, full of information, and involved children in activities throughout.”
“Our second time river dipping, and the classes loved it both times. The project is well-organised, links neatly to the curriculum, is superbly resourced, and knowledgeably run. As a teacher, this is exactly what we look for on an afternoon trip. It offers fun and exploration in the outdoors that isn’t often experienced by children these days. Great fun for all, even the accompanying parent helpers.”
“The river assembly and the interactive walk linked beautifully with pupils’ learning at school. They enjoyed being guided by an expert, which helped them think about the importance and sustainability of the river.”
“I loved listening to the different sounds of birds and nature.”
“I loved making a promise to make sure that the tributary will keep flowing and not dry up!”
Book Your Session for September
As we gear up for the new school term, we encourage you to book your sessions with Project Kingfisher. Give your students the opportunity to discover the wonders of their local rivers and develop a lasting connection with nature.
For more information about our education sessions, visit our Project Kingfisher Education Page or email us at education@staging.southeastriverstrust.org. Schools in Crawley can also join us for special sessions at Gratton’s Park on the Gatwick Stream through our “Our River Our Water” programme.
We are delighted to have teamed up with GLi, the logistics warehouse company, which has produced a short film documenting Project Kingfisher, our flagship education programme which deepens the younger generation’s experience of urban waterways.
As part of the company’s dedicated social value programme, Urban Life, GLi has joined forces with Project Kingfisher to champion river sessions in Merton, close to its forthcoming Mitcham site, that offer children an immersive, hands-on experience with the river.
GLi’s Urban Life programme has supported our Project Kingfisher education programme
The film aims to share the experience of local children who, through these sessions, are encouraged to explore not only the riverbank’s visible features but also the world thriving beneath the water’s surface. Through these river dipping and outdoor learning activities, primary school pupils and youth groups get close to diverse river inhabitants, while having the opportunity to explore their local area.
Polly Penn, Head of Working with Communities at the South East Rivers Trust, said: “We are delighted that GLi has decided to support our education programme. Support by businesses such as GLi is vital in helping us to inspire children by connecting them to rivers.
“Our aim is that every primary school child should experience the fun of outdoor learning. This helps young people not only learn the importance of protecting water but also helps them develop fantastic personal skills. Studies show that children who learn outdoors develop confidence in diplomacy, negotiation and social skills which in turn will help them prepare as adults for the challenges we face from climate change. We are delighted that GLi wishes to share in our vision.”
Children learning at an outdoor Project Kingfisher session
London’s rivers, once a vital part of the city’s industrial heritage, now serve as vital sanctuaries for urban biodiversity and community well-being. Recognising their pivotal role, GLi’s Urban Life programme advocates for the preservation and revitalisation of these historic waterways. Its commitment extends to supporting initiatives that improve access for the community, enhancing water ecology and supporting canal and river heritage education – enriching the lives of those around our industrial units.
The company is pleased to support Project Kingfisher’s work in Merton, ahead of their Mitcham Park development in the area, set to begin later this year.
The South East Rivers Trust runs Project Kingfisher education sessions designed for Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils across the Beverley Brook, Hogsmill and Wandle rivers, outdoors and indoors. For details of all our sessions, along these and other river catchments, visit our education page where you will find details of how to book.
We’re calling on you to join the #VoteforRivers campaign run by the Rivers Trust in the lead-up to the General Election on Thursday 4th July.
This is your chance to use the power we have as voters to advocate for nature restoration and to take this vital opportunity to speak up for healthy rivers.
We’ve set out asks under five headings, whether you plan to seek answers from candidates who come knocking on the door, question them at local hustings or want to write to them.
You can find the candidates running in your area using The Electoral Commissionand download the letter to write to them, or have the asks handy when meeting candidates in person.
We want you to ask the new Government to:
1. Prioritise nature recovery – make nature-based solutions like trees and wetlands to improve the environment and tackle climate change as first choice, rather than relying on chemicals and concrete.
For example, we at the South East Rivers Trust have just completed Chamber Mead wetlands in Ewell, Surrey, which diverts road runoff away from the River Hogsmill. Plants being established there will also bring huge biodiversity benefits to the Hogsmill Local Nature Reserve.
