The project will establish Hereford as a ‘river city’; where nature thrives within the network of waterways and surrounding wetland areas which are enjoyed by all. It will focus on three key aspects of the waterways: restoring the habitats for wildlife, uncovering and sharing their history and connecting people of all ages to these wonderful natural environments.
The initial grant awarded from the Heritage Fund will allow the Trust to conduct a development phase of 15 months, beginning spring 2026, before seeking funding of over £1 million to realise the full project over three years.
Hereford’s brooks face multiple issues but have huge potential for habitat enhancement. Large parts have been canalised and culverted. There are not enough natural meanders or deep pools for aquatic wildlife to feed, shelter and take refuge. Our increasingly extreme summers cause the brooks to dry up, resulting in huge loss of aquatic life including mass fish death. Stretches are clogged with litter and are overgrown with brambles and trees, cutting out essential sunlight. They suffer impacts from Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS).
Planning and preparation for work to restore 4km of waterways and 25 hectares of riverside habitat is now getting underway. Should full funding be awarded the project team will re-naturalise and improve the watercourse by adding bends and wiggles, restoring eroded banks and adding leaky dams, and creating refuges for fish and aquatic plants such as pools and riffles. To create more stepping stones and corridors for wildlife across the city, the team will improve habitat on green spaces alongside the brooks by clearing scrub and brambles, planting native trees and hedgerows and sowing wildflowers. Refuges will be installed for wildlife including otter holts, bat and bird boxes, pollinator strips, and log piles.
Herefordshire Wildlife Trust is partnering with county oral history group, Herefordshire Lore on the project. During the development phase they will reach out to communities to build an oral archive of everyday stories from local people, keeping important memories alive for future generations. They will also begin to research beyond living memory to past centuries when the brooks running through the city were vital for industry, transport and for play.
One early memory previously recorded by Herefordshire Lore, was of the Yazor Brook: “The sluggish tree-lined stream that ran west-east behind Baggally meadows was filled with old tin cans, broken prams and cider bottles. But to the young of Holy Trinity parish in 1944 it might have been the Nile or the Niger,” added the contributor who, as a ten-year old, spent blissful hours exploring the stream. He went on to become one of the great British explorers, John Blashford-Snell.
Today, many of the city’s waterways are overshadowed, hidden and no longer a place to play or connect with nature. The project will create a continuous network of accessible routes, connecting people to the brooks and green corridors, the Trust’s four city nature reserves, and the rivers Wye and Lugg.
Improved accessibility will include new benches, improved paths and ‘wetland wildlife zones’ where children and families can pond dip and explore nature safely as well as interpretation installations and plaques in key locations.
There will also be a huge range of ways for people across the city to get involved with the project from practical volunteering, mental health and wellbeing activities, WildPlay and workshops. The project team will reach out to schools, colleges, arts and history organisations, and with them, will develop a programme of participatory events and activities
Frances Weeks, Head of Nature Action, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust said:
“We are so excited to have received this initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players we can now develop our plans to restore Hereford’s hidden waterways and learn more about the wildlife that could thrive here. We have been so enjoying our work restoring Bartonsham Meadows for wildlife and for people, and we can’t wait to work across more of the city. Having this chance to shine a spotlight on the city’s waterways and wetlands is a fantastic opportunity for the city and a great privilege for us to be a part of that.”
Bill Laws, Chair, Herefordshire Lore, says:
“We are delighted to work with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust on a project so close to the hearts of so many. John Blashford-Snell recalls the days when we had curlew and lapwings on the meadows, and skylarks calling over a clean river. After more than thirty years of recording Herefordshire’s memories, we are convinced that learning from the past helps frame a better future for us - and for wildlife."