New Trust websites

There are two new Trust websites that are well worth checking out.
The East Yorkshire Chalk Rivers Trust has been created to oversee some of the most spectacular rivers in the North of England. Some of the streams really would not be out of place in New Zealand or some other exotic location!
The South Cumbria Rivers Trust has its fair share of spectacular catchments. The Trust is in its very early stages and will be very glad of any support. This leaves only a very small amount of Cumbria not covered by a Rivers Trust (the West coast rivers), although there is a very active conservation group on the River Ellen.

Launch of Wild Trout Survival Guide

The Wild Trout Trust launched their Wild Trout Survival Guide on the Derbyshire Wye yesterday. The event was well attended by representatives from around the UK. The document was backed by the EA Head of Fisheries who also pledged support for local groups proposing habitat improvement works. The document can be purchased from the Wild Trout Trust and is a simple guide aimed at clubs and individuals. It should be noted that some projects will need expert guidance, and caution should in particular be exercised before commencing widespread coppicing works!

Big Lottery Fund

ART has just submitted a funding bid to the BASIS programme of the Big Lottery Fund in order to continue help and support to local river improvement groups for the next four years. We hope to provide a dedicated funding service, technical support for projects and assistance with financial and governance matters. We are also hoping to employ a number of regional officers to support, in particular, those groups who are run by volunteers. The BASIS programme is only open to organisations who exist to support local groups but there are a number of schemes that are open to anyone so do check out the programmes. Fingers crossed!

A Trust for the Tees?

The Tees Valley and River Association is considering the benefits of a conservation Trust for the river. One of the key issues for the Association at the moment is the impact of the Tees barrage on fish migration and whether the fish pass is working properly. CEFAS have carried out a preliminary report on fish tracked around the barrier which makes for some very interesting reading! You can download the report by clicking here

Ribble Trust Heritage Lottery Fund Grant

The Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust is in receipt of an HLF project planning grant. This will hopefully lead to a much bigger Heritage project application. Rachael Perryman is the project officer in charge of pulling together potential heritage projects for the Ribble catchment. rachael.perryman@ribbletrust.com

Welcome!

Welcome to my ART blog. I hope to use this site to keep you all up to date with news from ART and the groups working in the North of England. I will put links to funding opportunities if i come across them, and details of projects that others are working on in case there are opportunities for partnerships or just to share ideas. Please feel free to email me or make comments with anything you would like to stick up here for sharing with other groups.
cheers

Alistair