We are working on restoring water voles, eels and trout via our WET Hogsmill project, we have restored a section of the River Blackwater in Hampshire and the Wandle in Morden Hall Park with woody debris and by adding gravel.
2. Improve our understanding of rivers – support better data and evidence to improve regulatory monitoring and recognise the value of citizen science alongside it.
Through our work engaging the public and encouraging them to take part in citizen science, we collect data on the health of our rivers. Examples include training volunteers to:
Discover how much misconnected plumbing is in our rivers through our Outfall Safari work
Carry out riverfly monitoring to judge the health of rivers and whether there has been pollution, by finding invertebrates
3. Support education and engagement about rivers – No one will protect what they don’t know about or understand – and what they have not experienced. So we need the Government to support education about the environment and rivers at all levels.
The South East Rivers Trust has an extensive education programme
The South East Rivers Trust has programmes supporting education of primary school children and community groups across London catchments and the River Mole.
Our events also demonstrate the value of our work through walks and talks across a wide range of topics and we take part in awareness campaigns such as London Rivers Week.
4. Make polluters pay – drive strong enforcement of those who pollute to turn the tide on the abuse of our rivers.
We have recently supported a campaign to clear Hoad’s Wood in Ashford of fly-tipping. After a petition, the Government has now issued a clean-up edict which will cost the taxpayer huge sums. Nobody has yet been traced to pay for the clean-up.
5. Manage land with water in mind – empower collaborative working that gets everyone involved in restoring our rivers.
Leaky wooden dams are a nature-based solution used by SERT on the River Beult among other places
At the South East Rivers Trust we lead several catchment partnerships across 12 river catchments. These work collaboratively with many other organisations and individuals to bring rivers back to life. They need investment and funding to do so.
Our Holistic Water for Horticulture project also works with food growers in Kent and the South East to ensure water efficiency and resilience in the process of getting food from farm to fork.
This is part of the work of our Water and Land Stewardship team, which has worked closely with farmers on the River Beult in Kent on nature-based solutions to retain water and enhance biodiversity, for the benefit of wildlife and people. We are involved in national pilots for Environmental Land Management Schemes, funded by Government, working with farms to manage land in sustainable ways.
For example, we are working with farmers and landowners and other environment NGOs on the River Darent catchment to implement a radical, large-scale approach to delivering climate benefits – starting with rivers.
Here are some questions you can ask your candidates
How will you and your party tackle all types of pollution in our rivers? Sewage is not the only issue; farming and road runoff pollution are also devastating our rivers.
Will your party boost funding for regulators and strengthen enforcement so polluters are made to pay for their pollution?
How will your party work with nature to improve river health and tackle climate change?
How will your party open up rivers and blue spaces in our towns and cities for health and wellbeing?
How will your party support farmers and businesses manage their land sustainably for water?
No matter where you live across our 12 catchments, there is a river near you. Find our river using our map, using your postcode. There a hundreds of candidates standing for constituencies from Berkshire through Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and south London who want your vote – so press them on the hot topics!
If you are writing to your candidates, you could use or adapt the Rivers Trust’s template, by copying and pasting the information below or adding in your own asks on rivers. Don’t forget you can source candidate details via The Electoral Commission.
Dear [Candidate name],
I will be voting for rivers in the General Election on 4th July 2024 and, as a local resident and voter, need to know how you intend to stand up for our waterways.
The Rivers Trust’s State of Our Rivers Report 2024 lays bare the dire health of our waterways, which are facing devastating levels of pollution, swinging between extremes of flood and drought, and experiencing shocking drops in biodiversity:
0% of stretches of river in England are in good or high overall health.
This is not breaking news – the issues faced by our rivers have been hitting the headlines for years and causing widespread public outcry. Yet not enough is being done to restore or protect our waterways.
Healthy rivers should be a priority for the next Government. From re-wiggling rivers, restoring floodplains, and greening our urban spaces, restoring our rivers means securing community resilience, a future for wildlife, and action for climate.
