The funding will be spent on supporting and expanding our current practical work, initially in the Upper Lugg catchment in the north of the county, as well as funding our ongoing campaigning and advocacy.

We are currently conducting river surveys and monitoring on the Lingen and Lime brooks, tributaries of the River Lugg. Here, we are particularly focusing on freshwater invertebrates, such as mayfly nymphs, as their levels of abundance offer a brilliant insight into the general health of a river.

Alongside this, we have been conducting farm visits throughout the Upper Lugg catchment, supporting landowners with advice on how to limit agricultural impacts on watercourses as well as how to implement natural flood management solutions such as leaky dams and riverside tree planting. Such solutions not only improve river health and biodiversity but they also help to slow the flow of rivers and reduce flood risk further downstream.

The money raised through the appeal will mean we can begin practical restoration interventions on this stretch of the river.

Examples include:

• Installing ‘leaky dams’: These slow the pace of water and create new wetland habitats. They lie wet during periods of heavy rain but dry out in the summer creating the ideal habitat for a range of invertebrate species and the birds that eat them. Dragonflies love the temporary wetland habitat created by leaky dams.
• Planting cross contour hedging: Hedges across steep slopes slow the pace of the water running over the surface reducing the amount of sediment it collects. This helps reduce the water levels in water courses and improve the quality of the water course. The new hedges improve wildlife connectivity and provide a nesting site and food source for birds and small mammals including dormice.
• Plating new areas of reedbed: Reedbeds are an amazing natural resource, helping to remove pollutants from water, slowing the pace of the water and creating the ideal habitat for species like reed bunting and bittern.
• Riparian woodland planting: Woodlands planted along a water course help to improve the stability of the river bank and so reduce erosion and sediment build up in the river. They also provide shade which is becoming increasingly important in hot dry summers when river temperatures can increase to dangerous levels for fish.
• Installing fencing and water troughs: Where too many cattle or sheep access a riverbank they can erode the bank leading to sediment build up in the river. By fencing off the river bank we can reduce the erosion, improve the bank stability and allow scrub to naturally regenerate creating a healthier Funding will also mean this work can be replicated in other parts of the catchment.

The additional funding will also mean we can replicate our river surveys in other parts of the catchment. Monitoring water chemistry, including phosphate, nitrate and ammonia levels can help us to identify where pollutants may be entering water courses and where the natural solutions we have implemented have helped to improve the quality of the water.

Nature Action Officer Holly Thomson said:

“Landowner and tenant engagement has been really positive in the north west of Herefordshire with plenty of farmers willing to add natural flood management features such as leaky dams within their farm landscape. The donations received through our fundraising appeal will fund actions that will reduce flood risk downstream, improve water quality and create habitat diversity for wildlife. We thank all our supporters, and farmers, for their enthusiastic involvement in bringing about positive change for our local rivers.”

Alongside our practical work, we will continue to campaign for action at a national level to recover our rivers. Though we never heard back from our previous Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Thérèse Coffey, who had promised to share a plan to restore the River Wye in autumn 2023, we will continue to meet with local councillors and MPs to ask for political action to curb pollution and to restore rivers.