It’s been a busy few months, and autumn is shaping up to be just as exciting!
Since we last spoke, the Cotswolds Rivers Trust has played a leading role in securing two successful Cotswolds National Landscape Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) applications for work across the Windrush catchment, as well as funding to expand our Infant Thames Programme and get our extremely exciting Witney Waterways work underway. Both of which are centered around bringing communities closer to their rivers, inspiring greater appreciation of these special places while working to improve them for people and wildlife.
Equally exciting is our involvement in a collaborative Black Poplar restoration project across Oxfordshire, helping to bring one of the UK’s rarest native tree species back from the brink of extinction. With initial funding from West Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of White Horse District Council, the project has already delivered some fascinating findings from its first season of surveying and genetic testing.
Photo from Nicola Schafer
The partnership has now launched a crowdfunder to build on this early success, expand the surveying and genetic testing, and help the Long Mead Foundation establish a dedicated Black Poplar nursery. This distinctive native tree faces significant challenges, but together we have a real opportunity to secure its future in Oxfordshire’s floodplains and wetlands. If you are in a position to help, please consider making a donation and sharing the appeal. Currently for every £1 donated the project receives £3, via match funding from the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy and Aviva Communities Fund. Support the project here.
Alongside these exciting developments, numerous other projects are progressing through our pipeline, leaving the Trust in a fantastic position to grow our impact and deliver meaningful improvements for our rivers. Last month, we were supporting river restoration through raising the river bed on the River Coln; next month, we will be out on the River Dikler with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, continuing our work to restore habitats and improve the health of the river across three landholdings.
As a team of just two, this is a real achievement, and one we are incredibly proud of. However, we know the scale of the challenges facing our rivers means our work is only just getting started, and we look forward to sharing our progress as these and other projects develop.
Thank you, as always, for your continued interest and support.