This is why I am supporting The Rivers Trust’s asks for political candidates and parties:
Prioritise nature recovery – make nature-based solutions like trees and wetlands to improve the environment and tackle climate change first choice, rather than relying on chemicals and concrete.
Improve our understanding of rivers – support better data and evidence to improve regulatory monitoring and recognise the value of citizen science alongside it.
Support education about rivers – no one will understand or care about what they haven’t experienced. Outdoor learning is key to nurturing a lifelong love of rivers.
Make polluters pay – drive strong enforcement of those who pollute to turn the tide on the abuse of our rivers.
Manage land with water in mind – empower collaborative working that gets everyone involved in restoring our rivers.
Please let me know what actions you and your party intend to take to deliver the asks above and restore the health of our waterways.
I look forward to hearing from you and, if possible, please copy info@theriverstrust.org in your reply.
Brown trout were able to return to the River Wandle and breed successfully for the first time in nearly 100 years thanks to the South East Rivers Trust’s work, Co-CEO Dr Bella Davies told the UK River Summit on Tuesday. Ian Lamont, our Communications Officer, reports.
An enthralled 100-strong audience at the second annual Summit heard that road runoff had been stopping trout spawning on the Wandle. The summit brought together campaigners, NGOs, politicians and industry experts to debate issues affecting rivers, in the historic setting of the National Trust’s Morden Hall.
Dr Bella Davies talks at the UK River Summit about preventing road runoff
Bella explained that a mechanical device called a hydrodynamic vortex chamber – effectively a big drum – had proven to be the solution to help brown trout thrive once more. It had been fitted to key parts of the river to filter out numerous chemicals and pollutants before they reached the Wandle.
Bella urged a captivated audience at the Summit to “implore policy makers to listen, investigate and do something about,” road runoff because the “solutions are there” to stop contaminants from roads reaching our rivers. She outlined the struggles to bring back brown trout, an iconic species, to the special habitat of this chalk stream, one of only about 220 such rivers globally.
The trouble trout had in the Wandle
A “top predator” and “keystone species” in the eco-system, brown trout had struggled to thrive in the Wandle because of pollution, with the last one caught there in 1934. The industrial revolution was huge in bringing about that scenario, but modern day road runoff had become the modern culprit, she explained.
One of the first projects run by the Wandle Trust (which later became SERT) was Trout in the Classroom, said Bella. School children helped breed the species, but after the fish were released they did not breed successfully in the river, surveys proved, despite Environment Agency data showing that the water quality was high.
Those who saw the Wandle regularly noted that the water turned black every time it rained. Conclusions were drawn that the cause was road runoff. A commissioned study by a Queen Mary university student identified 15 types of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) pollutants and copper in the river.
So how could the issue be solved?
A giant hydrodynamic vortex chamber filters our road runoff and sends clean water into the River Wandle’s Carshalton Arm
A hydrodynamic vortex chamber was selected to capture the pollutants before they reached the river – and a year after its installation another EA fishery survey found there were 67 juvenile trout on a 200m stretch of the river.
“Urban pollution and road runoff are one of the three main sources of pollution in Britain alongside agriculture and sewage. It is the reason that 18% of water bodies fail their target of good ecological health. It is also massively underestimated and under-monitored,” Bella explained.
She added that road traffic sends about 300 toxic chemicals, for example from catalytic converters in vehicles, into rivers via drains. Microplastics, tyre wear, paint, rust, pesticides, road chemicals and garden runoff are other examples of sources of such pollution washed in by the rain.
Bella said about road runoff: “It’s toxic and much of it can’t be broken down by micro-organisms in the water environment. It’s persistent and it builds up in the sediment and can affect the entire eco-system.
“The impacts of road runoff are widespread and very scary. We know they can cause harm to insects and to human health. The PAHs are particularly nasty – they can affect an animal’s ability to reproduce…and can cause death outright, especially in the summer when it hasn’t rained for a while. When it rains, we often see fish kills because the contaminants have washed straight into the river.”
