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Ribble Rivers Trust Blog


  • Bringing nature home: wildlife ponds
    Bringing nature home: wildlife ponds

    Ponds are amazing spaces for wildlife, supporting a wide range of species and providing homes for some really special creatures. Yet numbers have seen a big decline in recent years, partly due to our quest for neater gardens, but also so that land can be utilised for agriculture and development. However, we want ponds to…

  • World Water Day 2024: Remarkable Rivers
    World Water Day 2024: Remarkable Rivers

    For centuries, rivers have been a key part of human life. From helping our ancestors choose strategic locations for settlements, to revolutionising industrial processes, and helping us produce the food and water we need to survive. Of course, rivers are still influencing our lives here in the UK as a key part of our drinking…

  • Species Survival Fund to Make Room For Rivers
    Species Survival Fund to Make Room For Rivers

    Twenty conservation projects species are to benefit from the government’s Species Survival Fund. Including Ribble Rivers Trust, who will receive a grant for £1.65 million. The £25 million fund aims to enable the restoration of over 3,300 hectares of critical habitats. Wildlife charities, farmers, and community groups will all recieve grants for their projects. Each…

  • Bathing Water Designation to Ensure Ribble Valley River is ‘Safe to Splash’
    Bathing Water Designation to Ensure Ribble Valley River is ‘Safe to Splash’

    Ribble Valley residents are one step closer to the designation of their very own Bathing Water site thanks to the Ribble Rivers Trust’s Safe to Splash campaign. In an announcement this week the Government shared plans to designate the largest ever number of new bathing water sites. In total there are 27 new sites that…

  • Community Catchments: Empowering People, Fighting Floods
    Community Catchments: Empowering People, Fighting Floods

    Rivers across Lancashire and North Yorkshire are receiving a very welcome boost thanks to funding from the Defra £25m Natural Flood Management Fund, which is managed by the Environment Agency. Ribble Rivers Trust, who will be managing the project alongside various partners including Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Heidelberg Materials, and Downham Estate, have been…

  • The secret world of rivers: what do healthy rivers look like?
    The secret world of rivers: what do healthy rivers look like?

    River pollution is hitting the headlines once again. Whilst some river problems provide obvious signs, like visible litter and the smell of sewage, it’s not always easy to tell what healthy rivers look like in comparison to those tainted by pollution. As we already know, rivers are very complex systems that are heavily influenced by…

  • Delivering Farm Advice in Lancashire and North Yorkshire
    Delivering Farm Advice in Lancashire and North Yorkshire

    Farming is such an important part of our heritage especially here, in the Ribble catchment, where most of our land is utilised for agriculture and food production. It’s also an important part of our local and national heritage. Over many centuries farming has shaped the landscape that we know and love today. From the rolling…

  • Growing Lancashire’s Future: Tree Nurseries Promise New Trees For Lancashire
    Growing Lancashire’s Future: Tree Nurseries Promise New Trees For Lancashire

    In a move towards greater sustainability, Ribble Rivers Trust are proud to announce the establishment of another groundbreaking community tree nursery at Grange Community Gardens in Preston. This innovative initiative is designed to transform Lancashire’s landscape whilst engaging the community to secure a greener future for Lancashire’s woodlands. Currently, the majority of the tens of thousands of trees…

  • Rivers and trees; nature’s dream team
    Rivers and trees; nature’s dream team

    In the rolling landscapes of Lancashire, where the countryside meets the water, there are hundreds of miles of riverside woodland. This unassuming habitat offers more than just a pretty view, it plays a vital role in addressing climate change and biodiversity concerns. So, let’s explore river woodlands and we’ll tell you why they are a…

  • Embrace the Spirit of Giving: Dedicate a Tree This Christmas
    Embrace the Spirit of Giving: Dedicate a Tree This Christmas

    In the wake of 2020 which, let’s face it, tested all our resilience Lancashire Woodland Connect emerged as a promise for a greener, more sustainable future. This visionary campaign, launched by Ribble Rivers Trust, aspires to double the expanse of woodlands across Lancashire over the next decade. It’s more than a tree-planting initiative; it’s a…

  • What is Natural Flood Management (NFM)?
    What is Natural Flood Management (NFM)?

    Natural Flood Management (NFM) simply means using natural processes to regulate water flow and reduce flood risk. There are many diverse types of NFM strategies which are all slightly different. However, they all have something in common; they all have reconnecting and renaturalising river systems at their core. Here are some of the ways our…

  • The salmon run; an epic upstream journey
    The salmon run; an epic upstream journey

    Salmon are one of the most well known creatures in our rivers, and every year they provide one of natures greatest spectacles; the salmon run. This amazing annual migration takes the Atlantic salmon from the ocean to the rivers they were born in. It starts with a gathering in the sea. Here in the ocean…

  • Native Bats- Marvellous Mammals
    Native Bats- Marvellous Mammals

    Bats are some of the most unique and iconic species that call the UK home. These adorable nocturnal animals often have a spooky reputation. Could this have originated from tales of vampires? Or it could be because they’re nocturnal? Or perhaps even because of their looks? Either way, we love our native bats! Hibernation explained…

  • Autumn Leaves; The Science Behind The Scenery
    Autumn Leaves; The Science Behind The Scenery

    It’s that time of year when our wonderful woodlands give us one last spectacle, with a glorious show of autumn leaves before the trees retreat into dormancy for the winter. Did you know that the fresh vibrant green leaves that adorn our trees in summer already contain these autumn colours? Tree leaves are covered in…

  • Riverbank Revival in Blackburn with Darwen
    Riverbank Revival in Blackburn with Darwen

    At Ribble Rivers Trust, we believe in the transformative power of nature. So, our upcoming project is more than just a crowdfunding campaign; it’s a journey to create a greener, happier, and more connected community! Through our ambitious crowdfunding campaign, we aim to raise between £2,000 and £5,000. These funds will allow us to create…

  • Celebrating the Ribble’s Wonderful Wetlands
    Celebrating the Ribble’s Wonderful Wetlands

    Wetlands are among the planet’s most at-risk environments, yet their value to both wildlife and people is massive. These areas of land, whether permanently or seasonally submerged, provide spaces for an array of species specially adapted to call these places home. Estuaries: Where wetlands and Sea meet Estuaries are found on the coast, where rivers…

  • Restoring Hasgill Beck: A Brash Bundling Project for Healthy Rivers
    Restoring Hasgill Beck: A Brash Bundling Project for Healthy Rivers

    Ribble Rivers Trust is embarking on an exciting project to restore the banks of Hasgill Beck, near Stocks Reservoir and Gisburn Forest. The Hasgill brash bundling project aims to combat severe erosion and enhance the natural beauty and biodiversity of the area. Located in the picturesque landscape of the Forest of Bowland, this project aims…

  • RiverBlitz- A citizen science approach
    RiverBlitz- A citizen science approach

    What are RiverBlitz events? A RiverBlitz is one-day event where citizen scientists join together to collect information about water quality and biodiversity within a small area. The aim is to collect as much valuable data as possible. In particular, we focus on areas where there are gaps in knowledge, to help guide our future work…