Describing how the vortex chamber worked, she said that dirty water goes into the device at the upstream side, the “big drum” retains the sediment and then cleaned water is sent into the river.
These had never been retrofitted into roads before, so our project leaders worked closely with manufacturers to make them work and fitted them on to the three main surface water drains coming into the Carshalton Arm of the Wandle.
“That was the first time trout had spawned successfully on the river for almost 100 years,” Bella stressed.
Other solutions to road runoff, she said, included nature-based ones such as wetlands, such as the Chamber Mead on the Hogsmill. Ideally both would be in place, with wetlands bringing amenity, flood and biodiversity benefits.
‘It gives me hope, but policy has to change’
Removing pennywort at Morden Hall Park during the UK Rivers Summit
Bella concluded: “These solutions give me hope that it is possible to tackle road runoff, but we need to do it everywhere. It is estimated that there are a million outfalls in the country and that’s probably underestimated. They are completely unmeasured and unregulated.
“I implore the policy makers to listen, investigate and do something about it. We have to shout louder to make sure this actually happens. We know there are effective solutions out there so let’s build them quickly.”
In her welcoming remarks, Bella invited people to “celebrate all rivers” but in particular the Wandle. “It’s unusual to be a chalk stream, it’s even more unusual to be an urban chalk stream and it’s even rarer to have one with a footpath all the way alongside it,” she said, referencing the Wandle Trail.
The Summit also gave us the chance to show attendees our volunteers’ work on the River Wandle at the National Trust-owned park. About a dozen people donned waders to cross the river and head to the main park for a guided river wade to see how our volunteers have turned a straight river into one flourishing with wildlife. Participants also had the chance to remove pennywort from the river next to Morden Hall, appropriately during Non-Native Invasive Species Week, which highlights how plants and animals that have come into our rivers cause them harm.
Click below to hear Bella’s full speech about the road run-off solution.
Robyn Shaw, Education and Engagement Officer at the South East Rivers Trust (SERT), has become the first recipient of a new award that celebrates the life of a passionate supporter of work to promote rivers.
The award has been created by Thames Rivers Trust (TRT) to celebrate the late Peter Spillett, one of their Trustees for more than 10 years, who cared passionately about improving the Thames’ tributary rivers and the wildlife that they sustain.
With rivers facing a breadth of challenges and many children having a disconnect with their local blue spaces, the judges were delighted to be able to recognise the importance of providing hands on river education for children in and by their local rivers.
Thames Rivers Trust CEO Miles Morgan awarding the TRT Peter Spillett Award to South East Rivers Trust’s Robyn Shaw, the first recipient of this prestigious new environmental accolade. Credit TRT
Robyn delivers precisely those opportunities through SERT’s Project Kingfisher education programme. This supports schools to bring curriculum topics such as rivers and local wildlife habitats to life. It gives pupils the chance to get outdoors and connect with their river and the many species of wildlife that require healthy rivers to survive.
TRT’s new CEO Miles Morgan presented Robyn with her award on Saturday at SERT’s official opening of Chamber Mead wetlands in Ewell, Surrey. The 2000m2 wetlands aims to reduce pollution entering the River Hogsmill and improve water quality.
Miles said: “Robyn was nominated by a colleague for her passion and innovation and the positive impact she has made over the last year developing resources and working with schools, groups and families in London rivers. TRT is proud to give this special recognition and congratulate her hard work with students and families across four river catchments in South West London and Surrey.”
Over the 2022-23 SERT financial year from July to June, Robyn delivered 94 sessions to 42 schools, teaching 3,743 pupils in assemblies and outdoor sessions. These have taken place in places along the Hogsmill, Beverley Brook, Wandle and Mole rivers across Kingston, Wandsworth, Sutton, Ewell, Surrey and Merton.
Robyn said: “I am thrilled to win this award, which was totally unexpected. It is very special and humbling to be recognised in the name of someone who did so much for rivers and the Thames Rivers Trust. It means a great deal. I find our work with children and young people so rewarding, so it’s fantastic that other people share the value of helping children understand the importance of rivers and connecting with nature.”
SERT’s Co CEO Dr Bella Davies added: ”We’re delighted that Robyn’s work has been recognised by the Peter Spillett Award. During her time with us, she has really thrown herself into the education role at SERT, coming up with new ways to keep the children engrossed about the wonders of river life and leaving them wanting to know more.”
Peter’s family said: “We are thrilled to see the TRT Peter Spillett award being given to such a worthy recipient as Robyn. Peter was always a strong supporter of work to improve our rivers and would be very proud that such work was being recognised in his name.”
The annual award is now open for this year’s entries and is once again seeking nominations for an outstanding individual who works or volunteers with a Rivers Trust or another NGO delivering projects for the environmental good of rivers in the Thames River Basin.
For more details about our education programmes and the chance to book sessions for schools and youth groups, indoors and outdoors, please visit our education page.
Watch the video of Miles presenting the award to Robyn below.
Customers at nine Tesco stores across Banstead, Epsom and Leatherhead can vote to help the South East Rivers Trust inspire children to love the River Mole and spark lifelong interest in wildlife.
The river charity’s popular education sessions set 3,700 pupils on the path to nurturing nature in the 2022-23 academic year.
Now, the programme is developing its reach by engaging schools and youth groups across the River Mole area, which stretches from Crawley through Dorking and Molesey to the River Thames.
Shoppers can help support young people learning about the wonders of river wildlife, by voting for the “Welly Wanderers – River Education” option in participating stores between the start of April to the end of June.
Children who are connected to nature are happier, healthier and more motivated to learn, the charity believes. Feedback on the curriculum linked sessions shows the power of outdoor education and the thrills experienced by the children.
One teacher said: “It was lovely to see several students who struggle to engage in a classroom setting getting really into the learning on offer outside of the classroom!”
A pupil added: “It was awesome, going in the river and seeing all the creatures that live there.”
Typically, pupils on a river dipping session might find shrimps, mayfly or damselfly nymphs or even a water hoglouse, while learning about birds such as kingfishers which thrive near water.
Polly Penn, Head of Working with Communities at the South East Rivers Trust, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as a Tesco Stronger Starts community project because we know from our education sessions that children love the chance to visit the river. They are always inspired by being able to see for themselves the creatures they have learned about in the classroom.
Children record their findings on the River Mole in a South East Rivers Trust education session
“We believe our sessions will be hugely valuable to pupils in the short term, helping them learn about the value of water and to use it wisely, as well as the long term. As we wrote in a blog about our existing education sessions on the Mole, pupils who learn outdoors develop fantastic personal skills and an increasing number of future careers will focus on climate issues. Our education programme sits perfectly within Science, Technology, English and Maths (STEM) learning and we hope shoppers will take this opportunity to support our work.”
Customer votes will decide how three chosen charities will receive awards of £500, £1,000 or £1,500.
The nine stores where customers can vote for SERT between April and the end of June 2024 are:
Ewell Express, KT17 1PG
Epsom Station Express, KT19 8EU
Epsom Horton Express, KT19 8SP
Epsom Ruxley Lane Express, KT19 9JS
Craddocks Ashtead Express KT21 1QJ
Leatherhead Oxshott Road, KT22 0EF
Bookham Express, KT23 4AD
Banstead Express, SM7 2NN
Epsom Fir Tree Road Express, TW14 8RX
Tesco’s Stronger Starts – previously known as Tesco Community Grants – has already provided more than £110 million to more than 60,000 projects across Britain.
A South East Rivers Trust school session at Grattons Park on the River Mole
This £5m Stronger Starts grant programme, delivered in partnership with Groundwork UK, helps schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, and sports equipment for after school clubs.
Claire de Silva, Tesco UK Head of Communities and Local Media, said: “Helping schools and children’s groups access the food and resources they need is vitally important in getting children a stronger start in life. Children with enough food have more energy, better concentration, and ultimately achieve more too.”
Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive, said: “As a community charity, we have seen first-hand how schools and other groups supporting young people have been playing a much bigger role in ensuring children are getting a healthy start to the day and getting access to spaces and services to support physical activity and mental health. Family budgets are tight and school budgets are tight, but it’s so important that children stay fed, fit and focused, so we’re delighted to be able to prioritise these activities alongside Tesco with the Stronger Starts programme.”
Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities, particularly those helping to provide food and giving children the support they need for a good start in life. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit tescoplc.com/strongerstarts
For full details of SERT’s education opportunities for schools and youth groups and to book visit our education page.
Shoppers at selected Tesco stores in Horley and Dorking can vote to support the South East Rivers Trust’s (SERT) programme to connect local children with the River Mole and its wildlife.
SERT’s school sessions bring children to their local river to spend time in nature and learn about the local wildlife – all while meeting the school’s needs for the curriculum.
Studies show that children who are connected to nature are happier, healthier and more motivated to learn – and feedback on our sessions shows the power of outdoor education.
One teacher said: “The session was a fantastic way to introduce the children to our rivers topic, the delivery and the content was engaging and the children had an absolute blast!”
A pupil added: “I loved making a promise to make sure that the river will keep flowing and not dry up!”
Polly Penn, Head of Working with Communities at the South East Rivers Trust, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as a Tesco Stronger Starts community project because we know from our education sessions that children love the chance to visit the river. They are always inspired by being able to see for themselves the creatures they have learned about in the classroom.
“Our aim is that this and our lessons about how to use water wisely in their daily lives will instil lifelong habits – and might even inspire some of them to become scientists in the future. We hope shoppers will take this opportunity to support our work.”
Customer votes will decide how three chosen charities will receive awards of £500, £1,000 or £1,500.
The three stores where customers can vote for SERT, between mid-January and the end of March 2024, are:
Tesco Gatwick Extra, Reigate Road, Horley RH6 0AT
Tesco Express, Brighton Road, Horley RH6 7HL
Tesco Express, Reigate Road, Dorking RH4 1QB
Tesco’s Stronger Starts – previously known as Tesco Community Grants – has already provided more than £110 million to 60,000 projects across Britain.
This £5m Stronger Starts grant programme, delivered in partnership with Groundwork UK, helps schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, and sports equipment for after school clubs.
Claire de Silva, Tesco UK Head of Communities and Local Media, said: “Helping schools and children’s groups access the food and resources they need is vitally important in getting children a stronger start in life. Children with enough food have more energy, better concentration, and ultimately achieve more too.”
Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive, said: “As a community charity, we have seen first-hand how schools and other groups supporting young people have been playing a much bigger role in ensuring children are getting a healthy start to the day and getting access to spaces and services to support physical activity and mental health. Family budgets are tight and school budgets are tight, but it’s so important that children stay fed, fit and focused, so we’re delighted to be able to prioritise these activities alongside Tesco with the Stronger Starts programme.”
Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities, particularly those helping to provide food and giving children the support they need for a good start in life.
For full details of SERT’s education opportunities for schools and youth groups and to book, visit our education page.
Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 and has now grown into an international movement that is embedded on the social calendar annually, with the simple idea of doing good.
What better way is there to do that than make a donation on Giving Tuesday (28th November 2023) or instead of a physical present this festive season, to help protect rivers – our very lifeblood?
While there are many great causes, one that underpins our very existence – water – is hard to ignore.
Much of our drinking water is abstracted from rivers, supplementing what is stored in reservoirs to supply the needs of our homes and businesses.
However, in the South East we live in an area that is classed as water-stressed. This means that we are already facing a water shortage because of a growing population and climate change, which brings with it erratic weather patterns, from sudden storms from which we can’t capture all the water to drought.
All this puts huge pressure on the wildlife that thrives in rivers. Your rivers. Rivers that have been straightened, boxed in by concrete or boarding along the edges thwarting animal movement between water and land, or restricted by weirs and other barriers – all in the name of convenience for people at various times in our history.
But this has left our rivers unable to function as they should, to allow fish to migrate (some as far as the sea) to better habitats, to allow flowers to flourish to attract pollinators, or to give creatures that move between water and land the chance to do so.
The very habitats that support the wildlife that supports our existence needs help – and we’re on a mission to make that happen.
However, we can’t install fish passes or ‘rewiggle’ rivers to make them places where aquatic life can truly thrive without funding.
By the end of November, many people are already making decisions about gifts for the festive season. Many of you might be tempted by offers on Black Friday weekend (23rd to 27th November). But many of you might be thinking that a gift to nature might be better for your recipients for Christmas-time festivities this year – a year in which we have made inroads in many areas.
Some highlights from this year include:
encouraging people in the Medway to take a first step to caring for their local river by addressing their reliance on single-use plastic – 70 people signed up to become official Medway River Guardians with many of them becoming River Champions.
working with landowners in the Beult to install nature-based solutions to retain back water in the landscape for the benefit of wildlife and people. We’re now building up similar work on the Darent
creating new fish passes, from a baffle weir to improving the wish stream so fish can access better habitats
training citizen scientists to map out invasive non-native species on the Wandle and continued our volunteering events at Morden Hall Park
starting to create a new wetland at Chamber Mead on the Hogsmill
introducing rivers to dozens of schools and hundreds of children through our education programmes
Hosting Loddon Rivers Week and contributing sessions to London Rivers Week
Advising the UK’s largest greenhouse salad crop grower on water resilience
We couldn’t do it without funding.
Please consider making a one off donation to the South East Rivers Trust this Giving Tuesday, or signing up to make a regular donation. Visit our donate page for details.
Jonathan Dean, our Education Development Officer, plays a central role in developing and delivering the Trust’s education strategy. He oversees our formal education work, extending across all our catchments. Here, he shares his thoughts on why rivers should be an important part of the curriculum for any school in the south east of England.
With summer on the way, Charlene Duncan, our Education and Community Outreach Officer, writes how now is the perfect time to book sessions with Project Kingfisher, the South East Rivers Trust’s river education programme.
The South East Rivers Trust has been working with Sutton Council to deliver a SuDS in Schools project in Carshalton. Delivering a sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) project has been a new and valuable experience for the Trust.
Timing could not have been better for this SuDS project. Along with all the extreme weather events around the world that have been in the news, closer to home flash flooding has hit the headlines. Not only does this demonstrate the urgent need to address surface water flooding, but it has brought the issue to the public’s attention. It is the perfect chance to capitalise on the growing awareness of climate change and interest in environmental issues to get SuDS on the public agenda.
While works are being planned to restore the Emm Brook in Riverside Park, Wokingham, the South East Rivers Trust has begun engaging the community through an interschool competition.
Primary schools in the area were all invited to take part in the School River Challenge. Schools competed to get the most pupils to become certified Junior River Rangers. The prize? A class set of river dipping equipment.
The competition was run over the June half term. It was launched in each school with an assembly – delivered virtually over Zoom – in the week beginning 17th May. Many teachers took the week before half term to undertake some of the Junior River Ranger activities as a class. Children were then encouraged to complete the remaining activities with family and friends. In the course of the competition, we received more than 300 hits on our Junior River Ranger webpage!
When Covid-19 affected our plans for the SuDS in Sutton’s Schools project, the South East Rivers Trust shifted its focus from Education and Engagement to Design and Delivery – increasing the expertise we are able to give on future sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) projects.
The primary objective of any SuDS scheme is to alleviate flood risk – capturing and storing rainwater, reducing pressure on the drainage system.
We worked with schools to deliver clear benefits, whether it be for wildlife, as calm spaces or to enhance the work of particular lessons.
The SuDS in Sutton’s Schools project was managed by the London Borough of Sutton council and our role has been to deliver education and engagement to help schools meet flood relief targets. The primary aim has been to alleviate flood risk in the Hackbridge area – known as Critical Drainage Area 33.
The SuDS in Sutton’s Schools project was delivered in schools in two phases – using the summer holidays to deliver the bulk of the work. The first phase was completed in 2019 and, because of delays caused by Covid-19, the second phase was completed in 2021.
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Much of our drinking water is abstracted from rivers, supplementing what is stored in reservoirs to supply the needs of our homes and businesses.
